Turn Your Kid Into a Habitat Hero!

Let's face it: We can all do our best to recycle, limit energy use, and reduce our carbon footprint, but it's of equal importance that we train our kids to do the same thing. I mean, 100 years from now, if they (and their own kids) don't continue to think about environmental conservation, they'll be faced with all our problems, just compounded. Are you a parent and don't know where to start? Go straight to Habitat Heroes.

Habitat Heroes is a new website with the goal of teaching kids about the importance of protecting the planet and its wildlife. It's educational, but sure doesn't feel that way if you're an 8-year-old, since the site's filled with interactive games, super-lively visuals, and even instant messaging. The games revolve around protecting the world's endangered species and their different environments. When your kid wins a game, they get "creature cash," virtual money to "buy" goodies for the site's animals' habitats. The tone and activities are quite sophisticated and never condescending (case in point: a sushi-buying game to show which fish are over-farmed), so even savvy kids will keep coming back.

Since lots of grade school kids are already out of school for the summer, it's good to know there's more on the Web for them than sites of Webkinz and Hannah Montana toys. But if playing on Habitat Heroes makes your child ask for a fancy new MacBook for their birthday, don't blame us.