Posts Tagged ‘character’

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Kids’ Novel & Picture Book Activities!

April 6th, 2011

Hi!  It’s Wednesday, April 6, 2011 and time for Language Arts at ClickSchooling!
 
Recommended Website:
Can Teach

Age Range: 5-12 (about grades K-7 with parental supervision)

Can Teach is an ad-supported education website with lots of curricula resources designed for use in the classroom — although most can be tweaked for homeschoolers.
 
When you get to this page of the site, you will find a free selection of fun activities that are based upon popular children’s novels and picture books.
 
For example, here is what you will find by clicking on the following titles:
 
*Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White — directions for how to make a spider.

*It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw — an activity designed around squiggle drawings.

*Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl — a recipe for making chocolate treats.

*The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett — an activity to help students understand character development in a story.
 
When you are through exploring this section of the site, click on “English Language Arts” on the menu at the top of the screen (right below the Google Ads). You’ll find information and activities to teach:

  • Beginning Reading and Writing
  • Composition
  • Creative Writing
  • Poetry
  • Writing Prompts & Journal Topics
  • ~And More!

There are randomly generated Google Ads on the website so, as always, parents should preview the site and supervise use.

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Mysteries for Kids!

March 30th, 2011

Hi! It’s Wednesday, March 30, 2011 and time for Language Arts at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
MysteryNet’s Kids Mysteries

Age Range: 8-13 (approximately, with parental supervision)

If you love a good mystery story, you’ll enjoy this website that offers several interactive mystery stories for kids to read and solve, along with an archive of mystery stories written for kids by kids.

When you get to the site you’ll see a menu that includes:

*Solve-It – Read a short mystery story containing clues. Follow the clues to solve the mystery. If you’re stumped, the solutions are readily available. This section contains an archive of “Solve-It” mysteries that will entertain you for hours. 

*Quick-Solve – This offers just one short mystery case that kids can try and solve. Then, it explains how the character in the story solved the mystery for comparison to your own strategy.

*Mysteries By Kids – Read the winning mystery stories submitted by kids during a contest conducted by this website. There are about 20 stories to enjoy.

You’ll also find complete instructions on how to perform a magic trick!

This is part of the larger MysteryNet website that offers extensive information on famous mystery fiction detectives from Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys to Perry Mason and Hercule Poirot.

You’ll also find the biographies of great mystery writers like Edgar Allan Poe, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Erle Stanley Gardner, Mickey Spillane, and R.L. Stine, to name a few.

If you have older students, you may want to peruse the main site for the resources and information it offers. Of particular interest is the Mystery Time Line that explains the evolution of mystery fiction, and the authors and characters that define this genre.

If you read a mystery with your kids, you can then visit the Mystery Time Line to find out more about the author. Or visit the timeline to get a feel for the kinds of characters and storylines used by certain authors — and then select one of their mystery stories to read. Either way, the site will enhance your appreciation of a good mystery!

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Interactive Economics Games

February 10th, 2011

Hi!  It’s Thursday, February 10, 2011 and time for Social Sciences at ClickSchooling!

Here are some free, fun, interactive games designed for students of varying ages that teach economics and financial literacy. 

Recommended Websites:

Mapping Your Future

Age Range: 12-20

This free financial literacy game is designed to help tweens, teens, and college-age students prepare for their futures. The game helps players understand:

  • The Cost of Living
  • Budgeting
  • Difference Between Wants and Needs
  • Importance of Financial Planning
  • Setting Career Goals
  • Value of Higher Education

You can play the game repeatedly choosing different character identities each time, which varies the circumstances, your choices, and the outcome of the game.
 

Economics Jeopardy

Age Range: 9-13 (approximately)

In Economics Jeopardy you can play solo or against your friends and learn about economic principles. This is based on the television game show, “Jeopardy.”
Peanuts & Crackerjacks Baseball

Age Range: 13 and up

The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston offers this interactive baseball game that tests your knowledge of economics and pro sports trivia. This game has 9 innings covering all kinds of economic terms, laws, and principles and is very educational.
Econ-o-mania

Age Range: 10 and up (approximately)

In this game, the challenge is to “become the Vice-President of Production in the land of Econ-o-mania.”  To do that, you must create a good or service using available materials. Then you must present your final product through a KidPix slide show, a poster created on the computer or paper, a written proposal, or a finished product. This site offers printable worksheets as students move through each step of the process.

Enjoy!

