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How to Keep Kids Safe while Using Apps

12/23/2014

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One of the hottest trends in education, mobile apps have transformed the way kids learn. Whether it is the Madagascar games in which the kids have to play a game while learning math, or a reading app like A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, the online and mobile world is teeming with exciting games.
 
This raises the question: How can we, as parents, monitor and make it a safe environment for our kids? 
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“Whizzkid” by Katy Stoddard is licensed under CC BY 2.0
If you thought tackling the internet was dicey, try the mobile and tablet apps. It is not easy to impose parental controls on these devices but there are ways in which you can make sure that your kid stays out of harm’s way without losing out on the pros of learning to use technology. 
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“Safety First” by cgruis8 is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Some of the issues parents faced when these apps were first introduced were the in-app purchases. Companies responded by introducing controls for parents like the parent gate in App Store that requires parents’ permission for certain actions. Some service providers also set a limit on purchases or you are required to provide a PIN before making purchases. Alternatively, we can get tablets that are specifically designed for kids, like LeapFrog. With parental controls you can turn off features and filter content so that you know what your child is viewing. Google and YouTube allow you to use them with safety mode on. 
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“The modern toddler iPad experience” by Wayan Vota is licensed under CC BY 2.0
You can also download apps and browsers that are designed to be child-friendly. Some of these include:

MobileKids – You can keep track of everything from mobile usage to contacts added and apps downloaded.

Norton Safety Minder – This can be downloaded on Android or Kindle Fire and is available for free. For additional services, you can upgrade it.

Famigo Sandbox – Parents can select the apps that are okay for their kids to use. 

Sandbox Kids Corner – This again provides a locked environment and you can also assign a time limit for usage. Parents can also monitor calls and text messages sent.

Kids Place – With this app, you can turn any Android device into a child-safe environment. It has child lock and restrictions on downloads.

Other parental apps in the market include Parental Access, Funamo Control, Parental Control MobileMinder and Safe Browsing Parental Control. You can also consider mobile browsers like K9 Web ProtectionK9 Web Protection, MobSafety Ranger Browser and Mobicip.


Based on your child’s age and the kind of apps and services they will be using, you can design a set of rules on how they should use it. With a choice of apps available – both free and paid – to safeguard your family, you will be able to provide a child-safe environment for kids. 

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Jingle Bells... Jingle all the way!

12/23/2014

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It’s Christmas time once again and the kids are as excited as they can get. We’ve decided to take a Christmas break from studies for the coming week (formal studies, that is) and the kids are ‘officially’ on holiday so they’re ecstatic.

Our schedule for the next couple of days is something like this:

Baking, baking and some more baking. I’ve roped in both the kids to help me in this since we have this Xmas ritual of sending out goodies to each one of our friends (and our friend circle is quite big). The menu for this year: Chocolate meringue cakes, mince pies and fruity biscotti.

Watching our favorite Christmas movies. The Santa Clause, Home Alone, Frosty the Snowman, A Christmas Carol… As many as we can fit in!

Setting up our Christmas tree. This is the activity that the kids look forward to the most when it comes to Xmas. They love making ornaments on their own for decorating the tree – snowflake ornaments, paper pinwheels, ribbon candies and even the fairy on top of the Christmas tree!

After all,

A little smile, a word of cheer,

A bit of love from someone near,

A little gift from one held dear,

Best wishes for the coming year,

These make a MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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"Eager minds, kind hearts and a will to help..."

12/10/2014

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Thankfully, my kids have always loved reading. Give them a choice between watching a program on television or curling up with a good book on the couch in the corner, and they’ll opt for the second option without batting an eyelid.

When I was a kid, my mum used to allow me to buy one book every month (and this ‘ritual’ went on till my late teenage years). I remember waiting eagerly for the first Sunday of every month when I could pick a book of my choice – and eventually, ended up having a prized collection of novels. The best part: the entire collection was handed over to my daughter on one of her birthdays as a special gift from the maternal grandparents. And it gives me immense satisfaction to see my daughter treasure each of those books, as if they’ve always belonged to her.

The series occupying pride of place right at the front of her bookshelf is Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers collection. The lives of Darrell Rivers and her best friend Sally Hope, the timid Mary-Lou and the malicious Gwendoline; the way they gear up for the annual school pantomime, play lacrosse matches and  have swimming lessons and most importantly, grow up to be responsible and well-meaning adults fascinated me back then and now it’s my daughter’s turn.

In the words of Miss Grayling, the headmistress (I know this piece by heart now): “I want you all to listen to me for a minute or two. One day you will leave this school and go out into the world as young women. You should take with you eager minds, kind hearts and a will to help. You should take with you a good understanding of many things and a willingness to accept responsibility, and show yourselves as women to be loved and trusted. All these things you will be able to learn at Malory Towers – if you will.

I do not count as our successes those who have good scholarships and passed exams, though these are good things to do. I count as our successes those who learn to be good-hearted and kind, sensible and trustable, good, sound women the world can lean on. Our failures are those who do not learn these things in the years they are here…

Some of you will find it easy to learn these things, others will find it hard… But, easy or hard, they must be learnt if you are to be happy after you leave here, and if you are to bring happiness to others.”

I wish the same for you, my daughter. And I’ll do my best to make this learning process as easy and as enjoyable for you as possible. Lots of love, now and forever.

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