Have your children been pestering you to pay for a website membership? Is it really worth the monthly fee, and what are the best websites to keep holiday boredom at bay?
This month, we've put some of the most popular kids websites to the test.
Age group: 5 years+
Cost: AUD$6.95/ month, free play available
Most of the kids' social network sites follow a simple formula, and this global Disney-owned phenomenon is no exception. Create an avatar (in this case, a penguin), play games to collect points (in this case, coins), spend your points in shops to buy things for your avatar and its home (in this case, an igloo), and make friends, chat and play with the avatars of your friends.
Club Penguin is a fun and sophisticated program that appeals to both boys and girls - with over 28 million players around the world that they can meet up with and make friends with.
Easy peasy?
Dylan had no trouble setting himself up with his own penguin and winning enough coins to furnish his home, and he quickly worked out how to meet his friends from school. "Mum! Can you text Zoe and tell her to meet me on the Big Foot server at the cafe?" Once they met and buddied up, no further parental SMS was required.
Fun factor:
There are plenty of great games to choose from, including pizza-making at the Plaza and Jet Pack Adventure. It's fairly easy to build up coins, and the kids had a ball decorating their igloos with dance floors, astro turf and flags. They are also able to adopt pet puffles and buy them accessories as well.
Learn anything?
It's excellent for building computer navigation skills and social skills in interacting online. The open chat is moderated, or they can select standard responses.
The wow factor:
There's just so much to do and see, including secrets to unlock and new places to explore. Disney is capitalising on the popularity by releasing (surprise, surprise) a range of merchandise including stuffed puffles. This merchandise also comes with a token that can be exchanged for something in your virtual world, once you log in.
Club Penguin is most fun when your pals are involved too. And once Dylan's friends started playing with other sites, he started losing interest. Make sure you cancel your monthly subscription at this point, as it's an easy direct debit to forget about!
Age group: 5 years+
Cost: from USD$5.95 per month, free play available
This virtual world is the tamagotchi of social networking. Your avatar is an adorable fluffy monster with personality. Play games to collect Rox currency to spend in the stores of Monstro City, so you can keep your monster well fed and happy. You can also keep a monster blog, chat in online forums, make friends and play games.
Easy peasy?
It's straightforward to set up a character and play games. You need to collect Rox quickly to feed your monster, otherwise they start to get quite sad! You can also buy them treats, furniture and toys. Once you've made some friends, the chat is determined by your monster - they choose the words for you.
Fun factor:
The monsters have their own language and the sound effects are quite engaging. The games are fun, but the biggest drawcard is taking care of your monster. And for this reason, I suspect it appeals more to girls in this age bracket than boys.
Learn anything?
It's a good place to develop online social skills. Some of the games involve challenging puzzles that test counting, spelling and general knowledge. Players are rewarded by moving up a level - once you've achieved a new level your monster dances and you get a trophy.
The wow factor:
Making sure your monster is happy, and adopting moshlings for them to play with, keeps kids coming back for more. Members can create a whole zoo of moshlings and get rare or uncommon moshlings, and our favourite game is also a members-only game, the disco.
Age group: 5 years+
Cost: AUD$7.95 per month, discounts for multi-months (free play is available)
Australia has its very own virtual world for kids too. In Ekidna World you can choose an Australian animal as your avatar and collect nuggets. Choose where you want to live - rainforest, beach, city or outback?
Easy peasy?
This is a fairly simple site to navigate, but large parts of it still feel like its under construction. Dylan felt quite at home with the Australian accent, and he also liked the community spirit via Ekidna news delivered to his beach shack, with competitions and news on real members' pets. He connected with a new virtual friend quite easily (once I had approved them via Mate Safety) and had a simple open chat.
Fun factor:
There are a number of Aussie-themed games to choose from, including Café Chaos, sheep herding and river rafting. These were not quite as easy to play as some other sites - for some reason the controls felt awkward. Plus, Dylan was unable to get into any of the multi-player games as you needed to wait around for someone else to come along, and with a small user base (at this point) that could take a while.
Learn anything?
Most of the games focus on fine motor skills (mouse and keypad control) rather than maths, spelling or quizzes.
The wow factor:
From a parent's point of view, the unique Mate Safety control allows you to monitor who your child makes friends with online. You can also select open chat or safe chat (select phrases). This is a safe and friendly site that Aussie kids will enjoy - but they'll want to get their friends involved too, to get the most out of it.
Age group: 5 - 18 years
Cost: Annual subscription AUD$115 from January 1st ($99 currently), education allowance tax rebate may apply.
This is a schoolwork-focused site, designed around the primary and secondary school curriculums for every state in Australia. Its core objective is education, and it's a good back up for homework. If your child needs extra help, or if they need extra challenges, then this may be the site for you!
Easy peasy?
Very straightforward instructions. Feature-rich content includes video, animations, audio and pop quizzes.
Fun factor:
It's a school program - so in comparison to the glossy virtual worlds above it feels pretty dry. But as a way to get more from school and develop extra learning skills, it's a good investment. Dylan found it a little dull - but he's all about games and competitions. His friend Zoe thought it was 'even better than Mathletics'.
Learn anything?
It's all about learning! This site covers all areas of the syllabus, including maths, spelling and reading, and science. Voice instructions are given if your child is still learning to read. For older children, study guides and progress reports can help them prepare for exams.
The wow factor:
If your child enjoys learning through different mediums, such as voice, video, games, puzzles or podcasts, then they will get something out of Skwirk. There are currently 1600 families with private subscriptions, and over 250 schools around Australia.
Age group: 5 - 18 years
Cost: Annual subscription AUD$99, education allowance tax rebate may apply. $30 per student through school subscription.
Over 500,000 children around the world already use Mathletics. In Australia many schools include it as part of their curriculum, so you may already have a school login. If not, you can subscribe for an annual fee. The site aims to engage kids of all ages in maths, with puzzles and challenges.
Easy peasy?
It's easy to work out what you need to do, but challenging enough to keep it engaging. Parents can receive reports about their child's progress and time spent on the site. And because it's available 24/7, it's more convenient (and affordable) than math tutoring!
Fun factor:
One of Dylan's favourite things about the site is that he can compete in real time with kids from all over the world. He also gets a certificate when he reaches a certain level - all good for confidence building.
Learn anything?
Obviously this is all about maths. But it also helps develop computer skills as you navigate through the puzzles.
The wow factor:
The achievement of recognition, with certificates, Hall of Fame, and school competitions, keeps Dylan logging in. Spellodrome, the spelling version, is also available, with great interactive elements and the chance to earn points.
To pay or not to pay?
You don't have to pay to play online of course - but memberships allow sites to be ad-free, and you have more control over the content. Here are a few other sites worth checking out over the summer break...
www.superclubsplus.com
www.stardoll.com
www.poptropica.com
www.abc.net.au/abckids/
www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/
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