Parents' Guide to

Plastic Fork Diaries

By Jean Armour Polly, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Nutrition site give tweens plenty to chew on.

Website http://www.plasticforkdiaries.org/
Plastic Fork Diaries Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

See all
age 12+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Pum Kin
Pum Kin Parent of 12-year-old
April 20, 2011
age 11+

Learn to burn calories - I don't recommend

I never even went on the site but when I read the description that it can tell you how many laps to swim to work off a cheeseburger...are you kidding me. Just the information that young girls don't need. If your child has an eating disorder (it can happen as early as 11 - I know mine did) this would be the perfect place to learn how to burn calories.
TheMelMonster
TheMelMonster Adult
November 10, 2008
age 12+

Amazing!

This is an amazing health site for pre-teens and teens alike. It's relevant, story-driven, and very age appropriate. Plastic Fork Diaries also keeps health interesting by including random (yet important) facts like how to avoid bread mold and the history of the sandwich. Well done!
See all 2 parent reviews

What’s It About?

Follow the lives of six middle school kids by reading their diaries, scanning scraps of paper in their lockers, and viewing other bits of ephemera. Each student has his own issues and secrets, and as it turns out, his own relationship with food. This site is a companion to the PBS series. Each episode may be viewed online, adventure-game style. You \"walk\" through the school by clicking on a master map. Along the way you'll discover clues to what's going on with each student. Additional material about each episode is also available on the site.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (1):

This highly interactive site takes a creative, sophisticated approach to teaching about food and nutrition. In addition to covering basics like calorie intake, PLASTIC FORK DIARIES touches on topics like meat substitutes, the relationship between smell and hunger, and FDA labeling. It's not every day that you find a site for young teens that runs the gamut from the history of cotton candy to the role of food in religious traditions -- and also manages to be coherent, educational, and engaging.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about their relationships with food. Parents will find more discussion points in the downloadable activity guide.

Website Details

  • Genre: Educational
  • Pricing structure: Free
  • Last updated: November 4, 2015

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate