Web Sites for Kids
If you remember Hoody Doody, the Mickey Mouse Club and Garfield Goose, you know how important television characters can be for a child. The PBS Kids website brings some of today's popular television characters to the computer screen for hours of entertainment for the youngsters. When you watch these characters on television, you only get to sit and watch. The PBS Kids website is interactive with games for kids to play, stories with hot links, and music where they can choose an instrument and play along with the help of their computer mouse.
While we are talking about television characters, you won't want to miss Nick Jr.com, the Internet home of popular cable television programs like Blue's Clues, Oswald, and the favorite of my three grandchildren, Dora the Explorer. Everything at this site is fun. Click on the Nick Jr. Radio and you can listen to cheerful music while you look around the website. There is even help for parents with activities listed by age (1-8) and fun things like games that can be played in the car to keep the kids occupied.
For more easily identifiable and infinitely lovable characters, take a look at the Disney Online website. At the Disney site, you will find Mickey, Pluto, Daisy, Donald and all the rest. There's plenty of animation and many fun activities. This is one site you might want to visit before you bring the kids. Although there are some really great areas, the site itself can be overwhelming and there are many ads for Disney products that you might want to bypass when you are with the kids.
All three of these websites are cheerful places to visit and there are even some sections for grown-ups. Be sure to check out the Memory Lane area of the Disney site. You choose any year between 1901 and 2004 and you will be taken for a ride down memory lane Disney-style. You get to see Disney milestones, movie information, and rare old photos from your chosen year.
AARP does not recommend or endorse any of these products or web sites. Please be advised that there are other similar products and web sites available which were not reviewed and are not listed here.
About the Author
Sandy Berger is a nationally-known author and has written several books on computers.
