Best Storybook Websites for Kids

For Enjoyment 

World of Peter Rabbit – Whether you or your kids are a fan, you will both find something to love in this site.  Learn about Beatrix Potter and her beautiful Lake District or if you click on the FUN link, you’ll explore her characters and books, as well as enjoy activities that you can do with your little ones.  I recommend the Storytime link where you can enjoy the a storybook with the accompanying audio.

http://www.peterrabbit.com/?territory=3&country=22

 Guys Read- Jon Scieszka’s website is a great resource to find books that boys will like.  Don’t expect to find ’stuff’ to do on this site except to learn a little about the author and search for books that appeal to boys.    

http://www.guysread.com/

Inkless Tales – This website has a bit of prose and poetry.  Some of the poetry has an audio option.  The graphics are fairly simple and the stories and poems are short, but they should suit your little one just fine.  There are also some educational games.  

http://www.inklesstales.com/

Between the Lions- Your kids will love reading with the Lions.  They probably already know the characters from the PBS show, now let them read books with them too.  Very easy to navigate as you just scroll up and down to find the story you want to have read, and the Lion will read along with your little one. The only problem is that the screen may be a bit too small, but it’s still nice to follow the story.

http://pbskids.org/lions/stories/ 

Merpy – This site is good for older kids.  Probably 7yrs and up.  The stories require Flash plug-in and you have the option of reading along with the animation or with only audio. 

http://www.merpy.com/index_stories.html

Aesop’s Fables- I’ve been reading Aesop’s Fables to my four-year old a lot these days and although she may not fully understand some, she seems to really enjoy them, especially since she is such an animal lover.  I found this site and love what this professor has done.  For an Art class, her university students retell the classic fables along with HTML static images or with Macromedia Flash.  This site is easy to navigate, and although there is no audio, and not all fables are animated, it is a great site to begin to introduce this classic fables to your kids.

http://www.umass.edu/aesop/index.php

Sesame Street Workshop- Many of us grew up with Sesame Street, so it is a joy to see your own child enjoy it too.  The stories section in this site is cute.  The stories are animated, but only some have the audio that accompanies the words, while others only have the audio and not the words.  My little girl loves it because of Elmo. 

http://www.sesameworkshop.org/sesamestreet/?scrollerId=stories

Book Pop – This is another site better for your older kids of 5yrs or older.  The stories are a bit too complex for toddlers, but you may find other things that may interest your little one such as the Music Pop or Art Pop section. 

http://www.bookpop.com/bookpop.html

Word Girl- A part of the PBS family, I love this site because my little girl learns new vocabulary! Very important for both beginning and expert readers. We can never know enought words.

http://pbskids.org/wordgirl/index.html

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Parent Resources

Reading Rockets: This site is grant funded by the U.S. Department of Education to help families and educators alike teach, monitor, and assess the reading capabilities of our young ones.  If you have a struggling reader, this is a good site to inform yourself of ways to help your child. 

http://www.readingrockets.org/

Story Arts: This website is probably intended for educators as it includes lesson plans and curriculum ideas, but that is no reason that a parent couldn’t gain some ideas too.  This website is nicely made and fairly easy to navigate. Definitely worth a look.

http://www.storyarts.org/

U.S. Department of Education- Learn why it is important to help your child read today!

http://www.ed.gov/parents/read/resources/edpicks.jhtml

International Reading Association- Educators use this website constantly, you should too.  Don’t leave the education of your child in someone else’s hands.  Get a heads up on the latest literacy research.

http://www.reading.org/resources/tools/parent.html

Scholastic-Website with a little bit of everything. Every parent should visit this site at least once.

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/parentsHome.jsp

Reading Rainbow – This site is for parents and educators.  If you follow the resource index you’ll find activities or lesson plans that you can align with the book your child is reading.  A GREAT FIND!

http://pbskids.org/readingrainbow/parents_and_teachers/index.html

Hundley’s Ghosts…

these are photos from William Hundley’s collection Entoptic Phenomena 

i love the contrast of the surreal with a stark reality. 

please visit the photographers website, he is hilarious and poetic, a joy to perceive.

http://www.williamhundley.com/stream.html

whereabouts of grunge

have you ever wondered what our favorite grunge pioneers are up to these days…

 i have….

eddie vedder is….

a devoted partner to his girlfriend Jill and father of a beautiful lil girl, Olivia.

