Review of Wonder Rotunda by Common Sense Media.org
By Eric Garfinkel on September 15, 2009
Common Sense Media gave us 5 stars out of a possible 5 and said:
"About as close to perfection as an online experience for preteens can be, Wonder Rotunda is safe, fun and highly educational."
The Overall Review (5 out of 5)
"Parents need to know that this vibrant virtual world is designed to replicate the sense of wonder and excitement the creator felt as a child visiting the 1964-65 New York World's Fair. About as close to perfection as an online experience for preteens can be, Wonder Rotunda is safe, fun and highly educational. Eric and Diane Garfinkel, founders of the company Back to Basics Toys, used their own worldwide travel experiences and input from their four children, ages 9 to 23, to develop the colorful animated adventures and fascinating background facts. (Did you know that the fifth type of tastebud is called umami and located in the center of the tongue?) This closed site is not free, but there are no ads"
"It’s a little slow to load in places, but overall Wonder Rotunda is gorgeous to look at and easy to use. This virtual theme park does a nice job of using exciting avatar-driven rides and experiences to inspire kids to learn more about the world around them. Kids will have fun zooming down into the colorful park map, entering various buildings and rides, and feeding their avatar from the food booths. The cartoon narrator, Mr. Wonder, explains things on a grade schooler’s level; for instance, “urine, also known as pee.” Throughout each adventure, kids can pause the program to read a few paragraphs on topics they’ve just encountered. For instance, as their submarine whizzes through the human digestive tract a la Fantastic Voyage, kids can stop to learn more about the taste buds and salivary glands.
The best thing about Wonder Rotunda is the rich variety of interactive adventures, which cover topics as diverse as tropical rainforests, African wildlife, marine life, money and business, American government, nutrition, classical music, and social causes."
On Educational Value (5 out of 5):
"Kids can learn lots by paying close attention to Mr. Wonder, an affable animated tour guide who explains what things are and how they work in each of the 15 park adventures. Each of the activities, which range from zip-lining through a tropical rainforest to hot-air ballooning over the Serengeti to running a smoothie stand, is supplemented by additional reading material kids can delve into for more details. Completing an adventure unlocks an associated quiz where kids can test their newly acquired knowledge. At any point kids can pause the action and consult a glossary for unfamiliar terms."
On Messages (5 out of 5):
"The site encourages kids to explore their world and educate themselves so they can become successful, caring adults. Through the dozen-plus adventures kids learn that life is a feast of interesting opportunities, from starring in movies to supporting worthwhile causes to helping run our country’s government as elected officials."
"The site is completely ad free. Kids do earn Wonder Dollars, which can be spent on snacks, souvenirs and postcards, just like in a real theme park. However, kids don't have to blow all their money on junk food and stuffed animals. For instance, buying a healthy snack from one of the 12 food stands, such as yogurt or carrot sticks instead of cheese fries or cinnamon buns, gives avatars more energy for exploring the park. Also, kids can hire blimps to fly over the park raising awareness of their favorite causes, such as saving marine mammals."
On Privacy: (5 out of 5)
"The personal info kids have to reveal to sign up is negligible, and they can't post anything personal because the site doesn't allow content creation or interacting with other users. "
On Parental Controls (5 out of 5)
"Parents enjoy a tight rein, in part because users have to pay to join. Kids can't use the site until a parent or guardian has purchased a year's pass and activated it. Parents can keep tabs on their kids' activities with a monitoring tool that tracks which adventures a child has completed, the topics he's read more about, and even how many quiz questions he's answered correctly."
