Friday, February 13, 2009

Why, it's Whyville!

What can your kids do when they're at home on a snow day? Well, there are a lot of things really. But one that my family has discovered is Whyville.net.

Whyville is a kid-friendly online community where kids can explore, play educational games, chat with other citizens, and just have a lot of fun.

It's free! Of course, if you want to spend real money, you can buy "Pearls," a currency in Whyville which will allow you to purchase many things. But if you want to go a more economical way, you can learn how to earn "Clams." There are many ways to earn Clams and increase your salary.

Kids have a great time changing the way they look in Whyville. You can purchase a new hairdo, a hat, a funny nose, or even a t-shirt. The possibilities are endless! My son has discovered a way to make himself look like a cat.

Is it really safe? Yes! First of all, before anyone in Whyville can chat, they have to have a signed permission slip sent to Whyville. Once the permission slip is received, a short test is necessary which helps teach what forms of activities are not permitted in Whyville. Lastly, there is a reporting rule breakers quickly and easily. I should also mention that there are monitors that check around to see what's going on.

I say that it's fun for children, but I've had a lot of fun too! And I've learned a few things along the way.

Try it out yourself and see. If you think it's good for your child, introduce it to them. It's available at Whyville.net. My username is AmyBlack. See if you can find me!

Facts About Whyville
  • Whyville is a virtual world where you can travel to different places, talk to numerous people, and learn valuable information.
  • Whyville is based in Pasadena, California, but we have citizens who are from all over the world.
  • Whyville was started in 1999, and already has over 4 million members! Each day around 1,000 more join!
  • Our citizens are usually age 8-15.
  • Whyville generates between 40 and 50 million page views a month. Wow!
  • And last but not least, all of this is free! Anyone can join Whyville for the low price of $0!

Saturday, February 07, 2009

Photos of the 2009 Ice Storm

We're finally melting! But here are photos that I finally had time (and electric) to upload them.

^My nemesis tree, a Black Walnut, dropped another branch on my car. This time, it didn't do any damage. But it's getting closer to becoming a stump unless it stops throwing branches and walnuts at me.


^ As you can see, everything was covered with white snow and encased in ice. Sure it was beautiful, but dangerous too. Branches and big chunks of ice were falling everywhere. Every so often, you could hear something that sounded like a chandelier crashing to the floor or a gunshot going off as a tree finally broke in half and fell.


It was very dark at night.