• Is it age appropriate?

  About our ratings

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  Not age appropriate for kids under 4, age appropriate for kids over 7; suggested age 7.

• Is it any good?

  5.0

• Common Sense says

  Virtual fair's rides and exhibits teach and entertain.

Why We Rated This for Ages 7 and Up

The good stuff

• Educational value:

  Kids can learn lots by paying close attention to Mr. Wonder, an affable animated tour guide who explains what things are and how they work in each of the 15 park adventures. Each of the activities, which range from zip-lining through a tropical rainforest to hot-air ballooning over the Serengeti to running a smoothie stand, is supplemented by additional reading material kids can delve into for more details. Completing an adventure unlocks an associated quiz where kids can test their newly acquired knowledge.  At any point kids can pause the action and consult a glossary for unfamiliar terms.
• User-created content:

  Kids can't post content. They can only dress their avatars and decorate their treehouses -- "treepods" -- with certificates and purchases.
• Messages:

  The site encourages kids to explore their world and educate themselves so they can become successful, caring adults. Through the dozen-plus adventures kids learn that life is a feast of interesting opportunities,  from starring in movies to supporting worthwhile causes to helping run our country’s government as elected officials.

What to watch out for

• Violence:

  Not an issue.
• Sex:

  It's not sex, but there is a sheepish-looking cartoon boy sitting on a toilet at the end of the human digestive system adventure.
• Language:

  Not an issue.
• Consumerism:

  The site is completely ad free. Kids do earn Wonder Dollars, which can be spent on snacks, souvenirs and postcards, just like in a real theme park. However, kids don't have to blow all their money on junk food and stuffed animals. For instance, buying a healthy snack from one of the 12 food stands, such as yogurt or carrot sticks instead of cheese fries or cinnamon buns, gives avatars more energy for exploring the park. Also, kids can hire blimps to fly over the park raising awareness of their favorite causes, such as saving marine mammals. 
   
• Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

  Not an issue.

How safe is it?

• Personal privacy:

  The personal info kids have to reveal to sign up is negligible, and they can't post anything personal because the site doesn't allow content creation or interacting with other users.
• Online interaction:

  Kids have to create an avatar in order to use the site. They have the option of creating a companion avatar as well, to walk alongside them, and they can see other avatars milling around the park, waving, smiling and waiting in line. However, to keep the site safe and focused on learning, all avatars are scene dressing only, to create a parklike atmosphere. Kids can't communicate or interact with each other in any way -- there are no chat, talk bubble, message board or commenting tools.
• Parental controls:

  Parents enjoy a tight rein, in part because users have to pay to join. Kids can't use the site until a parent or guardian has purchased a year's pass and activated it. Parents can keep tabs on their kids' activities with a monitoring tool that tracks which adventures a child has completed, the topics he's read more about, and even how many quiz questions he's answered correctly.

What Parents Need to Know

About Wonder Rotunda

Families Can Talk About