CHILDREN'S
TV |
Details Written up In
Computer Active's Excellant Webguide
The
Big Breakfast
bigbreakfast.channel4.com |
 |
| Life
may start at seven, but if you are not up that early you can always catch
up on your fill of the Big Breakfast on this site. It has profiles of and
interviews with the presenters and of course a run-down of what is going
to be on the show this week. There are wallpapers and sounds to download,
and you can take part by submitting your bulldog photos or your very own
vital, and totally useless, statistic. The only thing it lacks is footage
of the actual shows. |
Blue
Peter
www.bbc.co.uk/bluepeter |
|
| There
isn't a person in this land who doesn't have memories of good old Blue
Peter. But while the show has been accused of being out of touch, the BBC
has brought into the Internet age with its own site. Sadly, this is a fairly
bog standard site. Yes, it is colourful, packed with information and throwing
games and competitions around like there was no tomorrow. But then it doesn't
really get the imagination going - something a kids programme should. |
The
Simpsons
www.margsimpson.com/simpsons/simpsons.htm |
|
| Don't
you just love the Simpsons? If you can't do without your daily dose of
the show, then you should visit this site. It opens with a huge map of
Springfield and you can then explore the various settings, Bart and Lisa's
School, Moe's Bar, the Kwik-E Mart and of course the Simpson household
itself. In each place you will find details of the characters themselves,
as well as taking a test in the Simpson's to help Bart get out of Fourth
Grade. |
Teletubbies
www.bbc.co.uk/education/teletubbies |
|
| Eh-oh!
What exactly is the attraction of these fat little characters for small
children? Perhaps with the exception of students most adults find them
truly awful, but the fascination they exert on small children cannot be
underestimated. This BBC Education website is built around activities and
games you can do with your child on the PC, such a jigsaws, games of hide
and seek and adjusting the Tubby Control Panel so that it makes animal
noises. You can even print out pictures of the teletubbies to colour in. |
CITV
www.citv.co.uk |
|
| All
the ITV shows have their sites on this supersite. There's not much information
on each of the shows, but there are some other parts you'll want to have
a look at. There's jokes and online chat, competitions and games to play
on the site. One nice touch is the Never Bored section, which tells you
what events are going on in your area. You can then mail the site and tell
them what you thought of your day out. |
Tweenies
www.bbc.co.uk/education/tweenies |
|
| Tweenies
are the new education program for pre-school age children and as you might
expect, it has lots of extra activities that parents can do with their
smaller children. So there is supplementary information on the stories
and lots of songs that can be downloaded to sing along with. There are
games to play and suggestions of things to watch on television. For parents
there is also a new service, bringing you all the latest articles and advice
by education specialists. |
Get
Live and Kicking
www.bbc.co.uk/kicking |
|
| This
site is packed full of everything that is on the show. So you will find
interviews with celebrities, such as Joe Absolom from EastEnders, lots
of showbiz gossip, games and competitions. There are features on the presenters
- even Mr Blobby and the Leprechauns get their own sections. One of the
best features, however, is the huge number of wallpapers featuring celebrities
such as Five, Scoochy and Supergirly, that you can download from the site.
It'll even tell you how to install them. |
Newsround
www.bbc.co.uk/newsround |
|
| If you
want to keep up with the latest news from around the world, the best place
to come is the Newsround site. The BBC news coverage is excellent and so
is this site. It has all the stories of the day, but also fills you in
on some of the background behind the stories, so you can find out all about
the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly, but also about the Northern
Ireland situation and why so many people in the world are starving. |
|
KID'S
INTERNET |
yahooligans
www.yahooligans.com |
|
There
are plenty of categories covered on the site, everything from sport to
learning maths, games and puzzles to screensavers to the latest sites on
Pokemon. Everything that a kid could want is here.
The database
is easy to search, either by category or by the search button and sites
are often given a 'cool shades' mark to show those sites that are definitely
worth visiting.
