“Izz’s Dad:Izz is something of a campaigner herself. Her most recent campaign was entitled ‘Save Wales.’ ‘Save Wales’ was, truth be told, a clerical mistake; her spell-checker failed to catch the ‘whales’ typo before the posters went up at her school.” - The GREENS: Izz
User's Annotation
Come hang out with The GREENS, and learn how to make instruments out of vegetables, create your own wrapping paper, and even play some green games. Join middle school students and cousins Izz and Dex as they learn about taking care of the environment!
About the Site’s Creator
The GREENS Web site is produced by Boston’s WGBH, which is PBS’s single largest producer of public media content for television and the Web. WGBH was formed in 1951, and is also a local broadcaster of several television and radio stations in New England. The TED community and photographer Edward Burtynsky were involved in the genesis of The GREENS Web site, and The GREENS Executive Producer is Bill Schribman of WGBH's Interactive Kids Group.
Genre
Web Site: environmental sustainability
Interest Age
9-11 years
Site Content
The goal of the award-winning GREENS site is to encourage kids to consider the environment and how they can live in it in a more sustainable manner, as well as to spark interest in recycling, water conservation, and green living in general. A principal feature of the site is a series of animated episodes which focus on topics such as electricity, landfills, reducing consumption, pet-related environmental issues, and several others. These episodes feature two main characters, middle school cousins Izz and Dex. The other characters on the site are Izz’s mom and dad, Dex’s mom and her boyfriend, Granny, the pet cat, neighbor Jolie and her friend Hector, neighbor Mrs. Greener, and CJ, a researcher from the local aquarium. Each character has written an entertaining bio of themselves or another character. The site also contains a “blog”, which is actually a posting of educational information, readers’ book reviews and ideas, and links to new episodes. There are 7-10 postings each month, which are “commented on” by Izz and Dex. However, it is not an actual blog where users can comment. There are additionally some simple but enjoyable games, which present environmental information while the user plays.
Critical Evaluation
Kudos to the site’s creators for making green living so much fun – once I arrived at The GREENS, I did not want to leave! This is one of the most engaging resources that I have reviewed this semester, and I very highly recommend it to both tweens and young teens. The graphics are beautifully done (including characters’ skin tones in shades of green and purple, etc.) and very in tune with pop culture, and as such are the perfect vehicle for the educational content. The characters are very likeable and upbeat, and their enthusiasm is contagious. I think tweens will catch their excitement for environmental consciousness. There is a good dose of humor in the animation, but it is not goofy. The site is very easy to navigate, but you may also want to check the site map -- which organizes content by episode -- to make sure you don’t miss anything. For a fairly new site, it has a lot of great content. However, I would suggest that its creators increase its interactivity. Users can currently submit ideas and book reviews, as well as vote on environmental questions, but hopefully in the future there will also be a true blog/comment area where users can contribute in greater numbers. But, overall, an amazing and very creative site.
Talking Up the Site
• Give a character talk as either Izz or Dex, the main characters of the site.
• Show an episode or two of the site’s animated show, or let tweens explore the games.
Curriculum Ideas
• Ecology: As a class, begin composting.
• Music: Each student creates an edible instrument , such as a carrot strummer or an eggplant clapper.
Potential Challenge Issues & Defense
I do not foresee any challenges to this site, but if any were to arise, the following steps could be taken in defense:
• Become familiar enough with the site’s content to promote its merits.
• Refer to library’s Internet policies.
• Refer to site reviews from authoritative sources.
• Obtain site reviews from tweens who have used it.
Why I Chose This Site
I learned of this site through Common Sense Media, which reviews and estimates age ratings for all forms of children’s media.
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