KidzClix (http://kidzclix.net)
common sense media says
Meaty edu-tainment site is good, clean tween fun.
parents & educators say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this delightful educational site for kids 8 to 12 was created by staff members at the Center for Gifted, a hands-on enrichment program based in Chicago. It’s safe and clean learning fun, and though not quite finished when we visited in September 2009, already offers enough free games and activities to keep grade schoolers busy for hours. (There's also a handful of nice games for preschoolers.) If the social networking tools still under development are as well executed as the rest of the site so far, and the creators deliver fresh games every two weeks as promised, it will be well worth the monthly subscription. Parents can wait until the site's finished before joining, or give kids full access to games now with the option to cancel at any time.
Educational value:
The site teaches tons in the form of fun, challenging activities kids will love doing over and over. There are cooking and magic video demonstrations, art projects, environmental facts, science experiments, chess tips, Sudoku puzzles and clever, beautifully designed interactive games. Curious kids will devour the how-it-works section, which uses cute animations to explain the concepts behind inventions such as the x-ray. For instance, dragging various cartoon animals -- cows, dogs, etc. -- behind a cartoon x-ray screen lets kids see the skeletons.
Violence:
Not applicable.
Sex:
Not applicable.
Language:
Not applicable.
Consumerism:
The site currently has no ads, although this might soon change for non-paying users. Also under development is KidzCash, virtual money that can be earned by playing games and spent on clothing and feeding "clixatars."
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
Not applicable.
Privacy & safety:
Privacy on the completed site will be good, according to reps. Kids can interact with others on the social network only if parents have approved and paid for membership. The message boards and chat rooms will be moderated and there will be links to report abuse.
Parents have to give their emailed permission and pay a monthly fee before kids can build an avatar or use the networking tools.
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