Posts Tagged ‘geography’

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Virtual Field Trip To Statue of Liberty!

August 19th, 2011

Hi!  It’s Friday, August 19, 2011 and time for a Virtual Field Trip at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
National Park Service: Statue of Liberty eTour

Age Range: 8 and up (approximately, with parental supervision)

At this website you can take a multi-media virtual tour of one of the world’s most recognized landmarks, the Statue of Liberty.

When you get to the site select High Speed or Dial-Up access, turn on your speakers, and enjoy the tour.

VERY IMPORTANT:  You won’t hear spoken words, so be sure to read the text to understand how to navigate and access all of the content here, including the video presentations at each stop along the tour. (Hint: be sure to click on the icons in the black frames.)

The e-tour includes:

  • A trip around the perimeter of Liberty Island in New York Harbor
  • The history of the statue’s design and significance
  • Statue Statistics – height, weight, materials used to make it, etc.
  • Engineering Techniques
  • Information on the statue’s torch and flame
  • How the image of the statue is used by marketers
  • Symbolism of the concept of liberty

This tour is sure to spark discussion about world history, immigration, politics, geography, liberty, and more.

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Free Art Lessons for Kids!

June 11th, 2011

Hi! It’s Saturday, June 11, 2011 and time for Art at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Deep Space Sparkle
Age Range: 5-11 (Grades K-6, with parental guidance)

A Maryland ClickScholar suggested this website that offers free art lessons including complete instructions, photographs of actual kid’s artwork, and helpful tips.

The site was designed by an art teacher in Santa Barbara, California, who named the site after her favorite Crayola crayon color. She thinks that art should be a part of every child’s day.

When you get to the site, you’ll see some featured art lessons (some for free, some for a fee). The lessons are themed around different animals, architecture, cultures, and geography, and many are inspired by children’s picture books.

Place your cursor over “Art Lessons” on the menu tab at the top of the page to see a drop-down list of lessons available by grade level or theme. Again, many of the art lessons are free, and some may be purchased (pdf format) for $5/each.

Click on any free lesson title and a new page opens with complete instructions, illustrations, and photos. The lessons can be easily adapted to suit kids of all ages. In fact, the whole family may enjoy doing these activities together.

Be sure to click on “Inside the Artroom” to access:

  • A list of basic art supplies
  • Suggestions on how to organize an artroom
  • Tips on planning art activities
  • Ideas for managing art activities
  • Links to other fun art websites

While most of the information is geared for classroom teachers, it can be easily tweaked for use at home.

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Online Literature Games & More!

June 8th, 2011

Hi!  It’s Wednesday, June 8, 2011 and time for Language Arts at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Learning Games For Kids

Age Range: 4-12 (Pre-K & Elementary Grades, with Parental Guidance)

ClickScholar Theresa recommended this ad-supported website, sponsored by our friends at Time4Learning.com. It provides free interactive, multi-media learning games that help students practice language arts skills including reading, spelling, vocabulary, and keyboarding.

The site also includes learning games for other subject areas such as math, health, geography, social studies, and science.

I focused on the “Literature Games” section for this review.

When you get to the site, you’ll see an icon menu of the featured games. Look on the menu on the left side of the screen and click on “Literature Games.” A drop-down list appears with the following book titles:

  • Huckleberry Finn
  • David Copperfield
  • Gulliver’s Travels
  • How To Eat Fried Worms
  • Madeline
  • The Black Stallion
  • To Kill A Mockingbird
  • Where the Sidewalk Ends
  • Where the Wild Things Are
  • Wuthering Heights

Click on any title and a new page opens with a menu of games themed around that story.  You’ll find:

  • Fill in the Blank (based on the story line)
  • Hangman (using vocabulary words from the story)
  • Spelling Games (based on words in the story)
  • Word Search (using story vocabulary)
  • Word-O-Rama (match definitions to story vocabulary words)

If your children are reading or have read these book titles, they’ll enjoy the games.  If they haven’t read the books – it may inspire them to do so.