Stone Gossard (pearl jam guitarist) is….

A proud papa of a lil girl Vivian Sparks with wife Liz.

Chris Cornell is….

In love with his little girl Toni.

Courtney Love is ……

hopefully raising Frances Bean Cobain.

Anthony Kiedas is….

a new daddy to Everly Bear from girlfriend Heather

Dave Grohl is….

taking a stroll with his little girl Violet Maye

Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale are…..

One good looking happy family with son Kingston James McGregor

Break Up Songs to Sob to.

It is unbelievable how hard a break up can destroy you! Near break ups included. 

The feeling of pure emptiness. Loss. Broken inside. Alone. You can’t breathe. Your chest feels devoid of all life. I read in a magazine once that during a break up, the same dopamine levels that arise when you are first falling in love…ignite.  Which is why during a break up you are in the same passionate state as when you first fall in love and you just feel that you can not live without that person. 

Goddamn. Is that life playing one of its cruel little tricks or what? Just when you are trying to get ‘over’ a person, you find yourself back in that honeymoon phase where you’re blinded to any of the wrongdoings, all the shitty crap he/she did to you, all the memories of why you two should not be together, and instead you are aching to be near his/her body. You remember the laughs, the lips, the eyes, the hopes, and dreams you two had.   Yes, break ups suck. They are NOT fair.  But we have to find ways to deal with them. we just have to.  Rebound dating can help, but not if you set yourself up for another long term relationship.  Ice cream is good, but come on….ice cream.  Giving yourself a make-over is also good.  Nothing like having your ex seeing you looking damn good.   A sort of ‘na-na-na-boo-boo you can’t have me now’, that whether or not he/she truly regrets losing you, sure as hell makes you feel as if he/she does.

Personally i watch sappy movies and listen to music,  preferably sad sappy music. i don’t want to listen to love going good. i want to listen to love gone bad. i want to know that someone else has gone through it and that, yes, like the grandaddy of all break up songs…they survived! (“I will Survive” Gloria Gaynor).  I want to know that there is hope at the end of the dark, bleak tunnel.

Here is a list of my favorites.  Some are directly about break ups, others are about moving on, and a few are just about love in different forms.  I’ve also read that it is good for the soul to have a good cry out…be sad…mad….just don’t let it fester within you. I find that music helps you live through it again and again, then helps you just let it go… these songs have been especially cathartic for me and if you need them…you can borrow them too

Amen Omen – Ben Harper

Betterman- Pearl Jam

Sheela-Na-Gig – PJ Harvey

La Despedida – Manu Chao  (Translated: The Goodbye)

My Sweet Annette- Drive By Truckers

Swan Dive – Ani Difranco (not so much about breaking up..but moving on!)

Gravel – Ani Difranco 

Bag Lady- Erykah Badu

Booty – Erykah Badu

Nothing Compares To You- Sinead O Connor (of course!)

Cold Blooded Old Times – Smog

Fake Plastic Trees – Radiohead

Last Goodbye – Jeff Buckley

As Is- Ani Difranco

About A Girl- Nirvana 

Always On My Mind – Willie Nelson

Candy- Iggy Pop

And Your Bird Can Sing – Beatles

How Does It Feel? – Bob Dylan

Leavin Here – Pearl Jam

Another Lonely Day- Ben Harper

Walk Away - Ben Harper  (titled as “Here Comes the Sun” on my playlist)

I will Survive – Gloria Gaynor

You can find these songs on my Project Playlist (i didn’t find all of them, but most of them are there…just follow the link!) I had originally wanted to post the playlist onto the blog, but WordPress doesn’t allow it! it should….anyway..enjoy. btw–let me know if you have a song that you would like added to the list. misery loves company!

