Crawford the cat****

Crawford is a little green cat created by Perennial Pictures Film Corporation. Why green, I have no idea unless it be to distinguish him from the average cats we meet lazing around in the sun. For this cat is clever, and he is Good, as in the good we want our tiny tots to be. He tidies his toys, brushes his teeth and washes his hands. And so on. But he is also quite likeable and not overtly preachy, so kids do enjoy watching him.

The site is simply designed, with easy tabs at the top. The two adverts that do show are basically about Crawford only so it is quite safe to let kids loose here.

There are four games, with promise of more to come. The word search game is for slightly older children, who can read well, but the color word match game is quite suitable for beginning readers, or even younger kids, because the word is coloured accordingly - see below for example.

There are thirteen videos at present and they are currently the main attraction of this site for my young 'un. Each lasts for five minutes, and focuses on one educational theme like hygiene, exercise or politeness. As I said, the tone is not preachy and Crawford is fun to watch.

As of now, there are six books - turn-the-page e-books with the option of being read to you or reading yourself. The text is simple, and follows the same principles as the videos.

There are also some free printable colouring pages, related to each video.

Other information: If you wish to own the videos, you can purchase the cd containing all the episodes from the site. This year may also see the advent of Crawford's health related curriculum for schools - if you are interested in helping them check it out, you can use the contact form at the bottom to tell them so :)

The url - http://www.crawfordthecat.com/

PS - Here is the final opinion - Great site for toddlers, preschoolers and kindergarteners. Content is excellent, and concise. Website layout is friendly and doesn't take very long to load even on dial up connections.

PPS - Postscripts are a habit that is unlikely to change from the old blog :)