Years ago, (back when we had cable) my children got mesmerized by these "mini-cartoons" of Tiny Planets that came on between other children's shows. They starred Bing and Bong, two fuzzy white alien buddies that solve problems on distant planets. Little did I know Bing and Bong would reappear in our lives!
We were asked to do a review of the Tiny Planets website, that I didn't even realize existed! Within their space world, there are different regions for learning and play:
Tiny Planets TV: Watch the TV Episodes. (One is available for free, the others require the purchase of "keys," which I'll explain below.) The characters are cute and funny, their adventures are humorous and often educational. I think they'll appeal to most children (and probably many adults!)
My Tiny Planets: This is the part that held my boys' interest - they get their own planet to take care of and develop, as well as solve galactic missions in a fictional outerspace setting. By doing the missions they earn "stars" that can be used to purchase more features (atmospheres, terrain) for their planets. They can also accept friend requests (with no identifying information) and see the planets their "friends" have created.
Tiny Planets Fun: Puzzles and games, coloring books and comics.
Tiny Planets Books: Read stories about Bing and Bong's adventures while learning a little something along the way. 2 stories appeared to be available without "keys."
Tiny Planets Learning: This section is for parents and educators and includes lesson plans for your preschooler. While they look to be fun and educational, most of them link to the books and other sections you can't access without purchasing keys.
Tiny Planets Labs: In this section, they test out new games and things that I assume will eventually go elsewhere on the site if they are well-received.
Tiny Planets Blog: "parenting tips, science experiments, space history, astronomy facts..." and more.
The site is meant for children ages 4-12. My children (ages 7, 7, 9 and 9) were definitely drawn in and have asked multiple times over this review period to be able to play again, and it's been a good way to get them to finish their chores to be allowed "Tiny Planets" time! Most of the site is free, which is great. The part Sam liked best (My Tiny Planets) could be played for hours without any financial investment, but there also seemed to be very little educational value to that part. Conversely, Hallie was most interested in the "books" section, which required an additional purchase to enjoy more than 2.
(The "keys" used to access additional areas have to be purchased online. There are several levels available - 10 keys cost $1.95, 25 for $3.95, 85 for $9.95, 250 for $25.95 and 600 for $49.95, and items like TV episodes and books cost 10 keys each.)
I had a bit of trouble navigating the site. After clicking around a bit, it took some searching to figure out how to finally sign up the children (once you find the "create a cadet" area, the site generates a random 2-word name for them like "Wild Lizard", which prevents any of your child's personal information from being shared. I definitely liked that part of it.) Once in a section, I had difficulty figuring out how to get back to the main screen to choose another area as well. I consider myself pretty technically adept, and considering the site is for children, that could be an issue.
One other issue to be considered, is that so much of the site gives you just a taste of the fun, so many children will soon be begging for their parents to purchase keys to access more. That being said, if you are looking for a fun, safe online entertainment option for your children, they will no doubt have fun on Tiny Planets. If you're looking for more in-depth education, that can be found here, too... for a price.
(Disclaimer: I was given access to this website and it's features in return for my honest review. I have not been compensated in any other way.)
Thank you (and your kids) for taking the time to review the site. We're redesigning the site to make it easier to navigate AND we'll be adding more games and challenges over the course of the year. (So you should be able to get lots of chores done!)
Cheers!
Posted by: Cheryl Henderson-Khalid | 02/09/2011 at 06:13 PM
Hi. Just wanted to thank you again for reviewing the site. I wanted to let you know that on April 4th the new and improved site was launched. I'd love to hear any thoughts you might have, especially since some of the changes were made because of the Crew's suggestions.
Thanks!
Cheryl
Posted by: cheryl | 04/04/2011 at 08:54 PM
For breakfast this morning, we had some plain (white and asdwhole wheat) mini bagels to use up, but nothing exciting to put on them. Brian loves fruit-flavored cream cheese, but I hate paying $3 a tub! So this morning I set out to make some homemade. Since regular cream cheese can be found for just a dollar on sale sometimes, I'm sure this recipe will be used again and again by our family, and I thought I should share
Posted by: Coach Outlet | 07/10/2011 at 08:45 PM