Have you ever wanted a safe site for your children to play on that has it all? No more constant web surfing needed after you visit TVOKids! This site is filled with an enormous range of activities for children ages 2-5 and 11 & under  to enjoy.  It has games targeted towards reading, math, science, art, spelling, music, and sports, just to name a few.  TVOKids really provides a way for children to improve a number of important skills while still having a great time.  The fun doesn’t stop there, in addition to having a range of games, they also have a variety of videos which range from cooking instructions to providing tips and help on homework.

Each age group has it’s own home page with links to the games, videos and more.   I played games and watched videos on both age group sites and found them both worthwhile.  One of my favorite games on the older children’s site was called Dino Dan.  In this game you are provided with tools to find the fossils just like a real life archaeologist would  such as a sonar, a shovel, a brush, and a shifter which all need to be used at specific times.  You advance through the game by finding fossils in the dig site to form a number of different extinct dinosaurs.    

In addition to the dig site, another cool feature of this game is the Dino Lab.  This section includes a Hatchery (where dino eggs are cared for), a Yearbook (which shows some of the game’s character Dan’s friends), and a Dinocyclopedia (where you can learn about all the dinosaurs whose fossils you’ve found).  There are also a couple of dinosaur themed mini-games within that are unlocked after finding a certain number of complete dinosaur skeletons. A cool option about this game is that you can but aren’t required to create a login account.  This is nice for continuous play action and does require a parent’s email.  If you child likes dinosaurs they will most certainly love this game, I know i did!

Not to leave out the 2-5 age group site, a game that I thought was particularly entertaining and educational in the category of reading and spelling was called The Adventures of Sir Readsalot.  This game reads a page of a story aloud in a very silly sounding voice, while simultaneously highlighting each specific word.   This really allows the child to connect the sound with the visual spelling of the word.  After the short part of the story is read one word disappears and you must click around the  castle background to find the letters that make up the word.  Almost every object is click-able and moves around a little when clicked.  Even if you don’t click on the correct one to find a letter, you can enjoy the reaction from the object you did click as it moves around.  The game also helps you out in finding the letter if you are having trouble by providing a red arrow which will point to the desired location.

In conclusion, TVOKids felt very safe in my opinion  and had a variety of fun activities for kids.  The site is free and I have yet to see any ads located anywhere really on the site, which is nice since ads seem to pop up everywhere.  I highly recommend this site. Enjoy!

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Under $20

Preschool

Jump Start Pet Rescue for the Wii – For Under $20 this game is an INCREDIBLE bargain for 3-6 year olds.  See my complete review here.

A Subscription to Jump Start.com where your preschooler – early grade schooler can learn while having fun. Full review here.

Pajama Sam and Other Humungous Games – Putt Putt and Fredi Fish are WONDERFUL adventure Games for the PC (and some for the Wii) to help children think logically. I have the full review here and these games are perfect for ages 3-7. You can see my full review here.

Grade School

Tropix & Tropix 2 — Available for the PC, Nintendo DS or through Shockwave online. This is a wonderful educational and fun game for ages 6-12.  See my full review here.

Pajama Sam and Other Humungous Titles – Pajama Sam and Spy Fox are adventure games that make you feel immersed in the story and help teach logic and problem solving.  These are for ages 5-10 and you can see my full review here.

Try a month on one of the top social educational networking sites for kids.

Many of these sites are $5-$6/month and the one way to get to know if it is worth the money and if your child will get their money’s worth is to pay for one month as a trial run.  Here are my picks for this year:

Moshi Monsters (Age 6 and up) – See full review here. Awesome, safe, educational and fun site for kids.

Secret Builders – (Ages 6 and up) – See full review here. Safe, educational site combining gaming and adventure.

Super Secret – (Ages 10-16) – See full review here.  Fun, safe and keeps the kids interested and learning.

Zula World – (Ages 5 and up) – See full review here. Safe, educational and fun.

Teens & Whole Family

Machinarium – My review for the free version is here and the full version is only $20

Auditorium – My review is here.  For $10.99 you get the full version of this INCREDIBLY beautiful and musical game.

IPhone/ITouch Gift Card — If your child has an ITouch or an IPhone — a gift card for $20 can go a long way.  Many games are just $.99. Click here for a list of my Top 5 ITouch/IPhone  Educational Apps.

Under $50

MOST games for the PC and Nintendo Wii an Nintendo DS Fall into this category.  I stand by my recommendations for last year.  You can find the ones for the PC here and the ones for Nintendo DS here.

In addition I recommend 6 month or yearly subscriptions to the above social networking learning sites for kids re-listed here:

A Subscription to Jump Start.com – Ages (3-6) where your preschooler – early grade schooler can learn while having fun. Full review here.

Moshi Monsters (Age 6 and up) – See full review here. Awesome, safe, educational and fun site for kids.

Secret Builders – (Ages 6 and up) – See full review here. Safe, educational site combining gaming and adventure.

Super Secret – (Ages 10-16) – See full review here.  Fun, safe and keeps the kids interested and learning.

Zula World – (Ages 5 and up) – See full review here. Safe, educational and fun.

Teens & Whole Family

Super Mario Brothers Wii – My kids just got this “for my husband” for his birthday and it has become a new family favorite.  We are HUGE Mario Brothers Fans and this game does not disappoint.  There are many new features including the ability for 4 players to play simultaneously which is tons of fun. Check out the link in the picture or here to see all the amazing reviews on amazon.com.

Wii Sports Resort – This game continues to be fun for the whole family.  My whole review is here for this fantastic game.

Over $50

The Whole Family

ITouch — This is THE portable device for kids.  If you have a wireless connection at home or know some place in your area that does – your child has access to download games, music, movies, tv shows and more without even plugging in the ITouch.  Many apps (applications) are free.  You can use this as an IPOD, web browser, game player and even to text.  All the goodness of the IPhone without the cell phone monthly cost.  One of my favorite things is there is no more STUFF.  When my kids receive game; CD Roms, DS and Wii games can take up space…. With this you and people who want to give your children gifts can just keep adding money to the Apple Account with gift cards and everything fits right on that tiny ITouch.  This was my son’s request for his birthday so instead of clutter he got useful games, apps to help him with school and a few of his favorite TV shows and songs uploaded.There are many different versions of the ITouch and they are priced according to how much space is available on them but all of them have most the same wonderful capabilities.

Wii – The Nintendo Wii has JUST lowered it’s price to just under $200 which makes it an even more incredible deal. If you have followed my blog for a while you know I have enjoyed over 3 years of fun with the Wii and cannot say enough good things about it. It has us all playing together and up off the sofa doing so.  I reviewed my favorite Wii and DS Games last year here.

There have been SO many amazing non violent and educational sites and games released over the last few years.  It is my honor to review them and boy do my kids love that I do!  I wish you all a very happy holiday and if you ever have any games or sites you think I should look at — please email the link to me with a description.  Thanks so much for your support.

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Wii Sports Resort is not just a kid’s computer game — it is a game the whole family will enjoy playing. Whether it is fencing, ping pong, basketball, wakeboarding, archery, skydiving or any of the other many games that are offered – there is truly something for everyone.  The game play is so realistic and the addition of the Wii Motion Controller adds to the feel of you really being IN the game.  I feel this game is appropriate for all ages but there are definitely some games where the controls might take some getting used to for the younger kids.  It is a pleasure to bring you my review, a little about each game offered and some things I really enjoy about Wii Sports Resort.

Let’s begin with the video so you can get a feel for what it is like:

Wii Motion Controller

When you buy this game you can get one Wii Motion Controller (you add it to your existing remote) or you can get the expanded game pack that comes with 2 motion controllers. Honestly I wish I had known about the edition with 2 before I bought the first.  The Wii Motion Controller adds to the realistic game play and to buy a second motion controller AFTER the fact is more expensive than just getting the original pack with 2 included.  With just one controller you have to pass it back and forth and cannot play simultaneously.  Many of these games are one player but it would be really nice for the whole family or at least more than one to play the option of playing simultaneously.  I think additional Wii Motion Controllers will be on our Christmas list! They are easy to snap onto the existing Wii remotes and to snap off if need be.  It does feel like it adds to the sensitivity and REALNESS of play.

