Zoodling is one of Staley's generation-specific activities. I never zoodled...just like I never pretended to check the weather on a computer or text someone from a cell phone. But times change...and so do childhoods. And zoodling is Staley's current childhood addiction. Staley LOVES to zoodle. She asks to zoodle multiple times each day, and gets the most excited expression on her face when we actually say 'yes.' Telling her she is done with zoodling does often result in tears, but the joy she gets from her 10 daily minutes of zoodling is hard to resist.
What is zoodling? Zach downloaded an app on his Kindle called Zoodles. You enter a child's age, and it loads pages and pages of songs, video clips, and games that are appropriate for that specific age group. I'm not sure that zoodling is a Webster-approved verb, but when Staley first started playing it, she would ask to 'zoodle' and the verb stuck. In the few short weeks that we've had Zoodles, Staley has gotten scarily good. She uses the touch screen efficiently to navigate from one page to another, choose the option she wants, and participate in all the games. She can bounce back and forth between tabs for games, art, and books effortlessly. She knows how to start and end the various games she plays, and can locate a specific game/song/video that she wants. I know it's how this generation is being raised, but watching my not-yet-2 year old expertly navigate a touch screen electronic device is a little unnerving.
Staley zoodling with Daddy
I hope that Staley learns to enjoy Kick the Can and the baseball card game and Spoons and secret codes. I look forward to sharing some of my childhood activities with Staley, and I just hope that she embraces them with half the enthusiasm she has for Zoodles.
