Shopkins

Who on earth would have ever thought that little plastic figurines of things like laundry detergent, a coffee maker, a high heeled shoe or a turnip would entertain children for hours on end?  I mean, clearly the inventor of Shopkins did, but I would never have predicted these toys to be anything more than a waste of money.  While I still think they are utterly ridiculous, I am completely blown away by how much time the girls spend actually playing with them. 

Today, Madeleine decided to organize her Shopkins alphabetically by either their given names, or the names with which Madeleine replaced their given names (yes, Shopkins all do really come with names, like "Bonnie Beret," for example.)

Not only did this occupy her, but she was literally learning about phonics while doing it.  "Uh, Julia, what letter does 'Oily Oil' begin with?"

I guess doing something as boring as putting things in alphabetical order can be fun when you have little plastic blenders and bulbs of garlic involved.


Julia organized her Shopkins by category, as well, although not by letter.  Instead, she organized them by color, and to top it all off, she created a whole song about it:





Look at all of this!  Shopkins are not only teaching Madeleine phonetic awareness, but they're inspiring Julia to compose and sing music.  Is there anything Shopkins *can't* motivate children to do??