 | 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. |
ZisBoomBah
Common Sense Media says
Healthy meal planning made fun and practical for kids.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this colorful, kid-friendly nutrition education site helps kids create healthy, balanced meals. In the site's main game, called "Pick Chow!," kids drag foods to a plate to create a meal, which is then rated on nutrition values like protein, fat, sugar, salt, and more. Once the meal is complete, kids can send it to their parent's account, and the parent will receive a companion shopping list, recipes and coupons to help create that child's meal. You need to register for your child to use the site and your information is shared with third-party advertisers for coupons and other food-related advertising.
What kids can learn
Kids can learn about nutritional values as they find the right mix of foods to make balanced meals. Food selections lean toward a Western diet and some winning combinations may not make very tasty meals, but ZisBoomBah encourages scientific and realistic thinking about food. Celebrate balanced nutrition and creative cuisine combos in the service of practical cooking.
Skills
- Thinking & Reasoningcollecting data, decision-making, making conclusions
- Creativity
- Self-Directiongoal-setting, work to achieve goals
- Emotional Development
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Responsibility & Ethics
- Tech Skills
- Health & Fitnessbalanced diet
What's it about?
Kids can create a profile and "antvatar" and buy features for their antvatar with points earned from doing activities. In the main game, Pick Chow!, players select, add, and remove food items from an empty plate as simple meters show how they're doing (hint: all meters should point to green). With Flip It!, kids save foods, recipes, games, or printouts as favorites for later. Challenger Calendar lets kids and parents create and reward healthy goals. A robust recipe exchange section features reviews and recipes from kid chefs and kid-friendly recipes for budding foodies. Some adult chefs are featured too.
Is it any good?
There's a reason why First Lady Michelle Obama gave a thumbs up to ZisBoomBah. It's fun, engaging, and teaches kids to make their own healthy meals from a wide variety of foods. The three little ant characters -- Zis, Boom, and Bah -- who anchor the site all have food personalities of their own (one's a vegetarian, another a fast food lover, and the third eats a little too much of everything). You (parents have to register for an account too) and your child create your own "antvatar," too. Kids can also participate in a "Meal of the Week" contest, where they win real-life prizes and other site members comment on their meal.
Online interaction: Most online interaction here is between child and parent as kids send meal ideas to their parents for "approval." Parents must approve any online interaction with any other users. All "Five Star" meals are entered into the Meal of the Week contest and people can comment and vote on those meals. (If someone says something mean, there's a "Report User" button). There are links to outside sites of bloggers and sponsors, so kids need to be made aware that they may be routed to another site.
Explore, discuss, enjoy
Families can talk about how the media and advertising can affect their food choices. Read Common Sense Media's Junk Food Ad Tips, and discuss how healthy living sites like ZisBoomBah are a better source for discovering good food choices than commercial ads.
Talk about Internet safety and protecting personal information. This site sends prizes to kids' homes for the "Meal of the Week" contest, but it only collects home addresses from the winners' parents. Remind your kids why it's important that kids never give out that sort of information over the Internet and how you, as the parent, discern when and to whom it's acceptable to do so.
What kids can learn
Kids can learn about nutritional values as they find the right mix of foods to make balanced meals. Food selections lean toward a Western diet and some winning combinations may not make very tasty meals, but ZisBoomBah encourages scientific and realistic thinking about food. Celebrate balanced nutrition and creative cuisine combos in the service of practical cooking.
Subjects
- Language & Reading:
- Math:
- Science:
- Social Studies:
- Arts:
- Hobbies: cooking
Skills
- Thinking & Reasoning: collecting data, decision-making, making conclusions
- Creativity:
- Self-Direction: goal-setting, work to achieve goals
- Emotional Development:
- Communication:
- Collaboration:
- Responsibility & Ethics:
- Tech Skills:
- Health & Fitness: balanced diet
How kids will learn
Using data and immediate feedback to make decisions about food choices can help kids revise their thinking. While the goal is a five-star meal, there are endless possible food combinations. Kids constantly form, test, and adjust hypotheses. What's nice is that kids have options about what goes on their "plate" so that they feel ownership over their winning meal. Printed activity sheets, coloring pages, and ideas for physical activities away from the computer can help kids form healthy habits.
How parents can help
- Involve kids in making the family grocery list. Discuss ways to bring balance to eating in general instead of focusing on each individual meal.
- Explore ZisBoomBah’s Get Cooking section to find kid-friendly recipes for meals and snacks.
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
Kid, 11 years old
May 12, 2011
AGE
educational and informative for kids and parents
love it
What other families should know:
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Kid, 11 years old
May 1, 2011
AGE
All ages! Better to know when you are young, and it's never too late to start!
I really like it, because you can learn waht to eat and what not to eat. Lady Michelle Obama recommends this site as 1#!
What other families should know:
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| Genre: | Educational |
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