Starfall.com ~ Is a reading website primarily designed for first grade, Starfall is also useful for pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and second grade. Starfall is perfect for home schooling.

Aplusmath.com ~ Is a great tool for helping kids with math. It features flashcards, a math game room, work sheets, a homework helper, and lots more. This site makes doing math fun for kids of all ages!

NickJr.com ~ Is a fun site with lots of games and activities featuring the characters from Nick Jr. There is also a nice Parenting link that is filled with tips and even recipies.

Playhousedisney.com ~ Is a site filled with the Disney characters that we all know and love. Along with games, and printables, this site has movies for the kids to watch. It has videos for the little ones like Pooh Bear, and stuff for the older ones, like Hannah Montana. It also has plenty for the adults like  party planning and deals on Disney vacations.

The latest and greatest trend in toys are stuffed animals that you can log on to the internet with. These toys are usually priced at around 10-15 dollars, and can be found anywhere. The idea is that you can make an entire world based on your little animal friend. You can even interact with other friends and their “pets” online. These sites are fun, however most of them have chat rooms, so you will need to decide some safety boundries in the begining. Some examples are Webkinz.com, and also TY.com to name a few.

Anywho, touching upon an old post of mine.. the one about setting Computer Time Limits, it has come to my attention that we did not address the appropriate time limit for pregnant women.  My beloved sister Nikole has six weeks to go (until she reaches full term) and is in need of a little guidance.  Now I am not going to mince words or give an elaborate explanation.  The first figure of time that comes to mind is around an hour and 5 minutes. Here is the break down:

Nikole: 5 minutes

My unborn niece Maylee: 1 hour

Take it or leave it people. An hour and 5 minutes is my recommendation.

P.S. If your shopping for a new Family PC, please check out the following websites which occasionally showcase some SCREAMING deals:

FatWallet.com

SlickDeals.net

We all know that the internet is addicting. There are endless ways to spend you time on the computer. From getting caught up looking at your favorite websites, to responding to email and just playing around. Before you know it hours have passed, and you have wasted your entire day. It is important to set limits on how much time is spent on the computer, for both adults and children. 

While I am not ready to limit myself quite yet , I will focus on time limits for kids. Kids should know up front that using the computer is a privilege, not a right. If they abuse it, the privilege is taken away. When setting limits, be strong and stick to your guns. Let your kids know that keeping the time allotment is a pre-requisite for using the computer again. Be prepared to intervene when necessary. If they won’t get off when time is up, simply shut the computer down. Be prepared for the mother of all tantrums, but don’t beat yourself up. You are doing the right thing, and one day they will know it’s because you love them. 

Here are some suggestions for age-appropriate computer usage. You can tweak the time based on your own family situation.

Babies (& Wives): There are a lot of websites geared to stimulate babies’ minds. Don’t go overboard though, 10-15 minutes is plenty for one day.

Toddlers: 30 minutes of play time is more than enough for them. Preferably the parent will be there helping them along, and making sure they don’t crash the computer.

Elementary Age: Kids this age are very capable on the computer. They can usually navigate from one site to another, and get by with minimal help. 30-45 minutes is a good amount of time. Be flexible with school assignments that may require more.

Middle School: An hour per day during the week is enough. Have them earn more time on the weekends if they feel that they need more. Homework is always negotiable, but make sure that is what they are really doing.

High School: Kids this age really do need to use the computer more, especially for school. Use your best judgment, but one to two hours a day should suffice. Again, homework changes things, and so time can be added to accommodate school assignments.

The internet is one of the necessary evils in life. If abused, it causes nothing but problems. However, used correctly, it is an invaluable tool. Setting limits is a good, responsible thing for everyone. Now get off the computer, and go do something else!

Best,