We had a most wonderful day today at the 21st annual Teddy Bear Picnic here in our home town of Coquitlam BC Canada.

The event draws thousands of people every year and this year was no different. After a terrific parade, families move to the picnic grounds which are filled with sponsored tents. Each tent offers an activity for children to do. The highlight of course is the Bear Clinic where a child’s loved one is given its yearly check-up.

The Clicktoy tent featured hands on demos of its game “The Meadow” as well as a very popular craft for the upcoming Father’s Day. We had the children decorate silly fish ties (as well as more normal looking ties).  Almost 300 ties were coloured, glued, stickered and crayoned.  Everyone had a lot of fun, as did we! The weather was terrific - not too much sun, no rain, and just the right temperature. If only every picnic could be so blessed!

I’d like to thank the Tri-Cities Newspaper for organizing this fantastic event every year. We wouldn’t miss it for anything!

The 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics is a great opportunity for Clicktoy to introduce itself on the global stage and become a part of an exciting experience for many visitors.

One way we’re reaching out to Olympic guests is via our splash page on The Wi-Fi Bus - a luxury Vancouver-to-Whistler shuttle service with free Wi-Fi for all passengers. Any passenger logging on to the internet will first be greeted by a link to Clicktoy’s game “The Meadow”.

We have also joined DigiBC’s VX 2010 Showcase, a virtual forum designed to help BCs digital media and wireless companies showcase their work to the world.

Additionally, we are involved with the Metro Vancouver Commerce 2010 Olympic initiative, acting as a host company for visiting business leaders.

These are just a few of Clicktoy’s initiatives for 2010 and there are many more still to come.

Some kind soul nominated The Meadow in the Kids Games category for a Readers’ Choice Canadian Video Game Award hosted by Village Gamer.  What an honour. Thank you who ever you are.

But now the work begins, we need you to vote for us! You can also vote for your other favourite Canadian-made titles here.

The award winners will be announced on January 15th so time is short! Please vote and show your support for quality children’s entertainment!

Thank you!

In an effort to connect to more families, I’ve been playing with Twitter a little more often. And a positive trend has emerged - unofficially declaring 2010 as the Year of the Dad. For some the label applies just to blogging, but I think dads need a little more spotlight. It’s a hard job. The proverb roughly goes, “As is the father, so [are the children].”  Dads need support, especially positive encouragement. So I’m on board with this idea. I know that with three kids of my own,  I need all the help I can get!

Amazingly my year is off to a happy start with a most wonderful review of The Meadow by the father of Read To Me, Dad. He managed to capture the essence of what the “Clicktoy” experience is all about. Spending quality time with your children in a positive and engaging way.

Over the Christmas break I was doing in-store demos of our game. It’s a real treat to watch kids eyes light up and see the smiles spread across their happy faces as they start pressing buttons and see the animals do their thing. But it’s also great to see the parents soften up a little too. So many people have been (perhaps rightly so in some cases) put off from looking for worthwhile entertainments on the computer.  But that’s exactly why Clicktoy came into being. Children everywhere will be interacting with computers - likely constantly - for their entire lives. I think giving them a strongly empowering and positive experience is critical to the growth of healthy attitudes towards technology and their effects.  This is a much bigger conversation than a few simple paragraphs can cover.  I welcome your comments on this.

Thank you to all the families now enjoying The Meadow with their little ones. May you have a great 2010! and to the fathers.. lets make this year (and perhaps every year from now on?) the Year of the Dad!

Happy New Year,
Ken Kavanagh

It is a very happy event to have someone appreciate the work we’ve done.  It’s also great to see children happily playing The Meadow.  So I hope readers of the Village Gamer will see for themselves the simple beauty and enjoyment The Meadow can bring to their home this Christmas.

Thank you Village Gamer for your endorsement!  Merry Christmas to you!