10 Web Sites to Keep Your Kids Entertained and Safe
Guest post
In these tough times, a lot of families are opting for Spring Break “stay-cations†instead of big holiday trips. But if you’re staying home, it can be hard to keep the kids entertained and out of trouble. Many parents are naturally cautious about letting their kids loose on the Internet, but there is a lot of good, free, appropriate content available online – if you know where to look. Here’s a list of 10 web sites to bookmark that can help your kids beat Spring Break boredom if they’re staying home.
Best Set-and-Forget Web Environment for Kids
- KidZui – KidZui is actually not a Web site at all – it’s the Internet made just for kids. It gives kids access to millions of Web sites (including all of the below), YouTube videos, games and photos that have been vetted by a team of parents and teachers. Kids love the cute little avatars they can create and the safe social networking features, and parents love the fact that there’s no chance of enquiring minds stumbling across anything inappropriate.
Best Web Sites for Kids
- Club Penguin – A snow-covered virtual world where children play games and interact with friends in the guise of colorful penguin avatars.
- Lego.com – Ideal for the Lego fan, your child can watch Lego comics and movies, play games and construct their own Web page to show off their creativity.
- Nick.com – Your child can pledge to save the world, play games, check out the latest news on SpongeBob or create a virtual life on Nicktropolis.
- PBSKids.org – With games themed around Sesame Street, Clifford, Curious George, Arthur, Barney and other kid classics, your kids will have fun “interacting” with their favorite characters.
- Poptropica – This virtual online world lets kids create a character, play games, compete with other kids and travel between islands on a blimp to explore new areas.
Best Online Game Sites for Kids
- Cartoon Network Games – With more than 200 games featuring favorite cartoon characters, your kids can hunt monsters with Scooby-Doo, play Ninja Survival or follow the Path of a Jedi.
- Funbrain – Part of the Family Education Network, the site provides educational activities for parents and teachers, as well as interactive games to help your kids with math and reading.
- Funschool – This site, provided by Kaboose, is designed for elementary-age kids and offers free educational games as well as printable activities, coloring sheets and craft projects that will help your kids learn while having fun.
- Hot Wheels Games – For car fans, Hot Wheels has dozens of vehicle-related games that let kids drive through mazes, race friends and solve puzzles.
KidZui’s Cliff Boro believes that parents needn’t be afraid of letting their kids use the Internet. “The Internet is a wonderful tool that, when used appropriately, provides endless hours of free entertainment for the whole family,†he says. “And more than that, it’s a great way for kids to learn and discover new things without even realizing it!†And what parent wouldn’t approve of that?
Blog My Blog VI
Since it’s been a while, I thought we’d play another round of Blog My Blog.
I will start with a question/phrase. The next person that comments, please answer the question above you. Once you’re done, include a question for the next visitor to answer. It could be a general question, fill in the blank sentence, or a general topic you’d like to hear about.
Then the next commenter will submit their answer and then think up something for the next person. Keep in mind that this is a family blog, so please keep it clean.
Shall we begin? Here is my question:
What’s your favorite day of the week?
The first person to comment should answer this question and then leave another question for the next person. Please feel free to play as many times as you want.
Have fun!
Animal Crossing for Nintendo DS
January 12, 2009 by Kailani
Filed under electronics, games, product reviews
*Any Nintendo DS Animal Crossing fans out there? Want to trade friendship codes?*
I have a new addiction and it’s actually taking away from my blogging time! It’s called Animal Crossing for Nintendo DS.
First let me say that this is not a paid review and I was not given the game in exchange for this post. I went out and purchased this game on my own because I was looking for something different than the games I usually play on my DS. And different I definitely found.
Animal Crossing is a virtual world of lovable creatures that’s played in real time. That means that when it’s morning here, it’s morning there. When it’s 10pm here, it’s 10 pm there. At the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, my little virtual town even had their own little fireworks show. How cool is that?
In fact, on the first night I played I was in Tom Nook’s store browsing through his inventory when he kicked me out. He said the store closes at 11pm and reopens at 8am. When I looked at my watch, it was exactly 11pm!
