Reader Recommendations: Family Web Collaborations

Family Travel Made Easy is a comprehensive website for families thinking about traveling. Further to loads of tips and advice for parents, there is a great section for kids, with loads of printable games, from word jumbles to sudoku there is something for everyone.

I have been an 18 months of user of Familycrossings.com. My family (43 relatives) is scattered around the world with relatives in New York, Florida, Texas, California, Colorado, Canada, Argentina, Australia, England and Russia. The whole family gets reminded about birthdays and other events, post family news, share digital photos and uploads family video clips (like youtube). So it works like a family website and like a family social network. The product also has mash ups for cloud tag, maps and timelines. There is a free version with ads and a premium version with more features and more storage. Because it is password protected it is secure. It is really easy to use and it has really friendly customer support.

Little Bird Tales is an eco-conscious alternative for creating photo books, scrapbooks or personalized storybooks as keepsakes. Little Bird Tales encourages creativity and fosters reading and writing skills by allowing kids to be a part of the storytelling process, while providing parents with a "green" alternative to how they share and distribute their family memories. Kids can share photos, artwork, or create pictures online using the art pad. The most unique feature, however, is the ability for kids to record their voice or other audio to each page of the slide show format book! Everything is done online using a super simple interface designed for children! Kids can even share their creations by putting their stories in the public library, which is strictly monitored to make sure public stories are appropriate for kids. This site has NO ads, merchandising, links or other distracting and sometimes worrisome content. It's fun, safe, eco-friendly and allows kids to share their very unique perspective quickly and easily. www.littlebirdtales.com

This site contains several excellent articles for unique ideas for fun activities & adventures, detailed guides for events & outdoor activities, and plans & designs for projects & building activities. Many are even written from a kid's perspective. Some of the content: - Lemonade Stand Business Plan & Building Design - Marshmallow Shooter Design and Physics Principles - Comprehensive Guide to Backpacking - How to Have an Adventure with a Local Town Mystery - Cool Mall Scavenger Hunt

For parents, grandparents, teachers, mentors -- in fact, anyone who has children in their lives, this website contains hands-on activities that encourage children to explore, experiment, observe, discover, and have fun.

Delivering information and tools to help parents & teachers communicate with kids about the many ethical issues that they are likely to encounter when utilizing the Internet. NiceKids.net is a major national campaign that provides the resources that parents and teachers need. The campaign utilizes different materials, including the book "Internet and Computer Ethics for Kids," to educate kids, parents and teachers about Cyber Ethics. Other resources include a special "Kids Only" section of the Web site as well as a forum for parents and teachers.

Whoop-de-do! is a fun family site full of web deals, freebies, coupons, and all-around fun things to do on the web. The KID'S PAGE is full of great free gifts for kids.Teachers (& parents) love to use them as part of a reward system.