Project Playist

http://www.projectplaylist.com/node/17434492

my movie reviews.

My personal Movie Review Post: No pretension here, just movies i’ve seen recently and i’ve enjoyed (or not).  I’m not choosing big blockbusters for a reason…. god love little movies that could.

1) The Squid and the Whale

Mom and dad are divorcing.  The kids are caught in the middle.  That’s pretty much the gist of the movie.  The fact that mom (Laura Linney) and dad (Jeff Daniels) are both writers, makes things interesting as the characters are embued with an edge of quirkiness.  Mom and dad are both likeable, thus the viewer (like their two kids)  will also feel caught in the middle. You don’t know whether to side with mom (who has had numerous affairs within the marriage) or with dad (who is beginning to fail as a writer but remains an intellectual snob).  The acting is top notch and the script is well written.  I enjoyed it. 

2) Bug

I had high hopes for this one.  I had never seen or read the play it is based on, so I was expecting MORE.  Directed by The Exorcist director William Friedkin, I expected to be scared out of my wits.  I wasn’t.  Actually, for a while, I was bored.  My mother, who was watching it with me, fell asleep.  Ashley Judd’s performance was somewhat typical as a down-and-out ex-wife of an abusive convict who is let out of jail (Harry Connick, Jr.).  Michael Shannon however, did justice to his role.  When he was on-screen, you just wanted to watch him.  Unfortunatley, the film went nowhere. We kept waiting for something.  But there was nothing.  A lot of rambling.  Theories.  Crazy. But in the end nothing.  I was completely letdown.

3) The Brave One

I watched this one at the cinema and people seemed to enjoy it.  They clapped when Foster’s character Erica poked her gun through a fence and told her one-time mugger, “I want my dog back”.  I thought the movie was definitely entertaining.  Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard, the detective who has a more than professional interest in Foster’s character, gave enthralling performances.  However, I did have a problem with Foster’s character development.  I know, the mugging was supposed to be ‘life’ changing, and she repeated more than once that she was not the same person, but I found her metamorphisis a bit too dramatic.  She went from a happy go lucky radio personality, to a dark, moody, and dangerous vigilante  (a la comic legend Punisher?).  But, if you are able to ignore that aspect, this movie is definitely a fun ride, a sort of super hero movie that is less super and more human.  

4) The Chumbscrubber

    

I loved Jamie Bell in Billy Eliot and although his character in this movie is not nearly as endearing as Billy, I thougth the movie itself was both strange and appealing at the same time.   There is no genius plot here.  Bell’s character’s best friend kills himself, driving some in the suburban hell hole, manic.  Glenn Close is her usual steely, creepy self as the unfortunate dead boy’s mother, who seems to go even crazier with the idea that it was ‘her’ fault.  Meanwhile, some teenage jerks at school decide to blackmail Bell’s character into giving them the dead boy’s huge stash of prescription drugs.  This movie isn’t Donnie Darko or Edward Scissorhands, but it is definitely looking to expunge suburbia’s supposed perfectness record.  If you don’t like disturbing or dark comedy movies, this one is not for you, but if you are in the mood for a sarcastic rendition of suburbia..this one will suit you just fine.

5) Half Nelson

I will tell you what this movie is NOT.  It is NOT The Freedom Writers, Dangerous Minds, Stand and Deliver, Stand By Me, or Tuesdays With Morrie.  The teacher in this movie, played by a wonderful Ryan Gosling, is a horrible one.  He would probably be a brilliant teacher, if it wasn’t for his pesky little drug problem.  During impromptu lessons with blood shot eyed Dan (Gosling), you are not sure who cares less about school, the students or their teacher.   I don’t like ‘teacher’ movies much, but like I said, this movie is NOT that.  What is most disturbing however, is that just like the other teacher movies that have been inspired by real teachers, Half Nelson, although not based on anyone in particular (at least i don’t think), is also a true representation of many educators today.  This movie is definitely worth the watch.

radiohead is bold.

this is pretty amazing. i am a huge radiohead fan. radiohead is a band unlike any others and here is proof of that!

