Hi all, my name's Beth Jones and I'm the newest addition to the Wolfstar team and this is my first blog post for EFH Broadband.
With the summer approaching and many parents wondering how they are going to keep the kids entertained over the six week break, I've been searching for the top ten websites for children. Whether you're after educational activities, places to promote the growth of social skills or just pure entertainment there is a website to cater for your wants and needs.
With over 42% of homes in the EU now using broadband, a 12% increase on last year, child safety has become a big issue. But software such as Net Nanny and Cyber Patrol has made it much easier to control what your children can view, ensuring that the internet is a safe environment. There are also many other ways to filter material such as specifically designed search engines including Ask Jeeves for Kids and Yahooligans. For more useful tips take a look at this blog.
Research by Moneysupermarket.com has shown children aged from seven to nine spend, on average, one and three quarter hours per week online outside school, compared to four and a quarter hours spent online by those aged between 13 and 15. The internet has become an invaluable tool particularly when considering the educational facilities for children. So there's no need to fret about the summer holiday, keep your kids entertained with my top ten sites for children.
1. FunBrain.com - http://www.funbrain.com
Educational games, maths problems, word games, and historical trivia.
2. Disney.com - http://www.disney.go.com
Mickey, Donald, and other characters host a number of activities.
3. Funology.com - http://funology.com
Wacky facts, simple craft projects, and magic tricks.
4. The Yuckiest Site on the Internet - http://www.yucky.com
A science education resource covering all things that are gross, including trivia questions such as "What is snot made of?"
5. Nick.com - http://www.nick.com
Over 40 different games.
6. PBS Kids - http://pbskids.org
This site has games, stories, music, contests and colouring for toddlers to preteens.
7. McGruff.org - http://www.mcgruff.org
Interactive games, comics, activities, and advice from McGruff the Crime Dog, mcgruff.org teaches kids how to be safe and protect themselves from crime. It shows kids what they can do to stay safe online, stop bullies from picking on them and their friends, deal with strangers, and more.
8. Yahoo Kids - http://kids.yahoo.com/
Yahoo Kids! is the ultimate web guide for kids! Features fun and educational resources for kids with games, animals, music, jokes, movies, news, astrology...
9. Kids Domain - http://www.kidsdomain.com/
Kaboose.com is a trusted, family friendly, interactive, entertaining, kid safe, helpful site with hundreds of reviews, message boards, crafts, games...
10. Kids Health - http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/
KidsHealth has doctor-approved articles, animations, games, and resources to help kids learn more about their bodies and stay healthy.
I particularly enjoyed yucky.com, did you know tarantulas inject digestive juices into their prey to break down soft tissue so they can suck out their insides? Maybe it's not just the kids who could learn a thing or two!
Great blog post about kids' websites.
I have 3 young children myself and I am always looking for great websites for my kids and sites for myself to find things to do with my kids.
I strongly recommend a few additional websites.
www.ziggityzoom.com which has lots of original online and printable coloring pages, interactive stories, games and activities and crafts for kids 2-8 years old. They also list Best kids websites and have some of the same sites listed but many others that are worth visiting. www.ziggityzoom.com/sites.php . The reason I liked the site so much is because even very young kids, as young as 3 can navigate the main sections by themselves and there is no registration or fees required.
I also frequent www.familyfun.com for kid craft ideas and birthday party or Holiday ideas.
I also like several Science, Animal and art sites listed at www.ziggityzoom.com, one in particular is www.nationalgeographic.com/kids
Just a few more to check out this Summer with your kids.