There
are plenty of online chats on all kinds of subjects: Cuba, NASA and martial
arts. And to make sure you do not miss a thing there are upcoming events
posted well in advance. There are even parents' guides and teachers' guides
to show the oldies how to get the most out of the net. Finally there is
a featured celebrity on the site - when we looked it was Britney Spears
- together with pictures and plenty of pop trivia. |
Compuserve
Kids
www.compuserve.com/gateway/kids/default.asp |
|
| This
excellent links page concentrates on fun stuff rather than on school studies.
So there are sections on TV, movies and videos, as well as music and sport.
There are even a list of hot sites and kid's favourites sites covering
everything from Harry Potter to Rugrats. |
Enchanted
Learning
www.enchantedlearning.com |
|
| Enchanted
Learning produce educational websites. A whole range of subjects are covered,
everything from dinosaurs to astronomy, as well as taking in the traditional
science, maths and languages. |
ePlay
www.eplay.com |
|
| ePlay
links up schools and kids in an environment where they can learn and have
fun. So there is a serious homework assignment area, but also a fun games
section, and a message centre where kids can communicate with other children
around the world. |
Freeserve
www.freeserve.co.uk |
|
| Although
there is no actual kid's section on Freeserve, there is plenty of information
here for them. There is homework help in education, games, cartoons and
of course Freeserve's excellent guide to what is on locally for kids. |
Yahooligans
www.yahooligans.com |
|
| This
portal is designed specially for kids, and so it is crammed full of the
kind of sites kids want to see. It covers everything from arts and entertainment
to sports and recreation and of course there is an education section. |
Handbag.com
www.handbag.com/family |
|
| This
is more one for mums than for the kids themselves. It has the same event
selector for finding days out in your local area as Freeserve, but also
has a good links page for kids websites. |
AOL
UK Kids Channel
www.aol.co.uk/channels/kids |
|
| There
are not a huge number of links on this channel, just a list of top five
sites and a section on a particular subject. The sections do change on
a regular basis, however, so it's worth keeping an eye on. |
Bonus.com
www.bonus.com |
|
| Bonus.com
calls itself the supersite for kids. There are loads of links here on everything
from the earth to space travel, dinosaurs to how things work. And in each
case there is a little summary of what you will find on the site. |
The
Junction
www.the-junction.net/index.htm |
|
| The
Junction is an online magazine aimed at teenagers. It has loads of links,
covering subjects as diverse as advice, football, music and technology.
It also has a few columns, although these just link to about.com. |
National
Geographic Kids
www.nationalgeographic.com/kids |
|
| This
site is less of a portal and more of an all-round resource and activity
centre. There is plenty to find out about, including all about NASA's plans
to send people to Mars. There is also a great section on amazing facts,
like why clouds float. |
Surf
Monkey
www.surfmonkey.com |
|
| This
site not only has games, bulleting boards and chat rooms, but it also has
an extensive list of sites that are safe and cool for kids, covering everything
from sports and toys to art, science and space. |
UK
Plus
www.ukplus.co.uk |
|
| UK Plus
is one of the few portals to have a dedicated kid's section. As UKPlus
is still in its infancy there is not a great deal here as yet, but hopefully
it will grow in time. |
|
KID'S
REFERENCE |
FunkandWagnalls.com
www.funkandwagnalls.com |
|
Its English
counterpart, the Encyclopaedia Britannica, outstrips it in sheer scope,
but F&W's 22,000 articles stand it in good stead against its many rivals.
From Nietzsche to nanotechnology, the range and depth of the entries is
impressive, set in a bright, uncluttered layout that aids speedy research.
The basic encyclopaedia function is usefully supplemented with a dictionary
- courtesy of the folks at Random House - and an international news service,
updated hourly. Again, while the multimedia trappings look prosaic in comparison
with the slick service offered by Encarta, the slideshows, photos and audio
files that are included are more than adequate. The serious researcher
will not be deterred by the lack of showy pyrotechnics and will find more
than enough raw information in the thorough, considered entries, which
are crucially updated each month. But the real advantage, of course, is
the generous pricing policy in a market crammed with expensive alternatives.
