Website Review: FEMA.gov/kids/
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this site has great information
and resources about disasters (hurricanes, tornadoes,
earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, fires, terrorism, and volcanoes)
and disaster preparedness. A lot of the content is either made
by kids and/or about kids. There are a few navigational
challenges, though: Clicking on links from the homepage will
take kids to areas that don't have direct links back, and some
sub pages will also take kids off the site entirely (these
instances are clearly marked). No commercialism, bad language,
or sexual content to worry about here, though the topic and
photos of disaster aftermath could make younger kids
nervous.
Families can talk about what types of natural disasters are prevalent in their geographical area -- just click on a state in the "Go to the What's Happening Now" area to see what kind of disasters are typical. How can we be prepared for an earthquake (or fire, or flood)? What kinds of foods do we need to keep in the house and in the car? What other supplies do we need to stock up on? What should be our "just-in-case" family plan if there's a disaster? Who will be our point person? Where should our meeting place be?
Common Sense Media Review
FEMA.GOV/KIDS/ is a place for kids to find information about
disasters with excellent educational content about hurricanes,
tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, fires, terrorism, and
volcanoes. Kids can start with definitions; explore specific
types of disaster events with stories, slideshows, letters, and
pictures from kids; and test their knowledge with quizzes and
games.
In the "Library," kids can learn about the different scales used for disasters to measure intensity (Richter for earthquakes and Fujita for tornadoes). The "Games & Quizzes" section includes crossword puzzles, online coloring books, canine hero trading cards, disaster math (word problems relating to various kinds of disasters), and even a "disastrous" rap. (Windows Media Player and RealPlayer are required to play some things).
Much of the site focuses on getting prepared for a disaster. The "Get Ready, Get Set" section takes kids through the process of making a disaster and activity supply kit, writing a family disaster plan, protecting your home from a disaster, and dealing with pets during a disaster (including how to save a horse!). After completing a checklist at the "Becoming a Disaster Kid" section and passing a short quiz, kids can receive a certificate by filling out and submitting a form.
There are also many touching stories about kids who have been affected by disasters throughout the site, especially in the "Disaster Connection" section, where kids can post their own artwork, letters, or stories.
A parents and teacher resource section can also be found on the site with links to curriculum ideas, articles on school and fire safety, and terrorism resources. Many of these are links to outside sites and some are documents in pdf format (Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to read these).
One issue with the site is that if kids don't use the back button well to navigate their way through layers of the site, they may get frustrated and have trouble finding what they need. The amount of resources and learning tools about disasters are worth the trouble, however, especially if a disaster has affected your area or family in some way.
Kids may also learn from 911forKids.com and SocialStudiesforKids.com.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