i loved that guy who said he would pay whatever he thought the band was worth…five or six dollars. ahum. okay.  shouldn’t we applaud a band who is just trying to get their music out there..whatever the cost.  yes, radiohead have already proved themselves, they are not a typical band, people absolutely love them and they rank up there as  one of the best bands ever in many people eyes. so, it may not be the riskiest move ever, but it is certainly noble of them…don’t you think?

 anyway. here are a few links that might interest you if you are as intrigued buy all this as i:

http://www.inrainbows.com/Store/Quickindex.html   <—where you can make your radiohead purchase

http://www.radiohead.com/deadairspace/  <—-their official website full of wondrous ramblings

Lists of news sites:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2007/10/03/bmcolumn103.xml

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/01/AR2007100100642.html

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/business/la-et-radiohead2oct02,0,3245022.story?coll=la-home-entertainment

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/10/02/ap4180100.html

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=3675169

October Awareness

Oh. Wonderful, beautiful October is here.  The appearance of pumpkins, leaves, and dangling tissue-ghosts are enough to bring about nostalgic smiles of childhood fun.  This is the month children get to realize their dreams of being something magical.  Yes, Halloween is (next to Christmas, of course) probably a child’s most exciting time.  I have been an angel, a bee, a pirate, a hippie, a geisha, Wonderwoman, and a fairy, all because of that wonderful holiday.

However, while searching for your child’s perfect costume (probably a Disney princess or something consisting of a sword and an eyepatch), and while scouring your brain for the jack-o-lantern that is sure to win the contest this year (yes, this year!), do not let October go by without taking your own health and well being unchecked.

 As parents, we tend to neglect ourselves to ensure that our kids (and pets, at times) are in perfect condition, but you need some tlc, too.

I bring this up because October is a month of awareness.  In particular it is:

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

As a small homage to all those fighting Breast Cancer, please visit this website, and I urge you to at least read one article (inform yourself and inform others!).  If you need support or want to support others, this is a good place to start.   http://www.nbcam.org/ ,   http://cms.komen.org/komen/index.htm

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Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Whether or not we have firsthand experience with domestic violence, it is vital that we acknowledge and understand the many ways domestic violence injures body, mind, and soul.  http://www.ncadv.org/takeaction/DomesticViolenceAwarenessMonth_134.html , http://www.usda.gov/da/shmd/aware.htm If you need help : http://www.ndvh.org/

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October 11 is National Depression Screening Day

Depression cripples.  There are many people that live with some form of depression, from mild to major, but few really understand its complications.  Research is now finding that depression starts out as a sickness of the mind and evolves into a sickness of the body. If you know someone conflicted with depression, the best help you can offer is that of understanding.  You can begin here: http://www.familyaware.org/ ,  http://www.mentalhealthscreening.org/locator/NDSDmap.aspx , http://www.freedomfromfear.org/

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SIDS Awareness Month

Unfortunately, many parents and infants today must suffer the horrors of this  syndrome.  If you are expecting  or are a new parent, it is vital you visit these sites:  http://firstcandle.org/ , http://www.nichd.nih.gov/sids/ , http://www.marchofdimes.com/ 

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Have a Good Day Whilst Seeking Wisdom.

Websites for Women

I decided to compile a nice list of sites that every woman can benefit from (at some point in their lives). I chose these sites because they are easy to use, there are few distracting ads, and they contain useful/entertaining/important information.    

For the General Woman:

www.ivillage.com

http://www.parenting.com/parenting

http://www.venuszine.com/ : music and arts for the tre modern you

http://www2.oprah.com/index.jhtml : because Oprah is everyone’s hero!

 http://sheknows.com/ : a site with a little bit of everything.

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For the Domestic Diva:

http://www.marthastewart.com/ : the famous ms. stewart. her site is beautiful and has loads of information.

http://www.bhg.com/bhg/ : Better Homes and Garden website. we all love the magazine, enjoy the website too!

http://craftywomensrecipebook.blogspot.com/ : Learn about food.

http://www.vegetarianwomen.com/

 http://www.naturallysavvy.com/index.php : going green is all the rage. visit this website to understand whats going on and how you can Go Green yourself.