If you'd shelled out for the latest print edition of Funk and Wagnall's
New Encyclopaedia, you'd be $189 worse off. |
3D
Atlas Online
www.3datlas.com |
|
| If you
have ever got stuck on your geography homework, or just wondered where
Botswana is, then this is the place to come. It has a fully searchable
list of countries and for each country listed you see a few words about
the country, giving information on the geography, population and main industries,
plus a photograph and a picture of the national flag. There are links of
other sites on the web and a map can be downloaded. A word of warning,
though - it can take forever to download the graphics. |
Ask
Jeeves for Kids
www.ajkids.com |
|
| Ask
Jeeves is a search engine with a difference. You ask Jeeves a question,
such as 'why should I eat my vegetables' or 'why do clouds float' and Jeeves
will come back with a list of sites where you can find the answers to these
questions. Alternatively you can take a 'tour' around a certain subject,
such as earthquakes, pets, or the body and find plenty of sites with answers
to all the questions you may want to ask, all presented in a neat and tidy
format, but then what else would you expect from Jeeves? |
Lets
Find Out
www.letsfindout.com |
|
| Lets
Find Out is divided into 16 sections, taking in such things as the body,
art, aviation, dinosaurs and science. Behind each subject is a list on
entries, and each entry has a couple of paragraphs explaining what that
thing is. There is also an alphabetical index of entries if you are not
sure where to look things up. The site is not as comprehensive as it could
be and some of the articles are a little too short to be a huge amount
of help, but it is a good starting point. |
Little
Explorers
www.enchantedlearning.com/Dictionary.html |
|
| Little
Explorer's is another of the Enchanted Learning sites. The dictionary is
illustrated throughout with small sketches rather than photographs. While
it is in no way comprehensive, for example there are only 52 entries under
G, it is easy to read and informative. In fact many of the entries have
so much information that you think it is not a dictionary at all, but a
kind of mini-encyclopaedia. It also links well with the other Enchanted
Learning sites. |
Encarta
Online
www.encarta.msn.com |
|
| This
online version of Microsoft's famous encyclopaedia is the concise version
and is not as detailed as the deluxe online version for which you have
to subscribe, but it is still packed with informative articles and plenty
of pictures. The information is easy to search by category, or alternatively
you can use the search button to go straight to the article you are looking
for. However it is always worth having a look through your favourite categories
as different articles are spotlighted regularly so something might catch
your eye. |
Reference
Centre
www.freeserve.net/reference |
|
| The
Freeserve reference centre is precisely that. It is made up of a dictionary
(the Oxford Compact English Dictionary), an encyclopaedia (the Cambridge
Encyclopaedia Database) and a world atlas. You can do a power-search across
any of the titles and it will come up with any suitable articles, or you
can do a media search if you are just looking for pictures, audio files
or animations. |
Encyclopaedia
Britannica
www.britannica.com |
|
| Encyclopaedia
Britannica is without doubt the best place to look for anything you want
to know about. It has a fantastic reputation for being both reliable and
for giving you in-depth content that is also easily absorbed. It is finally
fully searchable on the web and is fully hyperlinked so you can move from
the article you first looked up to others that are related at the click
of a button. It also has a great news section, links to articles from other
publications and its own great list of links. |
Kid's
Almanac
kids.infoplease.com |
|
| This
Almanac includes all sorts of interesting facts and figures. You can for
example find out about the largest deserts in the world or the longest
rivers. Alternatively you can find out about dating and marriage and the
different traditions in the wedding ceremony around the world, all in a
quirky lifestyle section. There are some fun features as well. When we
looked there was one on Harry Potter and another one on the most popular
pet names. |
|
KID'S
VISITS |
Alton
Towers
www.demon.co.uk/magpie/altontowers/altontowers.html |
|
| If you
are after thrills and spills, this is the place to come. The park claims
to have more rides than any other in the UK including the infamous Black
Hole, Nemesis and Oblivion. Alton Towers is also opening a new 3D interactive
world this year. This site has all the information you need on getting
to the park, tickets, and even information on staying there. The site does
not look as good as the rides, however, being a little bit rough around
the edges and not showing a great deal of design flair. |
The
Dome
www.dome2000.co.uk/sniff/flash.htm |
|
| It is
only going to be around for a year, so if you want to go and see what all
the fuss is about, you had better get going. This site tells you everything
you need to know, from buying your ticket to getting there on public transport.
