I literally came across DIY.org on accident, and seeing that it was a website for children, I watched their "trailer" to get more information about what exactly it was, and I was amazed.
This site is so fun! There are so many skills, and since my children have joined, there have been at least 5 new skills added, so it is constantly developing and adding exciting new tasks. One thing that I really love about it is that the site directors promote a sense of internet safety by suggesting that children do not show their faces or share their real names in videos or pictures. They also have a unique set of animal, insect, and aviary avatars for the children to choose from. As a parent, I was asked by email to approve my children's membership or not. Once I approved, I was given access to a special "parent dashboard", allowing me to see all activities that my children posted, whether projects uploaded or simply comments and friends that they added. ALL activities go through the parent dashboard, allowing me a safe way to closely monitor my children without having to have direct access to their accounts.
Enough with the technical junk, I can't wait to give you examples about the actual skills and challenges!
A quick and easy way to get your first badge is to choose the "Maker" skill. Under that badge, there are several quick options such as, "Build your first project", allowing even a quick and easy paper airplane to suffice as a first project and upload. This allows for the first of the three badges toward the "Maker" badge. The amazing thing about this options is that they could cover the learning styles and interests of ANY kid under the sun, with skills ranging from "Camper", to "Animator", to "Circuit Bender", to "Meteorologist". Once you choose any of the skills, you can find a challenge, accompanied by four videos or photos giving suggestions of ways to meet the goals, or "how-to's". For example, under the "Geologist" skill, the challenge called "Make a Compass" shows four videos, one on Earth's magnetism (a Bill Nye video), Making a Floating Compass, How Compasses Work, and Making a CD Compass. Fun, short, easy, and informative videos from trusted sites that have been scoured over by the obviously hard-working team running the site.
I don't have to teach my children something they don't care about, instead I can set them free to follow their own desires and interests, and let them learn fun and interesting facts in all sorts of areas of knowledge. Needless to say, I am impressed. Immediately, my daughter sent me out to buy flip flops and balloons to make fun and colorful flipflops to complete the "Trick Your Kicks" Challenge on the "Shoemaker" skill. One of my boys is going to make a recycled soda bottle/ductape/streamer jet pack to wear to complete the "Design a Tape Costume" challenge in the "Tape Ninja" skill. My other son is planning on buying ingredients to make home-made dog biscuits for our newly adopted pup, helping him to complete the "Feed an Animal" Challenge in the "Veterinarian" skill. So, as you can see, there is such a variety of skills and challenged that any kid could find something to do. There are even multiple computer and video gamer skills available for those who might not have a child that they can peel away from their computer! Now is a perfect time for your child to learn computer programming or language.