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The Crafty Creative Femme:

http://ohmystars.net/ : get creative. your starting point for DIY.

http://www.thriftdeluxe.com/ :DIY for the cool

http://www.bejane.com/ : helping women do it themselves! yay. from carpentry to plumbing, this site has the resources to help YOU not need to call on HIM.

http://www.theswitchboards.com/switchboards_home.html : A resource for the DIY’ers who are also business savvy! Includes plenty of links to other DIY sites (for shopping, resources).

http://www.etsy.com/ : okay so you’re already a DIY expert, a craft connoisseur, so why not trying selling your original items here. while you’re at it, browse, network, shop!

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Educated Everywoman:

http://www.now.org/ : National Organization for Women

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/awhhtml/ : a guide to the American woman’s history

http://216.128.14.181/polarisproject/ :Polaris Project is dedicated to the destruction of human trafficking and modern day slavery

http://www.msmagazine.com/ ”More than a Magazine-A Movement”

http://www.distinguishedwomen.com/ : Amazing women you never knew about!

http://www.genderwatchers.org/NewsPage.htm : What are women doing all over the world?

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Health is Beauty

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/

http://www.everydayhealth.com/

http://women.webmd.com/default.htm : Web MD focuses on Women’s Health

http://www.revolutionhealth.com/ : Have health related questions, this is a great site to research and to network as well.

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have fun browsing. i will be back with more.  feel free to send me your favorite websites.

protect your child online

As promised, I did some research on ways to protect your child online. 

 Firstly, for the novice computer parent, let me break down a few terms you  may find a bit daunting.

spyware: In general, spyware is software that allows the installer to keep track of computer usage activities.  (for more info read : http://www.spywareinfo.com/articles/spyware/ )

internet filtering software (or content filtering software, parental control software, censorware, or filtering software) :  Used to “block sites that advocate potentially disquieting and hurtful content and can be customized to suit specific user requirement”.   In other words, this software can deter any ‘accidental’ clicking of pornographic, violent, hateful, or any other inappropriate information as you, the parent, see fit to block. (for more info: http://www.bsacybersafety.com/threat/content_filtering.cfm )

keylogger: Spyware software used to record the computer user’s every keystroke. This recorded information is then made available to the software installer.  (Basically, lets you read your kids e-mails, IM’s, etc..)
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Here are some dependable, user-friendly, easy-to-install, and FREE software that you can download to assist with your parental cyber duties.  

http://www.k9webprotection.com/this

 An internet filtering software made by the reputable Blue Coat company.  k9webprotection has gotten some of the best reviews of the free filtering software out there.  Look through their website to learn about the product, and if it looks good to you, then download for free.

http://www.parentalcontrolbar.org/

This is another internet filter that gets good reviews.  It is not perfect, however, as it has been known to allow some ‘dirty’ sites and block some ‘clean’ ones, but it is easy to use and because it is, after all, free! it is definitely better than nothing.

http://www.kidzcd.com/

This software manager is supposed to be easy to use  and offers some great features. For more info: ( http://www.download.com/Kidz-Protection-Software-Manager/3000-2162_4-10528419.html?tag=lst-0-10 )  

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 These are just some resources that I have found. If you visit the following website, you can search through more options.  This website offers free and cost options.  You will have access to both editor and user reviews, and it even allows you to search for software best suited for your computer.

http://www.download.com/Monitoring-Software/3150-2162_4-0.html

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Do not forget, that the key to good parental cyber duties is your involvement in your child’s everyday activities.  Please do not expect to download monitoring software and leave well enough alone.  If you are not informed of the potential dangers of your child’s use of the computer, please educate yourself.  Get your child involved in the process as well.  The more your child knows of the dangers, the more likely he/she will be able to protect him/herself.  