There are pictures of the zones and of the Dome itself to whet your appetite,
a quiz and a section that looks forward to the next 1000 years. |
KidsNet
www.kidsnet.co.uk |
|
| If you
are short of ideas on what to do for your day out, then take a look at
this site. It has listings for all kinds of attractions, from museums to
amusements parks, taking in zoos, farms, parks and just about anything
else you could think of along the way. Many of the attractions are based
in the SouthEast, however, and the site's sports section only mentions
London facilities. However if you are planning a trip to London, it will
tell you the opening times and prices of all the attractions. |
TimeOut
www.timeout.com |
|
| Time
Out is the London listings magazine that tells you everything that is going
on around the capital. On their web site they cover other cities around
the world, including Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dublin. The Kid's section of
each city covers such necessities as playgrounds, swimming pools and animal
encounters, as well as letting you know about all the events happening
for kids in the city in that week as well as covering the usual tourist
attractions. |
Eureka!
ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Eureka_Museum |
|
| Most
museums make you keep your finger off the exhibits, but at Eureka in Halifax,
you can touch and play with whatever you want to. You can find out how
the human body works, how TV programmes are made and even how the loo flushes,
all through interactive exhibits. On this website there isn't much of the
museum itself on show, but there are details of tickets, location and opening
times, plus information on special events that are happening at the museum
so you can plan when you are going to go. |
Tower
of London
www.camelot-group.com/tower |
|
| There
is much, much more to this site than just ticket information and opening
hours. You can get a tour of the Tower itself, given by Tom the beefeater,
which tells you all about the history of the tower, and then you can pop
off to see the crown jewels. There are also plenty of pages on the things
that everyone wants to know about: the ghosts, the prisoners and the executions.
You an also find out all about the beefeaters, including an interviews
with one, and about the ravens. |
Freeserve
Kids Event Selector
freeserve.eventselector.co.uk/kids |
|
| If you
want to know what is going on in your local area, this is a great place
to start. Simply type in your nearest town or city and the event selector
will come up with a huge range of activities. We tried typing in Leeds
and the results were impressive: 26 events came back, with everything from
an RSPB reserve to karting, taking in storytelling in a bookshop to a theatre
show in between. |
Kids
Travel
www.kidstravel.co.uk |
|
| Bored
during the holidays? Got nothing to do at the weekend? Then take a look
at this site. Divided into six regions, and then in sections including
theme parks, zoos and safari parks, caves and caverns and attractions,
this site has loads of ideas of where to spend your days out. Each attraction
has ticket prices, opening times and its location listed, together with
a telephone number so you can ring ahead to double check they are going
to be open. Each one also has a description of what you will find there,
so you can decide whether or not you like the look of it. |
|
KID'S
WORKS |
How
Things Work
rabi.phys.virginia.edu/HTW |
|
| This
site is written by a professor of physics at the University of Virginia
and is about the physics behind everyday life. The articles in here are
not comprehensive 'how things work from a to z'. Instead the prof answers
people's questions. So if you click on the balloon topic button, you will
get a lot of questions answered, such as how large a helium balloon would
have to be to lift a girl off the ground. |
Intelligent
Child
www.intelligentchild.com/index.html |
|
| Don't
let the title of this website put you off - it is not just for brain-boxes
and swats. It is instead a good collections of how the things you want
to know about work. So there is a section on subjects all related to space,
astronomy and general science, such as how you drive a satellite or what
is a moonwalk. Most the articles have plenty of information in them and
some groovy pictures, but others simply answer one question very briefly,
such as how big is Jupiter. |
Bonus.com
How It Works
www.bonus.com/bonus/list/n_howitwor.html |
|
| This
excellent site has all kinds of articles on things that you an do to find
out how things work. So you can pick up some HTML tips to build your own
