Movie Review: The Safe Side (for Kids)

Title: The Safe Side
From: John Walsh, Julie Clark
Cost: $19.99 (USD)

Alright, the first review on my book review blog is going to show you... a children's safety video Through the Eyes of Dorkness!

On a quasi-regular basis, I visit the Family Watchdog site to check for the presence of Convicted Sex Offenders near the places that my son lives and visits regularly. The last time I was there, I noticed a link claiming to help me protect my child. It was a link to purchase The Safe Side video.

Since my son (very gregarious by nature) has recently experienced a leap in his verbal communications, I thought that it was an appropriate time to introduce him to additional safety lessons (I give the constant talks about people, animals, and places that we don't know, but, of course, I always worry that 'professionals' will have a better way of reaching him than my words alone).

I thought, well, for $20, it couldn't hurt, and I'm helping to support a good cause.

Well! I will certainly say this, my son LOVES this video. The Safe Side Super Chick really kept him engaged. There were simple cues to help the child know about the situation she was in (green shirts for safe, yellow shirts for unsure and red shirts for dangerous). She was wacky but, the situations she walked the kids through were in-depth, but, presented simply so that I really felt my son understood them.

It adds another layer to the 'Stranger Danger' teachings of my day. Instead of just strangers, a child is taught how to properly reckognize and react to 'Don't Know's' and 'Kinda Know's', which I think is important.

The first time he watched the video, I sat with him, he didn't have many questions, but, I wanted to be sure that I was accepting of, and able to reinforce, the ideas taught during the program.
He was very proud to know the answers that the Super Chick asked, and afterwards, I gave him one of the Safety badge stickers that came with the movie.

He asks to watch it over and over again, so I really hope this sinks in.

Overall Rating: Excellent!

I recommend this video (geared at children in gradeschool) for parents wanting to open up a dialog with their child, or just find new ways to reinforce safety tips taught in the home.