Recommended Website:
Peep and the Big Wide World!
MaryAnna discovered today’s website — she even sent pictures of her kids enjoying beta-testing it! She prepared the following review…
Ages: 2 to 6 (but don’t be surprised if siblings who are “too old” to admit interest offer to “help”! And be sure to have the camera ready when they do.
If you have children under the age of seven, they’re going to love this site! And so are you! This website is based on an educational television series of the same name. The idea is for children visiting the site to have such a great time that they don’t even realize they’re learning important concepts and skills. The bright colors, uncluttered look, simple line-drawn cartoon characters, and cheerfully encouraging narrator will keep your child wanting to come back for more. (By the way, that voice! Where have you heard that voice? Read on for a hint! :)
This website has two sections that will be of interest to your little one(s): Games, and Music & Videos.
I. The Games section features ten interactive flash games which develop science (and some math) skills:
- Recognizing how location changes the sound of someone’s voice
- Learning to combine colors to make other colors
- Trying different combinations of weights on a balance
- Classifying objects
- Matching animals with their homes
- Combining sounds
- Completing a simple pattern
- Estimating distance
- Remembering where an object is hiding
- Remembering what has been seen
II. The Music & Videos section has:
- Peep’s Theme Song, together with lyrics and animation
- An online episode of the week (either Night Light, Peep Plants a Seed, or Fish Museum), viewable in either QuickTime or Windows Media Player. Each episode illustrates one science concept. (Listen closely to the narrator in this week’s story. Now do you know who she is? Hint: Cowgirl. More hints further down.)
But wait! In addition to the two sections that your preschooler can explore with relative independence, there are several sections for parents to help their children learn that include:
- Printables – Coloring pages featuring the show’s lovable characters as they illustrate certain key concepts which were introduced in the games or in one of the weekly videos.
- Anywhere Science Activities – this section is a WEALTH of things a parent or other caregiver can do at home with the child to extend the learning from the show or the website, grouped by topic.
- Science Resources – There’s more here than you would expect. A hefty reading list of picture books keyed to the show’s episodes, advice on helping your child learn science from the show’s science advisor, and yet another JACKPOT: the Peep Explorer’s Guide, a multi-part printable booklet with even more helps for you and your child, with three sections keyed to the three videos which rotate through, one each week, on the site. There’s a lot here! The booklet is also available for purchase, and there is a corresponding DVD available for purchase as well.
And now for the final hint you’ve all been waiting for: Who is the lady behind the voice? Where have you heard it before? Was it the cowgirl who befriended a space toy? Do you give up? Click here to find out: http://tinyurl.com/yf396e.
Bookmark this site so you won’t have to search for it frantically tomorrow when your little one starts begging to play “Where’s Quack?” again!
