When I was growing up, before going outside to play, parental instructions were, "Be home by dark" and "Don't talk to strangers". That was before the computer age and was a time when parents depended on school teachers to teach their children in reading, writing and arithmetic.
We live in a much different world today. Before beginning school, children not only know their ABC’s but most also have basic reading and number recognition skills. Parents (or grandparents, aunts or uncles) looking for kid-safe learning games may be interested in ItzaBitza or kidthing.
ItzaBitza is a kids learning game from http://sabigames.com/kids-games/itzabitza/. It has a target audience of kids ages 4 to 8. The program is listed at $19.99 and is compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7.
The free content available from ItzaBitza includes Let’s Read!PDF (1.5MB), by Dr. Diana Sharp with creative ways to plant seeds of a lifelong love of reading in your child. Also available is Sketchy Adventures PDF (2.1MB):
The Sketchies are waiting to go on an adventure with you and your child! Each adventure is designed to engage your child in using their creativity and imagination to come up with their own endings.
The ItzaBitza drawing games are intended to allow kids to interact with their drawings. As kids play, they are using creative thinking, problem solving, and reading comprehension skills.
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Kids play, read, learn safely online and more from http://www.kidthing.com/
The kidthing player is free to download and includes a few free things not only to get you started but also to evaluate if it will suit your child. The products at the kidthing store cost between $ .99 and $ 7.99. kidthing is compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.
kidthing™ was formed with a single goal in mind - create a new platform that keeps kids safe while using the Internet to have fun learning, sharing and getting to know the world around them.
The company was founded by a team of experienced business people, technologists, and designers. We all have kids and are just as worried about them surfing websites as you are about yours.
kidthing leverages the power and global reach of the Internet to deliver fun and engaging content to kids everywhere, yet keeps them off of the World Wide Web and all of the inappropriate and potentially harmful things that they can encounter there.
As your children begin to explore the computer and the Internet on their own, it is important for parents and family members to have the tools to keep them safe. In addition to the resources provided below, an excellent on-line resource for parents and family members is the website, BeWebAware.
Be Web Aware is a national, bilingual public education program on Internet safety. The initiative was developed and supported by Media Awareness Network (MNet), Bell and Microsoft Canada. It includes safety tips by age, information for parents on cyberbullying, privacy, gaming, marketing aimed at kids, and much more.
A Small Selection of Kid-Safe Websites and Activities
- Cool Math Games
- NASA for Kids
- National Geographic For Kids
- Online and Downloadable Educational Freeware
- PBS Kids
- Scholastic for Kids
- Smithsonian for Kids
- Starfall
Child Safety Help for Parents
- Age-based safety tips for kids
- BeWebAware
- Sample family contract for house Internet rules
- 4 steps parents can take to help protect kids online
- Basics to teach kids about the Internet
- Guide to Using Parental Controls
- Resources for Parents, Teachers and Young People
Clubhouse Tags: Clubhouse, Challenge-Apps, Family Safety, Games, Story, Windows Vista, Windows 7,
Remember - "A day without laughter is a day wasted."
May the wind sing to you and the sun rise in your heart...
Don't forget the other side of the Pond, check out http://www.ceop.gov.uk/
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