Safe Websites for Kids?

[proudmotherof2]

Hi, so my daughter loves the internet, but I am always afraid of what shes looking at. Do you guys know of any good websites, I found one called DGamer. Disney just came out with it and its a online community for DS players. Your child can personalize their own character and chat to others. And best thing yet is that its all moderated, and you can only chat with Disney pre-approved words. So you can't type out personal information like where you live, how old you are and such things, and most of the things they do needs a parents permission first. It's actually a very good kid friendly website, my daughter loves it and so far so do I because I don't need to worry so much!! =)

What do you guys think about it?

[tangerinelullaby]

There's a program that has a parental control features that lets your child through to only child-safe websites. To answer your question, I do know one website that is child-safe. This website is perfect for your daughter. I think before you refer this website, you can check it for yourself. Look up Cartoon Doll Emporium in google. I haven't tried DGamer but I'll see for myself too.

-Yvie

--------------------------------
Let joy and love overflow through you.

http://tangerineslullaby.eachday.com

[autymsmommy]

the Webkinz site is also very kid safe with only the pre approved chat options and its so much fun - even i've gotten addicted to it

[kfiedler]

playhousedisney.com and noggin.com. Those are the ones we go one.

[Disco Lemonade]

I think thats cool..I have another website that your kid's will love..I like it myself..
http://www.clubpenguin.com/ Its great your kids can chat with other kids around the world(no bad words allowed..they monitor the chats) and play games with them. Its a safe website..my step daughter goes on it so does my nephew and cousins..we monitor their activities but in the past two years we have yet to have a problem...check it out maybe they'll like it too

[UltimateMom]

The marketing company I work for just created an online gaming site for the movie, Journey to the Center of the Earth. My son loves it. It's safe, fun and educational. The game is actually helping him with his geography. The website is: http://www.racetothecenter.com/. Hope this helps! :)

[lrbizeebee]

There's a website called www.bingnote.com, which focuses on building self-esteem in kids. Every Tuesday (Tuesday Treats) they introduce a new kid-friendly site. Right now, they talk about a website called Handipoints, which is a site that rewards kids for doing chores, homework, etc. Check it out at http://www.bingnote.com/blog/tuesday-treats-wwwhandipointscom.

[mamaof3boys]

These are great Suggestions... thanks

http://www.chatterscene.com

[helloworld]

www.neopets.com (ads though, it what makes it free)
www.wikipedia.org (free information, what could be better)

[nealg]

Wikipedia is great but would depend on your definition of "safe." Lots of sex ed info on that site. Fine by me, but I think many parents are sensitive to this.

www.kidzui.com is a new site offering a kid-safe browser. All sites accessible from the browser have to be approved for inclusion. Has other interesting features, too.

www.tikatok.com is safe and awesome. Kids can create and share their own books, so it really encourages creativity. The site sends an email to parents every time they share a book or receives a comment.

[twiceblessed]

If you use Firefox as your browser you can download Glubble for free. It's a "family" browser. Separate areas for you and the kids. Every website they have for the kids is completely safe and you have the option of removing any website that you think is too old/young or whatever for your child. You can also add websites that you want your child to be able to get into. And in order for them to be able to exit their Glubble screen you have to okay it and enter in your password. I love Glubble and now I don't have to worry about my 8 year old accidentally getting into a "bad" site if I have to step out of the room for a minute or two.

[lovin3]

For the preschool age, our favorites are:
www.playhousedisney.com
www.pbskids.org
www.sproutonline.com
www.sesamestreet.org
We've been using the PBS site a lot. My 3yo loves learning to play the games by himself (we've been working on using a mouse and listening to the directions). They have a link to PBS Kids Island at the bottom of the home page. This option allows you to make an account for your family and check their progress. I haven't tried it yet, but it looks like a nice option.

[Dreamweaver40]

My son enjoys the following:

The Wiggles
Playhouse Disney
Nick Jr/Noggin
Sprout On-Line
Sesame Street

We use it as part of his potty training. When he makes pee-pee in the potty chair he gets candy. When he poops in the potty he gets to go on the computer! He loves it so it is a good motivation for him.

[Linda1994]

My 7 year old daughter really likes, pixiehollow.go.com (by Disney)

Both my kids (11 year old son also) like pbskids.org.

If your kids use Google, make sure you turn on the "Safe Search" option for them (click the preferences link on the main Google page, from their account), or use one of Google's safe search partners (Google "Safe search partners" to get a list). The one my kids use came with a parental control program (pgkey.com) that set this as their search page (it just uses Google, but has the "safe search" option turned on, so it doesn't let them do searches like "naked girls" but also doesn't stop them from going to sites they need for school projects):

http://safesearch.pgkey.com

...I'm pretty sure you can use that search, even if you don't own the product. If not, I know there are others like it, just don't have the links for them right now.

