First Impressions: My first impression of the website was Wow! There’s a lot going on here. However, I understand the need to grab the interest of children. Young people need to be stimulated and I was stimulated and interested. The graphics are vibrant and attention getting. I felt a little overstimulated because I prefer a simpler presentation. On the games page, there are five fun headings. One is called Surprise! so there are clever ways to hold a child’s interest.

Intended Purpose: This website’s purpose is to develop an interest in subjects not necessarily taught in schools. The website also has a link to subscribe to National Geographic Kids magazine which is not a surprise. The early introduction to the environment is an important one and this website really helps in a fun and educational way.

Intended Audience: The intended audience is definitely elementary school-aged children. The content is geared toward a young group with fun graphics, games, activities and stories. Navigating the website is easy even for web novices like me who only know how to point and click. I definitely will allow my boys to spend time on the site because it is very appropriate for their ages, interests, and abilities. In my classroom, I’d like to use the website as an educational tool. Under the National Geographic Explorer Magazine heading is a link for teachers to do exactly what I want in my classroom– to use the site as a tool.

Organization: The organization of the website is pleasant probably because I really like purple. Exploring the website was fun and interesting. I was able to move around the website quickly and easily. There was nothing difficult about being on the website and I created a silly story based
on a visit to the zoo. I filled in a series of prompts and my words were inserted into a pre-existing paragraph to complete the story. There is a lot to see on the homepage but I guess if there is a huge assortment of topics, then the site can really incite curiosity and the desire to explore in more children at the same time.

Interactivity: There were areas to interact such as an area, which told about famous people’s most embarrassing moments, giving children the opportunity to comment on and add their own embarrassing stories. As mentioned before, the opportunity to create stories by filling in prompts is another way to interact. Also, clearly playing the games is another way.

Overall Rating: I would give this website a very high mark because not only is the site fun, it also educates children in a variety of ways. Stories, trivia about animals, games, and plenty of areas to explore make this site a winner in my opinion. Also, the content meets my standards as a parent of a nine year old and a seven year old.