I’ve mentioned before that my kids are not really into watching movies.  With the exception of Cars and Mary Poppins, I don’t think there are any movies they have watched entirely, let alone that they have asked to watch more than once.  Until now, because:  They.  LOVE.  WALL-E.

To be honest, I think my children have great taste.  Dan and I have also enjoyed our many viewings of WALL-E.  All four of us find him to be a cute, fun, lovable character.  We also like the fact that the movie is directed at kids while still remaining entertaining for adults.  There is very little dialogue in the movie, and none of it is objectionable or even eyebrow-raising.  The plot is compelling, but neither scary or violent.  And all three of my boys (6.5-year-old, 4.5-year-old, and 30-something-year-old husband) love both robots and love space.

Naturally, the mammoth Disney website has a section about WALL-E.  It features pictures of WALL-E and EVE, some cute video clips, and a handful of games.  Some of the games are a bit difficult for younger kids, but I found it cathartic to pop bubble wrap and most kids will, too.  The “Say it Like WALL-E” game is also very cute.

Just two cautionary notes about this site:

1) One of the available options is WALL-E related downloads.  If you don’t want your child downloading icons/avatars, wallpapers, and activity packs to your computer, make sure you set the KidDesktop controls to disallow downloads.  (Easily done when you set up the website.)

2) Using KidDesktop, your child will not have access to the rest of the Disney site (movies, TV, Music, theme parks, etc) from the WALL-E site, unless you specifically allow them to “click on a link and leave adisney.go.com” when you set it up on their Activity Bar.  Obviously, this is a good thing if you don’t want them ranging through the huge Disney site and the Web at large.  If you change the default option, your child can then also go anywhere their clicks take them on the Internet.  But if you would like your child to have more Disney options without access to the entire Internet, just set up different buttons on their Activity Bar for all their favorite Disney movies, TV shows, etc.

I recently checked out a great site called Kideoplayer (thanks Seth!), and I definitely recommend it.  Kideoplayer was conceived as a safe ways for kids to watch YouTube videos without being exposed to all the other non-kid-friendly stuff on YouTube.  (Sound familiar?)

Of course, Kideoplayer is a bit different from KidDesktop’s YouTube playlist.  With KidDesktop, parents choose videos for their child’s playlist.  Kideoplayer’s creator, Tom, has created a website which ONLY shows the videos he has identified as safe, educational, and fun.  As with KidDesktop, you and your child don’t see the “More From,” “Related Videos,” or “Promoted Videos.”  If you or your child don’t like a particular Kideoplayer selection, just hit the space bar to skip to the next one.  More info about Kideoplayer can be found here.  It sort of reminds me of Pandora, but with kids’ YouTube videos instead of your choice of music!  Definitely a fun addition to your child’s Activity Bar.

(A quick note: the first time I tried to “space-bar-skip,” while running the site on KidDesktop nothing happened.  I hit the KidDesktop “home” icon and could then skip freely.  Curious to hear if others also experienced this minor issue, or if it was a fluke.)

I just checked out the game site Orisinal.  The site boasts more than 60 games, featuring  cute animal characters and outdoor backgrounds done in pastel colors.  The soothing Japanese music completes the sensory experience: no violent or explicit games here!  While preschoolers and younger kids will probably find the games too difficult, older kids and adults will enjoy playing them.

A little history: creator Ferry Halim started the site in 2000.  He makes games for a living and considers Orisinal his “personal playground.”

Orisinal games don’t really have any educational merit.  Unlike many of the games for preschoolers, they won’t reinforce reading or math skills.  But they are cute, and older kids (and their parents) will enjoy wasting some time on them here and there.  Just be careful: the games can be addictive!  Good time to use the timer function on KidDesktop, or to impose your own timer system if you are the one visiting Orisinal.

March 2nd marked Dr Seuss’ birthday, and the National Education Association’s annual Read Across America Day.  To celebrate, schools across the country sponsored programs encouraging reading.  Our local middle school did a great production of Seussical the Musical, which our whole family attended.  The 6-year-old had seen a taste of the show at his elementary school earlier in the week, and the 4–year-old loves the “Horton” books; they both thought it was great.   But Dan and I also enjoyed the show.  Who wouldn’t?  For more than 50 years both kids and adults have adored Dr. Seuss!

Naturally, this all got me wondering about online Dr. Seuss resources for my own little, silly-rhyming enthusiasts.  My first stop was Seussville, an inclusive site with click-and-play computer games, as well as a biography and a catalog of Dr. Seuss books, music, clothes and other items.  Kids who are not yet reading will need a grown-up to walk them through the games the first time, but afterwards they should be able to manage by themselves.  Reading kids will enjoy making their own Horton-based storybook with the Storybook Maker.

On the YouTube front, there are many great Dr. Seuss videos from which to choose.  The Zax is an amusing example of what happens when two people refuse to compromise.  (Parents of small children, does this sound at all familiar?)  The Cat in the Hat is an oldie but goodie, basically guaranteed to please.  The Sneetches Part I and Part II are pretty long — Part I is 6 1/2 minues and Part II is 5 1/2 minutes — but kids with a longer attention span will enjoy the classic animation and music, while maybe even learning not to discriminate against others.

