About this Site

With easy and direct instructions, most kids can explore the site on their own. Younger children with limited reading ability might need more help from a parent. The site has purposely been created to let children explore and do what they choose and what they’re comfortable with. It gives them options for fun activities that will help them address how they feel about cancer.

Below is an overview of the activities and tasks children can do on the site.

Home Tree

Children enter and exit the site at their "home tree." On the first visit, the tree appears only as a black-and-white drawing. But as children do activities, the tree begins to fill in with colour. It gives them a goal to work toward and a sense of accomplishment once the tree is fully coloured.

It's also a safe spot for them to return to wherever they are on the site should they want to stop any of the activities.

Explorer

The first task is for kids to create an explorer. They'll choose from fun bodies and heads to create a unique explorer that represents them in the world. The explorer then sits at the bottom, left corner of the screen and watches as the child moves through his or her "journey."

Travel Buddies

It's important for children to know they're not alone in dealing with cancer. Just as they created an explorer for themselves, they can create travel buddies. These characters will populate the online world and be seen in the environment as the child moves.

Weather

Weather is a great metaphor for emotion. So children can control the weather on the site and change it as often as they like.

Travel Journal

The site is entertaining for kids, but it's also important they have the opportunity to express themselves. They can do this in their travel journal. It's a take-away piece they can complete at any time.

First, they print the cover and "about me" pages. As they complete activities across the site, they will be presented with a page for their journal to print. The page has a question on it for them to answer that relates both to the activity they’ve just done and to their real-life experiences. There are three questions for every activity, all of which are included here should you want to use them as jumping off points for a discussion within the family.

Children can use words or pictures to respond to the questions. If you don’t have a printer, encourage your child to use scrap paper or a spare notebook to create a personal journal.

Submarine Activity

This matching game is a fun way for kids to use their memory. As they advance in the game, assuring messages relating to cancer appear between the levels. A few examples:

Don't worry, you can’t catch cancer from anyone.
Even if someone in your family has cancer, it’s okay to still have fun sometimes.
There are no silly questions. Keep asking until you understand the answer.