When Mason Howard returned from four years in South America, the then young teacher was approached to collaborate on the creation of an online game to help children learn how to be socially and environmentally responsible while they learned the basics.

Kathy Smith was then teaching at Middleburg's Hill School, but she too wanted to help create online curriculum that would instill an understanding of stewardship in young children while they learned.

Together they have been at it for more than 10 years.

Both young educators understood that their game would have to be closely aligned with national education standards for it to be attractive to and useful for teachers. As teachers themselves, they were determined to create a service that would offer a real buffet of fresh material so teachers could use it one week and not the next if that best served their purposes.

They also decided their material must be available in English and Spanish.

"Our impetus was to reach out to elementary teachers to provide quality material at no charge," explained Mason. "We were absolutely convinced that children were more than capable of learning the importance of their role in the world as they learned the basics."

Today, more than ten years later, 20,000 teachers, home schoolers and educators across the country and around the globe rely on Maggie's Earth Adventures to complement their curricula. The critically acclaimed, award-winning online site that was inspired by a philanthropist who believed in the power of children to change the world, is a widely recognized and respected educational tool.

"The site is designed to offer many activity zones with a brand new weekly activity packet added every Tuesday," Mason continued. "We enjoy addressing timely issues. While the larger publishing companies simply cannot quickly respond to the Tsunami in Japan, we can. That adds a lot of value."

"When educators sign up for our free service, they have the opportunity to purchase entry into "Maggie's Treasure Trove" which is a complete file of every activity we have created. This not only a valuable resource but it allows us to generate revenue as well."

"Recently, a Louisiana based teacher suggested that we work hard to comply with their geography standards. By doing so, we improved our world view offerings significantly."

"We also added a 'Smart Snacking' activity just a few weeks ago to correlate with The First Lady's "Let's Move' initiative."

In order to take their idea from concept to reality, the two young teachers tested their idea with focus groups and teachers they knew.

"Eleven years ago, my children were great testers," Mason emphasized.

Their first Irish graphics team was brilliant, according to Mason, and now, eleven years later, they are redesigning their home page and content to be even more attractive and compelling.

The new "Maggie's Earth Adventure" site, launching early next month, will also include newly designed research tools to allow more interaction with teachers and partners.

"We work closely with our teachers and partners to shape content and to continue to meet rapidly evolving education standards," she said. "It's very important to involve our users and listen closely to their requests."

Although Maggie's Earth Adventure correlates closely to national standards in math, language arts, science and social studies, it also includes lessons and materials on different cultures. For instance, later this month they will feature an aboriginal arts activity and past activities include segments on the Dogon people of Mali and the Great Wall of China.

It is not only in the classroom that Maggie provides fascinating game time to early learners. Parents find it extremely valuable on long trips and vacations or as an alternative to less educational games offered on line.

Created and managed by a team of four, Maggie's Earth Adventures is a perfect example of how dedicated professionals can capitalize on new technology to improve society. Essentially a team of only four, the team remains as enthusiastic and loyal to young students as they were when they began. Caryle Bryant-Spina, Director of Marketing and Jessica Mocarski, Project Coordinator complete the Maggie's Earth Adventure team. Each team member is highly accomplished in her own right, and each is actively involved in the many trade shows and education fairs they participate in each year.

"The fact that we have earned the enthusiastic support of children and the respect of educators and parents worldwide is a great reward," Mason concluded.

"What could be better than helping young people understand the world and their responsibility to it? We feel fortunate to have this opportunity and we are determined to set high standards and help our users and partners meet them."

Please visit Maggie's Earth Adventures at www.missmaggie.org or contact Mason Howard at mason@missmaggie.org