CLICK & DOUBLE CLICK: SITES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE STIR IMAGINATION, LEARNING AND READING

The Internet gets a bad rap for all the negative influences on children. While the bad stuff is out there, we can't emphasize enough the great sites that target young people.

We encourage parents to surf with their children, which would avoid a lot of the problems. If your child doesn't want mom or dad watching over his or her shoulder, make sure the computer is in a main room of the house. Parents can also invest in a monitoring program and forbid chatrooms. Chatrooms are where many of the problems begin. The old rule -- don't talk to strangers -- gets a little harder to follow.

We never cease to find sites that are high quality and entertaining for adults and kids. First stop, Chateau Meddybemps, the place where jellybeans ripen under tropical rainbows. The site promises uncommon amusement for grown-ups and children.

www.meddybemps.com

Peggy: After a little search we learned that the site is done by a gourmet jellybean company. This is far from a commercial site.

Joni: You can learn lots about jelly beans and what makes them so magical. But the site isn't just about beans. It has a lot of "absolutely magical" book reviews. It's kind of neat because they not only talk about the book but also about the learning experiences children would get from the books. Look! It's Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. That's my youngest daughter's favorite book.

Peggy: The suggested activity for Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is a word box. Each time your child wants to know how to spell a word, write it on a file card. Whenever possible, draw a picture or cut out a picture and paste it to the card. Store the cards in a box. Next time the child wants to spell the word, they can look it up themselves. What a great idea! I'm getting really tired of spelling to my kids, especially now that I often have to spell in tandem -- one word for Laura, one for Kristin.

Joni: They have learning activities online as well as "15 ways to help your child become an adult you would like to know." Number one is read to them every day.

Peggy: They also have the Big Cheese Arrangement for families. It's all spelled out and it's pretty good advice. Rather than perpetuating an age-based pecking order, they developed a new way to assign duties and benefits for families. It makes sense.

Joni: The site really pushes reading with kids. They have an online story you can read with your child. Keeping on the preschool theme, we'll jump over to the official web site of Thomas the Tank Engine. He's a favorite of a lot of little boys and girls I know, and maybe even my husband. He's a train fanatic.

www.thomasthetankengine.com

Peggy: We are greeted by Sir Topham Hatt and Thomas. You can go to the waiting room, the engine shed, the notice board, the ticket office or the station master.

Joni: I guess we'll go to the waiting area. Here, you'll find a matching game or jigsaw puzzle. You can also send Thomas postcards.

Peggy: In the ticket room, you take excursions to other stations on the World Wide Web. We've been to a few, but there are lots of new ones. You can also find a guessing game online. In the depot, find all the friends who work on or around the railway station. Parents who are having a hard keeping up with Thomas' adventures should go here.

Joni: If you are a curious kid (perhaps a future journalist) you will probably enjoy our next stop, The Why Files, funded by the National Science Foundation. It takes a look at the science behind the news and why things happen.

whyfiles.news.wisc.edu

Peggy: The topic online is grief and grieving, because millions wept for Princess Diana. It talks about the culture of grief, why so many people mourned Diana's death, and the differences of good and bad grief. The page is written from a young person's perspective. The site is geared for school-age kids and teachers.

Joni: I'm checking out Cool Science Image. They show you a photo and you have to figure out what it is. In the sports area, they have lots of information and quizzes.

Peggy: If you are interested in illustrated stories from around the world, you can find them at

www.thekids.com

Joni: There are rhymes, fables, adventure, stories, folk and fairy tales. Children can add their stories to the world's great works of literature online. You can also read stories other children have submitted.

Peggy: You can also read published works and artwork. We learned that Polly is an old nickname for Mary and Old King Cole is an ancient rhyme, which first appeared in print in 1703.

Joni: You'll also find an instant coloring book, interactive dot-to-dots and best of the web.

Peggy: Cyberteens, take your shoes off and make yourself at home at a website just for you.

www.cyberteens.com

Joni: They have an online magazine, called Zeen, with contests, links, reviews, games, prose, art and poetry. They also have the Cyberteen Connection, which is free but requires a password.

Peggy: You can read the bulletin board without joining, but you can't post any messages.

Joni: You can also check out the Gallery, a collection of photographs of, you guessed it, teens. You can also read a novel online. A new chapter of the haunting tale is posted each Thursday.

Peggy: A shockwave movie theater and games like mazes, chases and adventure games are also found on this site. What's your favorite kid site on the Internet? E-mail us at click@semissourian.com

See you in Cyberspace.

Joni Adams and Peggy Scott are members of the Southeast Missourian online staff.