Games

There are MANY games included in Wii Sports Resort and within those games are other versions of the games for you to unlock.  The games include:

Swordplay — Fencing is so realistic in this game.  Hold and swing the Wii remote like a sword.  There are modes where you can slice through fruit, duel or have a showdown against multiple sword fighters.  Nintendo is great at making fencing ultra realistic and celebrating the sport it is rather than having it be like sword fighting.  My kids LOVE this one.

Wakeboarding — Hold the Wii Remote like you would a handle if you were water skiing or wake boarding.  Carve the water by tilting the Wii Remote left and right and pull up when you get over a wake to get huge air and do fun tricks.  This one took a little while to get the hang of but we all loved it when we did.

Archery — Use the Wii Remote and Nunchuck exactly like you would a bow and arrow.  You have 12 shots to hit the target and you add up your points to beat your high scores and compete against other players by taking turns.

Frisbee — Throw your frisbee on the beach at the target so your dog can run and catch it.  Yeah, I was scared with this one – any Wii game that involves throwing makes my heart stop a bit when my 6 year old takes the control for the first time.  I am happy to report the TV IS still in one piece and my kids really enjoy this one as well.  You can also unlock Frisbee Golf which has the objective of throwing the Frisbee and getting it to the green in as few throws as possible.

Basketball — Compete to see who can make the most 3 point shots in the time limit.  After playing this you can unlock a pick up game and this is one I wish I had the extra Wii Motion Controller for — so we could play simultaneously.

Power Cruising — You use the Wii Remote and Nunchuck like you would two handle bars on a Jet Ski.  You can ride the waves and this one is another one that takes a little getting used to but is so much fun once you do.  You can play the Slalom Course  or a game versus another player – would be good to have the extra controls for this one as well if you want more than one to play.

Cycling — Use the Wii Remote and Nunchuck like pedals.  Pacing is important in this game because if you pedal too fast for too long your Wii character will become tired.  Play as a road race or against another player in your home.  Also need additional controllers for the VS. mode.

Golf – If anyone in your family enjoyed Golf in the original Wii Sports this is for them!  My husband is a big fan of this one and says this version is a upgraded and offers more courses than the last. You swing the Wii Remote JUST like a golf club and the game play is very realistic.

Table Tennis — Swing the Wi Remote just like a Ping Pong paddle.  Very realistic game play and yet another that would be even more fun if there were 2 Wii Motion Controllers.  Without you can still play against the computer and game play gets harder as your skill level increases. After playing the first version you can unlock Return Challenge where you can take turns returning as many serves as you can.

Bowling — This version of Bowling allows you to choose manual throwing style (as in Wii Sports) or automatic throwing style so any time your hand moves forward like you are throwing the ball it is released. A nice option to make it even easier for younger ones. After playing the regular game you can unlock 2 more fun bowling games “100 Pin Game” and “Spin Control”.

Canoeing — Hold the Wii Remote like an oar and start paddling!  You can play the speed challenge or vs. mode — take turns playing or use extra controls to play simultaneously.

Air Sports — This category is the favorite in my house. There are 3 different games offered.  Skydiving – Is tons of fun… you are the Wii remote as you jump from the plane.  You try and grab other players to form formations and have pictures taken with as many people connected and smiling as possible each time. This is very different from any other Wii Game I have played and one that made me say “AGAIN”. Island Flyover – This is my son’s favorite game. The Wii Remote IS the plane and you fly over beautiful scenery to try and find the

“i” targets above places and objects to shoot and then fly into.  Whether you are flying into a volcano or have unlocked flying at dusk – this game is very pretty and challenging.  They don’t tell you where the targets are and they don’t show up until you are close to them.  Exploration of the entire area is necessary and my son has a blast trying to find the remaining targets.  Dogfight – Fire your balloon blaster to knock out the other person’s balloons.  Another one you need the extra Wii Motion Controller for.

