Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
Easy to navigate around, simplified news perfect for young readers, cool layout and colourful |
| Disadvantages: |
Maybe a little young for some people . . . . |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
Newsround was first screened on 4th April 1972, in a desperate bid by the BBC to make more children watch the news. Children found the news boring, dull and something far less interesting than cartoons. So, John Craven's Newsround attempted at changing the attitudes to news and make it more fun and interesting for the younger generation. Newsround told news for children and about children, covering a range of topics specifically picked to keep them interested.
Newsround currently shows on BBC One at 5:25pm for 10 minutes. Within the 10 minutes, important bulletins are broadcast to the viewers covering different topics from day to day. Newsround simplifies the news so that it's easier for younger people to take in and understand. News ranges from celebrity gossip to political news, from sports to issues affecting school children.
With the ever-increasing popularity of the world wide web, newsround also has a very cool and interesting website, www.bbc.co.uk/newsround.
The Newsround website is a perfect follow on from the highly successful news programme.
The site is easy to navigate around, colourful, filled with great images of celebrities, premieres, sports, animals amongst other images relating to issues in the
current news.
On the left hand side of the site is a menu displaying the following options:
- Home
- UK
- World
- Sport
- Music
- TV/Film
- Animals
- Sci/Tech
- Weather
- Pictures
- Specials
- Guides
- Reviews
- The Team
By clicking any of the above options you enter a different page relating to the particular option you chose. The pages provide you with the latest news headlines, pictures, opinion polls, reviews and information about the Newsround Team.
***UK***
This option takes you to a page containing all the news relating to the United Kingdom. From news on exams, schools, bullying and other issues that mean something to a child.
***World***
By selecting "world" you will see different headlines about world news. This option is usually much more serious news including news about bombings, accidents and other issues taking place throughout the world.
***Sport***
The sport section provides a daily update on sporting occassions. The news on this page covers mainly football, rugby, tennis, car racing and atheltics.
***Music***
The music pages cover news relating to the world of music. From news about illegal sond downloading to celebrities in the music industry this page is everything a child would want if they are interested in music.
***TV/Film***
The tv and film section covers news relating to...obviously...the tv and film world. Movie news and TV storylines are all featured here. This page is also perfect for a child interested in the entertainment and showbiz world. This section regularly features stories relating to Harry Potter - this topic seems to be a big favourite with Newsround, mainly because of its huge popularity with people of all ages.
Animals and Sci/Tech are, rather shockingly, sections covering news relating to the animal kingdom and the world of science and technology.
***Weather***
The weather page allows you to select the country you wish to view, usually the country in which you live, and get details on the weather in that particular area.
***Pictures***
This section provides us with great pictures of a selection of topics covered in the current news.
***Specials***
The "special's" section contains lots of links to a particular subject/topic. From Harry Potter to Bullying. From the tragic Tsunami to a section covering Pollution. From Domestic Violence to Pop Idol. This section provides a range of issues for children to browse around and get a deeper insight and understanding for. The range of topics allow children to see news on entertainment and unimportant issues as well as being well educated by tragic news and affairs taking place in the world.
***Guides***
The "Guides" section provides you with guides to an A-Z of topics. This section is similar to the "specials" section in the diversity of the topics it covers.
***Reviews***
Reviews of films, books and music are found in this section, similar to the Ciao website, but written for children and many times actually written by children.
***The Team***
By clicking on this option, you are taken to a page where you can visit indiviudal pages on the presenters of Newsround. By clicking on a particular name you can see a picture of the smiling presenter dressed in casual wear, find a short biography and an interview with the presenter.
The Newsround website provides many chances for childrens opinions to be heard. There are forums, opinion polls in which children can vote for an answer that they feel suits their opinion and sections where you can write a comment/review and post it on the site.
The site contains games, chat rooms, quizzes, competitions and voting sections.
Featured on the Newsround programme is the Press Pack. This great idea allows children to present the news and cover a story they are interested in. Apart from appearing on TV in front of thousands of children, the lucky "press packers" can be jetted off to different destinations around the world or visit movie premieres and meet and interview celebrites as well as watching the film before anybody else and giving their opinion on the film.
There is a great Press Pack section on the site which instructs children on how to write an article well. The kids are allowed to write whatever they want and send it off to the newsdesk. The best reports are put up on the site and read by thousands of visitors. The opportunity is superb.
Newsround allows children to get their voice heard, share their opinions and receive the world news in a way they feel comfortable with understanding. I really reccommend any parents out there to get their children to visit the website, have a look around it, play on the games, share their opinions and read the news, which is written so well for a wide range of ages.
The children and many of you will love the site. I visit the site from time to time and never lose interest in the topics they cover.
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very helpful
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