4Kids - www.4kids.org

4Kids includes Cool Spots, Online educational video games, Kids quest, "Ask Amy", fun stuff and a "Speak out" section.

4kids.org produces a weekly newspaper article and runs the website. They aim to "pursue more effective ways of creating learning environments for all children".

The Cool Spots section gives a selection of "good and safe sites", basically a list of links to other websites for kids. They range from sites with games to a range of educational websites on different topics. It also allows kids to make suggestions of sites they think should be added to the cool spots list.

The games section plays host to 4 games, one of which is nominated "game of the month" each month. All the games have some kind of educational value to them rather than just being games.

The Kids Quest section offers 3 "Kids Quest questions" which require the user to research into various areas. These questions appear to be related to the newspaper article that the website's creators also write. Kids who get all the answers right can list their name as "4kids Champion of the Week".

The "Ask Amy" section allows people to "Ask Amy" questions about the Internet. You can ask questions about homework or where to find games and cool sites. In this section it is possible to put in your "role", therefore kids can put student, and teachers and parents can receive a reply more tailored to them rather than children.

The fun stuff section has interactive musical instruments, games, and print out pictures for kids. However, there is only 3 or 4 items on this page, it could have more.

The "Speak Out" section asks kids a question and posts the answers on the website if they have answered the question. This weeks question in "Do you think parents should teach or coach their own kids in school?". Basically giving the kids a sense that they are being listened to and that there are people who care about their opinions.

I would suggest this website is primarily aimed at primary school children and the lower years of secondary school. It does not really have much information on it except linking children to other websites, which can be quite useful at times for homework, etc! Definitely an educational site rather than a fun one.