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Show There are certain precautions every parent should take. An expert explains howto... Make Pyrat Your Family PC Safe For Kids Guide PCCM mbtlemed THE SOUND OF MUSIC The slightest touch on Fisher-Price’s LEARN THROUGH MUSIC (www.fisher-price.com; $35) makesthe picture comealive with lights. It comes with one cartridge: Elmo’s ABC, Scavenger Hunt. ' AME BOYS, E-MAIL, PLAYSTATIONS—EACH brings a newset of parenting worries. Which games are too violent? How can you monitoryour child on the Internet? What is the right balance between going onlinevs. playing outdoors? Here is some advice for these new-age issues: Do your research The Entertainment Software Rating Board (www.esrb.org) is a self-regulatory groupestablished by the video gameindustry to give parents a better idea of the suitability of various products fortheir children. The ESRB gives every video gamearating by age that, along with detailed content descriptions, must be printed on the box. READ ALOUD MICROPHONE(www.leapfrog.com; $25) plugs into any of LeapFrog’s LeapPad or Quantum reading devices, allowing children to sound out words. The microphone comes with two books, including one that prompts children to record the sounds an Set firm guidelines If you have morethanone child and just one controller. establish consistent, fair guidelines—along with plenty of nonelectronic options—foryour children, For Internet use, three essential rules are: 1) don’t read e-mail from strangers: 2) don’t open attachments; and 3) never share personal information. ; Supervise the Internet ' LeapFrog’s LEAPPAD RECORD & PLAY animal might make and then put them in the story. These days, SING ALONG it’s easy to find software that Plug Disney Electronics’ HANDHELD heips you KARAOKEPLAYER MICROPHONE (www monitor .disneyelectronics .com; $50)right into your VCRorTV, and you have a quality karaoke experience with 25 popular Disney songs, including “A Spoon Full of Sugar” and “Circle of Life.” You can adjust the tempo and change pitch. Additional song cartridges can or limit Keep your computerwithin eyeshot of the kitchen i and check the “history” option on the menubarto your child Ss find visited sites. Older kids may knowthat they can erase a browser's history records by selecting “erase internet access. history” in the “preferences” option of your brows- ; TOUCH AND LEARN Fisher-Price's snaiainueFea er. So, if there is no history, your suspicions should be raised. It’s easy to monitorInternet access by subscribing toa service such as AMERICA ONLINE (wivw.dol.com) or MICROSOFT NETWORK (www.msn.com). For about $25 a month, you can create (www.fisher-price.com; $50)lets children interact with print and separate accounts with customizedsettings for each family member. If you have a wireless modem, the NETGEAR WIRELESS each page by touching them. ROUTER (wiww.netgearcom, $60) allows you tofilter any computer in your house bytyping in sites or words you wish to block. NET NANNY 5 (wwwnemanny.com; $40) and NORTON INTERNET SECURITY 2004 (www.symantec.com; $70) will keep logs onselected computers. As alast resort, “spyware” such as KID DEFENDER (wivn.actiontec.com, $40) lets you remotely watch your computer's activities—in real time. But remember, none of these is a match for a child’s smart, inquisitive mind. —By Warren Buckleitner pictures on be pluggedin for more music. HIGH-TECH TUTOR LeapFrog's easy-to-use, educational system at a fraction of the price of a computer. it features a color touch screen and optional rechargeable batteries. PAGE 20 * NOVEMBER 23, 2003 » PARADE MAGAZINE |