Online Tools: Websites for Making Avatars (for kids under 13)

I'm doing a program for 3rd-6th graders this summer, at the public library.  After a rocky start, I've sort of focused on the goal of teaching kids how to make stuff online.  I'm sure I'm being influenced by the whole Maker movement, but I also notice that lots of kids use the computer passively--watching videos and clicking madly, but rarely contributing by commenting or creating something new.  So now I'm on a mission to change that.

Review: The Adventures of a South Pole Pig by Chris Kurtz

I was looking for readalikes for The Tale of Despereaux, which the teachers at my school like to read aloud, when I came across The Adventures of a South Pole Pig.  It has an old fashioned way about it--well spoken animal characters, true danger, and a slightly bumbling but good-hearted hero.  And while I don't usually go in for talking animals, I was quite charmed.