APRIL'S A TO Z CHALLENGE!

The intention of this blog is to become a collective resource tool for parents who want to provide a strong foundation of information while raising their children. But we also want to provide some fun and entertainment along the way, and what better way to connect with kids than talking about something most kids love, like animals?

If you don't know what the A to Z Challenge is, just check out their website at http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com. Bloggers from all around the world commit to blogging a daily post, except Sundays, throughout the month of April. So far this year's challenge has over 1600 bloggers signed up! Everything from art to zoology and everything in between will be covered as the world comes together to meet this blogging challenge!

This year our own KICKS Kids Club blog will participate. Starting with the letter A and going through Z, kids will get to learn a little bit about some of the lesser known animals that live in the deep blue sea. And we even discovered some actual animals whose names begin with the letters X & Z!

Mark your calendar for April 1st and come back to check out what creepy crawly and slippery slidey creatures lurk beneath the waters out there...







WHICH WEBSITES ARE SAFE FOR YOUR CHILDREN?

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If you are the average parent you're going to worry about what or who is lurking on the internet, just waiting to tempt your child over to the dark side. You don't want to be one of those "helicopter" parents we've all read about, but you also want to keep your child safe as they begin to explore all that the World Wide Web has to offer them. So what's a parent to do?

The best thing you can do for your children is to do your research. Take a little time to see what's really available for your children to access from the computer. Depending on the age of your child, maybe computer time should be a joint venture. Even with older children, you want to monitor what they are watching on that screen and just who are they connecting with via cyberspace.

Below are some fun and educational websites your children might be interested in visiting. As the adult of the family, make sure to take time to check out these sites first to make sure it is the type of information you are wanting your children to access. There are many more family-friendly sites to share with young viewers, but for now, this is a good start!

www.abcmouse.com

www.pbskids.org

www.kids.gov

http://www.peacecorps.gov/kids/

https://www.ready.gov/kids

http://amysmartgirls.com/

http://www.youngzine.org/

http://www.dawcl.com/

http://www.kidsknowit.com/

http://www.kidsclick.org/

http://4kids.org/

http://pbskids.org/lions/

http://www.deafplanet.com/splash.php
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/

http://mocomi.com/

http://www.carnegiecyberacademy.com/

http://www.wonderville.ca/

 KICKS Kids Club

www.knoxvilletkd.com

www.facebook.com/KICKSkidsclub

www.twitter.com/TKDSouthKnox

www.pinterest.com/KICKSkidsclub