The basic idea of Animal World is for you to find a way to earn and save enough bells (money) to survive. You earn bells by fishing, catching bugs, picking fruit, picking up seashell, and selling these and other items to Tom Nook, the local proprietor. You can also buy and trade turnips (stock) to help your financial situation.
You can also interact with other various members of your town by conversing whenever you see them out walking, visiting their homes or by writing letters. Each member has their own unique personality and you’ll find yourself forming strange bonds with them. You give each other presents, visit each other’s homes, and of course, gossip. Every once in a while, a new resident moves into town and joins the group.
On top of all this, you can also donate items to the local museum and see their exhibits grow, design your own clothes, furnish your home, add family members, discover and name new constellations, and build snowmen. There are also various town events where you can earn trophies like fishing tournaments, bug catching contests, or planting the prettiest garden.
And if that wasn’t enough, you can even visit other Animal Crossing towns by hooking up your DS with your friend’s one through Wi-Fi or DS to DS. This will allow you to enter and experience their virtual world as well.
I’ve only been playing this game for a little over a week and I am just overwhelmed with all the possiblities! There are endless options to this game which ensures that you’l never get bored playing. I’ve even gotten the Wii version called City Folk and can’t wait to start exploring that world, too.
Are there any video games that you’re addicted to?
Excite Books
This giveaway is now closed. Thank you for your participation.
The winner is Amira.
Congratulations!
Ever heard of Excite Books? It’s kind of like a “Netflix of Children’s Books†where for a monthly fee you’ll receive great books for your kids through the mail. Each time they complete reading a book, they’ll place a sticker on their Progress Calendar and when they’ve filled 12 spots, they can donate Basically how it works is that you sign-up for their free introductory offer and pay only $4.99 shipping + handling and they’ll send you a product sample kit containing:
3 age specific Excite books- 1 educational activity
- 8 free gifts
- Excite Kids pilot wings
- Space Shuttle Cockpit Poster
- Excite Reading Completion Stickers
- Excite Reading Progress Calendar
- Movable Propellor Airplane Glider
- Thank you letter with each order
Then if you’d like to continue with the program, for a low monthly cost you may elect to join for as low as $4.99 a month. When they send you your 12th book, they’ll also include a pre-addressed, postage paid envelope big enough to hold up to 4 lbs of books. You can then decide which, if any, books you’d like to donate to this school in need. The great part is that you can also include your own books by placing them in this envelope.
At first I was a little skeptical because I prefer to select my kids’ books. However, I was impressed with 2 sets of titles we received – 102 Dalmations, Winnie-the-Pooh and Tigger Too, The Emperor’s New Groove, Disney Year Book 2008, Sticker Activity Fun Teddy Bears, & Sticker Activity Tough Trucks. The gifts were pretty great, too – Matching Items Activity, Magic Mix-a-Bubble, & Flying Gliders. The girls were thrilled!
I explained the program to Girlie Girl and she immediately went to her bookshelf and selected a few books to donate. “I don’t read these anymore, Mommy. Someone else might like them.” she said.
It’s a great way to receive great books for your children and to also teach them the importance of helping those less fortunate. Give the gift of learning.
Win it!
How would you like to try Excite Books out for yourself? I have all the items in the above kit for one lucky winner. You even get to select which age group you’re interested in. To enter:
- Excite Books before midnight, Dec 11th and view a sample their books.
- Then come back and mention which one is your favorite. That’s it!
- A random winner will be selected and notified on Dec 12th.
- The winner will have 3 days to claim their prize.
For extra entries, you may do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each extra credit that you’re doing.
- Subscribe to my feed.
- Blog about this giveaway with a link back here and to Excite Books.
- Place my button in your sidebar.
This giveaway is open to US addresses only.
In addition, if you want to start a monthly subscription of your own, you can get a bonus fourth book by entering “4th Book Free†in the Personalized Message field when you submit your order. You may also type in a personal message that will be included with your order for your child.
