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Parents' Guide to

Cyberchase

By Dana Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Site based on PBS show is online learning at its best.

Website http://pbskids.org/cyberchase
Cyberchase Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this website.

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age 6+

Based on 2 parent reviews

jomu7931
jomu7931 Adult
September 7, 2015
age 4+

Cyberchase: Rescuing Ecotopia

This game is suitable for students in grades PreK- 1st Grade (4-6 years old). The game covers topics in the Social Studies arena, as well as Environmental Education arena. In this fun and interactive adventure, your student will learn the importance of being environmentally responsible. They will learn about the food chain, the domino effect of environmental mishaps, about various ecosystems, and the animals within those ecosystems. The student will be faced with an environmental dilemma, brought up by a mischievous “Hacker” that is trying to cause trouble in the various biotopes. Within each dilemma, they must decide which plant or animal they need to add, in order to bring balance to the ecosystem. Every “Rescue” of the environment results in a point, and every 5 points, results in unlocking a new biotope and new animals. I recommend that teachers incorporate this game within their geography or ecosystems curriculum for Pre-Kindergarten to 1st grade students, to excite and intrigue the students to learn about their home planet. When they are discussing the jungle biotope, for example, they could let their students play the game to learn not only, what plants and animals exist in these biotopes, but the intermingling effect these animals and plants have on each other. They can also use this game to stress the importance of earth day and being environmentally responsible. They can ask their student how they felt when the “Hacker” took away the orangutan’s trees and the disastrous effect it had on the environment. The game also conforms to the Colorado Department of Education’s academic standards, in that it teaches Environmental Education. The Colorado Environmental Education Program (CEEP) states that students must be taught of the impact of making poor environmental decisions. Teacher guidance along the way is critical, as the students need explanations of why certain environmental decisions affect the whole biotope the way they do. While this game is educational, the teacher has to provide reasoning for why certain outcomes in the game happen. The game is a guide, not a teacher.
dhudlow
dhudlow Parent of 6-year-old
March 20, 2011
age 7+

Good for 6/7 year olds, might need some help from mom/dad

does a good job of promoting reading and thinking skills. Kids have to do things like record wind speed for various areas and pick the highest wind area to place a wind turbine to power a gondola so they can get to the top of a mountain. Does good on reading because kids need to read answers to pick the right answer
See all 2 parent reviews

What’s It About?

You'll find a colorful, futuristic hub with easy-to-navigate games, videos, and activities. Central to the site is a video player that holds episodes of the PBS show on which the website is based, as well as related web shorts. There are a variety of games framed as quests, and short polls for kids with questions such as, \"What magazines would you subscribe to?\" Parent and teacher portals offer more about the site's features and the show's research base.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (21 ):

Cyberchase is online education at its best. Elementary school math rarely gets presented online in the dynamic yet practical ways that it does here. If your child is already familiar with the lovable Cyberchase cast including Inez, Jackie, Matt, and the not-so-lovable Hacker, they will quickly jump into the games, quests, videos, and creative options here. Even for kids who don't watch the show, the creative multistep games -- like Cyberlympics and Eco-Haven Quest -- will likely have them brainstorming solutions to real-life situations in the make-believe cyberworld without even realizing they're in the midst of a math lesson.

Online interaction: Vote on poll questions, send in comments and drawings, create e-cards to send to friends with email accounts.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why math education is important. Play some of the games here with your kids and discuss how these skills are used in your everyday life.

  • If your child really likes this site, as many do, ask him or her why. Their answer might give you some clues for how to use computers, the Internet, and other forms of media to their educational advantage. Read Common Sense Media's Expert Article: Making the case for teaching with new media.

Website Details

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