Overview

I LOVE Wii Sports Resort – this ranks in my top 5 Wii games without a doubt.  I love the Wii Motion Controller.  My only wish is that I knew some of the games required the additional accessory so I would have bought the combo pack to begin with instead of having to add it on at a larger cost.  There are MANY good games in this one package and ones that the kids will be playing for a long time to come.  Wii Sports Resort follows in the Nintendo tradition of making wonderful games for the entire family. I highly recommend Wii Sorts Resort but do yourself a favor and if you plan on playing with more than one player get the Expanded Wii Sports Resort with Two Controllers to begin with.

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As far as kid’s computer games go for the Wii – Jump Start Pet Rescue is one of THE BEST games I have found for 3-6 year olds. My children have played Jump Start Games since they were 3 and to see these characters come to life in a Wii game is WONDERFUL!  From designing their own avatar, to adopting pets to playing educational and fun games — Jump Start Pet Rescue will keep children entertained and learning for a long time.

My daughter, who is six loves this game.  She is a very good reader so thought a couple of the games were easy but still enjoys them and running around taking part in the many activities Jump Start has to offer. This game really makes children think and offers so much content that is educational AND fun. From designing their own “jumpee” (avatar) to running around and doing tasks and solving educational games — your child will be entertained AND learning for a long time. Enjoy this video to see some of the fun things Jump Start Pet Rescue for the Wii offers.

Some of my daughters favorite activities have been picking out a pet to play with, feed and train, exploring the worlds including going down the cool water slide and playing the MANY games that are offered.  Honestly my daughter is not easily impressed with games and she was blown away by this one.  Younger children might need a little help getting acclimated but the game design is very intuitive and this is the perfect game to begin your child with to learn how to use the Wii remote.

The game has 5 different worlds to explore with saving pets your main mission.  Your child will talk to and interact with the many fascinating and loved Jump Start characters to guide them to their missions.  There are games that educate in everything from math, letter recognition, repetition, memory and more.  Pet Rescue seems so vast and my daughter has played it four times for an hour each (my limit on games) and still has barely scratched the surface.

I think you can tell I like Jump Start Pet Rescue, huh?    I have reviewed many Jump Start products like their have a brilliant site (I reviewed it here and since they have added MANY additional features).  I also have reviewed  many of the wonderful games they offer for preschool through school aged children.  It was amazing to see these characters come to life for the Wii and I cannot recommend this game enough for ages 3-6. Thank you Jump Start for yet another amazing product.

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Overview

Each location in ZulaWorld has a sign post where you can see what you can do there. There is also your notepad on the bottom of the screen you can check to find out. Your character can walk around from place to place or you can click on the map to travel further. There are planets to visit and there is lots to see. The game play is intuitive and be sure to watch the screens as they load to get clues and tips. I feel kids 5 and up can play but children that can read will definitely get around easier.

There is a lot to do for free and paid members. A paid membership is $5.99 for one month, $29.99 for 6 months and $49.99 for 1 year. As a paid member you get to do the missions and some games you don’t have access to as a free member. You also get to take your Fweebs (pets) out of hibernation. You also get to fly your spaceship to other planets and buy more things from an additional store for your spaceship. Either membership gets you a communicator where you can keep in touch with your friends online.

Different Activities

There are many different activities in Zula World. You can download screen savers, buddy icons and wallpaper in DONWLOADS .Here are a few of my favorites activities:

Sing-a-longs

Lots of songs to choose from with a bouncing ball over the lyrics while the video plays so your child can follow along. OR you can print out the lyrics from a pdf format.

Theater

Watch videos with the Zula Patrol characters.

Pets

Buy a cute little Fweeb to tkae care of — but don’t forget to buy the ice as well.

Games

There are a few games that are consistent at the places you visit at each Games location but there are also games among the environment to discover. Walk around and figure it out or check your notepad for things to do. Here are a few of my favorite games:

Recycling

This is a game in the environment — go to West Zulapolis and collect the garbage dropped. It gets put in your backpack and when you return it to the Recycling Center and put it in the correct bins you get a badge for the first one in each category; cans/bottles, food and trash.

