Filed under: Fun, Games, Internet, Kids, Web services
Three (more) educational Web sites to make your kids smarter
Now that school is officially underway throughout most of the country, help your kids flex their brain muscles with these three terrific educational sites:
NickNews - Yes, that Nick. The folks at Nickelodeon have done a great job putting together a news Web site just for kids. It covers everything from the presidential election to poverty in America in a way that teens and pre-teens can grasp. Have your kids use it as a way to keep up on what's happening in the world, as well as a place to do research on current events.
Funbrain - This is the ultimate "education-disguised-as-fun" Web site. It helps teach important academic basics in ways that are nearly irresistible to kids: math skill builders are hidden in arcade games, reading enhancers are stashed in Web comics. It's as clever as it gets. As an nice added touch, there are even blogs targeted at different age groups.
EdHelper - This one's more for parents and teachers than kids. Use EdHelper to design worksheets, games, and other printables to give kids the extra practice they need in spelling, math, or reading. Total access to the site is available at various pricing levels, but the free area will be more than adequate for most families.
There are activities for every age and grade level from pre-k to high school. In one area of the site, you can enter your child's spelling list for the week and up pops a crossword puzzle using all the words. Another section offers SAT vocabulary word lessons for 9 - 12 graders, and yet another section contains writing prompts and critical thinking exercises. What the site lacks in visual pizzaz, it more than makes up for in educational value.
Stay tuned later this week when we explore ways to find educational software that you can download right to your computer. For even more educational Web site ideas, see this post.
So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do.
Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game.
The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
dukeman said 3:26PM on 9-08-2008
Are there any web sites that make them behave? LOL
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Ashwin said 3:32PM on 9-08-2008
You have the link to nicknews wrong. The actual place is www.nick.com/nicknews. You have it linked to FunBrain.
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Lisa Hoover said 3:38PM on 9-08-2008
Yikes! Thanks for the catch! Fixed now.
MrKniceGuy said 10:01AM on 9-09-2008
pbskids.com is a great place too. A little commercial from some, but my son doesn't know the difference, since we don't have TV. He's learned an amazing amount from that site.
(Tip) I've actually set up Prism (http://labs.mozilla.com/2007/10/prism/) on his computer with just that web site. He's almost 5 and can click away and I don't have to worry where he goes. He is restricted to that site alone. A nice feeling. :)
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PG said 11:41PM on 9-09-2008
Have used edhelper for a long time. Great site.
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Zia said 9:22AM on 9-10-2008
Great stuff
Many thanks for these
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dzimmer said 11:10AM on 9-11-2008
brainpop.com and abcteach.com are also great. I use them all as a teacher.
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