Virtual Babysitting

There's a game on the Wii called "Animal Crossing."  You can create up to 4 characters for your town (and you have 10 animal neighbors).  If someone else has the same game, you can visit each other's towns.  My town is Willowby.  Melissa and Danica play in Dewville.

Danica likes us to play together (from our own homes).  I'll get a phone call, and a sweet little voice says, "My gate is open, Grandma.  You can come visit me."  I've had to get creative in trying to entertain a 5-year-old online in a virtual town with limited options.  Here are some of the things we do.

We go fishing.  Sometimes we're after the same fish, and you never know which one will catch it.
(Danica's character is "Odette" and she's the blond in the tiara.  Mine is "CindyLou" with the dark hair.) 

We can show off fish we've caught.

We can go bug hunting...and we're not even afraid of the dark, or the bugs -- well, except for maybe the scorpion and the tarantula, because they will attack sometimes and knock you out. :-)

We like to show off the bugs we've caught.  Ha, ha...mine is bigger!

 We can listen to the music of K.K. Slider at the local cafe on Saturday nights.

 Or see the art exhibit at the museum, if we're feeling in need of some culture....

....or get up close and personal with the fish at the museum....

....or check out the dinosaur bones.

We occasionally play hide and seek, which can be challenging if we hide indoors.

We can even "talk" to each other.  Danica uses the game's onscreen keyboard, but I got lazy and hooked up a wireless keyboard to the Wii, which makes it so much easier.  Her spelling is quite creative, but I can usually figure out what she's trying to say.

 Grandchildren are the best "invention" ever!!