Who Says Education Isn’t Fun?
Funschool and BlackDog couldn’t be more different in look and feel, but they both provide age-appropriate online entertainment plus ample educational content cleverly disguised as good, clean fun.
Funschool.com
“Overt fun, covert education” is the rule at https://www.funschool.com, and that is evident throughout this well-designed site. The inviting home page immediately lets parents and children know that Funschool offers plenty of cute and quirky online games for preschoolers to sixth-graders. None of the games requires a plug-in, and there is plenty of help for children.
Funschool is organized by grade levels, each of which includes a variety of games with varying degrees of skill. For example, preschoolers can play Rhyme Time and first-graders might sink into Incredible Edibles as sixth-graders uncover the secrets of Martian Math. There is also an Arcade section with favorites such as checkers and Mind Twister or a random games area for adventuresome spirits. An engaging feature is the ability to play a mini-driving game while the actual games load.
Funschool includes extensive resources in history, math, spelling, reading, geography and science, but all are designed to maximize the fun in learning. There is also an Activities section where kids can enjoy stories, jokes and adventure tales. For parents and teachers, there is a link to Parentstreet.com, which provides access to an array of resources including reviews, health information, family activities and curriculum aids.
Seasonal festivities are nicely represented in the Funschool Holidays area. Here, kids can enjoy winter-themed games such as Snowman and Downhill Challenge in addition to Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa offerings in the Winter Holidays section.
BlackDog
BlackDog is a home-grown site with a straightforward design. But don’t let that fool you. The site--at https://www.blackdog.net--is packed with terrific content and is designed to help kids feel comfortable playing educational games and activities online.
In the Billy Beavers Game Show area, kids can access arcade, card and board games, math and science puzzles and mazes. A wide audience is targeted here--from keyboard-banging preschoolers to high school students checking in for an algebra game. The Patty Parrot’s Bird Brain Jokes section contains 366 daily jokes, all age-appropriate, plus the Joke of the Day. In BlackDog’s Internet Refrigerator, kids can explore their creative muse with an coloring book, free clip art for Web pages, desktop wallpaper, a daily calendar and a cartoon drawing lesson.
Budding authors should enjoy Miss Kitty’s Story Book, where they can participate in interactive stories by adding to the text of several stories posted or clicking on the Learn Basic Story Writing tab for tips on how to write their own. The BlackDog Post Office lets users send free e-mail postcards to family and friends.
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Kids’ Web Sites
Funschool.com
Lots of learning disguised as fun
https://www.funschool.com
BlackDog
Straightforward but full of interesting surprises
https://www.blackdog.net
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Karen Jones is a freelance writer specializing in children’s interactive media.
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