There are also YouTube videos from different presentations of Seussical the Musical.  None, alas, from our local middle school.  But Monkey Around has been taped by several productions and usually features some fancy footwork and fun music; this version is one of my favorites.  Solla Sollew, where Horton sings about a place where everything is alright, is a bit more mellow, but quite cute.  Biggest Blame Fool (in the Jungle of Nool) is more upbeat and fun, as is Amazing Mayzie (which is also under two minutes).

Check out these great Dr. Seuss resources, and don’t forget to read the books to your kids, too!

I recently encountered a very good website for toddlers and young preschoolers (2-4 years old) called Ziggity Zoom.  Ziggity boasts kid-friendly games, printable coloring pages, read-along stories, and arts and crafts activities for parents and kids to do together.  The site is easy for kids to navigate due to the extensive use of spoken-word help, and also includes special sections for parents to peruse.

I particularly like the focus on learning numbers, letters, and pre-reading skills, not to mention kid-friendly recipe ideas, “get up and get moving,” “toys to make,” and others.  The entire site features simple but kid-friendly graphics including BunBun the rabbit, a princess, a pirate, robots, and TumTum the friendly alien.  Children can choose to create coloring pages, stickers, magnets, and other art projects for each character.

This time of year many parents wonder whether to send their child to kindergarten or to wait another year.  Although no website holds the answer, I found this page on kindergarten readiness very interesting.

I also really appreciated the activities parents and kids can do together, such as a print-out park activity sheet and another print-out zoo activity sheet.

To use Ziggity Zoom’s own tagline, it IS a fun place to zoom around!

Today’s post is a departure from my normal posts, since this spotlighted website is one for parents, not for kids.  However, the site I’d like to spotlight is such a great one, the non-sequitor is absolutely worth it.

At Avially Books, you can order PERSONALIZED books for your child or any other important child in your life.  Your child’s name, gender, age, and city are worked into the story.  Some books include other details, such as their school and teacher.  We have bought dozens of these books as birthday presents for kids ages 0-9 over the last several years.  The Sesame Street ones are great for younger kids, and preschool and school-aged kids love School is Fun.  Your favorite little girl will adore either the Ballerina Princess or Mermaid book — featuring her, of course — and your favorite little boy will love reading about his adventures with Dinosaurs, Batman, or Spider Man.  There are over 20 books from which to choose.

The benefits of reading to our children has been cited in study after study.  Kids of all ages love being read to, and parents also enjoy the snuggle time and the looks of wonder in their little ones’ eyes as the stories unfold.  These books are some real gems…our boys still enjoy hearing the stories that talk about them as a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old!  Two more benefits: all the books but one are less than $15 (the one exception is $15.95), and all are delivered to your door in 7-10 days from when you place your order.

Enjoy!

If you have a little person (1 or 2 years old) you should definitely add kneebouncers.com to their Activity Bar!  This site contains more than a dozen games, with more on the way, directed at the littlest computer users.  Each game is a study in cause-and-effect: every time the child pushes a button or clicks the mouse, something happens.  In one game, cartoon animals splash in puddles at each click or keystroke; in another game, a helicopter and its animal passengers do tricks with each click.  The graphics are designed to engage and delight babies or very young children, as are the sound effects.

“Chief KneeBouncer” Jim Robinson explains that the site “was created out of necessity.”  His older children — then 3 and 4 — were having a blast exploring the Internet.  Unfortunately, their 9-month-old baby sister was only frustrated when her turn came, since she couldn’t play any of her siblings’ sites.  As anyone with a baby knows, a frustrated baby often results in a frustrated family.  Luckily, Jim had experience creating websites, and he embarked on a mission to return peace to the household.  Hence, KneeBouncers.com was born!

KneeBouncers.com is definintely a great site for little computer-philes.  But, especially with kids this young, you REALLY want to make sure all your KidDesktop protections are in place.  Create an account just for this child, and make sure all other accounts on your computer are protected.  Using the General Options in KDBuilder, have KidDesktop start in Full Screen Mode to hide the Windows Desktop and Start Menu, and have KidDesktop log out of Windows when the child exits KidDesktop.  And, of course, be sure to supervise your little one at all times.  KidDesktop protects your computer and your child, but we make no guarantees about anything else in your office!

My December/January Parenting magazine mentioned a website called CYKE.  CYKE, which stands for CYber Knowledge Emotion, has some good resources for parents, but I do not recommend it for kids.   CYKE is a new media design company which wants to improve kids’ emotional and physical health through websites, CD-ROMs, books, and videos.  The media are targeted to kids, parents, teachers, and health professionals.

The part of the site targeted towards parents includes information on emotions, child growth (babies to 8-year-olds), conditions, situations, therapy, medications, and resources.  Topics as diverse as Post Partum Depression, school, developmental milestones, and ADHD are covered.  Although not exhaustive, the site contains good information and is worth surfing through.

