TOS Review Web Design for Kids (and Curious Adults)

Okay, I admit it. I am computer illiterate. I know that computers are the wave of the future and I want my children to be able to function in the computer world. So, I was very excited to learn that we were going to be able to review Web Design for Kids (and curious grownups). When I started this blog, I knew next to nothing about how the Internet and web pages worked. My knowledge is still pretty archaic. I have had a lot of help with the design of this from my friends on the TOS Crew. Every time I have to enter a HTML code, I have to get help. This program has helped me understand the basics of HTML.

When you purchase this DVD it is like having a live computer class right in your home. The creator, Brian Richardson, makes learning computer language easy and fun. Brian taught this class in classrooms before deciding to make it into a DVD version. I gave the DVD to my 10 year old son to watch and sent him upstairs to see if he could do it by himself. He used the laptop to watch the DVD and our desktop computer to create his web page. It was really cute because I could hear him from downstairs saying "Cool" and "Wow". Of course I had to come and see what all the excitement was about. He was amazed that he had created his first web page. He also really liked the jokes that Brian told during the program.

The "chapters" of the video are short and very easy to follow. They are

1. Ten Basic lines of Code.
2. Sandwiches and Colors
3. Make Subject stand out
4. Stand Alone Tags
5. Designing Backgrounds
6. Fonts and paragraphs
7. Pictures.

In the first chapter you are introduced to very basic HTML codes and produce your first web page. Even though all it says is "Hello World" it is very exciting to produce this yourself.

The second chapter introduces "Sandwiches". I personally loved that he uses what he calls "Sesame Street language" to teach so that it isn't so overwhelming. He calls nestled tags "sandwiches" and end tags "stop signs". These are much easier for kids (okay, and adults) to understand. My son really loved changing the colors of his page and the text in it but his favorite part of this chapter was making the words scroll across the page. I even learned that F5 is refresh.

Chapter 3 and 4 introduce stand alone tags and teaches the "break" code to add an extra space in. It also shows how to make your headings stand out. He stresses the importance of making sure everything is spelled correctly. One tiny mistake can mess up your whole page.

Chapter 5 is the first part where you actually need the internet to complete the steps. It was really fun to select backgrounds to add to our web page. This is where I started helping my son because he isn't allowed on the internet by himself. I learned what all the different picture types are and when you use them in this chapter also.

The next to last chapter introduces paragraphs and Fonts. This was neat to learn how to change just the font color and style of a few words.

The last chapter shows how to incorporate pictures using the Paint program on your computer into your web page. It also tells you about Free Foto.com where you can get free pictures for your own web pages without worrying about copy write infringements. Again, I stress that my kids aren't allowed to go to websites like this without me helping.

This was a wonderful computer program that really taught me and my son a lot about computer programming and HTML. I highly recommend this for anyone wanting to learn basic HTML. You can buy this on Brian's website here. It is only $40.00 which is a great deal. But, if you order before the summer special ends, you can purchase it for $19.99 plus $3.99 shipping and handling. Don't worry about ordering this and not liking it because there is a money back guarantee.

We can't wait to get the next DVD titled "Web Design for Kids (and curious grownups) Volume 2. I really wanted to be able to somehow link Griffin's web page he designed to this post but Brian didn't teach me that yet. Maybe in Volume 2?

Brian is a christian man who wants the whole world to be blessed by his program. What amazes me most about his company is that he gives to many charities and is very upfront about it. A few that he gives to are The Smile Train, Ronald McDonald House and Children's Miracle Network. I think that this shows that he is really dedicated to helping kids and I love that about a company.

You can see what the other crew members have to say about this great program at The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew. I don't think you will be disappointed if you try this out.