Here are a couple of websites where you can begin:

 http://www.i-safe.org/

http://www.netsmartz.org/

 http://tcs.cybertipline.com/

http://www.cybertipline.org/?gclid=CMz98PqQ7o4CFRIigAodR3OwKA

http://www.safekids.com/

http://www.fbi.gov/publications/pguide/pguidee.htm

http://www.webwisekids.org/

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 keep being responsible

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feel free to offer your experiences and knowledge on this topic. please comment.

Best Online Games for Your Little Ones.

I am in awe of my four year old daughter’s capability to use the computer.  She started messing with it at age two, and now at four, she understands how to use the mouse with proficiency, how to scroll, minimize, close, and understands the links and icons.  I have saved some of her favorite sites on the favorites menu and although she does not read, she is able to go to her favorite sites by looking at the graphics.

Here are some of her favorite sites that I too suggest:

Games:

http://www.noggin.com/games/index.php

From the Noggin channel.  I particularly like this one because it has A LOT (from videos, to print out activities, to games).  Many games and videos also encourage your child to get up from the chair and exercise or dance. 

 http://www.agkidzone.com/games.action  *Updated: this link was previously not working. It works now.

This site is for those that love the two classic cartoons, The Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake.  They have been modernized on this site however, for your little one.  There are not as many games here as there are on Noggin, but the graphics are nice and bright and the games are fun.

http://pbskids.org/

This site is a great place to start if your child is only beginning to learn the basics of using the mouse.   Even the older kids (8-11) will find something to enjoy if you click on the pbskids Go link located on the right side of the page. 

http://www.qubo.com/games.asp

My daughter liked only some of the games on the site (particularly the Babar games), but I noticed that the fifth graders I worked with last semester really loved this site, so I imagine your older child will too.  I think some of the games might be a bit too difficult for the younger kids (under 5) but the over 6 crowd may enjoy them. 

http://atv.disney.go.com/playhouse/games/index.html

Of course, we couldn’t have a child’s list without including Disney.  There are loads of things to do on this site, your little ones will love seeing their most beloved characters (Mickey, Pooh, Tigger, Goofy) interact with them.

http://www.buildabear.com/buildabearville/#/playground/

Another of my daughter’s absolute favorites.  There are many simple games on here that she loves playing.  Like pbskids.org, this is a good place to start if your child needs practice with the mouse (click, drag-and-drop, scroll).

www.nickjr.com

This site, like Noggin or DisneyPlayhouse, also has a lot of things to look through, but I find it is not very user friendly.  It is organized more-so by shows rather than games, activities, or videos, but it is fine if your child likes to browse through his/her favorite cartoons.  

http://www.cogcon.com/gamegoo/gooey.html

This site is educational! YAY, we all love that.  It is probably best for a child aged 5 and over.  There are different levels of achievement (beginner, intermediate, and advanced), but even the beginner requires some level of letter/word  awareness.

http://www.bigcomfycouch.us/

Another site dedicated to teaching preschoolers.  There are not many games on here, but they are educational and fun so your little ones won’t mind the limited choices.  There are games on letters, shapes, and colors. 

http://www.uptoten.com/kids/uptoten-home.html

This site has loads of games with Boowa and Kwala. They are the cutest characters that your kids will fall in love with.  However, it is a bit difficult to navigate through SO much! This requires a bit of time to look through what is best for your child, but it is really a top notch site.  If you click the Search link you’ll be able to describe a game you may want for your child, or you can choose either a game or educational category and browse.  You can then choose the game that is best for your child’s age.  This site has games for all ages! !
Your first visit – Boowa and Kwala’s favorite games

Those are just a few of a long list of games.  I chose these because they are 1)fun, 2)user-friendly, 3)educational, and 4)FREE! . 

There really are so many wonderful things your child can do and learn with the wonderful computer.  However, remember to limit his/her use of the computer as dirt and sunshine are a necessary component to your child’s growth.  Please monitor your child’s use of the computer, and remember there are now loads of free software you can download to block unwanted websites.  I will draw you up a list of those necessary things to safeguard your children from on-line predators and inappropriate websites in a future blog.

Enjoy.