A Study on Kids' Internet Safety

According to surveys, almost 80 percent of images published online are harmful to children. On eKidnaworld, you know you're kids are always safe with us. Because there are lots of unsafe sites online, it is important to guard your kids and keep them from going onto those websites.

Karen Orford, the CEO/owner of eKidnaworld.com wanted kids to enjoy virtual games and other fun stuff such as shopping online, chatting with friends, sending letters or postcards to friends and for kids to be in the loop, all while thinking of these kids’ safety first. With the Unique Mate Safety, you’re sure your child will not be able to give away personal info such as home address or contact details over the Internet. Instead, they only have pure, healthy fun here. We have a safety feature especially found on our website that limits the information kids share online.

Not all online game sites and virtual worlds on the Internet are for kids. Choose wisely. Choose eKidnaworld.eKidnaworld.com provides you, parents the peace of mind you always wanted as we assure you that our site has only kid-appropriate contents.

On Internet Safety

These days, it’s hard to trust sites that claim they are safe for kids. eKidnaworld, your trusted gaming website for kids has Unique Mate Safety, an Internet safety feature that lets parents control how the kids interact on this virtual world.

Only eKidnaworld.com has the Unique Mate Safety feature that is designed to give parents the knowledge on their kids’ behavior online, with whom they chat, who their online friends are, and to whom they send letters to. eKidnaworld guarantees you your child’s safety as our game website for kids has already received several awards including the Interactive Media Awards (2009), the 2009 iAwards, and AIMIA to name a few.Not all online game sites and virtual worlds on the Internet are for kids. Choose wisely. Choose eKidnaworld.eKidnaworld.com provides you, parents the peace of mind you always wanted as we assure you that our site has only kid-appropriate contents.

Karen Orford, the CEO/owner of eKidnaworld.com wanted kids to enjoy virtual games and other fun stuff such as shopping online, chatting with friends, sending letters or postcards to friends and for kids to be in the loop, all while thinking of these kids’ safety first.

Advance 50 For the Future Invites Karen Orford, Founder & CEO of eKidnaworld.com

The role of women in the society has changed since the emergence of women empowerment movement and the feminist society. Gone are the days when women are perceived as the weaker species. Countless groups and movements have been organized in the aim of inspiring women with the courage to break free from the chains of limiting belief patterns and societal or religious conditioning that have traditionally kept them suppressed and unable to see their true beauty and power.

In line with this, Advance, a leading global network of Australians and alumni abroad will host its annual thought Women Leadership Summit, themed '50 for the Future' , which will be held at the Sydney Opera House from March 7-8 2011, coinciding with the 100th Anniversary of International Women's Day.

The Summit will highlight the achievements of some remarkable women, and introduce 50 currently emerging leaders in the Asia Pacific. This event builds on the success of previous summits and also celebrates and explores the ways women contribute to the development of business, social innovation, commercialization, and culture in the region.

One incredible woman that has been chosen and has been warmly invited to the event is Karen Orford.

Karen is a mother of two from Brisbane who ventured to a new business, putting her house and $300,000 at stake. At 40, she launched ekidnaworld.com after an 18-month slog that, in her own words “nearly killed her.”

She came up with the idea after her two daughters, 7 and 9 years old, reached an age at which they were itching to chat online but Orford couldn't find a site that she was comfortable would be safe enough. So she created eKidna - an online game for kids.

eKidnaworld is a kids virtual world designed specially for children ages 8-12. Each member start out by choosing one of 10 native Australian animals as their avatar and one of five homes, from a city penthouse to a tree house to a beach bungalow. In-game money is also available, earned by doing quizzes and playing one of the many Aussie-themed games including roo racing, surfing, snowball shootout, fishing, sheep herding and river rafting. It is indeed a safe virtual world for kids that parents need not to worry about.

A superwoman, Orford manages the site virtually on her own. That is aside from having a “regular” job, being a mom, attending to a sick mother and a husband.

"My office is a laptop at the kitchen bench and my hours are post everything. I generally start around 9pm and work until my eyes fall out, or I suddenly remember that I need to produce a Red Ridinghood costume by 8am."

Now tell me that’s not a superwoman!

