Disney's Club Penguin is arguably the most fun your kids (ages 4-99) can have on the net. It is THE number one reason my boys pester me TO DEATH about using my computer.
For those few (according to my boys) people who don't already have penguins dressed up and waddling around, I'll do my best to explain what it is. As always, first hand information trumps my reviews, so you might want to just head on over and scope it out for yourself. You can go to the Parent's Guide to Club Penguin and read all about it.
According to my 11 year old, Club Penguin is a totally awesome site on which all his friends hang out. Even his teacher has created a penguin--but won't tell his students which one, of course. LOL!
Club Penguin is a snowy world where you can wander around, play games, and interact with your friends--all in the form of a little penguin you design and name.
As the site itself explains, "Players create a penguin, then waddle around the island of Club Penguin, engaging in a variety of fun and imaginative activities. Players can chat, send greeting cards, use emotes (emotion icons) or choose from a set of pre-defined actions such as waving or dancing. Users can also play games to earn virtual coins which can be used to buy clothing and accessories or furniture for their igloo. New content, such as games and theme parties, is added every week."
The security is great, and no real names or personal information are permitted. The two chat modes you may choose from, Ultimate Safe and Standard Safe, are well designed, easy to use, and constantly filtered. I am extremely protective of my children's use of the Internet, and this site is one I really applaud.
It's fun, it encourages reading and interacting, and is an incredible motivator to complete that chore list in record time.
Even my four-year-old loves to waddle around and play the games...with his mother penguin, of course.
Club Penguin is free, although a few features require a membership. But there are tons of things to do without it.
By opening a parent account, you can set times for your child to play between, or even limit the total time your child can play each day.
Our family now has four penguins on the island. Yes, even I try to find time to waddle through a few games on occasion. You should hear my kids hoot at my lack of sledding skills!
Although we play and interact with each other when all the computers are working (heh-hem, that's another story), the boys also like to interact with friends from school who they have added to their "Buddy" list. How cool is that? They are hoping to interact soon with friends from other states once those friends make penguins.
Bottom line? This site gets high marks from me. You probably should check it out. There are tons of things to be wary of online where our kids are concerned, but Club Penguin is a keeper. As always, discuss Internet safety issues with your kids and monitor young children while they play. But go have some cold snowy fun! Speaking of cold, it got down to ten below here last night. Brrr!
Anyway, let me know what you think of Club Penguin!
3 comments:
Is it really fun for four year olds? My son would LOVE a new website!
I know two little boys who checked the website out today, and give it a high rating. They especially enjoyed throwing snowballs at other penguins.
Ah ha! I wondered what on the Internet made your young sons so eager to apropriate the lap top! I think I've heard of Club Penguin before. I wonder if it will still be around when Little Man gets big enough.
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