KidCrunch

According to a new study by Nielsen Online, our kids are going online in droves and spending more and more of their time on the internet.

In May 2009, active online users included 16 million U.S. kids aged 2 to 11, which represents 9.5% of the active online population.  Over the past five years, the number of kids online has grown 18%, significantly higher than the 10% rate of growth in the overall online population.

Kids are also spending more of their time online.  According to Nielsen, time spent online among kids aged 2 to 11 increased from nearly 7 hours per month in 2004 to more than 11 hours per month in 2009.  Time spent by kids online increased 63% over the past five years, well above the 36% growth rate for overall time spent online.

For more information, view the full Nielsen Online press release.

It is not surprising that kids’ online time is increasing.  Over the last five years we have seen dramatic improvements in the variety and quality of kids internet programming, with the rise of websites like Club Penguin and Webkinz and the introduction of kid-friendly browsers like Kidzui and Kido’z.  Parents may be allowing their kids to spend more time on the websites of trusted sponsors like PBS Kids and Scholastic, which have expanded their online offerings over the past five years.  Finally, as internet users have migrated to broadband, the online world has become more receptive to the graphics- and video-intensive features that appeal to kids.  Parents who used to start their kids on the computer with PC-based games and software (like Jumpstart) may now be starting their kids online at Starfall or FunBrain.

Are your kids spending more time online these days?  Leave a comment to let us know what sites are your favorites.

Want to help your kids become better spellers?  There’s an app for that.

I just discovered KidWords, an iPhone application that helps kids learn how to spell.  Check out this video from KidWords’ developer 3lb Games to see how it works.  A few things I like about KidWords:

• It helps teach kids to sound out words.  When my daughter plays KidWords, she automatically “sounds out” each letter sound, without prompting.
• The spinning letter wheels reinforce alphabetical order.  You will appreciate this if your kids need to sing the alphabet song to put words into ABC order.  The wheels are a little frustrating for adults (who could find letters faster on a keyboard) but are really effective as a drill for kids.
• You can easily adjust the number of letters (3, 4, 5 or 6) and degree of difficulty (easy, medium or hard) so that all kids can play.
• It’s competitive, thanks to the scoring system, ticking clock and high score boards.  The potential to beat your high score (or your brother’s) makes it a bit addictive.

KidWords Version 2.0 is available for $1.99 from the App Store on iTunes.  For an educational time killer, that’s a bargain.

This morning I picked a bright orange hairband to pull back my daughter’s hair.  She asked why I picked orange.  I told her I thought it was a cool color.

My five year old corrected me.  “Orange is a warm color, Mom.”

She learned that from Blue’s Art Time Activities.  She used it a lot in preschool - and obviously learned from it - so I have to recommend it.

Shop for Blue’s Clues and other educational software at the KidCrunch Store.