Today, eKidnaworld is becoming a rising site with 382 members in just two weeks! And growing!, Orford is happy with the results, considering she has no marketing budget.

The Online and Offline Wonders of eKidnaworld

The kid-friendly online game which is eKidnaworld has a lot of new things to offer! But everything is still under wraps so as not to spoil the surprise. Surely, “awesome” is the appropriate word to describe the new game updates which will be released soon. To those who just can’t wait or resist the temptation of knowing what these cool game updates are, eKidnaworld’s official blog site gave a sneak peek of what’s coming for eKidna gamers.

As we speak, many improvements are being done in order to let users enjoy a more fun and convenient online gaming environment and game play. Parents need not worry since eKidnaworld is still child-safe by retaining its Mate Safety™ feature.

The Founder & CEO of eKidnaworld,com, Karen Orford, is a parent herself so aside from providing an entertaining Australian-themed online game to kids, child-safety is the top priority of the said virtual game.

The CEO and mother of two young girls shares “Some parents have fears about kids being online. I do too. I am a real mum, and I want to know who my kids were chatting to while they are online. That's why I created eKidnaworld.com. With its unique safety feature Mate Safety, eKidna delivers reassurance to parents knowing their kids can play and chat online and not have their sense of independence inhibited. I have created the first site that enables the parent, not the child, to decide with whom they chat with.”

Not only is the game garnering recognition online, but offline as well. Mrs. Orford also adds that Mate Safety™ has helped the game gain recognition because it won a prestigious iAward for innovative use of technology in the media and entertainment category for Queensland.

Mrs. Orford has also been featured in an Australian newspaper blog last year regarding her thoughts, experiences, and achievements on being a 40-year-old mom as well as a creator of a safe virtual game for kids.

A Fun, Cool, and Safe Online Game for Kids

eKidnaworld.com offers fun, safe and kid-friendly games online.

Only eKidnaworld.com has the Unique Mate Safety feature that is designed to give parents the knowledge on their kids’ behavior online, with whom they chat, who their online friends are, and to whom they send letters to. We have a safety feature especially found on our website that limits the information kids share online. Because there are lots of unsafe sites online, it is important to guard your kids and keep them from going onto those websites.

eKidnaworld is established to give kids the fun they deserve and to give parents the peace of mind they need. We have a safety feature especially found on our website that limits the information kids share online.

eKidnaworld: A Trusted Internet Gaming Website for Kids

These days, it’s hard to trust sites that claim they are safe for kids. eKidnaworld, your trusted gaming website for kids has Unique Mate Safety feature that lets parents control how the kids interact on this virtual world.

Only eKidnaworld.com has the Unique Mate Safety feature that is designed to give parents the knowledge on their kids’ behavior online, with whom they chat, who their online friends are, and to whom they send letters to. We have a safety feature especially found on our website that limits the information kids share online.
With the Unique Mate Safety, you’re sure your child will not be able to give away personal info such as home address or contact details over the Internet. Instead, they only have pure, healthy fun here.

eKidnaworld guarantees you your child’s safety with the Internet as our game website for kids has already received several awards including the Interactive Media Awards (2009), the 2009 iAwards, and AIMIA to name a few.

This website is a trusted online game for kids where no advertisement posting from any third party website or organization is allowed.

For the Parents: Your Kid's Safety First

eKidnaworld.com provides you, parents the peace of mind you always wanted as we assure you that our site has only kid-appropriate contents.

eKidnaworld.com offers fun, safe and kid-friendly games online. Because there are lots of unsafe sites online, it is important to guard your kids and keep them from going onto those websites. Only eKidnaworld.com has the Unique Mate Safety feature that is designed to give parents the knowledge on their kids’ behavior online, with whom they chat, who their online friends are, and to whom they send letters to. We have a safety feature especially found on our website that limits the information kids share online.

With the Unique Mate Safety, you’re sure your child will not be able to give away personal info such as home address or contact details over the Internet. Instead, they only have pure, healthy fun here.

