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Parenting Topics
- A good article on Kids and Technology: The Developmental debate
- Earthquake Preparedness For Your Home
- ESRB Ratings - What are they?
- Internet Safety Tips for Parents
- Daily Physical Activities
- Did You Know
Internet Safety Tips for Parents
There are steps parents can take to protect their children who use the Internet. Some are listed below:
General rules for ensuring Internet safety.
- Educate yourself about the Internet.
- It’s important to be knowledgeable about the Internet, because even if you don’t have a computer at home, your child can access it at school, at a friend’s house, or at your public library.
- Create a family agreement for Internet use, including hours of use, which sites can be accessed and which ones shouldn’t be.
- Place your computer in a central, open location, like the living room, so Internet use can be supervised.
Guiding your child online
- Look at the sites your child visits.
- Look into software or online services that filter out offensive material. Check with your Internet service provider (ISP) for any blocking features they might offer.
- Consider installing a children’s search engine, like Yahooligans.
- Create a special folder of “bookmarks,” or “favourites,” for your child on your computer’s browser.
Preserving your family’s privacy
- If you have a web site, avoid putting your children’s pictures on it.
- Teach your children to never give out identifying information about any family member. This includes: names, addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, passwords or credit card numbers.
Download your own copy from News & Downloads.
Daily Physical Activities
What exactly does this mean? Go to the News & Downloads section to find out more about what kind of activity your child should be engaged in to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Did You Know...
In order to join the social networking site, Facebook, individuals have to be 13 years of age. Talk to your children whether or not they have an account view their profiles from time to time in the even that they do. Students have a series of "friends" within their accounts that they can share information, pictures and videos with, chat online anytime they log on, play games and applications or join various groups and organizations. Knowing what your child is up to when they spend time on the computer is important. Just because they don't have anyone around them in a room, does not mean that they are alone.
If you are aware your child has a Facebook account and are "friends" with them online, check their privacy settings to see whether they can be viewed by the general public or friends of friends. Reading their "Wall" posts from time to time may also indicate what kind of activities they have been up to, and may indicate any feelings or issues they may be having.
Safe Gaming
What are ESRB ratings?
The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) ratings are designed to provide concise and impartial information about the content in computer and video games so consumers, especially parents, can make an informed purchase decision. ESRB ratings have two equal parts: rating symbols suggest age appropriateness for the game and content descriptors indicate elements in a game that may have triggered a particular rating and/or may be of interest or concern.
The following link will take you to detailed descriptors for each rating:
Check your children's games for the ESRB ratings to ensure that your child is gaming with content appropriate for his or her age.
Earthquake Preparation
For those of you who have been wondering if your family is prepared in the event of an earthquake, you can use the following site as a reference tool for what you can do at home. The Provincial Emergency Program has created a page that outlines the different things you can have ready for you and you family.
Prepare Now for an Earthquake in British Columbia
Be Prepared, not scared.
Kids and Technology
The use of technology is becoming more commonplace for young students as each year passes and the questions of whether this behaviour is healthy or not has come closer to the forefront with the start of each school year. This link will take you to an article that gives a couple of perspectives to the debate and provides some healthy suggestions of how you and your child can live and learn together with technology.