Thank you to Fooz Kids for providing me with an All-In-One pack to review. The opinions I've expressed here are solely my own and represent my honest viewpoint.
We have tried several "kid safe" browsing software over the years. I have actually gotten attached to a few, only to have the companies that made them go out of business, leaving my kids with no secure way to browse. It's not even that I don't trust my kids online. (They know the rules, and I NEVER let them use the internet without my supervision.) The trouble usually comes when the younger kids click on ads, outside of the browser window, or mess with my bookmarks or saved files on the desktop. I really needed something that lets the kids browse easily AND keeps the rest of my PC safe.
Fooz Kids was everything I could ask for in a browser. I can set up profiles for each of my kids to grant them access to dozens of fun websites, games, printables, and activities, or I can select just the sites I want for the younger ones. Once the software is open, they cannot close it out without my password -- keeping my desktop files safe.
In addition to giving them access to almost all the sites they visit regularly, there is no way to open up new windows by accidentally clicking on ads. The kids can pick the TV shows they love the best (in our house, that's "Ben 10") and go directly to that portion of the main site without having to hunt for it. (I also no longer have to type in the URL's to the sites they want to visit or have to spell out "cartoon network" from the kitchen.)
One other cool feature comes exclusively through the all-in-one subscription. It is a fun set of learning activities by grade level called Fooz Kids U. My kids really enjoyed these activities, and they were a good use of the kids' computer time. My only complaint is that the activities require kids to read each question (something my 4-year-old can't do), so I'm stuck over their shoulder reading everything to them. There is little they can do independently until they are older. We did get in some great practice of the skills they are using in homeschool, however, and they learned some new skills very quickly. You can see their progress form the parental dashboard from any computer with internet access or view a report card.
Other interesting features include short clips, some learning videos, and kid-safe messaging (like email.) We didn't use these as much, but they were easy to access, and seem promising. For now, the kids clamor to use the basic features of the software, and I love that I can give them their 30 minutes of "screen time" and they will happily play without any issues.
One thing that I wish was included is the ability to exit the software screen but leave whatever the kids were working on up. Unlike a typical browser, which lets you minimize, work on something else for a bit, and then come back to your paused online game, I haven't figured out a way to log out the program and leave everything as is. The kids need to start completely over when I ask to hop on the computer to check something. It's a small inconvenience for the benefits we receive, however, and I think Fooz Kids will replace our other kid safe software for as long as it functions so well!
Wanna try? You can get a free download of this awesome software to try. Just use this link to sign up!
Please click here to learn more about Fooz Kids. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own. #cleverfooz
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