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Talk It Out:
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"My two younger children have the Webkinz stuffed animals which are also an online game. They have a blast. There is some educational value as well such as buying and selling of their 'items'. My son gets so frustrated when he buys something with his Webkinz money--that he earns through the website--and then wants to sell it and doesn't get the full value that he originally paid. Now that's a life lesson. Mathathon.com is a good site." ~ Tonya
"Club Penguin (Disney) might be just about right for her age. There's a free version and if she knows her friend's code names they can make play dates with each other." ~ Anonymous
"My eight year old's teacher just told me about www.spellingcity.com, where she posts his spelling words for the week and he can play games using the words. Homeschoolers can use their own words. Also www.mathisfun.com, www.pbskids.org and www.funbrain.com are good." ~ Julie "The
oldest of my four children are 5 and 4. We
allow them to use the computer to play educational
games. We received a Kindergarten CD program as a
gift, and intend to purchase the next level. They
can be found anywhere, but I found them for less
at Sam's. The only website we visit is
Starfall.com It's an incredible reading program
that teaches at several different levels.
Sometimes we visit the websites of their favorite
PBS shows. There are also plenty of free game
websites out there, and we usually check out the
puzzle or brain teaser sections." ~ Lynnette "I am a parent and a K-2 teacher and www.starfall.com is a website that is bookmarked both at home and in my classroom. It is great for teaching kids letters, sounds, beginning reading skills and more. The kids are having so much fun that they don't even realize that they are learning! Another recommendation that I have, although not a specific website for kids to visit, is a kid-safe, kid-friendly browser called PikLuk, found at www.pikluk.com. PikLuk allows a parent to choose the sites that a child can visit, keeps email safe by only allowing your child to send and receive mail from the list of email addresses that the parent has entered, and can even help protect your computer by not allowing your child to access any other parts of your computer outside of the browser. We have been using PikLuk with our kids for several years now and it is great to know that they are safe and protected when they are online." ~ Mary
"A
great website for elementary-age kids is www.webkinz.com.
To be able to access this website you have
to buy a Webkinz pet at a retail store that comes
with a code that is necessary to access this
website. Once the code is entered the fun begins!
It’s truly a microsociety that teaches money
management, responsibility, and many fun and
learning games! We love it at our house! "I have an 8 year old too. He loves getting on the computer. Funny how this generation is like that. But anyway www.freerice.com is a great website because for every question answered correctly, the UN gives rice away to people in an underprivileged country. At the same time it helps our children learn. My son likes it and I approve." ~ Mary
Editor's Note: Thanks to everyone who took the time to respond. |