What’s the Story?

SPROUTONLINE.COM is the companion Web site to the 24-hour cable channel PBS Kids Sprout, dedicated to preschool kids ages 2-5. Kids will find many of their favorite characters from Sprout Diner, Mr. Mailman, and the Birthday Show, but the real stars are the crew from the Good Night Show -- perky host Nina, her plushy star-shaped puppet Star, Hush the goldfish, and Lucy the firefly. Most of the site's content is recycled directly from the channel's popular shows (particularly the Good Night Show). The games section offers simple, age-appropriate activities from almost all of Sprout's shows. Other notable site features are episodes of Sprout Diner, which highlight healthy eating habits and offer kid-friendly recipes such as Elmo's Funny Face Pizza Pie or Pingu's Fishy Fritters. Or check out the section devoted to the Birthday Show, where you can help your kid create and submit a birthday card; if it's selected, it will be featured on the show.

Is It Any Good?

The site's content is entertaining and fairly well done. Some of the games link off to other sites (often to PBSKids.com), and as with any collection of games, some are slow to load and others don't work well on Macs. Some also require older kid computer skills, such as using arrow keys to navigate directionally, but younger kids will have a blast watching you race Thomas the Tank Engine through the island of Sodor.

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For Your Family