Site of the Week
Wildkids
While most wildlife websites do cater for younger surfers, it’s usually in the form of a smaller, separate, kid’s section, perhaps with a few wordsearches, if you’re lucky. Wildkids is different: not only is it packed with lively material for children to explore, it even has a separate, smaller, adults section.
Divided into two main areas, one for ages 5 to 10, the other for 10 to 15 year olds, the site is packed with wildlife facts, pictures and animations. The site makes extensive use of Flash, a plug-in that makes things seriously interactive, and the result is an experience that’s very different from the usual static menus and buttons. Move your mouse pointer over objects on the screen and they don’t just sit there, they squeak and fidget. Follow the links to sections covering many aspects of ecology and wildlife in general, from insects and wildflowers to birds and animals.
The teachers and parents section is there so that adults can follow-up the topics introduced, including background information and links between the site’s content and elements of the National Curriculum, for instance. There are suggestions for practical work, and a library of downloadable teacher’s notes. On the whole, and despite the occasional badly designed interactive game, well worth a browse - if you’re in the right age range.
Info-content ** Readability *** Appearance *** User friendliness *** Kids *** Plug-ins Flash