More Fun Interactive Sites for Kids

Here are a few more sites which are sure to keep students busy and happy!

http://www.funbrain.com/brain/SweepsBrain/sweepsbrain.html

This is a great interactive site where students can explore and engage in learning by clicking on the characters.

Little Einsteins

http://tv.disney.go.com/playhouse/littleeinsteins/index.html

This site is based on the TV show of the same name.  The site offers a range of activities involving art and music.

Painting Game

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/games/#/lb/somethingspecial/paintinggame

This is a fun game where you add to a story by drawing characters and story settings.

Number Jacks

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/numberjacks/games/

This is a site based on the TV show about numbers.  It provides games which help the development of numeracy skills.

Sid the Science Kid

http://pbskids.org/sid/

This site provides many opportunities to explore. 

Students can visit different rooms and engage in different science oriented activities.

Fun Interactive Sites for Kids

I have to admit, I didn't find these sites on my own. I sat down with my kids and they showed me the sites they love to play on http://www.kidoz.net/ . Kido'z is a web browser for children which only makes appropriate sites, games and videos available. It is also easy for children to navigate around.

The Wot Wots

One of the sites they showed me was http://wotwots.com/americas/games/

An interesting activity which created a lot of laughter was an Animal Creator. You go to the drawing board and choose the activity. Select a colour and then select from different animals for different body parts and a cartoon version is drawn. You can save the image and then go to the scrapbook and print the image. This can lead into some fun art projects and then write a description or story about the creature.

Rainbow Magic

The next site they showed me was http://www.rainbowmagiconline.com/

This is a popular chapter book series about fairies named after colours.

A fun activity the site provides is 'Create your own fairy' .

Choose within a colour theme or choose any colour under the rainbow.

Once you have created your fairy, you can write a name and then write a description of the fairy.

This could then lead into a writing activity where students can create their own story based on their fairy.

Word World

The next two sites are based on the TV show Word World. A great show where all objects are represented with the word in the shape of the object. The first site provides an ebook which can be read, printed or emailed.

http://www.wordworld.com/ebook1/index.html

The next site is more interactive. You can follow the challenges and spell the words of objects. You can also visit the different characters in the show and click on the 'Word Things'. The words are then spelt out.

This is a fun way for students to learn the meaning and spelling of words. The concept of drawing words to look like the object can be a great art activity while learning the spelling of words.

Berenstain Bears

The next site we came across was http://pbskids.org/berenstainbears/ .

You can create your own story by filling in spaces and selecting from provided options. This would be a great activity for younger students. They can read the finished story or print it out.

Students could then share their stories and draw pictures.

Wumpa's World

This next site is a very popular one at home, mainly because it offers many options and children can explore and navigate through activities.

http://www.wumpasworld.com/flash.html?langue=e

Click on the different characters and students can engage in a range of activities such as searching, sorting, creative games, storytelling and many more.

What is Creativity?

As an art teacher, I deal with the concept of 'creativity' everyday.  Now the word 'creativity' is used across the curriculum.  As educators, we are encouraged to promote the development of creativity in our students.  This raises the question, What is Creativity?

I decided to break it down and I came to my own conclusion.  I see creativity as a process.  There is a beginning, which is the task or problem and the end is an original creation or result.  The process in the middle is creativity.  This process incorporates a range of different skills.  When you look at these skills it soon becomes apparent why creativity is so important.  This process contributes to the development of learning skills.

Digital technology has created new methods and strategies which assist students and teachers to develop their creativity and provide engaging learning environments.

Here is a visual representation I have made of my perception of creativity.

The Process of Creativity 

Meez

I asked my students to create an avatar of themselves. I noticed that many were drawn to http://www.meez.com/home.dm .  I have created one which is animated.  You can create one without registering and save using screen capture.  It was fun to play and provides many options.  It is more suitable for teenagers.

A Prezi on Shidonni

Shidonni on Prezi

NeoK12

http://www.neok12.com/

This site offers a free collection of educational videos, lessons, quizzes and puzzles for students from K - 12. They are divided into categories such as Science, Social Studies, Math, English and offer a section called Fun videos on topics such as time lapse, slow motion, arts and crafts, music and sport.

You could spend hours browsing this site.

Game Classroom

Still on the topic of educational games. Here is a site which is a collection of games for education.

http://www.gameclassroom.com/

The games have been divided into appropriate Grade levels for students from K - 6.

The games also categorise into topics.

There are maths games which develop skills in

• Time and Measurement
• Shapes
• Numbers
• Problem Solving
• Comparisons
• Shapes and Geometry
• Statistics
• Fractions
• Time and Money
• Measurement and Geometry
• Equations
• Fractions and Probability
• Reasoning
• Algebra
• Graphs
• Decimals

And Language Arts games which will develop skills in:

• Letter and Word Sounds
• Vocabulary
• Listening and Speaking
• Stories and Literature
• Words
• Grammar
• Writing
• Reading and Comprehension
• Oral Presentations
• Research and Technology

Brain Training Games

There are many games labelled as Braining Training games, I like to think of them as Learning Training. When you look at the skills the Brain Training games focus on they are all important skills needed to learn.


Such as:

• Memory

• Concentration & Attention

• Language Skills

• Visual & Spatial

• Executive Functions (Logic & Reasoning)

The games available also assist in the development of skills in literacy, numeracy and ICT. Most are also accompanied with extra content students can learn about such as capital cities, countries, types of food and ways to cook, the list is endless. (These games are fun for adults too!)

There are several Brain Training sites, most offer a few free games and the opportunity to upgrade to unlock the other games.

http://www.fitbrains.com/

Fit Brains is a site which offers a range of games to help develop thinking skills. here is a list of free games.

A Cross-training brain game designed to develop all skills.

Memory Brain Games improve short and long-term recall abilities.

Make words out of letters you are given

Make words by adding letters or words

Put words into categories

Break the code by adding letters and learn about different cultures.

Add arrows to direct the fruit

Identify the correct shapes

Give the robot directions to move on a map

Buy food and keep to a budget

Add combinations of numbers to remove the blocks

Memorise ingredients and instructions

Identify and select shapes

Other Brain Training sites

http://www.lumosity.com/

http://www.mind360.com/

There are also Brain training games available for Nintendo DS,

here are a few:

There are also Brain training apps available for ipods.

Lumosity

Brain Challenge

Brain Challenge 2: Think Again!

Speed Brain

Brain Exercise

Boost your brain

Brain Training

Brain Tuner

Braineous

Brain Quest