Real Families, Real FUN: Happy Home
Online TV Land
By By Pamela Stock for Real Families, Real Fun

Real parents know this: You can limit television all you like, but you can't keep your children from the pull of popular characters. From elementary school-aged Arthur to Sesame Street's Elmo, there's someone for everyone from toddlers to teens to want to see more of.

Thanks to well-developed Internet sites, young fans can enjoy their favorite characters by playing games with them, not just watching them. When you visit a site together, parents can teach skills, like using a mouse, and kids can explain just exactly what makes Dora the Explorer so cool. What's more, several sites have areas just for grown-ups, complete with recipes, movie ratings, parenting safety tips, party activities, and more. "I went to the NickJr Website and followed the recipe for the SpongeBob Cake for my son's sixth birthday," reports one California mom. "It was easy and totally cool. No one could believe I really made it."

Here, some popular TV sites for families. Tip: Because of the detailed graphics and music on these sites, most activities work best if you have high-speed Internet access such as cable or DSL.

PBS Kids Website: The PBS Kids Website has coloring pages to download, music, and interactive games including matching games, mazes, and on-line coloring for many beloved preschooler shows including Barney, Teletubbies, Zoboomafoo, Arthur, and Dragon Tales.
The NickJr Website: In addition to games and "printables" starring faves like Dora, SpongeBob, Bob the Builder and Maisy, the NickJr Website offers an array of info for parents including complete party packages with ideas for cakes, games, invitations and decorations; parent movie and TV guides, a travel section and expert health advice.
The Sesame Workshop: In-depth info on all the Sesame Street Muppets as well as games and music is available for kids and the parenting section offers tips and tools for family health and activities.
CartoonNetwork: Savvy elementary-school aged kids can find games with the Powerpuff girls and Samurai Jack to play on their own (or with each other), here.