Playworks sells toys that invite play and enhance early childhood development [fun for all ages]

By David Greene
Right Brain Factory, Founder

Is technology enabling or disabling our ability to build productive relationships? It's a question my wife Holly and I asked ourselves as we hit the road on our annual trip to the North Carolina Mountains four years ago.

Glancing in the rear-view mirror, I saw a family consumed by technology - if it had a screen or earplugs we were connected to it. That was the "aha moment" where Holly and I decided that we needed to start setting aside time as a family to unplug from all the "screens and rings" that were beginning to consume our lives and connect with each other. That concept inspired our new game Gab to Go - 100 clever questions designed to get people talking and relating to each other in more meaningful ways.

Our mantra for Gab to Go is "unplug and connect" - a concept which seems to be very appealing to people these days as they look to take a break from their fast-paced lives.

With questions like: What do you look back on as a fashion mistake? What was the first record, tape, or CD you ever owned? What is something about you that would surprise most people? - Gab to Go is about great questions that offer an easy way to get to know each other better. It's about the simplicity of sharing a funny story and the laughs and smiles that go along with it. Gab to Go is about real human connection - a connection that the "gadget du jour" just doesn't deliver.

Priced at under $10 and packaged in a fun and colorful "to go" coffee cup, Gab to Go fits in with today's fast-paced lifestyles and was designed to be travel-friendly - fitting perfectly in a car's cup holder. With no complicated rules, game board, or pieces, Gab to Go can be played anywhere and for as long as you like - 5 minutes or 5 hours. This makes Gab to Go ideal for taking on car trips, adding extra flavor to dinner discussions, or enlivening get-togethers with friends.

A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation looked at media in the lives of 8-18 year olds and found that the total amount of media content young people are exposed to is now over 8.5 hours each day. The study measured recreational (non-school) use of TV and videos, music, video games, computers, movies, and print. It also takes into account "media multi-tasking", where young people are consuming more than one type of media at the same time.

The age old story of the generation gap is more relevant today than ever, and people are searching for bridges. As children, teens, parents, and grandparents respond to Gab to Go questions and learn more about each other's worlds, they start to realize that they have more in common than they think.

As a parent, it's sometimes harder to communicate and open a dialogue with your children as they get older. We found that by turning our question-asking into a game, it became less intrusive and we got fewer eye rolls and grunts for responses.

As we all head into the busy Holiday season, take some time to unplug and connect with your family and friends. With Gab to Go, everybody can have the gift of gab!