Review: Crayola

http://www.crayola.com/

Children's Website; Marketing Tie-ins and Activities

Grades: 1-4

First Accessed: November 28, 2008

The art supply company's tie in website, including activities and marketing.

My Thoughts:

I didn't really care all that much for this site. It was not organized in a kid friendly fashion, being hard to navigate and relying heavily on text. It seemed to be a thinly disguised attempt to sell products to children. The opening page is mostly ads, with a sidebar that directs users to various sites...parents, educators, children. The coloring pages are nice, when they load, but the tools to color them online aren't even as good as the ones on the PBS site. They were difficult to use and limited. It was very frustrating!

I had had high hopes for this site, since the company's products all foster creativity, it would seem like the site should have had great visual impact and been innovative. Its not. It looks like a website template that I can get through Microsoft Office. Also, there were a lot of issues, at least on my end, with getting various features to load. Several coloring pages crashed. Worst of all...there were pop-ups. I HATE POP-UPS! On top of which, they should be ILLEGAL on kid's sites.

The Thoughts of Others:
No Critical Reviews Available

Review: PBS Kids

http://pbskids.org/

Children's Website; Games/Entertainment

Ages: 3-8

First Accessed: November 26, 2008

The companion website to the Public Broadcasting System's children's television programming, including games and other entertainment options.

My Thoughts:

I thought that this website is ideal for younger children. There is absolutely NOTHING objectionable on it, or anyway to access possibly objectionable material from it. Also, a lot of the site uses imagery and audio, rather than text, to direct users. This is great for children who are either beginning or non-readers. I loved the formatting, with the wheel of fortune style menu that directs kids to the various pages for various shows...especially since it is character faces rather than titles that differentiate the tabs.

The PBS kids island section is a game section, that children can either use as a trial or register for. It is chock full of educational games that work on math, literacy, and concepts like opposites. Kids can earn points/tickets, and thus budgeting and money skills. There are activities, like coloring pages, on the various show sites, and videos and interviews with various characters. Overall it is a good supplement to the television shows, a nice educational tool (without kids knowing it is an educational tool), and executed with the high standard of quality that one can expect from PBS.

Thoughts of Others:
No Critical Reviews Available

Review: Storyline Online

http://www.storylineonline.net/index2.html

Children's Website; Streaming Storytimes

Grades: Preschool-2nd

First Accessed: November 24, 2008

A collection of online streaming videos featuring Screen Actor's Guild members reading picture books.

My Thoughts:

This is an absolutely amazing website. It has some VERY famous people reading picture books in video format. (Jason Alexander, Elijah Wood, Melissa Gilbert, Sean Astin, etc.) As professional actors, the quality of the reading is amazing. Also, the movement between the book illustrations (some of which have been animated, andthe actors themselves, is very smooth and well done. Also, the books that have been chosen are titles that will appeal to children, and are a wide mix of award winners, new classics, and just plain fun! (A Bad Case of Stripes, Stellaluna, Polar Express.)

One of the neatest features of this site is the ability to either merely hear the story, or to see the text along with the reading. This is great for encouraging literacy in children. Early readers can gain experience reading along with the actors. There are even activities to go along with many of the stories. However, my favorite feature was quite simple: each story clearly tells you how long the video runs. This is very important if you want to use one for a storytime or in a classroom setting. (Or as a bedtime story...you wouldn't want the kids staying up later than they ought to!)

Thoughts of Others:
No Critical Reviews Available

Review: Yahooligans

http://kids.yahoo.com/

Children's Website; Search Engine

Grades: 2-5

First Accessed: November 22. 2008

This is a child friendly version of the yahoo search engine. It including areas for browsing, games, and research.

My Thoughts:

I thought that this was a great website. It was very user friendly, and the format and colors would appeal to a younger crowd. However, unlike other children's sites, it does rely a lot on text, rather than icons and pictures to direct users to different access points. I appreciated that it had homework help, as well as the "Ask Earl" section. I also really liked that there was a tab for parents to use to help them monitor their children's web behavior, as well as help their children navigate this particular browser.

The games were fun, and diverse, much like their counterparts on the regular yahoo site. Also, the featured movies and entertainment information was definitely geared to the elementary-tween crowd. That, though, might be the downfall of the site. A lot of the information and features seemed to be hoping to latch into the tween population, but tweens are just fickle enough that they won't use this site based solely on the "kids" label. Overall, I think this site would make a great homepage for a family or child-use home computer. It also would be a good resource for elementary school teachers to use to introduce kids to research. However, aside from the games, I don't think that a lot of kids will go to it independently.

Thoughts of Others:
No Critical Reviews Available.

Review: Sticky Burr

By: John Lechner
Candlewick Press, 2007; unpaged

Graphic Novel; Hardcover

Ages: 6-10

ISBN:978-0-7636-3054-6

Sticky Burr lives in Burrwood Forest, with all the other burrs. However, he does not like doing very burr-ish things. He loves to paint, fly with his dragonfly friend, and play his ukulele rather than annoy, argue, and stick to things. The other burrs decide that Sticky Burr has got to go...that is, until his friendly attitude and willingness to help others saves the day!

My Thoughts:

I thought that this was a delightful book. Thematically, it encourages children not only to be helpful, but to be themselves. The plot was not overworked, but at the same time it was not very involved. It is easy to follow, and would hold the interest of an early elementary school student, but may bore older students. Still, it is a great introduction into the graphic novel genre, and I believe would serve as an enticement to a reluctant reader.(See...who said that graphic novels couldn't be teaching tools!)
The artwork, while simple stylistically, is well-done and engaging. I really liked the definition and journal pages that are superimposed over a hand-made paper background. Also, the text is clear and full of interesting tidbits. There is even a song at the end, complete with music. Internet-savvy kids can also go to the official web page and explore. (The book started out as an online comic...so the page is very well done.)

The Thoughts of Others:

Booklist's Gillian Engberg reviewed the book, and was enchanted by it. Her only criticism was that "the messages about triumphing over bullies are overt."

It was also reviewed by School Library Journal, which in addition to praising the art, lauded "the lively and sometimes punny dialogue."

Bedtime Stories with Megan

For my final assignment in the storytelling class...but hopefully NOT my final storytelling...I created a web page with a variety of bedtime stories, poems, and a song.

I call it Bedtime Stories with Megan

I did a web page, as opposed to a single storytelling session, on the thought that I could keep developing it. Kids could come and pick a bedtime story to be told. The stories could rotate and change out over time. However, as there is a common thread running through the set, it could also be used as a single session...assuming you had a stubborn child that would not fall asleep.

The connecting thread to the whole session is, well, my bedroom. The main idea behind the set was to use "found" objects, or pets, to tell children bedtime stories. This is based on my experiences babysitting for friends and family. Often kids want to hear a story but there are no books handy, like on a camping or car trip. (Also, how realistic is it to expect to have your own props with you when you are at someone else's house?) So, I have taken to picking up one of the kids' toys and using it as a springboard for a story. This is something everyone can do, especially if they familiarize themselves with stories that use common toys. Most kids have a Teddy Bear or Princess Doll. (And, as in the case of one of the poems, everyone has the night sky...)

The stories told in my story set are a little more thought out, in that they were not recorded spontaneously or without rehearsal. Still, they are all based on my own toys/stuffed animals/pets.

(Warning: I actually sing A Capella on one of the songs...I was worried about copyright issues if I used a song off my computer...I actually might eventually add some more lullabies...we will see...not a huge fan of hearing my own singing voice...especially all by itself!)