So like any parent I am not a huge fan of parking your kid in front of a television or letting them spend hours online. In this techy world, it’s almost inevitable that kids will watch TV and they will eventually wind-up online, so like any parent I am trying to make sure that these sort of activities are family activities. This not only allows me to limit quantity, but also control quality. My daughter really enjoys our family movie night and watching little videos online with Mommy… she hasn’t a clue that I have an ulterior motive!

When I get an opportunity to learn about a unique, fun and educational site I like to try to pass it along to readers. Recently I was sent some information about a site called AllStarBuddies.com. It’s a fairly new sports themed “virtual world” for kids where a healthy, positive lifestyle is reinforced through fun games and safe social interaction.

Created by two moms with a passion for sports, fitness and their children, AllStarBuddies.com is a virtual playground based in the fictional town of Varsity Heights. Once you sign-up, members receive a user id and password and are able to choose one of seven sports-themed, animated characters as their onscreen persona… I actually took the time to do this and it’s pretty fun.

Also, once registered, members can engage in sports-themed games, classic arcade-style games, as well as activities geared towards learning. All of these activities are free for anyone to sign-up and participate in. Kids can expand their play and interaction thought by collecting the seven All Star Buddies plush toys, each of which comes with a unique, promotional code that they can enter online to receive extra privileges in Varsity Heights. The seven All-Star Buddies include:

• Ace (Baseball)
• Blitz (Football)
• Swish (Basketball)
• Deke(Hockey)
• Striker (Soccer)
• Deuce (Tennis)
• Chip (Golf)

As a mom of a two year old little girl I tried out the site for myself to see what I thought… made me feel old. I am sorta outta touch with virtual world video game stuff, but had fun anyhow! It’s really a cool site and I know some young guys who would love this (my little brother included)… it’s sports and computers all wrapped into one, a dream for a lot of young guys. Plus they learn about a healthy and positive lifestyle while playing. They learn about being a team player and even kids aren’t star athletes on the field can shine in this online community.

Like I said, this is a free online community for your child to join and if you are interested in starting to collect the All-Star Buddies plush toys, check the store locator on the All-Star Buddies site to find where they can be purchased locally or online.

Want To Try To Win An All-Star Buddy Plush Toy?

This giveaway is now closed. Be sure to check back for more great giveaways on Penny Pinching Parent!

I have an All-Star Buddy to give away to a lucky Penny Pinching Parent reader. All you have to do to enter is visit the All-StarBuddy.com site and check out the Buddies profiles… come back here and let me know which Buddy your little one would like the best. That’s it pretty simple.

Giveaway Details: This giveaway will end on Saturday, May 23rd at 11:59 PM EST. One entry per e-mail address. Open to U.S. residents only. Must complete entry form, duplicate entries will be deleted. A winner will be selected via Random.org. Winner will be notified via e-mail and will have 72 hours to respond before a new winner is randomly selected.