This site is a great resource for augmenting pre-k and elementary school studies – plus, it’s a whole lot of fun for the whole family!

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The History of Electronic Games!

May 26th, 2011

Hi! It’s Thursday, May 26, 2011 and time for Social Sciences at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website
International Center for the History of Electronic Games

Age Range: 10 and up (approximately, with parental supervision)

The International Center for the History of Electronic Games is a museum in Rochester, New York that “collects, studies, and interprets video games, other electronic games, and related materials and the ways in which electronic games are changing how people play, learn, and connect with each other, including across boundaries of geography and culture.”

At this companion website you can explore an interactive timeline (or download a free pdf version) of the history of electronic games and delivery systems from 1961-2008 including:

  • Pong
  • Pac-Man
  • Donkey Kong
  • Tetris
  • Game Boy
  • Sonic the Hedgehog
  • Play Station
  • The Sims
  • Xbox
  • Nintendo Wii
  • World of Warcraft

Just click on the dates in the timeline to learn about legendary games and game systems, along with their inventors including Will Wright, Ralph Baer, Don Daglow, and others. You’ll enjoy a brief textual history along with photographs.

When you’re through with the timeline you can learn much, much more about the history of electronic games by using the menu that includes research information. See how electronic games evolved from other forms of play and explore the big controversies surrounding video games. 

You can also Take a Virtual Tour of the museum and see the amazing exhibits.  The gamers in your home are sure to want to take a field trip or family vacation to experience this museum in real time.

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Social Studies & Geography Games!

May 12th, 2011

Hi!  It’s Thursday, May 12, 2011 and time for Social Sciences at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
School Time Games: Social Studies

Age Range: 8-14  (about grades 4-8, with parental supervision)

What fun! This website offers a variety of free, multi-media, interactive games to help students learn social studies and geography. When you get to the site you’ll see a menu of games that include:

*Time Trip – Match events, landmarks, inventions, and fashions to their time in history.

*Explore Jamestown – Grab your shovel and compass to unearth clues from the past and avoid the many hazards settlers faced years ago in Jamestown.

*Titanic – Virtually excavate the Titanic’s hidden treasures.

*Coffee Tycoon - Run your own coffee shop, coffee stand, and coffee empire in this coffee simulation game.

You’ll also find geography games where you match names of states and countries to their position on maps.

Once you’ve explored the Social Studies menu, use the menu at the top of the page to find other terrific games for learning language arts, science, and math.

Note: This is an ad-supported website. In some cases, a random video advertisement may play before your game starts. Parents, as always, should supervise Internet use.

 

 

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Online Math Activities & Lessons for K-8

April 11th, 2011

Hi!  It’s Monday, April 11, 2011 and time for Math at
ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
AAA Math

Age Range: 5-13 (Grades K-8, with parental supervision)
 
This ad-supported website offers free math lessons, practice, and activities to develop basic math skills from counting to geometry! There is a large amount of content on every math strand that includes explanations of math processes along with interactive online drills and practice work. 

When you get to the site, use the vertical menu on the left to
select a math topic such as:

  • Addition
  •  Algebra
  • Division
  • Exponents
  • Fractions
  • Geometry
  • Multiplication
  • Percent
  • Ratios
  • Statistics
  • And Much More!

When you click on a topic a new screen opens displaying a menu
of lessons. Click on a lesson and another page opens featuring
the lesson, some practice drills, and games and quizzes to
further learning.

You can also use the horizontal menu at the top of the screen
to click on a grade level from Kindergarten through 8th grade.
Then you can select math lessons that are typically taught at
that grade level.

Because of the extent of the content here, you’ll want to
bookmark this site to return again. Plus, this site offers
other free educational websites for spelling, vocabulary, and geography.  You’ll find links to those sites at the top, right
corner of the home page.

Note: This site contains randomly generated ads. Therefore,
parents (as always) should preview the site and supervise use.
Just FYI, the site offers the option to purchase a CD that contains allof the content without the ads.

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