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Kids Corner
Information, Games
and More
Do you “Wii”?
By Kathryn E. Eriksen
If someone asks if you “Wii”, do not
take offense. They are not asking a personal question; instead, they
are referring to a new type of interactive video game.
First introduced in 2006, the Nintendo Wii System is unique in several
ways. The Wii is designed to be played with others, thereby
eliminating one of the main objections to gaming (that it is too
solitary). It also requires physical activity (moving arms, shoulders,
twisting, etc.) instead of relying only on opposable thumbs. Nintendo
has explained the unusual name with the following quote:
“’Wii” sounds like 'we', which emphasizes that the console is for
everyone. Wii can easily be remembered by people around the world, no
matter what language they speak. No confusion. No need to abbreviate.
Just Wii.”
The standard package comes with various sports
games, including tennis, bowling, golf, baseball and boxing. After
enjoying each game for several hours, the consensus in our family is
that tennis is the most fun and enjoyable. The wireless controller
allows the player to interact with the game in three dimensions.
Movements made by the controller are translated onto the television
screen almost instantaneously, making the virtual player appear to
move at the same time as the real player. The interactive experience
is difficult enough to challenge adult players, but active enough to
keep young children entertained.
Wiis are great fun for the entire family – from young children (make
sure they have the wrist strap on tight, or the controller might fly
off their hand into the television screen) to grandparents. In fact,
Wiis have become an integral part of several North Texas senior
retirement centers. Erickson Retirement Communities has purchased a
system for Highland Springs Retirement Community in far North Dallas.
A “national” tournament was held last fall between several of the
Erickson Communities, with residents cheering on their favorite
player.
The unexpected popularity of the Wii system with seniors has led
Nintendo to begin marketing it at AARP events and senior-living
industry conventions. Nintendo reports that 9.3 million Wii consoles
have been sold, which retails for $250.00.
The problem with the Wii is that it is too popular – the systems are
very difficult to find in retail stores. One alternative (if you do
not have a relative who works in the electronics department of
Wal-Mart to tip you off as to the next shipment date) is to purchase
the system on eBay. Be sure to watch different auctions to get a feel
for the going price. Wii’s have sold for as much as $699.00 and as
little as $450.00, so it pays to wait until the right auction. You
will pay more than retail, but you will have a Wii to enjoy much
sooner than waiting in line for limited supplies.
Buy a Wii – if you can find one – and start enjoying the most fun you
have had since television!
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The Indoor
Zoo
By Amy Fulfer
The kids want to see animals, but being outside is not very appealing
in bad weather. Where can you go that is full of unique animals and
plants, will entertain the kids and get everyone out of the house? We
discovered that the Dallas World Aquarium was a great solution when we
decided to give it a try for the first time.
When they say “aquarium,” they aren’t joking. There are many fish, but
the site is so much more than that. We started our walking tour at the
top of the rain forest canopy. We saw lots of free-flying pink
spoonbills, toucans and howler monkeys, among others, (but you can’t
miss the howlers—they really earned their names rightfully) and an
overview of the rest of the rain forest exhibit. A huge waterfall
flows down into a simulated river at the center of the exhibit and as
we descended, the animals swimming became more and more clearly
visible.
 As
we moved on down through the understory and forest floor, there were
more monkeys, crocodiles, poison dart frogs, constrictors and
anacondas, sloth and vampire bats. Whether my 2-year-old daughter ever
realized that the sloth was actually alive or not was a question we
could not answer. She seemed to think we were all staring at a strange
looking stuffed animal in a tree since she couldn’t stay focused on
him long enough to actually see him move. My own favorite little
critter was the pygmy marmoset. It is the smallest monkey species and
only weighs between 2-5 ounces.
 The
path continues to circle down and goes under the river. From there,
through the aquarium glass, we had a clear view of the animals
swimming in the river. Two huge manatees, turtles, sting rays, and
huge, air-breathing fish called arapaima came close to the glass and
seemed to be attempting to dance with my daughter who was completely
enamored with them. When she stood close, they often seemed to be
trying to rub against her.
After the Rainforest, we went to the Mundo Maya. I had two favorite
parts of that 8-story exhibit: the tunnel through the aquarium that
gave the feeling of being underwater as sharks and rays swam all
around and the majestic Jaguar in the Mayan temple at the top. Some
other fascinating animals in the exhibit were Mexican walking fish,
basilisks, penguins, electric eels and the poisonous Mexican beaded
lizards.
