Again I’d like to thank the Tri-Cities Newspaper for inviting us to participate. It’s a treat and an honour to be involved in positive pro-family events such as the Teddy Bear Picnic. See you at the next one!

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!

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.

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!

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

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

We are now at the brink of greater exposure.  With the launch of the Mac-compatible version of “The Meadow”, customers will be able to obtain the game in their local Apple Store this Christmas.

It’s a funny thing running a company for more than a few days. The new lessons to learn arrive almost daily. They all add up to something difficult to describe. It’s not a job, it’s not just a business, it’s the constant exclamation that something worthwhile should exist. I can barely contain the information I’ve absorbed these past three years.

You are only great at what you practice doing… for me, growing this business has been and is, a most wonderful thing to do. I look forward to getting better at it!

The response was amazing. Everyone loved The Meadow, offered sage advice, and were universally encouraging. Even venture capitalists enjoy hearing about children’s entertainment and bunny rabbits. Now on to the final round, wish us luck!

Today Google has just released a feature to let you lockdown SafeSearch settings. Once you put your search on lockdown, you’ll need to enter a password to revert back, and you’ll know your results are safe because you’ll see big, colored balls.

Yep, Google’s trademark colors — green, yellow, red, and blue — take the form of large balls so that you can be visually assured, “even from across the room,” that the search experience is locked down.

Although the feature doesn’t appear to be rolled out to everyone yet, you will be able to turn on SafeSearch lock from your Search Settings page, and use the colored balls as an ongoing reference to ensure that you and your children aren’t exposed to inappropriate content.

Watch the video below for a demonstration of how to setup SafeSearch lock.
Google’s safesearch lock

Parents and kids also were able to get hands on demos of “The Meadow”. Everyone really loved the game. One parent was so grateful on how it totally calmed her son down. He wouldn’t slow down at all due to all the castles but he managed to catch his breath while enjoying the peaceful setting and playing with some (virtual) animals. We also enjoyed seeing Rob Lewis, editor of techvibes and his family. Their little one was enthralled with the game.

We’re grateful to have been able to participate in an event supporting such a worthwhile cause as well as have such a wonderful time with all the children. Thank you Agoo!