Africa and its people are too big a topic to be summed up on a single Web site, but the six Afrigadget blog contributors manage it to a large degree. They find small, interesting projects from all ...
Common Sense Reviewer
- Elizabeth Crane
- California
About Me
Primo and Secondo are teen and tween boys in public school in San Francisco.
What My Kids Love Now
Primo is into Facebook and chatting with his friends on multiple chat platforms. Secondo wants nothing more than to be allowed to watch endless TV reruns via Netflix Instant Viewing. Both are into a wide variety of reading material that spans comic books, novels based on video games, and political science.
House Rules
We have what I called, long ago, "No glowing screen" days. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, we leave the TV off and I do my best to corral the computer use. Now that they both use their computers for schoolwork, that's harder.
When the Kids Are Asleep…
I like to read in the quiet at the end of the day, but I have also been known to switch on the cable TV and see if maybe there's a "House" rerun I haven't seen. Lately, though, when the kids are asleep *I* am asleep too -- it's a combination of them getting older and staying up later and me getting older and not being ABLE to stay up later.
My Biggest Challenge Is:
Keeping my temper. That's always my biggest challenge. When it comes time to shut things down at the end of the night, everyone's tired and nerves are frayed. It's way too easy to start yelling, especially when my kids are both giving me the "just-five-more-minutes" line -- the one we all know means "half-an-hour-if-I-can-get-away-with-it."
Titles You’ve Reviewed
Web site: Afrigadget
I rate this titleonand give itGlimpse of African ingenuity offers kids a new perspective.
Web site: Girls for a Change
I rate this titleonand give itNonprofit helps girls become catalysts for social change.
The site speaks to girls on an adult level, which conveys an immediate sense of respect. With its success stories, the site shows that all things are possible when girls get organized and put their ...
Web site: Free Rice
I rate this titleonand give itLearning and ending hunger, a few grains of rice at a time.
The site's stated goals make it plain. Free Rice exists to provide free education and help end world hunger. Period. Somehow they manage to make it fun in the process. Kids like the game format ...
Web site: Causecast
I rate this titleonand give itLinking kids with causes, this site makes philanthropy cool.
Causecast is like YouTube with a conscience. The original videos present perspectives on important social issues, and users are encouraged to upload videos of their own. First-person accounts from ...
Web site: TakingITGlobal
I rate this titleonand give itExcellent resource for activist-minded teens.
This site provides the resources for youth to make positive change through activism. With over 200,000 registered users from all over the world (there are 45 members, for example, from the island of ...
