KidsEmail.org- Homeschool Review Crew Review

I cannot even begin to tell you how much my 9 year old likes getting mail.  Seriously, it can make his week.  But in this world of technology, snail mail is slowly becoming a thing of the past.  We have been hesitant to allow him on email because of all the potential doors we felt it could open. And open doors we wanted to avoid-

Like security
and strangers
and spam
and p*rn
and...
the list goes on and on unfortunately.  Let's be honest, the world of computers and technology can be a dangerous place for little people these days.

Enter KidsEmail.org!  When I saw this vendor on our Homeschool Review Crew vendor list I knew I wanted to see what they were about.  The Annual Subscription we have been using is amazing.

Let me start with a WOW!!  We love this concept.

An email account for children with all the benefits of email and all the protection you as a parent can want.  Yep, I am sold.  And so is Colby, but more on that in a minute.

Let me tell you about KidsEmail.org.

It is such an ingenious idea and simple to use.  You simply sign your child up for an account using their hosting system which will add a kidsemail.org tag to your account.

And then the fun begins.  YOU get to choose all kinds of filters for your child!

Things like-

• Email monitoring-

          Yes, I want to see all outgoing emails.
          Yes, I want to see all incoming emails.

• Yes or no to attachments
• offensive word filter
• yes or no to pictures
• the power to choose your child's contacts
• the power to choose when a child is able to access their email
• the ability to block senders
• GPS tracker
• activity logs
• advanced modes for older kids and teens

In addition, there are no ads for your child to view!

Micromanaging?  Maybe!  But frankly, so what? I have been charged with the responsibility of raising the kids God has blessed me with and I take that responsibility seriously. So no, I do not mind micromanaging their world while they are young.

Our experience!
This has been such a blessing in our home.  Colby, age 9, has turned into an emailing monster.  But in a good way!  When we first began with the program, he emailed as many people as I gave him access to every.single.day!  Some may have even been blessed with multiple emails in one day.  (sorry friends!)  Let me tell you, they were not impressive emails.

So we regrouped and laid down some ground rules.  Like, you can check your email and email people ONCE a day!  And if you are going to email, you must make sense and use complete sentences! Score one for mom!  It has worked.  His emails have gotten a bit longer, not as random, and slightly more understandable.

In addition, we have been able to learn a bit about the keyboard and what the different symbols mean that are on the email form.  Things like font, bold, text size, how to add color, etc.  It has been a mini word processing lesson with some fun in between.

In case you are worried, it has been fun, I promise.  Having an email has given our sweet boy an opportunity to connect on his own with friends and family across the miles.  We are a military family, after all, so we have people we love both near and far.  Emailing them has allowed Colby to be in touch without the dependence on me or dad.

There are also template options that allow your child to change the look of their account and make it more personalized to fit their style.  A drawling board is also included that allows your child to draw pictures to include on his or her email.


Final words!
This is an easy product to gush about.  We simply have had a great experience using it and can't say enough about what we feel is value added to our son's day.  By giving him the freedom to communicate with friends, under the protection of the KidsEmail.org service, we are allowing him to better communicate with friends and family, while picking up some valuable skills as well.  Can't beat that!

Still on the fence?  You can try KidsEmail for free!  Give it a try!