Educational Websites for Students
Have you ever found yourself hunting for a kid-friendly site that will offer fun and education? This page includes sites suggested from various resources (Blythe teachers, Reading Connection newsletters, and other eductional newsletters sent to parents in take-home packets). Sites will be added often!
Kid Friendly Website Search
FactHound - A safe way to find Internet sites related to specific topics or books. All of the sites are researched by FactHound staff. Enter a grade level and a choose a topic to find places of interest.
ISAT Preparation
Illinois Board of Education - The ISBE site offers sample ISAT questions for helping with test preparation. Under Literacy Standards, click on Assessment. Then follow the Interactive ISAT Multiple Choice Sample Questions link. ISAT Sample Books are also available from the Resources link.
Art Sites - Supplied by Ms Ekstrom
Museum of Modern Art - This is an interactive site run by MOMA in New York that explores many famous paintings in a really fun manner.
www.kinderart.com - Offers loads of ideas for art work you can create with your child at home.
Smart Kids - Interactive learning experiences from a museum in our own city.
Science Sites - Taken from the National Association of Elementary School Principals Report to Parents newsletter
www.sciencenewsforkids.org - Puzzles, games, and science fair ideas are just a few of the resources in this science-dedicated site for children and their families.
www.exploratorium.edu - From developing “accidental scientists” in the kitchen to exploring human perception, this site is chock-full of some of the most fun science activities ever assembled.
National Geographic for Kids - Find interactive games and activities galore on geography, astronomy, and zoology.
Centre of the Cell - Remember the old game Operation? Kids can play a virtual version online at this site, while learning how different systems of the body work. This fun site, from London’s Centre of the Cell, will keep school kids (and their parents) entertained and informed.
PBS Kids Science - This great resource for families offers dozens of safe, educational home experiments using materials easily found around the house. It’s divided into categories, including water, structures, the five senses, patterns, life sciences, forces and energy, engineering, and chemistry.
National Science and Technology Centre in Australia - Check out the cool resources available at this site from the land down under.
San Diego Zoo - From egg-speriments to fun tricks like the giraffe spit experiment, this great site lets kids have fun learning through experimenting, discovering things like how polar bears stay warm and the ecological consequences of oil spills.
www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/games/games.html - Games, puzzles, and activities about the Earth and the solar system can be found at this site.
U.S. Department of Energy - Enlisting the help of Tinker Bell and the rat from the movie Ratatouille, the U.S. Department of Energy provides a great selection of games and activities on energy and conservation.
www.funology.com/laboratory - If you ever finish doing all the cool science experiments on this site, you can check out the other activities that get kids’ brains engaged.
Spelling and Reading Sites - various sources
Spelling City - Offers spelling courses, games, and the ability to enter your own spelling list so the computer can test you.
Starfall - Used in the Kindergarten classroom, this site brings kids along from letter identification and sounds through early reading books. Kids can also learn the alphabet in sign language. Beginner to Early Readers.
PBS Kids’ Reading to Learn Reading - This site has multiple games that get progressively more difficult moving the child from letter identification, rhyming, and letter sounds up to sound blending and reading. Site requires parent login and allows parents to track the child’s progress. Beginner to Early Readers.
RIF Reading Planet and Story Place Digital Library - Beginning readers can follow along with stories or song lyrics at these read along sites. Story Place has both pre-school and early elementary level books along with associated activities. Beginner to Early Readers.
Internet Safety - from the Illinois Center for Violence Prevence seminar on Cyber Bullying
ConnectSafely.org - A forum discussing issues about social networking sites.
GetNetwise.org - Tips and tools for how to manage privacy settings.
KidZui.com - Browser that only links to kid friendly internet content.
ncpc.org - National Crime Prevention Council (McGruff the Crime Dog) site covers bullying, cyber-bullying, and internet safety campaigns.
NetFamilyNews.org - Frequently updated blog on current events in internet safety.
WiredSafety.org - A forum cluster of websites focused on child safety.
WebWiseKids.org - Information and web-based curriculum.
The Internet Safety Technical Task Force - Published research - Enhancing Child Safety and Online Technologies
Other Sites
Scholastic News and Time for Kids - These are two news sites geared toward kids to keep them up-to-date on current events.
PBS Kids Meet the Greens Blog and National Geographic Blog - Introduce your child to the world of blogging with these blogs written just for kids. Meet the Greens follows a fictional family trying to help the environment. The National Geographic site follows the travel adventures of real-life kids.
