Peep and the Big Wide World

This educational website does a nice job of showcasing math and science concepts such as patterns and counting, using visual examples in games and animated characters' adventures. Some activities also offer a bonus lesson, such as a matching game that demonstrates animal habitats. Kids also receive frequent instruction while they're playing, and they can often try again if they make a mistake. The site was recently retooled to feature a Spanish-only language option and additional resources for parents, which are top-notch; public broadcasting station WGBH in Boston also conducted a study to evaluate the site's impact on children and their families. There are only a few minor tweaks that could make the site a bit easier to use -- individual videos, for example, don't include much description, aside from a title. They're grouped by topic on the home page, but including more information with each game could help parents determine which would be best for their child's specific learning needs, especially if they're accessing clips from the video section of the site. Games also don't contain much written information, although parents can find brief descriptions in the About Peep section.

The site was created for preschoolers age 3 to 5; older kids may also benefit from some of the games, but they'll need to have the patience to make it through all initial levels. Ideally, there'd be a way for kids to easily skip to advanced levels and more information about which games relate to which videos; even without it, younger kids should be able to learn a number of helpful math and science basics from these Web pages.