Internet Safety

    

 With so many people having computer's and Internet in their home, on top of the fact many family's have more than one computer, it can be hard to monitor every website your child visits. This is why I think it is very important to think about how you will provide Internet Safety for kids, your kids obviously ;) In our home, I require my children to ask before they get on their computer. This way I can monitor what they are doing. However, I know that as they get older this may not work as well. I think putting parental controls on your computer is another smart idea. This way if they get on with out your knowledge it may help keep them out of age inappropriate areas. Of course websites are not the only thing to be aware of. Even though many of us use the computer for just homeschooling purposes, many also like those My space, Face book, etc sites! We are one of those families :) In fact one of my favorite homeschooling places is on Face book ~>  FB Roadschooling page! Even with so many innocent, safe, social places on the web, there will always be ones they are not and people that will try and take advantage of place like these to prey on unsuspecting people.
So, first I NEVER post photographs of myself or my children. I just see no reason to allow strangers to see what I or my children look like. Second, my children's Face book pages do not have their real names ( First are okay, but I Last names I feel are unsafe to post). This way they can play games and talk to their friends and maybe make new online friends with out me worrying about predator's. Of course no matter how many barriers we put in place the only way to truly keep kids safe is to talk with them about the dangers and what you expect of them.  My children know to only go to websites I have approved and to ask before going to new ones. They know not to give out their real name or phone number or location to anyone or post pictures.

I hope these ideas have helped inspire you to make the Internet a bit safer for you family as well :)