[healthykids]

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[Gracie_K]

We've tried the Kidzui (www.kidzui.com) browser for our eight year old son, but found the interface a little to busy. Plus I didn't agree with some of the sites the filter allowed through. We only just started with Glubble (www.glubble.com). It seems good, although the filter does some weird things, like asking for permission for sites like PBS and Sesame street, but allowing Nick and Disney. I guess that's better than allowing bad sites though. My son also uses Game 'Ohana (www.gameohana.com). All the game sites on it seem kid-friendly. At least it gives you a little warning of what to expect from them.

Does anyone know of a Youtube for kids? Someone (older brother) showed him a Lego starwars video he liked on Youtube. Now he wants to look for more. There doesn't seem to be any filter or rating system though, and it's really hard to tell the kid-safe videos from the ones that are not. Now I look for video's he might like while he's at school, but I still have to sit with him while he watches them because it's way, way to easy to click on an inappropriate link. Thank God they are only a few minutes long!

[gamespaceuk]

hi this is a nice gaming website with free sign up and a monthly prize to the highest score member
ideal for familys children of all ages www.gamespaceuk.com pop along and try some of the games . children will love as well as adults

[Gracie_K]

www.gamespaceuk.com (mentioned above) is the type of site kids should AVOID. I can't believe anyone would recommend this site to children. Check out the graphic violence of games like 13 Days in Hell or Bleed-The Game. Even the creator of Clay Kitten Shooter (A nice shiny gun. Some lovely little kittens. All you have to do is use the former to ruin the latter) warns that his game isn't appropriate for kids. What was this person thinking?

[Cupofjo]

www.freechildrenstories.com. Just a site with a new and free children's story every week. Definitely kid-friendly.

[Gracie_K]

Free children stories.com is Cool! Almost no ads and the stories are short but fun. I wonder were the art work is from? Are they done by kids?

[nici]

Hi

I'm new to the community so just saw this posting. :)

I've actually just started working for a company that develops a kid's safe web browser called KIDO'Z. Its free to download and is totally safe for kids to use.

Not sure how old your kids are but its designed for kids from 3yrs-8yrs (not in terms of content, because you can actually add your own content if you want to, but in terms of the fact that kids dont need to read or write to use it). The link is www.kidoz.net but please also msg me here if you want to find out more about it.

Nici :)

[gamermommy]

There are so many great websites out there! My kids are boys. We found a great website where they can be Dinosaurs! They can stomp and even burb!

So check out Webosaurs at www.beta.webosaurs.com if your child has any interest in dinos at all!

[MysticDolphin]

Oh my gosh! My kids love Webosaurs! I like it because they're learning while they play, I've always like Nigel Marven who does the great video shorts for them and they love it because they can burp and stomp and the games are fun. Win/win for our family!

[rikku]

We just recently found Webosaurs - my son loves it! The site has all sorts of little actions that he can set off in the game - and he thinks the Nigel videos are awesome.
There's a safe chat mode on there as well, which I really like :)

[Student Dad]

Three websites that I didn't see listed here that my kids enjoy are treehousetv.com, sesamestreet.org, and nickjr.com.

[LadyGrey]

Webosaurs is the only site where I allow my 9 year old to have the open chat function due to the wonderful interaction the moderators have with the members.

[Julie567]

Check out KidRex.org. Its a safe search engine for kids powered by Google. The search results are also tailored for children which is really great.

http://www.kidrex.org

[lbrenton]

JimiRock.com is a cute page. Has good parental controls. Lots of games and it's actually like a marine awareness site so kids actually learn something. It's free to sign-up to and a lot of the "free site" is unlimited so it's not necessary to pay for an account really.

[Bread Sticks]

ToonTown Online- A completely safe MMORPG made by Disney where you play as a toon fighting evil business robots known as cogs. There is also activities such as fishing, gardening, Mini-Golf, Toon Parties, and the list goes on and on. Yes, there is free chat, BUT only if you authorize your child/children to do so. Even then, the free chat is limited to a Disney-Dictionary of pre-specified words (numbers are blocked). Any word not inside the Dictionary will appear in italics and when they say the message, animal sound words (such as woof, meow, grr, squeak, depending which animal your toon is) will be shown instead of the word. Older kids will like the "Secret Friend" feature which involves giving a secret code ( an alphanumeric code starting with "TT" and another 6 digits such as "TT svk 9qp" to another toon. The toons are now secret friends, and can avoid the tedious dictionary, although curse words and other words are still blocked out.

