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Make: Online

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 12, age appropriate for kids over 13; suggested age 15.

  • Is it any good?

    3.0

  • Common Sense says

    DIY site encourages kids to tinker, create, invent, think.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 15 and Up

The good stuff

  • Educational value:

    The site promotes hands-on technology projects that can teach a variety of scientific concepts, including electronics, music and physics.

  • Messages:

    The site’s online forums encourage people to ask for, and offer, advice about a wide range of do-it-yourself projects, and the community is generally quite helpful.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Not an issue.

  • Sex:

    Not an issue.

  • Language:

    Not an issue.

  • Consumerism:

    The site is affiliated with the magazine Make. It also sells a variety of kits for interesting do-it-yourself projects. There is a fair amount of advertising on the site.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Not an issue.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Make: Online

Parents need to know that this online version of Make Magazine encourages people to take on a wide variety of interesting projects, from creating homemade musical instruments to building toys to customizing and modifying common electronics. Most of the projects require a certain amount of technical skills and a grasp of basic electronics, and are better suited for older teens. The site promotes the magazine, and the DIY subculture.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about do-it-yourself projects. Does this site inspire you to take on a new project? Or does the idea of tinkering with home electronics or building a gadget from scratch seem too intimidating? Can the detailed guides help you feel more confident about such a job? Do you think today’s culture of disposability makes people less inclined to build something new?
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