We all know how the Internet and advances in computer technology has changed all of our lives – even children’s. The impact for youngsters go beyond just the availability of games like Minecraft. New avenues for creativity have come about as well. An example:

On a visit to see my grandchildren living on the West Coast, I saw the two of them seated in front of an iPad and talking to my other two grandchildren who live in the East.

How nice, I thought. The four cousins all get together physically only briefly during the winter holidays. Facetime gives them the opportunity to stay connected during the year.

But as I watched, I saw that they were not just bringing each other up to speed on the latest news. They were playing ‘Transcontinental Hide and Seek’, a game they had invented themselves with no parent involvement at all.

One person from, say, the East goes and hides somewhere in their house. The one who is the finder lives in the West. The remaining grandchild in the East, the holder’, turns the iPad facing away from him or her and aimed into the interior of the house.

After the hider has hid and is ready, the finder directs the holder where to walk and where to point the iPad’s camera. For example, “Go into the dining room. Look under the big table.” These instructions continue until the hider is found. Then the roles are reversed. Someone from the West hides, and his sibling follows the instructions of the finder in the East.

Amazing! Thousands of miles apart and playing Hide and Seek!