Kids on the Net is changing!

Firstly to reassure you that Kids on the Net and its sub-sites such as Dragonsville and Kids' Castle will remain open for the foreseeable future.

Temporarily however, we can't publish as much writing as we normally do. And writing that we do publish will take a little longer to reach the website. Please be patient while these changes take place.

Here's why things are changing

As a result of its success and popularity all over the world, Kids on the Net has outgrown its funding and its resources. We are taking some time at the moment to reflect on past success and plan what shape Kids on the Net can take for the future. We are actively seeking donated website hosting, partners, sponsors and additional volunteers so that as many projects as possible can be maintained.

The websites will *remain online* with currently published writing and lots of activities to be involved in. However, for the time being we are sadly unable to publish submissions of writing in Kids' Castle, Monster Motel and Dragonsville. The website will soon reflect this information. The main Kids on the Net (www.kidsonthenet.com) is still open to submissions of writing including stories and poems but we cannot guarantee that writing will appear quickly, because editing depends on the goodwill of volunteers.

Using Kids' Castle

There are LOTS of activities in Kids' Castle and throughout the site that can be used in educational settings, please click on http://www.kidsonthenet.com/castle/plan.html to find out more about the games, puzzles and things to do in the Castle, including Dress the Knight, Quizzes, interactive online Wordsearches and instant stories. No password is required for these.

There's lots more to do even with galleries closed to submissions! In school we recommend publication in a class book or poster and you are welcome to take images from the site to use to illustrate it. If you are a teacher or home educator and have already planned your lessons with our resources, please get in touch with the editor as I can arrange access in special circumstances.

Find out more - join the mailing list

I hope this does not disappoint you and am sure you will still find plenty to do. Hopefully the situation will change in the near future. Please watch the eTeachers' Portal Newsblog for further news. http://www.kidsonthenet.com/teachers/blog/index.html and do join our mailing list if you haven't already.

Meanwhile, please make sure your bookmarks/favorites and links point to http://www.kidsonthenet.com, likewise http://www.kidsonthenet.com/castle etc.

We're looking for sponsors and partners for Kids on the Net and looking for volunteers to help out!

If you would like to sponsor Kids on the Net or become a partner in funding bids, publicity or online projects, please get in touch.

Kids on the Net is run voluntarily on a non-profit basis. We're looking for teachers, group leaders, interested parents, readers and writers, and young writers too - anyone interested in web-based literacy resources and digital writing - to help us with Kids on the Net.

• Could you help us promote the site to other teachers and families?
• Could you be an advocate and a point of support for teachers using the site in your country?
• Could you help us with a little bit of editing of submissions (can be done from anywhere with access to the Internet)?
• Would you like to respond to young writers with a helpful critique of their work?
• Are you a bit of a techie and able to help us improve and rebuild the website to be more efficient? People able to convert cold fusion to PHP particularly needed!
• Could you help with fund-raising?

There are lots of jobs not too big for busy people, and the more people we have to help the more we can offer to young writers. The site has grown too big to be managed by one person with another full-time job! Let me know if you're interested in helping, even if it's just to be on our advisory board.

Helen Whitehead
Editor, Kids on the Net
Contact us
http://www.kidsonthenet.com