"We were just happy to have a quiet night out and a chance to network with other people involved in New Hampshire’s Internet economy. We never really expected to win anything," John admitted after the event. Yet winners they were, taking home third place in the "Best Site for Kids" category.

"It was quite a surprise to hear our name announced and see our home page projected on the huge screen," Wendy added, "especially when you see some of the names that were in the competition." Nearly 300 sites were competing for awards in 14 different categories, which were presented at the Awards Gala by master of ceremony Chris Thomas of WMUR-TV.

Described by the judges as an "interesting, attractive, engaging site," Gigglemoose.com is dedicated to exploring and preserving nature with children, parents, and teachers. It provides articles, activity ideas, games, homework helpers, teaching resources, and a new online Nature Learning Store. It was originally conceived when the Schlims were searching the Internet for information about nature to share with their five children.

"There are so many informative and entertaining sites out there," says John, "but it’s difficult to find them all. We’d go to one site for gardening information, then search for others about animals, the weather, oceans, birds, etc. We’d spend far more time searching than we did learning. So I thought, why not create one site that includes information on all of these topics and serves as a gateway to similar sites? Our two oldest daughters, Stephanie and Rebecca, even helped plan what was really originally intended just for them. But then they told some classmates and teachers about it and other people began finding it. Soon we were getting nature questions and e-mails from Kansas, Wisconsin, Oregon, and other states, mostly from teachers and home schoolers. They inspired us to keep expanding the scope of the site. When we began getting requests to recommend books and educational materials, we decided to launch the online store. It offers books, videos, workbooks, curriculum, educational supplies, gardening gear, and fun stuff for enjoying the great outdoors. We expand the inventory every week and plan on adding a mail order catalog."

"We’re not in this trying to become the next hot Internet IPO," adds Wendy. "This is about doing something we love. It’s about sharing a hobby and a lifestyle with our kids. If our site helps other parents, teachers, and children rediscover the simple joys of nature, that’s even better. This award is especially satisfying for John, who spends the wee hours of the night working on the site. I don’t know who was happier that we won; us or our kids when we got home!"

The awards event was created by NH.com, one of the leading online sources for news, information, and events in New Hampshire, and judged by the New Media department at the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. It was produced with the assistance of partners WMUR-TV, New Hampshire Community Technical College-Nashua, WZID-FM, and Keane, Inc. In addition to recognizing online excellence in New Hampshire, the program promotes the development of technology and communication in the state and also benefits the youth of New Hampshire by providing technology assistance to Girls, Inc. of NH. For more information on the New Hampshire Internet Awards and a complete list of winners, visit www.NH.com.

Gigglemoose, based in Kensington, N.H., was founded in 1999 by John and Wendy Schlim. Dedicated to exploring and preserving nature with children, parents, and teachers, its Web site (http://www.gigglemoose.com) provides informative and entertaining articles, activity ideas, games, homework helpers, interactive experiences, teaching resources, and free e-mail newsletters to subscribers. Gigglemoose.com also serves as a gateway to related Web sites and recently launched an online Nature Learning Store offering books, videos, curriculum, environmental education supplies, gardening gear, and products for enjoying the great outdoors. Orders are accepted from schools, daycare centers, home schoolers, and general consumers.

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