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  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 0, age appropriate for kids over 9; suggested age 9.
  • Is it any good?

    5.0
  • Common Sense says

    Learning and ending hunger, a few grains of rice at a time.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 9 and Up

The good stuff

  • Educational value:

    Users are challenged to answer questions in categories like vocabulary, art, chemistry, and math. At the same time, users learn social values like donating food to the hungry.
  • Messages:

    The site explicitly combines learning with social activism. Each correct answer in the endless quiz donates real rice -- ten grains per answer -- to the UN World Food Program.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Violence is not an issue on this site.
  • Sex:

    Not an issue.
  • Language:

    Words like "inimical" (hostile) and "omasum" (a cow's stomach chamber) show up, but swear words are nonexistent.
  • Consumerism:

    There are no ads on this site. Ad-like links are provided to sponsoring entities like the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University and World Hunger Relief.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    No drugs here. The questions in any category make no reference to alcohol, drugs, or tobacco.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Free Rice

Parents need to know that for every correct answer to this site's endless quiz, ten grains of rice are donated to the UN World Food Program. It's addictive, it can spark competitiveness -- "I can donate more rice than you can!", and bragging -- "My vocabulary score topped out at 42!" Neither children nor adults are immune to its lure.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the meaning of world hunger and what they learned on this site. Be prepared for conversations about different artistic styles, or sentences peppered with words like "scoff" and "chastise." As vocabulary improves, confidence grows, and dinner table conversation may never be the same.

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Our Members Say

Use this Web site? Review It!

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See all 19 member reviews

Most Recent Reviews

  1. Kid Reviewer Age 11
    I rate this title on for age 5 and give it 4.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Educational
    • Safety isn't an issue
    • User content is age appropriate

    Good website been on it myself DONATED 3000 GRAINS OF RICE!

  2. I rate this title on for age 4 and give it 5.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Educational
    • Positive messages
    • Safety isn't an issue
    • User content is age appropriate

    Perfect for all ages!

    Great website, educational in every way positive.

  3. Kid Reviewer Age 11
    Lives in Tennessee
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 1.0

    boring

    such a boring website

  4. I rate this title on for age 8 and give it 5.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Educational
    • Positive messages
    • Safety isn't an issue
    • User content is age appropriate

    What's not to Love?

    Adults and kids alike will enjoy the challenge. When you've answered incorrectly the question comes up again, the repetition helps teach. When you've answered correctly the earned grains of rice result in feeding the hungry around the world!

  5. I rate this title on for age 8 and give it 4.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Educational
    • Positive messages
    • Safety isn't an issue

    A+ for Free Rice

    I love this site! It gives the child a sense of accomplishment, while helping with a world wide problem, hunger.

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