Gorga Dive

Like hangman with a different (less violent) approach. You begin on a diving platform. Guess a letter right and you go up a level, guess one wrong you go down a level. The object is to guess the word before you fall into the water. Depending on how high you are — you will do different dives into the water upon completing the level.

Zeeter Says

Just like the good old fashioned game “Simon”. They begin easy – remember the colored buttons pressed in the order they present… get harder……

Find the Difference

A favorite in my household. Two pictures – notice the differences and click on them — can you find all of them?

Find the Pair

I like this one! They start off easy but get much harder as they add more shapes in different colors. This is a wonderful educational game that would teach children attention to detail and color/shape recognition.

Summary

There are more games and many more places to explore in Zula World. This is a brief overview of this new site and I do recommend it. I feel most children aged 5 and up would really enjoy this site. Enjoy this safe site with no ads, science themed with lots of cool games and fun music and characters! Thanks Zula World!

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INCH WORM & INCH WORM 2

Yeah, I DO LOVE maze games – these are my favorite games on the site! This one is very cute and starts off REALLY easy and adds challenges as you proceed. There are 24 levels in Inch Worm 1 and 24 more mazes for you you solve in Inch Worm 2. You can use the keyboard OR the mouse to play with game which makes it even more accessible for different aged children. My kids saw this game on my screen this morning and both (ages 6 and 9) wanted to play and asked that I show them this site later on after school so they can solve them separately. I have no doubt this would keep kids and adults entertained until all 48 levels were complete. This game is wonderful for developing logical thinking and problem solving.

FROG JUMPIN’

Remember the Game Hi-Q? Those pegs on a board — jump one at a time to leave as few as possible and IDEALLY ONE in the center hole? That is this game BUT the REALLY nice part is they start you off very easy and show you patterns. As you get to learn the patterns you can apply that to later levels and also for any future Hi-Q playing you might do. This game is GREAT for developing logical thinking. With cute frogs and music it also holds interest longer than if a child was just sitting playing the game. YES — I can finally learn how to leave one in the center hole!

MAZE CRAZE

This game is great for logic and creativity. Make your own mazes or solve some of the ones Zoopz provides. The object is to get the circle and the 2 x’s to meet. You do that by changing and adding to the maze using the pieces on the right of the screen. This game requires logical thinking and problem solving. The best thing is you can play the maze games to get a feel for them and then create your own. This game also allows for one or two player game play. LOTS of fun!

INK BLOBS

Ink Blobs is a very different art program that is easy for kids to get the hang of. Click on the word BLOBS to get the different screens of shapes you can use. Click on the color to change the color. Hold down the mouse button while putting a shape in place to enlarge it. You can rotate as well. Click on the word INK to draw the shapes with your mouse. Print out the ones you want to keep or just keep going to new pages to create more. An Art program all ages would have fun playing with.

MANY DOTS

There are many ways to use many dots which is a cool art program. If you choose a circle you get almost a “Lite Brite” type board and can click anywhere on the screen to add color. Click a few times to scroll through the different colors. If you click on the square it is almost like a banner template that you can decorate similarly. Click on the triangle and it appears as shown. You can click on the lightbulb for ideas or on the 3 numbers to get different looks. This is very fun to play with and if your child makes something they really like there is always the print option.

There are a few more games on Zoopz that I did not review that are also fun. The ones listed at first play were my favorites. With no ads, for FREE and the ability to play many different learning and creative games and I think Zoopz is a kid’s computer game site WELL worth the visit.

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San Francisco Symphony’s message and purpose is clear from their About Us page:

“We love music and are committed to music education, within our community and beyond. This website, in conjunction with our live performances, provides a great way for people of all ages to hear, learn, and have fun with music.

Consider this site your premier web destination for learning about music — that’s why it’s here! And, if you’d like to share this site with others, send them a postcard.”

I DO like this site and instead of just sending a postcard I thought telling other parents about it through my site would spread the word even further.