 The
aquariums with marine life from all over the world were the last part
of our tour. I’d like to say that we stayed and enjoyed the fish in
each aquarium to the fullest, but honestly, we didn’t. Other than
admiring the frilly seahorses, we really only spent time looking at
fish that were somehow represented in Finding Nemo. (On that note, I’m
happy to report that the Finding Nemo cast is indeed well represented
at the aquarium.)
Overall, I was very pleased by my first trip to the Dallas World
Aquarium. We had a clear view of nearly all the animals and the
exhibits were put together well, with a good variety of animals. In my
mind, the only draw back to this otherwise family friendly stop was
the admission price: $16.95 for adults and $9.95 for kids 3-12. For my
family, I know the cost is the only thing that will keep us from
visiting more frequently. We did have a marvelous time.
Please visit their website at
www.dwazoo.com
for more information and directions.
 
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New Online Virtual Games
Interactive World Map
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The Great Ride!
By Mary A. Flowers
Lying around on our big front porch at the ranch was sometimes the
most exciting thing going on. Sometimes I was so bored I thought I
would die. Even though I loved living in the country, my Mama had
strict rules about what a girl could and could not do. She did not
want me hanging out with the boys who often came with their fathers to
work on the ranch.
My Mama was sitting in the front yard visiting with a lady friend
who had come by so I figured she wouldn't notice if I went up to the
barn. A friend of my Dad's, Joe Bob, boarded a horse at our ranch and
he said I could ride it anytime I wanted. I never had much luck riding
our horse, Red, because he was too headstrong and I was scared of him.
Joe Bob's horse was named Whitey and was the biggest, tallest horse I
had ever seen. Whitey seemed gentle so I decided today was the day I
was going to ride.
Being just ten years old, I wasn't very tall but I was determined
to saddle him up by myself. I pulled Whitey out of the barn and stood
him alongside the tack room. Dragging down the saddle, which was
almost as big as me, I pulled it outside. Realizing I couldn't lift
the saddle up and throw it over his back, I pulled the saddle up the
fence until I could position it on the top rail. I walked Whitey
around until I got him as close to the fence as possible. Grabbing the
stirrup, I pulled the saddle off the fence and onto his back. Whew,
almost done! I cinched the saddle up tight like my brother had shown
me so it wouldn't fall off.
The barn and corral were on a hill and were bordered by a large field
that was separated down the middle by a fence. Leading Whitey through
the gate and over to the corral fence, I climbed the rails to the top
and jumped over onto his back. Settling into the saddle, I kicked his
sides to make him go but he kept angling around and heading back to
the corral fence. I was determined to show him I was the boss, so I
kicked a little harder. He started to gallop a little and headed down
into the field. Well now, I think this is going to be fun.
Whitey followed the fence row all the way down to the bottom of the
field. At the bottom was a gate. I unlatched the gate, led Whitey
through and latched the gate closed. Climbing the fence again, I
jumped into the saddle. Feeling totally in control and enjoying my
ride, I turned Whitey toward the barn and kicked his sides with my
heels and said "Giddup."
Whitey took off at a full gallop, heading straight up the fence row
toward the barn with me hanging on for dear life. I couldn't even hold
onto the reins. All I could manage was holding onto the saddle horn. A
thought crossed my mind. Is Whitey going to stop when he gets to the
corral? What happens then? Oh dear! Whitey was heading straight toward
Red, who was standing on the other side of the corral fence.
Whitey didn't ease up and I was getting worried. The fence was closing
in fast. Suddenly Whitey put on the brakes and stopped dead, right at
the corral fence, right in front of Red. I went up in the air several
feet over Whitey's head and plopped back down into the saddle.
Luckily, holding onto the saddle horn saved me from being thrown right
into the corral with Red. I guess Whitey wanted to be with Red so much
he was trying his best to get that ride over as soon as possible. I
caught my breath and climbed down to the ground. My legs were shaking
so badly I could barely walk. I slowly led Whitey back around to the
tack room. I had had enough for one day.
After putting Whitey back into the corral, I walked back down the hill
to the house. Unknown to me, my mother and her friend had watched my
little adventure from the front yard. As I approached, mother's friend
said, "Mary, you sure looked pretty on ol' Whitey. I didn't know you
were such a good rider." I guess she didn't notice my legs were still
shaking. Mama and I had a good laugh later when I told her what
"really" happened.
Have you
ever used your hands to make shadow figures? Well, hands
can also be used as a canvas to make amazing faces of animals. Look at
what this very talented, but unknown, artist did with a simple hand,
paint and a lot of inspiration!
Spanish For Kids
Amy Fulfer
Spanish 4 Kids
kids_Spanish@yahoo.com
http://www.myspace.com/spanish4kids
Phone: 972-923-2324
 
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