The part of the site targeted towards kids has some gems, such as the snowman activity, where kids can create their own snowman, name him (or her), and print out their artwork.  But the Land of Cyke, although full of good ideas and good intentions, is fair at best.  This is tough for me to say, because I love the concept of teaching kids about peer pressure, keeping their temper, and depression through interactive games.  But without spoken-word-help young kids can’t play independently, and kids old enough to read will get bored quickly.  Even worse, the games don’t work very well.  The Music Hall seemed very promising, but dead and broken links made it an exercise in frustration.  (For me!  And I am better at controlling my temper than either the Monkey King or my kids!)

CYKE has so many good concepts that I will continue to check back on it.  I hope they can fix some of their technical problems and –through spoken-word-help — make it more accessible to the younger kids for whose attention they are aiming.  But for the moment it is, unfortunately, a “CKYE-out” as a kids’ site.

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr day tomorrow, I searched for kid-appropriate websites about one of our greatest civil rights leaders.  I didn’t find much for toddlers, preschoolers, and other pre-reading kids, but I did find some interesting sites for parents and older kids.

For parents of young kids: http://holidays.kaboose.com/martin-luther-king-jr-day.html

This site has lots of information about Dr. King.  If you click on “Martin Luther King Jr Day Activities,” you’ll get ideas for crafts and coloring pages, as well as quotes and clip art in honor of Dr. King.  I want to stress that parents should explore this site either alone or with their child.  It is not a kids’ site with games, graphics, etc.

Older elementary school kids should visit: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/special/mlk/

This is the place to direct your child if he or she has to do a report on Martin Luther King, Jr.  It’s also a place where you and your child can together explore Dr. King’s speeches, timeline of his life, photographic history, etc.  The two of you can even test your knowledge with a quiz about Dr King.

Another site for older kids is FactMonster.com.  The link to the Dr. King page is: http://www.factmonster.com/spot/mlkjrday1.html

FactMonster is great for older kids.  The Dr. King page includes links to his history as well as the history of the civil rights movements & civil disobedience, excerpts from his “I Have a Dream” speech & other quotes, a history of the MLK Day holiday, Black History Month, and much more.  Again, this is a site designed for older children.  Don’t expect the cool graphics, games, and spoken word help found on sites for toddlers and preschoolers!  But older kids and their parents can really learn from this site.

What should you do with your civil-rights-charged child who has now learned about Dr. King and the civil rights movement, and who wants to change the world?  One last site to visit: http://www.mlkday.gov/about/how/index.asp

This site encourages readers to give back to their community in dozens of different ways.  It links to websites of organizations coordinating nation-wide volunteer opportunities on Monday, January 19, 2009.  If you and your child want to find other ways to volunteer in your community, this site provides those links as well.

You want a great website?  One of the best for teaching and/or reinforcing reading and pre-reading skills is www.starfall.com!

Although designed with 1st graders in mind, pre-K, K, 1st & 2nd graders will all find plenty of skill-appropriate activities.  Younger readers can start with “ABC” pages that explore each letter and the sounds they make.  Kids beginning to read can easily gain confidence with “Learn to Read” pages.  The next-level-reader can enjoy “It’s Fun to Read” pages which include a book called “All About Me;” music by Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and others; poetry; tongue twisters; and more.  Kids who are already reading can follow along with the “I’m Reading” pages, including plays, non-fiction, comics, folk tales, and others.   All the pages have kid-friendly animation and spoken-word help.

If you doubt me — and my 2nd-grade-teacher-friend who recommended the site — you should know that Starfall.com has won accolades from parents and educators alike.  In May of 2006 The Reading Teacher named Starfall.com one of “Five Internet sites too good to miss.”  Homeschool.com has twice ranked it as one of their top five educational sites.

Starfall.com is made possible by the Polis-Schutz family, who founded Blue Mountain Arts publishing company more than 35 years ago.  Father Dr. Stephen Schutz (now a PhD in phsyics who struggled with reading as a child), mother & poet Susan Polis Schutz, and their son Congressman Jared Schutz Polis (CO — yes, my home state!) share a passion for education and teaching which shines throughout this site.

One last thing I really like about Starfall.com: the “Parents” page.  Not only does it explain how to use the site, I LOVE that it urges parents to regularly sit with their child and explore Starfall.com together.  (So do we at KidDesktop…great minds think alike!)  But this paragraph absolutely iced the cake:

Turn off the television and the computer and read to your child. Establish a regular reading time every night. Have fun with the books you read, by giving the characters distinct voices, or acting out scenarios from the stories. Have conversations about what you read. Ask your child questions about the stories and encourage him to ask questions in return.

I urge you to explore Starfall.com on your own and with your child.  It’s a great addition to any child’s Activity Bar.  But even more than that, no matter how young or how old your child is, sit down and read with them.  Both of your “stars” will shine a little brighter as a result.