 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
StopDisastersGame.org
Common Sense Media says
Natural disasters become less scary in sim games.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that through simulation games kids will watch a disaster happen to a community from a top-down perspective. After preparing for the ensuing disaster, kids watch a wild fire encompass homes and burn them to the ground, or a hurricane blow off the top of buildings. The images in the games are graphic representations of areas -- not real-life photos or videos -- but because of the nature of the topic, the simulation might be too scary for some kids. But no one is shown as being injured; the death toll is simply assigned in the aftermath. There are also videos and real stories of kids who survived disasters in the Information section.
What's it about?
The International Strategy for Disaster Reduction and the United Nations came up with STOPDISASTERSGAME.ORG to help kids learn about natural disasters, how to prevent and mitigate their effects, and how to deal with the aftermath. The site educates kids through five scenarios: a tsunami in Southeast Asia, a hurricane in the Caribbean, a wildfire in Australia, an earthquake in the Mediterranean, and a flood in Europe, which all can be played on three levels of difficulty. In each game, kids are given a set amount of money and time to make improvements to a community before a natural hazard occurs. As you play the simulation, you're given suggestions about how to prepare your community for the upcoming hazard. You then watch the hazard occur from a top-down perspective, and you're judged on how well you protected your community.
Is it any good?
As with all good simulation games, at StopDisastersGame.org kids learn by trial and error. One caveat: Given the nature of the topic, some kids may find the simulations too scary. But while people are reported as dead or injured, you never see anyone being hurt -- you just see destroyed homes and landscapes.
In addition to learning by doing, the site also provides fact sheets on each type of disaster and links to other resources.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about whether they live in an area likely to experience a natural disaster and what steps they can take to minimize its effect. Many times, people affected don't have access to the Internet. How else might they get information they need to protect themselves? Warning systems? Radio broadcasts?
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AGE
A really neat game that fulfils its purpose excellently.
Stop Disasters is a really neat little (free) flash game that educates kids in a fun way. It's very professionally done to the standard that one could expect from a paid game. There are also no ads on the website.
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Kid, 8 years old
June 23, 2011
AGE
great website
i think this is a great website because it teaches you what natural
disasters are like i might be a tiny bit scary for kids under 7 but
other than that its great.
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AGE
fun
it is very good .it is good to learn about the natural distars that really happen.
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AGE
My favorite site...
This is my favorite site. Thanks, Commonsensemedia for the link.
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AGE
I like this site,
This is a great site. It is very funny. No adds. And it does teach some interesting facts on disasters. Both what causes them and how you can protect yourself. Very good site. *thumbs up*
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| Genre: | Educational |
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