 

Diane Flynn Keith
for ClickSchooling
http://www.ClickSchooling.com

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George Lucas’ Make-A-Hero Activity

December 15th, 2010

Hi!  It’s Wednesday, December 15, 2010 and time for Language Arts at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Lucas Learning’s Make-A-Hero

Age Range: 9-14 (approximately, younger children may enjoy aspects with adult assistance)

Director George Lucas (of Star Wars fame) sponsors this website where you can explore stories of mythical heroes from Mexico, Africa, China, Egypt, Greece, and the United States – and you can even make your own hero!

When you get to the site you will see an introduction. Use the menu on the left side of the screen to access:

*Make-A-Hero Activity – Create your own mythical heroic figure with a click
of your mouse. Choose a hero/heroine and alter how they look and what they wear based on information from across cultures, times, and places worldwide. (You can print our your character when completed.)

*Classroom Activities – Explore the myths prevalent in many cultures through suggested activities including:

  • Interview a Hero
  • Learn About Clothing & Costumes Across Cultures
  • Go on a Themed Scavenger Hunt

The lessons are for classroom use, but they can be tweaked to use in the homeschool environment.

*Resources – Find a selected bibliography of books about myths that you can take to your library for further learning. And don’t miss…

  • Print Hero Descriptions – This section offers printable hero and myth descriptions that are engaging to read.  Print them all out, assemble them in a binder, and you’ve got a great learning tool that will enrich your kids’ knowledge of the world.

This site provides a fun learning resource that incorporates language arts and social studies through exploring myths of other cultures and countries.

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Fun Budget & Savings Game for Kids

September 27th, 2010

Hi!  It’s Monday, September 27, 2010 and time for Math at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Savings Quest

Age Range: 9-14 (younger children and non-readers may enjoy aspects with parental guidance)
 
Wells Fargo Bank sponsors this free, fun, interactive online game that challenges kids’ math, language arts, and critical thinking skills in order to help them learn about budgeting and saving.

When you get to the site, wait for the game to fully download. Then, take the animated tour to see how the game works.

Select your character to play the game. Then pick an occupation such as a:

  • Copy Editor
  • Accountant
  • Detective
  • Archaeologist

During the game, you will have to perform certain math, language arts, and puzzle challenges based on the occupation you select in order to get your monthly paycheck.

You will also select a savings goal – an amount of money that you want to save in order to purchase something (i.e, new laptop, vacation, etc.).

Then, you create a budget that includes your fixed expenses (rent, food, car insurance, etc.) along with an entertainment expense and savings to hopefully achieve your goal.

Each month, after depositing your paycheck, you pay the bills and any unexpected expenses (car repair, computer repair, DVD rental, etc.). 

If you get to the end of the game and have saved enough money to achieve your goal – you win!  If not, you can try again. 

Even if you do win, it’s fun to play each different game by selecting a new occupation. The challenges and tasks are different for each. Plus, you can alter your fixed expenses to accommodate lavish or sensible tastes that will change the outcome of the games too.

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Play “Admongo!”

April 29th, 2010

Hi!  It’s Thursday, April 29, 2010 and time for Social Sciences at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Admongo

Age Range: 8-12 (non-readers will need assistance)

ClickScholar Cie recommended this website that is part of a literacy campaign by the Federal Trade Commission (the nation’s consumer protection agency) to educate “tweens” about advertising including unfair and deceptive marketing practices.

The website defines a “tween” as a child between 8-12 years old. It also points out that kids this age have money to spend and they play an important part of family buying decisions, which is why they need to become discerning consumers.

The site offers a free arcade-type game with lesson plans (developed with Scholastic) to help kids understand advertising and become smart consumers through exercising critical thinking skills. The game is called “Admongo.”

When you get to the site, I recommend that you read the “Parents” and “Teachers” sections on the menu to better understand how to fully utilize the activities and lessons offered. 

Then, play the game to improve your “ad-ucation.” There are a series of levels to explore that touch upon concepts such as truth-in-advertising and marketing to children, etc. In each level you collect points as you analyze ads and move through the course. By selecting a password at the beginning of the game, you can save your game and return to the section where you left off at any time.

Kids who are used to playing video games will understand how this works immediately. Novices will have to experiment with the keypad to discover how to move their character and “jump” to collect points.
 
The most benefit will come from playing this game with your children, so you can talk about the concepts of ad literacy as they are unfolded throughout the game. The free lessons and worksheets that you can access through the “Parents” or “Teacher’s” sections on the menu will enhance learning.

As the website explains, “By applying the information they learn through this campaign, your kids will be able to recognize ads, understand them, and make smarter decisions as they navigate the commercial world.”

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