Games Worth Bookmarking
Looking for some fun games? With the help of our friends at the recent IDC conference, we came up with this list of the best kids’ Internet games that combine fun with learning. They are free, but you’ll want to make sure your browser has the latest version of Flash or Shockwave.
Boohbah Online (http://pbskids.org/boohbah))
Get your little brother or sister and go to this fun, zany site that encourages exploration using the characters from the PBS show. You can program dances or make beautiful patterns. Best for ages 2-6.
Games at Sesame Workshop (www.sesameworkshop.org)
You’ll find lots of different kinds of games, featuring Sesame Street characters. The best ones are the letter searches (where you try to find hidden letters in pictures), and the dot to dot puzzles. Best for ages 3-5.
LEGO JunkBot (http://www.lego.com/eng/create/activities/junkbot2/Default.asp?x=x)
One of the oldest logic puzzles on the web, this is both fun and easy to play. You goal is to drag and drop LEGO blocks into place in order to get a robot from one side of the screen to the other by building ramps. Warning — the hard levels take some brainpower. Ages 3-up.
Mr. Picasso Head (www.mrpicassohead.com)
Drag and drop abstract art elements — all inspired by the famous artist Picasso — onto a canvas, where they can be resized, turned, changed color, and so on. You can even sign the painting, using a cool Picasso font. Best for ages 4-up.
Learning Vocabulary Can Be Fun (www.vocabulary.co.il)
Are you good at spelling? Are you ready for some bigger, hard words? This site contains a version of concentration, a word search game, a flashcard-like quiz, and a game of hangman. There are a nice selection of word lists to choose from. Ages 6-up.
PopCap Games (www.popcap.com)
If you like Tetris and Bejeweled, you’ll like this collection of eight quality games. Don’t miss Bookworm, a timed spelling game where you need to link words together. We also liked Mummy Maze, a strategy game where you must outwit an approaching mummy by carefully planning your moves. Best for ages 6-up.
Soda Play (www.sodaplay.com)
We’re not sure what to make of this site, except that is fun to play with. It lets you create moving stick-and-ball designs, by playing with variables that control how each part interacts. The result is moving design — an interesting merger between art and math. It is very cool, but limited in what you can do unless you are into programming. Ages 8-up