To find out more about this safe virtual gaming site for kids, check out the Parent's Page at http://www.ekidnaworld.com/parents/categories/why_choose_ekidnaworldcom/content/why_choose_ekidnaworldcom

More on eKidnaworld.com

eKidnaworld is a place where kids play for delight and enjoyment. This is where fantasy becomes reality. Not only do you play a part in this world, it becomes your world – where you can play games online, go shopping, own a character, collect jewels, dress your own pet, design your own house, play surfing games, rafting games, shooting games, racing games and so much more!

Here at eKidnaworld, we are as giddy to let you in on a secret (well not really) – your favorite online game for kids has just gotten so much better!

If you think the existing worlds totally rock, well, we have added new virtual worlds you can enjoy as much! Walk around, enjoy, go sightseeing, play and experience it yourself! Only on eKidnaworld.com, your favorite safe online virtual game for kids, where cool and fun stuff are made available for your entertainment.

We push the limits from just surfing games, river rafting games, snowball fight games and racing games to different activities to keep your characters in tip-top shape! Now, you’re not limited to these minigames anymore. As soon as we release the new exciting mini games, you’ll surely keep coming back to play for more, earn more eKidna Gold Nuggets and shop till you (or in this case, your character) drop as we give you… guess what? More items to look forward too. We are developing new furniture, clothes and accessories for your shack and pet too! You know you just got to have them.

Aside from these new additions, eKidnaworld.com also gets your online gaming a step higher when it comes to usage. Now, we improve the game for better and smoother navigation and new and more enticing look/user interface too!

And just when you thought things could not get any more exciting, eKidnaworld takes you past your expectations. So watch out for more enhancements by the end of the year! Because at eKidnaworld, the possibilities when it comes to online games and cool and fun stuff are just endless.

Go Green, Plant a Tree

The Earth’s natural resources, plants and trees included are slowly beginning to become scarce. Because of this, the need to spare and restore our natural environment arises and honestly, it does not take an Einstein to know that a simple tree-planting activity would make a difference in saving mother Earth.

Planting a tree is not as simple as just digging a hole and throwing a seed in it and waiting for it to grow into a healthy tree. If you want the tree you're planting to survive and thrive, here's what to you should do:

1. Know the right time of year for planting the tree. Do not plant in late spring or summer because the heat will stress the plant and may cause it to die. The best time to plant a tree is fall (autumn) or early spring.

2. Choose a suitable tree for the region, climate and space. Ask your teacher or parents about it. You can also do research at your school or community library on the kind of trees that can live in your area. Include in your research the size, shape, and type of these trees.

3. Decide where you want the tree. Remember that trees will grow large, so in addition to arranging it according to how you want the area to look, think ahead. Ask someone to help you with this.

4. Prepare the hole. Take a suitable shovel and dig a hole that is 2-3 times the width of the root ball, not just enough so it will fit. This lets the roots ease in more easily and begin to grow outwards into the soil. It also allows you to cut off the wire root basket if there is one.

5. If it is a small tree, then you can turn it upside down gently to get it out of the pot. You could also cut some plastic containers to remove them.

6. If the tree is larger and has a net or a hessian or rope bag, you might need to use large scissors or a sharp knife to cut through the packaging. Avoid handling the tree with the burlap off. Put it in the hole, then cut as much of the wire basket and burlap as you can from around it. The goal is to keep as much dirt around the roots as possible; moving the tree more than absolutely necessary can easily cause air to get to the roots and dry them out, even inside the root ball.

7. Don't leave a tree's roots out of its container or burlap for too long. Especially in sun and wind, it could dry out and damage the roots.

8. Place the tree into the hole gently. Be sure the hole isn't too deep or too shallow. The ground level of the plant in the pot should match up with the ground level after you fill the hole in. Do not bury over the crown (where the stem changes to root) or leave any roots exposed.

9. Use some compost or composted manure if needed. If the soil that you currently have is not rich, has clay-like qualities or if it has the consistency of dust or sand, the addition of manure or compost will give the tree a great start in life. Backfill three quarters of the hole with existing dirt, one quarter with compost or composted manure.


Unlike in virtual worlds and online games for kids such as eKidnaworld.com where planting simply involves buying pots, soil and seeds, and watering it to let it grow healthily, growing an actual tree needs a lot of serious attention and calls for a responsible person. With the help of your mum, dad or older sibling, maybe you can start growing your own tree now.