Instruments of the Orchestra

This is a WONDERFUL activity where children can learn a lot about all the different instruments in the orchestra, what they sound like, what their purpose is and where they sit in a big orchestra.

Click on one of the different categories of the orchestra; strings, percussion, woodwinds or brass and be taken into an area where you can pick the instrument you want to learn more about. This is illustrated here after I picked “Strings”:

Once you click on an instrument like I did you can see the instrument from different angles, zoom in AND hear what it sounds like. It also tells you a lot about the instrument. I have looked at many music sites and this is the one I feel you can truly get a good feel of music broken down into easily understandable steps. Due to the fact that there is reading I would say school aged children would get the most out of this site but it is certainly good for all ages from 5 – 105.

THE MUSIC LAB

The Music Lab offers many different activities as follows:

Basics — Learn about written music including the staff, notes and more

Tempo — Speed it up or slow it down and watch the drummer play

Rhythm — Hear patterns that make music move

Pitch — Play around with the sounds

Harmony – Mix it up with the Harmonizer

Symbols – Make it louder, softer

Instrumentation — Decide which instruments will play

Performalator — Play a tune or two

Composerizer — Make Your Own Tune

RADIO

Click on the radio to listen to different songs that fit into categories or to learn more about music in general. Lots of choices and your children will learn about music by visiting this section.

Send a Postcard

Send a postcard to another parent o r child to tell them about this wonderful site. You get to pick which one and customize it with a message.

I love the San Francisco Symphony site and if you are lucky enough to live in that area be sure to check out the section where they let you know about upcoming events. This is a quality site where children can learn about music for FREE. Pass this one on to friends and enjoy!

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COMPUTER GAMES

There are many Dr. Seuss computer games and I highly recommend them. Now that they are older you can find some for under $5.00 a piece at amazon and they are well worth a lot more than that.

In the following reading games you can either have the stories read to you or you can play along. It will still read the story to you in play mode but you can stop on every page to explore. If you play along you have mini games throughout and just about everything your child clicks on will do something. I have so many wonderful memories of laughing playing these with my own kids. If you get The ABC game — try and find the little yellow guy hidden throughout every page. So funny and will get the kids laughing and give them a task while they are learning!

The Cat in the Hat

Green Eggs and Ham

Dr. Seuss’s ABC’s

The other Dr. Seuss games are wonderful and I have mentioned them before. My favorite is:

Dr. Seuss’s Preschool Learning is a GREAT game. There are 10 mini-games to play that teach memory, math, sorting, reading, etc…. Emma Sue a little girl very much Dr. Seuss style has lost her mom. You are helping her to find her by gaining clues as to what she looks like every time you solve a few levels of each mini-games. Yertl the turtle is here along with some other favorite Dr. Seuss characters. Fun for all and the difficulty increases as your child gets better at the games.

Seussville University

I was happy to find Seussville University. Seussville University offers games/activities in each of 4 categories; Math, Reading, Reasoning and Science. I will tell you what is offered in each category and recommend my favorite games from this site.

Math

There are 4 printable activities for your preschooler/kindergarten child to work on math. “The number 2, Zowers in Showers, Practice your Addition and Connect the dots. There is one math game in this category; “Count the Zindows in the Windows“. This game is wonderful for color recognition and early counting. The instructions are written and it might say “count the yellow findows”….

Reading

The printable activities include; “The Letter B”, “Pup in Cup”, and “The Ball is small”. The reading game is “Help Mr. Brown Color Letters“. This game is great for letter recognition and early mouse skills.

Reasoning

There are three printable activities for this age; “Which one if different”, “Which Two are the Same”, and “Wet foot, Dry foot”. There are two games under this category; ” Which One Comes Next” and “The Cats Concentration Game“.

Science

In this category you can print out an activity page which is called “Mr. Brown Can HOO” OR you can play 2 Science related games. “Find the Animal that doesn’t Belong” is just as it sounds and is great for young children. The instructions are written so you will need to read them to your child. “The Lorax Save the Trees Game” helps kids develop mouse skills as they have to collect 10 seeds in a bucket that are being thrown. Afterward they get to plant ten seeds as they decorate a Seuss scene and watch the animals move in as the trees are planted.

