Today I’m giving away a set of Giggles Computer Funtime for Baby software by Leveractive. Babies can hit any key on the keyboard to interact with the software and trigger various animations and other fun but age-appropriate actions.
When Amanda DeVito, VP of Marketing/Sales for Leveractive, first contacted me, I was dubious about the need for baby software. Surely kids don’t need to be sitting in front of screens too early. She responded that this is of course up to the discretion of the parent, but the fact is, if babies see parents at the computer, they’re going to want to play, too. Giggles software at least gives them something entertaining, educational, and safe. (The software contains various lockdowns so little ones can’t accidentally access or delete your files.) She also sent me a quote from the company founder, Tim Leverett (a father himself), who stressed, “Lapware isn’t a substitute for play between parent and child. It’s not intended to be a babysitter, like a video. We discourage that and encourage the opposite.”
Seems reasonable, but I tend to take an “everything in moderation” approach to kids’ media. I leave it up to you, readers, to decide if this is something you want to try. If you are okay with the idea of some baby-friendly screentime for your wee ones, enter the giveaway and you could win a complete set of the company’s four titles: My Animal Friends, Shapes, ABC’s & 123’s, and Nursery Rhymes.
The software has won a number of awards and positive reviews from major publications. Not only that, but the company seems to have taken LGBT-friendliness to heart. Amanda mentioned that she and her partner are thinking about having children themselves, and that she is “way out of the closet” at work. She also informed me that the “host” for all of the software activities, Flopsy the dog, never mentions any stereotypical “mom and dad” scenarios. “Tim Leverett is very conscious of that,” she said. In the My Animal Friends bonus activities, we see a mom and son strolling, but “NOT a mom, dad and son.” She even noted that “Tim actually put in a rainbow hot air balloon for me in the Jack and Jill activity!”
She added that the Shapes and ABC’s & 123’s titles never mention gender, so there is no enforcement of traditional gender roles. In the My Animal Friends safari bonus activity, there are two giraffes, one wearing a tie and the other wearing a dress. “Personally I see it as Butch Giraffe and Femme Giraffe!” she said. There is a mention of “one for the master and one for the dame” in the Nursery Rhymes rendition of Baa Baa Black Sheep, but as I see it, that seems a little too vague to worry about.
The software will go to the first person who leaves a comment with the correct answer to the following question. Please note rules and restrictions below.
What director of a critically acclaimed 1999 film about gender has a birthday September 8?
Rules and restrictions: U.S. and Canada residents only, please. Don’t worry if your comment is moderated; once I approve it, it will appear based on the time you submitted it. I retain the right to cancel the giveaway if there are any nasty debates about who has the correct answer. Previous winners of Mombian contests cannot win again (though you can submit an answer just to see if you got it right). If you are or have been a paying advertiser on Mombian, you can’t play. If no one gets the right answers by 11:59 p.m. EST, September 15, 2008, I’ll post an alternate question.
Make sure to leave a valid e-mail address with your comment! (Don’t leave a postal address, though. If you win, I’ll contact you by e-mail about shipping.)
Kimberly Pierce, Boys Don’t Cry…trying again!