Membership comes with a hefty price: $9.95 per month or $79.99 for a yearly charge. I promise you, it is well worth it and will keep your kids entertained for a while.

[h_stern]

EVERYONE IS AN ARTIST Choose the art that is right for you
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opens your imagination, and invigorates your soul.

MockArt Studio started the second Kid’s Art Contest

Please visit MockArt Studio at: http://mockartstudio.com

[SaraMo]

My kids use http://www.safewebforchildren.com - SafeWeb Directory,
an Internet directory, which offers safe entertaining sites for kids. Its free of charge and it has a variety of categories. You can also see for each site listed there a short description and the age group the site is suited for. I spent a few minutes on this site choosing something like 20 websites, and I have just put them on the favorites list of my kids' browser. most of the sites listed there are really good.

[chilerin]

A friend just posted this site on her blog... My daughter just barely turned one, so I don't think we'll be needing it for awhile, but it looks like a fun and educational site!

http://www.bemboszoo.com/Bembo.swf

[Songinmyheart]

http://beta.webosaurs.com/ is safe and fun. Chat is filtered and the moderators are really on top of things. It's nice to see a site aimed at boys that doesn't revolve around violence, but still lets boys be boys!

[TennisNut]

Thanks for the recommendation! Both my son and daughter love dinosaurs, so Webosaurs is perfect for them! They had a happy morning playing on this site. It's nice to not have them fight over the computer too!

[MamaSmith]

Hi everyone, I'm new to the site and was looking at this thread for more safe site suggestions. I saw that someone mentioned Webosaurs http://www.webosaurs.com/

I thought I'd chime in and say how much my kids love it there, especially my sons. My daughters like it, too, but my sons are CRAZY about it. There are moderators around a lot, and they seem really fun and helpful, and my sons like them a lot. Nothing is 100% safe, of course, but this place just has a great feeling about it, very positive and fun.

My girls are big pandanda fans! Also a great site!

[TroyHepfner]

We've tried the Kidzui (www.kidzui.com) browser for our eight year old son, but found the interface a little to busy. Plus I didn't agree with some of the sites the filter allowed through.

Yeah, we were very surprised when we submitted our web site to KidZui, and received their official approval exactly 2 minutes later. At that point, it was pretty clear to me that they obviously don't check out web sites too thoroughly.

Our web site is designed to be safe for kids. My wife and I run the site together, and we provide family-friendly games for kids and adults alike. The link is in my signature below.

[daisyorbs]

I just saw this thread... my niece LOVES Fantage (www.fantage.com) - it's an online virtual world that is from children between 7 and 14 where they can play online- there's no download required and play all sorts of cool and cutesy games! You can dress up your avatar and win stars [similar to coin money] to buy clothes, hover/surf boards, furniture and other items! I went on it with the other day and not gonna lie, i was pretty hooked on some of the games.. lol shamefully me i actually registered my own account to play the free games ;)

[HappyHealthyMom]

She has been playing on Littlestpetshop.com for a year or so and loves creating a online world for her pet. She can earn points and buy furniture, clothes, food, stuff for her garden.. All games are easy to play but you do have to purchase one of the VIP pets and log in with the ID on the tag

[purplegirl]

Try Kidzui! It's a free kid-safe ISP.

[RAD1604]

I'm a teaching artist in New York City. I've been teaching art since 1995. I just launched a magazine FUNkidsART as an extension of my art education website RADkidsART. I just added new features to the site. I'd welcome any suggestions to make the site even more engaging for kids. Thanks! http://www.radkidsart.com/

[daisyorbs]

i went with Fantage! I love their safety options and chat-filtering system! I have them on no chat for now so that i can monitor them... but they like to play games like fashion show, staries, and rocket board! they like the secret agent missions too!

[adamsjnb]

I love www.funology.com. It has activities for kids including crafts, games, recipes, science experiments, jokes, magic tricks, and odd facts. It is a good way to find things to do when my kids are bored.

My second favorite site is www.nickjr.com. My preschooler likes their shows and web site. (With my help) :)

Neither of these 2 sites has chat rooms to worry about.

[mum2mum]

I think moderated sites are good for kids and gives parents a relief. Thank you very much for sharing!

[depuyt]

My husband made this website. It's got kid friendly videos and songs from Disney, The Wiggles, Sesame Street and other places. It's a cute little site.

http://www.kids-vidz.com/

Tracy

[ginalyn61]

Those are all great websites. There is also a kid safe girlie website coming out this spring for tween girls called iBesties.com. It is best friend quizzes and scrapbooks for girls ages 8-11. It follows all the COPPA laws and the no boys allowed laws!