website, or look at the anatomy of a banknote, learn sign language or learn
how a toilet works. All the articles are linked to other sites, so this
overall website is more of a collection point than one big site. Most of
the articles are easy to understand and as you always stay on the bonus.com
website and the other sites open in the main window, naviagation is easy. |
How
Stuff Works
howstuffworks.com |
|
| This
site is packed with explanations of how everyday objects work. So if you
have ever wanted to know how the TV works, or how a car engine works, then
this is the place to come. The site is divided into 22 sections covering
such diverse topics as aviation, music, power and food. All the articles
are comprehensive, going into a great deal of detail, but they are always
easy to understand. |
|
| TOYS |
Actionman
www.actionman.com |
|
| There
is plenty of action on this site. Not only can you find out about the figures
and the all important equipment you will need, but you can also play secret
agents yourself. There is a game to play on the site and you can pass secret
messages to other agents out in the field. You can even gain access to
a special agent part of the site which is reserved for existing agents. |
Lego
Mindstorms
www.legomindstorms.com |
|
| Lego
Mindstorms is Lego that you can build into robots by first screwing the
parts together, then programming it to do something. If this sounds fiendishly
difficult, don't worry. There is loads of information on this site about
how you can program your Lego and plenty of technical support questions
are answered too. If you need inspiration, then just look at some of the
robots that other people have made, including one that will play Mary Had
a Little Lamb on the piano. |
Mr
Potato Head
www.mrpotatohead.com |
|
| Learn
about the life and times of Mr Potato Head in this bright, fun site. You
can look at the Mr Potato Head scrapbook to find out about the most important
events in Mr Potato Head's long and illustrious career, or you can click
through the timeline of pictures showing Mr Potato Head over the years.
You can then go to the fun corner page, where there are two lots of activities:
one for little kids, including colouring in and word jumbles, and one for
big kids, including a section where you can make your own Mr Potato Head
and a trivia quiz. |
Barbie
www.barbie.com |
|
| Every
little girl wants a Barbie doll. On this site you can find out what the
fascination is. There are details of all the products, including special
limited edition dolls, such as the Millennium Princess Barbie and the Tango
Barbie. But there is much more to this site. You can dress Barbie in an
online fashion show, print out pictures to colour in or colour them in
online and meet her friends and family. You can even design your own Barbie. |
Toy
City
www.toycity.com |
|
| Toy
City is a massive online supplier of toys. You can search the massive catalogue
by age, by brand, by price or by any other way you want. And if you still
can't find what you want you can always try the tips on how to search the
database. There are special offers on the front page and if you want to
get news of more special offers you can sign up to Toy City's VIP service. |
Creatures
www.creatures.mindscape.com |
|
| Creatures
are those little Norns who live in your computer and want constant attention
if they are going to learn to behave well and grow up able to look after
themselves. You can find out about all the Norn's environments here and
about the various creatures. You can also find out how to look after the
Norns. But there are no tips on this site as to how to get more out of
your creature or what to do when you hit problems. |
Furby
207.226.169.244 |
|
| The
Furby site pulls out all the stops in its efforts to be entertaining. When
you enter the site you will see a map of Furbyland, including the library
where you can colour in pictures, learn the story of Furbys or look at
an English-to-Furby dicationary. Or you could go the post office, where
you can send animated postcards to your friends. Or you can go to Babyland
to find out about the new Furby babies, including the story of when they
were born. |
ToysRUs
www.toysrus.co.uk |
|
| If you
want to order your toys online without having to go to the bother of traipsing
round these huge out of town warehouses, then you should come to the ToyRUs
site. It has a full online catalogue and you can order any of the products
online. There are pictures of all the products, although they are very
small, so they are not as clear as they might be, but at least the catalogue
is quick to scroll through. |
|
|
KIDS:The
Web Search
The
Informed Investor
