Children & Computers

Children spending time using computers can be a charged subject with both camps (those who believe in the educational potential of computers and those who think it leads to childhood obesity and is poorly supervised) arguing their case passionately. Views are even more polarized when it comes to discussing very young children clocking up screen time. I have recently been limiting my own computer use for health, sanity, and vanity reasons - I slouch, squint, and drink way too much coffee in my ergonomically-sound office chair. I don't want my children developing the same bad habits. My children also have time limits on their computer use and when the time is up my mantra is the same one I use when they have been watching TV or have been face down in a good book. "Ok that's enough, switch off, (put it down), body time not brain time, go get some air".

What sites do they visit?

I thought I would find out. Thanks to Simon, Ethan, Thom, Alicia, Felix, Elise, Dara, Laura, Dillon, Lorna, Simone, David, Johnnie, and Dylan. Here is a small fraction of their favourites.

Pre-schoolers and Younger Children

If you are as perky as your toddler is (it's not a good idea to visit these sites if you have had a late night) and have plenty of ink in your printer cartridge a fun half-hour can be spent at any of these sites and there are plenty of high quality printouts to keep them cutting and sticking later on. Author Dav Pilkey's site is a whacky favourite with young children and popular characters like Dragon, Kat Kong, and Captain Underpants are here in vivid detail
www.pilkey.com

Popular TV characters certainly captivate pre-schoolers here and although I found the vocal instructions and sound effects annoying they did generate lots of interaction from little ones as they played the different games such as Hide with Paws and Missions with Lunar Jim.
www.cbc.ca/kidscbc

Have the egg-timer ready because this site, which generated lots of silliness, could have been used for hours. The setting is an unusual zoo where you can transform the animals so they are truly weird. All ages loved this.
www.switchzoo.com/zoo.htm

Boys World

Dinosaur, aircraft technology, games and build-a-robot sites are regularly listed in sites for boys and can be found with any ‘Ask for Kids’ search. Below are a few favourites with different themes. Believe it or not! Oddities, trivia, and outlandish true stories are all here.
www.ripleys.com

For boys who enjoy some toilet flushing and bodily function noises with their yucky facts this is a big hit. The explanations of ear wax, poop, zits, etc. section certainly keep them groaning and giggling.
http://yucky.kids.discovery.com

Environmental sites are always popular and this is a great one for all - kids, parents, teachers and, of course, all the animals and trees we save when we put it all into practice!
www.ecokids.ca

These sites were known to scout members and liked by all the boys.
www.boyslife.org
https://scouts.org.uk/aboutus

Girls Talk

Teen webzines for girls are always popular but they are not reviewed here. There are too many, too broad age-ranges, and too much content beyond the homepage that probably needs closer parental scrutiny. These sites cover other popular issues for girls. Girls get to play media guru and explore their own attitudes towards identity, celebrity life, fashion magazines, and music. They love the games and discussions.
www.mypopstudio.com

Who says reading a book is a passive and solitary activity? Not the girls at this interactive book site. The author interviews and discussion rooms generate lots of debate.
www.readergirlz.com

This directory of sites aimed at teenagers is a popular resource of weird and silly sites.
www.bored.com

As with the boys' sites, scout members regularly visited these sites but they appealed to all as they were loaded with topical teen information.
www.studio2b.org

In the News Most of the major news sites include sections tailored for younger readers but although the articles are written in a digestible size the content is not watered down. The New York Times site is popular for school project research and the cartoon newsreaders on FlashFive definitely brought the news events to life.
www.nytimes.com/learning
http://pbskids.org/newsflashfive