ZiggityZoom.com, ZiggityZoom LLC, 2008; Free; www.ziggityzoom.com; ages 2 to 8.

 

This cute Web site for young children features a variety of simple, yet fun activities, including digital “colorforms,” mazes, printable activities and coloring sheets, as well as parent resources. Our judge’s favorite game here is “Feed the Monster,” in which players drag individual food items into the hands of a goofy little green monster that gobbles them up and exclaims, “Yummy,” after devouring each treat. It may seem simple, but little kids will surely find delight in this and other mini-games on the site. 

Scholastic, 2008; free; www.scholastic.com/parents/play; for families with kids ages 5 to 12. Requires: Web browser with Flash. The Parents Activity Center Web site offers family-oriented resources, games, activities and printables that encourage parents and kids to play and learn together. Scholastic favorites, such as Clifford, Maya and Miguel, Word Girl and I Spy!, make the site a great way to introduce and reinforce safe online usage.

iKeepSafe Coalition, 2006; free; www.ikeepsafe.org; for families with kids ages 3 to 17. Requires: Web browser.
The mission of iKeepSafe is to empower parents, educators and policymakers with the information and tools needed to teach children safe and healthy use of technology and the Internet. Faux Paw the Techno Cat is the site’s engaging, animated character that provides creative examples to show kids where risky or irresponsible behavior can lead in the virtual world. These scenarios give parents the groundwork to begin discussions about screen time, privacy and online abuse, so that children recognize the importance of safe online behavior.
 

Zoodles, Inquisitive Minds, Inc., 2009; free, premium memberships start at $7.95/month; www.zoodles.com; ages 2 to 8.

 

For parents concerned about unleashing their child, unprotected, on the Information Superhighway, this child-friendly browser offers educational content and includes controls that parents set to monitor their children’s online experiences through the Zoodles Dashboard. The site also includes a virtual toybox with online games, and features content from sites recommended by schools, such as FunBrain. 

Judge's Top Pick! 

Clifford Boro, 2008; free; www.kidzui.com; for ages 3 to 12. Requires: High-speed Internet connection and Adobe Flash Player 9+. This downloadable Web browser has prescreened, kid-oriented content so parents can allay concerns about their children surfing through unguarded and unprotected browsers. Kids register, create user names and avatars, and then surf, rate and share content from more than 800,000 sites, ranging from Disney to YouTube. They also earn points for the content they rate and share. For $5 per month, parents can upgrade their accounts to increase filtering and reporting features to monitor children’s online usage. KidZui aids parents in helping their offspring learn responsible online behaviors.

Wizard 101, Kings Isle Entertainment, 2009; Free trial with family subscription packages from $6.95 per player/month to $79.95 per family/year; www.wizard101.com; ages 8 to 12.

 

This multi-player online adventure game encourages social activity and collaboration among players. While other online fantasy games may be too mature for some kids, Wizard 101 hits a nice balance among fun, adventure and competition as players are summoned to help save Wizard City.

 

The Wizard Creator is a fun little entry point for kids to answer questions about their preferences before it suggests where they be assigned to the wizard schools of Ice, Balance or Myth, among others. While many of this year’s NAPPA winners offer fun for family around console games, Wizard 101 is a nice alternative for parents and kids to experience an online game together.  
 

Science Buddies, Science Buddies, 2001; free; www.sciencebuddies.org; ages 5 to 18.

 

Requires: Web browser and Flash. This incredibly rich, Web-based resource for K-12 science education was created in partnership with National Science Teachers Association. Designed to complement classroom instruction by helping students build literacy in science and technology, the site inspires students to explore and try experiments in a wide variety of science areas, including Astronomy, Biotechnology, Music, Physics, Environmental Engineering, and Energy and Power, among others.

 

The Science Fair “Topic Selection Wizard” is a powerful tool that asks students to share information about their interests and strengths before offering a slate of possible project ideas. Parents and teachers find Science Budddies to be extremely successful in helping kids make connections between classroom reading and lab activities, and real-world experience. 

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children; free; www.netsmartz.org; for families with kids ages 5 to 17. Requires: Web browser.
With a promise to “educate, engage and empower,” Netsmartz helps parents teach safe Web practices to their children. The goal is to prevent the victimization of children online and in the real world. Through stories and activities with online friends Clicky, Nettie and Webster, parents encourage and empower their kids to make safe choices as they venture out into the great unknown of cyberspace.
 

Spakkle, 2008; free; www.spakkle.com; for all ages. Requires: Web browser.
For those of us who like a little more color and pizzazz in our search interfaces – whether Google, Yahoo or MSN – Spakkle is a fun and easy-to-use tool that lets families create custom search interfaces. Parents can also activate a SafeKids filter to restrict search results to kid-friendly sites, which are derived from a Google Custom Search engine. Spakkle is a simple tool that’s well worth a look.
 

ZillaDog.com, ZillaDog.com LLC, 2007; Free; www.zilladog.com; ages 7 to 13.

 

This Web-based email site for kids enables parents to manage and monitor their child’s email communications, especially for kids under the age of 13. With so much inappropriate spam reaching free mailboxes, ZillaDog is a safe alternative for parents who want their kids to have limited email access. Parents can also manage buddy lists and request to receive copies of all incoming and outgoing mail from their child’s account.