These games are from the University section of the site. If you go directly to Seussville you will find even more activities and games. I reviewed the preschool learning section but I highly recommend checking out the other things Seussville has to offer.

Dr. Seuss’s characters always entertain and the learning games are ones I feel most pre schoolers would have a lot of fun with.

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Kid Zui has over a million pre-approved links, games, videos and photos. It also offers a whole new way for children to surf the internet. All sites have to be pre-approved to have your kids go to them or you have to add them to their approved list. Kid Zui also sends you an email as often as you like telling you what sites your kids have visited.

My son is 9 and has just discovered you tube, which as you probably know is not policed. We have strict rules in our house he is only allowed on it when an adult is around but that somehow wasn’t putting my mind at ease! At Kid Zui the kids will ONLY see SAFE and approved you tube videos through the Kid Zui browser.

Your child makes an avatar when they enter and have lots more options to add friends, share sites, change clothes and appearance and boy do they have tons of stuff to explore. There are 3 main sections; Web, Photos and Videos where they can go to search or choose from the many things listed.

They also have the ability to tag sites they like and share them with friends. You can also monitor who they add as friends and even take a friend off their account if you do not approve. This really puts internet use for kids in a whole other category – “SAFE”!

Children have the ability to find games, videos and pictures they never knew existed in a very safe environment. It is taking my children a little while to get used to the browser and where everything is and how to access “their old favorites” but it is well worth the time for me to sit down and explore with them. Funny thing was I was on my computer in the kitchen and my son on his in the living room and he told me he was frustrated he couldn’t get to something. I was able to login to my account as a parent and see that he was entering the name for a song not in the music section but in the photos search and I explained to him how to do it. I will know each and every site, click and search my kids make and that makes me feel safer.

My children are great kids that understand internet safety and I was still worried they would click and ad and somehow get off site to an unsafe environment. Parents can add sites to their children’s account as they see fit but the child will have to ask you first! This puts my mind at ease which is priceless and is why I just purchased a one month membership to try out the additional features.

What does the Paid Membership Include?

For $7.95 per month (and reduced rates if you sign up for more months at a time) you get even more features. I NEVER sign up for a new site upon first looking at it and broke that rule this time. While it is definitely worth it for the free membership some of the perks of the paid membership made me break out the credit card!

The MAIN thing that got me to sign up for a paid membership was they have a section called Homework helper where they have games/sites that are particularly good at helping with what the children are learning in school broken down by grade. My son is in fourth grade and while he is a good student — they have raised the bar quite a lot and he can use some extra help. Learning by playing a game will get a lot less complaints than sitting down and doing an hour more of math at the kitchen table.

Other things included are more backgrounds, options for dressing your avatar, more tags for games, adding favorite sites, creating your own channel with your own content, even more information on your children’s use shared with you, the ability to block individual websites.

OVERALL

Kid Zui is awesome and gets a glowing review from me for so many reasons. Safety being #1. I also love that it introduces them to age appropriate sites in a safe environment. They can get the feel of “surfing the web” with only child safe sites to go to. If a child gets to a game in a site that hasn’t been reviewed yet it sends a message to the team at Kid Zui that they want it reviewed for approval. My children can “surf the web” and find other sites, videos, pictures and games recommended by other children. I love that I can see EXACTLY where my kids are going on the internet and what they are searching for. At my children’s ages it is innocent but I know my son is heading towards the tween years fast and it is comforting to know I have this in place before he arrives!

While the paid membership offers a bit more the free version is just as safe and offers all the same sites in a wonderful platform. I highly recommending installing Kid Zui on your computer if you have kids at home that want to go onto the internet. Please send me comments on how you are finding Kid Zui.

A HUGE THANK YOU to Mimi at Mindful Mimi for recommending I check out Kid Zui! Thank you Mimi for thinking of me — this is a wonderful find as a mom AND for a recommendation! GREATLY appreciated!

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