Echidna Fun Facts

echidna

Echidnas are mammals that are uniquely found in Australia. It is so different from any other that it still puzzles researchers and scientists. It has remained unchanged since prehistoric times but has found ways to survive while other species became extinct. Also known as spiny anteaters that belong to the family Tachyglossidae in the monotreme order of egg-laying mammals. Aside from echidnas are four other extant species, which, together with the Platypus, are the only surviving members of the order and are the only extant mammals that lay eggs. 

What do Echidnas look like?
An Echidnas body is covered with 2 types of hair. A "normal" short coarse hair to keep them warm and long sharp spines each being a single hair but hard (similar to our fingernails in composition) The colouring and length of their "normal" hair differs wildly across Australia depending on climate and habitat).

In size Echidnas are between 35 - 45 cms long and weigh anything between 2-7 kg.

The Echidna has a pointy snout and an extremely long sticky tongue to catch ants and termites.

They feet have sharp claws for digging and though like the Platypus the male has a spur on its ankle, it is not poisonous They make a sniffing noise as they search for food.

Unique Habitat
The Echidnas main requirement is a large supply of ants and termites so Echidnas are found all over Australia from the highlands to deserts to forests The Echidna has no fixed home except when the female is suckling its young. Echidnas can be found in a variety of shelters from rocks to fallen wood, small caves, or even under bushes.

There is normally 3 options open to an Echidna when it feels threatened
1) Run away on its short stubby legs if on a hard surface such as a road or rocks.
2) Curl itself into a ball protecting its softer underbelly, and only showing sharp spines to its threat.)
3) Burrows down below the surface of the soil showing only its spines along its back, and holding on below the surface with its claws thus resisting being pulled out of the ground.

Normally the Echidna feeds at night on ants or termites. The tip of its snout or nose is sensitive to electrical signals from an insect body thus it searches and "sniffs" out ant and termite nests. Echidnas then normally tears into the mound or nest with its sharp claws (front feet) and its snout exposing the ants or termites and then catching them with its fast flicking sticky tongue. Because they have no teeth the Echidna crushes the insects between horny pads in its mouth.

Man especially the motor car kills hundreds every year on our roads Goannas eat young Echidnas. Dingoes, foxes as well as feral cats and dogs are also responsible for deaths. Lastly, as with most Australian animals. Bushfires and Droughts are a natural enemy.

Want to adopt a virtual echidna and play games online? Go to eKidnaworld.com and discover how echidnas make such a cute virtual character.

Coffee Makes Robots Powerful

Did you know that coffee helps robots become a more powerful machine? Because robots don’t drink, they use coffee for something else—to help them lift, hold and move objects.

Robots are modeled after human beings. And like humans, robots also have hands with fingers and thumbs. These robots might be programmed to use their hands as humans do: to lift and hold objects.

But the new tool, called the “universal gripper,” suggests robots don’t need fingers to move things around. It’s a simple device made of a small balloon filled with ground coffee and attached to a vacuum. This strange but smart design means the robot gripper can pick up all kinds of objects, including fragile things.

“One of the tricky things about picking up delicate objects is that you have to know how much pressure to apply: too little and you drop the object; too much and you break it,” Peko Hosoi told Science News. “This new gripper works by exactly conforming to the shape of the object.”

In a video produced by the scientists, the robotic tool is shown lifting all kinds of objects, including a jack, an egg and a shock absorber. The video also shows that the tool allows a robot to write with a pen or pour water from one glass into another.

“Our goal was to pick up objects where you don’t know what you’re dealing with ahead of time,” Eric Brown told Science News. Brown is a scientist at the University of Chicago who worked on the new tool.

The new tool is small, but the scientists are thinking big. They say that a giant gripper three feet across would be strong enough to lift and move something weighing 2,000 pounds — like a small car.

Of course, to get enough grounds to fill such a big balloon, the scientists would need a lot of coffee.

Aren't these robots cool? Experience more fun stuff at eKidnaworld.com, a safe virtual world for kids where you can create your own character, play cool games, make your own home, go shopping, even connect and chat with your friends online.