Important Advisory:

The Asterisk on the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Lead-Free* Platinum Award list indicates that samples from only one particular batch of these toys tested lead free.  Other production runs or samples of the same products may contain lead.

We have not had the other toys on our website independently tested for lead content. For the future, we are requiring companies to provide us with documentation that their products have been tested by an independent lab and found to be free of surface and embedded lead, as well as phthalates.  

2. Avoid Information Overload

When kids look for information on the net they can be overwhelmed by the amount of information available.  If they have not yet mastered the ability to scan text for relevancy they may just feel that they'll never find the information they need.  It's like going to the Library of Congress when what you need is the friendly local librarian.  My sixth grade daughter recently had to do a brief research project on important places in France.  She turned to the web...and found hundreds of sites - for each tourist attraction in the country.  Without an overview, she was lost. 

I suggested that she start with an encyclopedia.  We tried Encarta Reference Suite ($64.95, http://www.microsoft.com/encarta, Windows 95/98), pictured below.  It has a great opening page for each article that shows an outline of the subject, links to the web, and other articles in the encyclopedia.  Just by scanning the page she was able to narrow her focus for the report.  She gained an overview of the material, a solid foundation for further exploration.