I am seeing a lot of inquiries surrounding Virtual Worlds for children and young teens. As I have a ‘tween in the house, this is a popular subject, and one I would like to place particular focus on. I will be investigating those worlds in which I deem safe, fun, and interactive enough to share with others.

Today I am looking into the world of Dizzywood . This virtual world has all the characteristics I am searching for, and I will offer up a true opinion from my expert (my daughter, of course), yet for now I will highlight some of the key features until we have had a chance to adventure and explore further.

Dizzywood is Fun, Safe, and Challenging

At Dizzywood you can play free games, explore unique and imaginative areas, and meet new friends in a safe environment. Dizzywood offers children ages 8-12 the opportunity to create their own adventure, cooperate with other players in exciting games and challenges, and have fun while learning. They’re always adding lots of new activities and games for everyone to enjoy, and Dizzywood is completely age-appropriate. There is a great emphasis on safety, as the world is vigilantly monitored, and there is a parental guide in which I would strongly suggest parents pay particular attention to.

Avatars

In Dizzywood, you can customize your very own animated character! Show off your style with personalized hair styles, clothing, and other cool Dizzywood items. Here is your chance to get creative in designing your own unique Avatar.

Super Powers enhance your Adventure

Get incredible super powers, such as levitation and invisibility, to overcome obstacles and explore new areas. The world of Dizzywood is full of new virtual places to discover and explore. Many of them are strange new places with mysterious and magical creatures. It’s a world full of activity and wonder, with fun surprises and adventure waiting for you in every corner. There’s no limit to the things you can do in Dizzywood. Let your imagination lead the way!

Hang out with Friends and have fun!

You can meet up with your friends, and also make new ones along the way. Add friends to your buddy list and explore the world of Dizzywood together! In Dizzywood, the focus is on fun. Whether it’s racing around on a skateboard, playing a game of soccer with your friends, or just hanging out, Dizzywood is a great, safe place to be a kid online. Test your skills against the riddle master Archimedes. Beat the Mechano-Drill 9000 by bouncing magical balls of elixir. Or help Chef Pierre collect tasty bugs for his famous Tanglevine Stew! Who’s in for a visit to a Mayan-themed jungle, or a super power challenge to defeat Emperor Withering?

Dizzywood’s Company Mission

Our aim is to create a website for kids that inspires a sense of imagination, discovery, exploration, and most of all, fun. Frankly, when we took a good look at what was already out there, we felt that kids deserved a lot better. Our hope is that through a commitment to quality storytelling, creative vision, and technological innovation, Dizzywood will deliver an outstanding entertainment experience for young people that inspires the imagination in a safe environment. Our goal is to be the most popular web destination for kids in the 8-12 age range. It’s a lofty goal, to be sure, but we’re all about dreaming big.

From my own personal view, and what I have seen thus far, I really like what I see. A great plus is that it is free, and they do not have any advertisements cluttering up their site. Check out their blog Dizzywood Explorer’s Journal to get the inside scoop on updates, and other great information about this sweet little Virtual World. I will be venturing into Dizzywood with my daughter after our homeschool lessons, and we well be sure to update our adventures real soon. Until then… Enjoy!

For some reason people just love to dress up and make believe they are someone or something else. Although the origins of All Hallows Eve have a deep spiritual connection which continues strongly to this day, people just love to dress up in fantastic and imaginative costumes, either home made, or created by masters. This is all in the spirit of having fun, and possibly attempting to blend in with those who have crossed to the other side. Because we all know this is when the veil between the realms of the living and the deceased lifts to allow our loved ones to visit the the earthly realm.

So, as the hallowed time approaches, we fire up our imaginations to create fantastic costumes to suit our tastes. If we cannot come up with great home made ideas, as I love to do, then we must seek the best halloween costume stores with unique, totally cool, and realistic outfits. Personally, I prefer to be a little different, and one of my favourite memories was the year my little S dressed up as a hobo and hit the streets in search of treats and goodies. People must have felt quite sorry for the little urchin, as she collected more candy and such than any other year, and folks commented upon her sad demeanor. I was a wicked witch with a cackling laugh, so we most certainly left an impression of darkness and despair along our trail. It was such a grand adventure, and one we shall always remember fondly. Of course there was the year my dear S was a Gypsy… that was great fun, and a story for another day!

Perhaps others have not the time or resources to create their own fantastic costume, and would like to spice up their own Halloween adventure with a custume created by true Masters of Masquerade. Any time is a great time to dress up and enact our most desired fantasies, especially this time of year as parties and masquerades rule the festive season. Truly, can we really know if this is the real world or the virtual one?

This looks like a really great place to learn about horses and all that entails in caring for your very own virtual horse. Play one of the top online horse games, breed virtual horses, make horse tack, play horse games, build a ranch for your horses, and chat with players who love horses. It may not be the same as having a real horse, yet it is a great way for horse lovers to experience the equestrian world, and have fun in the process. This looks totally cool, and I am going to check it out to see if it is a good place for my 11 yr old daughter to play.

I would like to point out some key features about the world of A Virtual Horse…

~ Buy, train, breed or compete with your virtual horses. The competition is based on skills, tack, players’ and horses’ abilities, on horse’s shape or happiness etc.

~ Become a manufacturer to make tack for horses, a trainer to add special bonuses on horses, or a rider to be the best in the horse events.

~ Get a job as a vet or as a stablehand and get paid to take care of players’ horses. Build your ranch, upgrade buildings, collect treats or raw materials.

~ Play horse games, or games unrelated to horses. Chat, and write your personal blog, or set your goals.

~ Hire players to work for you using the game partner feature. This game feature allows you to let other players play the game for you without sharing your password.

I would advise parents to check this out first, as there is a guest feature to do so. The game is free, and with proper supervision it just may be a really fun place for kids to enjoy their fantasies and love of horses. I’ll just bet there are quite a few adults who will like this game as well!

There is excitement in the air in the Virtual realms! I am totally psyched to share a great new Virtual World/Game still in the Beta stage, yet one which is sure to develop into an absolute favourite with a huge fan base. Without further ado, I bring to you something which has the potential to be the totally coolest virtual football game. Football Superstars is the world’s first Virtual Football (Soccer) World. An entire online Virtual World designed by football fans, exclusively for football fans, where you can enjoy a massively multiplayer experience on your PC.

This is still in the final Beta stage, so if you hurry you may just get in the beginning stages of what will soon make history. What I like about this Game/World is that it is totally interactive, and we can progress, just as in real life. We can start out playing casually with our friends in the park, and if we train hard enough our persistance may pay off, and we can advance to a professional level. This will gain us advantages and perks, as we will get paid and have the opportunity to improve our lifestyle dramatically. Care to lead the life of a football superstar in a Utopian World?

Now here is some really good news… Football Superstars is far more than just a game. There are bars, clubs, restaurants, shops, stadiums, and a whole lot more for us to enjoy. All this has been built within two HUGE Virtual towns with the capacity to host millions of other football fans online at the same time. And the great thing is that the better you become at the game the better the experience awaiting you in this Virtual World. We only control our own self, rather than the whole team, so we only advance according to our own skills. We are team players, so our team wins if our team works together to attain that winning goal. How cool is that?

Well, I can tell you this really has me excited, and my love of gaming makes this a Virtual World to keep my eye on. I will be sure to tell my gaming friends as well, and encourage everyone into the Virtual Gaming Worlds to hop on over and see if you can still get in on the Beta. At the very least you can check out the site to learn more, and keep updated on the latest news as this totally awesome World of