Trees, Mice and loveliness (groveroad.herts.sch.uk)

Member Name: Celandine

Product:	groveroad.herts.sch.uk
Date:	09/08/01 (226 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: lots of things to look at, community, and gorgeous drawings

Disadvantages: well, maybe it's not sooper-dooper flash, but it's lovely all the same

Mice, games, fireworks, Tudor dancing, and lots of linky things. This is a review of a website, I know, but it's a true children's website. One aimed at children, yes, but also one with a great deal of children's input. It's a Primary Schoool website, in fact, but before you give up reading, it is quite a fun thing, too, and has more than the 'awww' factor involved.

When we enter, we see a big tree, all lovely in brown and green. The graphics are kept simple, here, I think deliberately, because the topics highlighted change quite a bit, although the broad headings remain the same. It's terribly easy to navigate, with the headings on the left-hand side of the tree being the sort of: parental dull / people who actually know the school ones: (Welcome / About us/Bulletin-board / Association/Parent's/Teachers) and the ones at the right-hand side being the 'website as in global interest' ones: (Cool Stuff/Miss Gliss/Learning and Fun/Gallery/Class Pages/Kids Web/e-card shop).

Oh, and I should mention that I don't know a single one of the parents, teachers, or pupils at the school. This was something I stumbled on by chance whilst looking for a card to send, and, because it seemed interesting, I had a browsy mooch through it. I found they had fireworks, which my pre-pre schooler loved, so we stayed for a while.

Oh, but cards, and that's one of the main reasons I like this site. Have you ever wanted to send a really lovely, really different e-card? Well, these ones don't offer animation, but if you like big, bright, proper pictures, then you're there. I love the one of the big yellow Easter chick, myself, and there are also loads of Autumn leaves, and bears, and, oh, just lovely children's drawings to choose from. Maybe it's just me, but it's gorgeous to see something so real online. All those beautifully animatronic giraffes, and wacky moving fruit can get dull, and this is the an
tithesis of high-tech, but still more interesting than an over-produced, and over-used image.

So that's partly why I like this small site so much. It's something that makes the idea of a global community seem more personal, somehow, and also that 'personal' thing is done really, really, well. Yes, we get pictures of class six doing 'tudor dancing' and that is, for me, awfully sweet, but, admittedly, not really relevant unless you've a child at this particular school, but, we've also got interesting links : children's resources and websites, and we get games, too. These aren't just for children, but there are some sweet relaxing ones for adults, in the "Parent's Survival Kit" which contains the "Relaxation pool", which I'll let you guess at, rather than describe it.

Oh, and here's the thing about this whole site. It's professional enough to pass basic tests, but its true joy, I think, lies in it being a community trying to share nice things that it has found, with other people. And that's what I really, really like about it. The pages load at a reasonably fast rate, and the graphics are simple, but nice, and it rambles, repeating all its' 'good bits' at least twice, but you do get the feeling, when reading it, that there are lots and lots of ten year olds and unders hoping that you like their pictures.

And I do, at least. The drawings and classwork are gorgeous, and I haven't even told you about the "New - Very Dead Cool" bits, which are all to do with leaning about International Signal Flags. You're interested? Well, just go to the "New - Very Dead Cool" buttons. OOh, and what else? Well, the smallest child can make their "Very own web page" through this site, and the older ones (we're talking about 4 years here) can go and play games that the children at Grove Road have devised, or visit their firework disp
lay for 2000.

That's one of our favorites. Ellie is still rather small, you see, and can't do the games on the "Tweenies" or the "Bob the Builder" websites. But she loves to watch the fireworks on this site, as I exclaim "Blue", "Green" or whatever. We both relax.

The links and games are good too, if you've an older child. They're pretty eclectic, and don't suffer too many brand names gladly. Worth trying, honestly, especially the "Tommy Tugboat" ones. Oh, gosh, and there is more. "Super Magic Marker" lets you make impressionist pictures of your very own, and there are regular "features" that take in, not only what is going on at this particular school, but more country-wide fundraising events, too.

A bit worthy? Well, not really, honest. This isn't a whizz-bang high-tech website, but it's lovely all the same. I love the sense of a global community it engenders, and I love the fact that some bright, hard-working head teacher has had the sense to put all of his gorgeous school online, for all the world to see. Not just in Tudor Dancing, but in ideas, and pictures, and, well, just things that they like.

So good for them. They've won loads of awards, which you can see in the "information" bit, on the left hand side of the tree as you enter. Good for them for winning awards. So they should. It's a bit of a rambling website, admittedly, but you just go look at year six's e-cards, and I defy you not to be charmed.

Awww, and it's just lovely. It really is. I've tried to do the balanced bit, but just go there, and see how truly lovely this it. You can just tell they've got a counter in the assembly hall (or whatever) to let them know who has seen them, on the internet. Oh, go and tell them how lovely the drawings are, at least. And the mouse is Miss Gliss, who is a special mouse, ok?

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