E-LIBRARY


These are my two personal favorites for kids, parents and teachers:

Helpful Websites for Students

Homework Web Sites 

        www.bjpinchbeck.com
This site, founded by teenager B.J. Pinchbeck, contains links to over 700 homework sites in disciplines such as English, foreign languages, math, science, social studies and more. There are even links to today’s news headlines and on-line games if you need a study break.

        www.highschoolace.com
This site bills itself as “the academic homepage for high school students,” and on it, you will find links to help in specific subjects, as well as reference tools, news updates, puzzles and quizzes and information on choosing the college that is best for you.

        www.homeworkspot.com/high
In addition to offering links for help in specific subjects, this site also gives you the chance to learn something new every day by clicking on its “This Day in History” and “Word of the Day” features. There is also a quick reference section that includes links to almanacs, atlases, biographies and more.

In addition to links to help sites in specific subjects, skills and reference sources, this site includes links to today’s news, interesting facts about today in history, timelines, a daily spelling bee and more.

Reference Web Sites

        www.askanexpert.com
This kid-friendly site will connect you with experts in a variety of fields who have agreed to answer your questions free of charge.
        www.dictionary.com
In addition to helping you find spellings and definitions of words, this site gives you tips on how to use words properly and contains a new “Word of the Day” for you to learn about each day.
        www.ipl.org
The IPL (Internet Public Library) contains virtual stacks of reference information including almanacs and geography resources. IPL librarians are also available to answer any questions you have while using their site.
        www.ipl.org/div/teen
This TeenSpace portion of the IPL’s Web site contains resources for college and career advice as well as homework resources by subject.
        www.libraryspot.com
This site is a free virtual resource center that contains links to the best library and reference sites on the Internet, including the Library of Congress and Encyclopedia Britannica. In addition, you can search for science project ideas, ask homework questions, search full-text publications and much more.
        www.reference.com
This site contains an encyclopedia and an almanac as well as a directory of thousands of Web sites covering a variety of topics.
        www.thesaurus.com
This site will help you find synonyms and antonyms for words and also contains links to word games such as crossword puzzles and word searches.



Study Skills Web Sites

        www.homeworkspot.com/tips
This site contains valuable suggestions for how to be a better student, with tips for better note-taking, study habits, test-taking and more.
Before taking your first American School examination, visit this site for some pointers. You will learn how to take notes, how to read textbooks and how to plan for essay questions on exams.
This site will help you effectively and safely use the Internet to find the information that you need to succeed in school and beyond.

English Web Sites

This site contains a grammar and style guide, detailed descriptions of the parts of speech and their uses, suggestions for writing better and stronger sentences and tips to help make you a better speller.
In addition to containing information on American literature, English literature and world literature, this site contains sections on folklore and mythology and an encyclopedia of literary terms.
Now hear this! You will want to visit this site if you need help writing speeches or conducting interviews. There is also a link that will help you improve your listening skills.
Want to become a better writer? This site can help. It takes you step-by-step through the writing process and gives you suggestions for writing various types of documents, from letters and book reports to speeches and research papers.
        www.poets.org
This site from the Academy of American Poets provides biographies of many of the world’s greatest poets and highlights their greatest works. In addition, the site contains writing tips, a forum, and information on how to get your own poetry published.


Math Web Sites

Maintained by Utah State University, the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives offers a series of interactive exercises in algebra, geometry, measurements, data analysis and probability.
By visiting this site, you will be able to add to your math knowledge. The site is divided into sections on numbers and formulas, factors and fractions, measurement and money. You will also be able to watch your skills multiply as you play some of the educational math games that are linked to this site.
        www.mathpower.com
In addition to providing information about basic math and algebra, this site also focuses on building strong math study skills and easing math anxiety. You will also find a forum to interact with other students and a link to fun activities involving math.
        www.webmath.com
This site will help you solve a variety of math problems in algebra and geometry, including many word problems that have practical applications to your everyday life.

Science Web Sites

        www.exploratorium.edu
Online since 1993, the Exploratorium was one of the first science museums to build a site on the World Wide Web. The site now contains over 18 thousand award-winning Web pages exploring hundreds of different topics. They currently serve 20 million visitors a year.
The Microscope Imaging Station at the Exploratorium provides a unique opportunity to explore the microscopic world.
This site contains resources and links that will help you in many science courses, including earth science, life science and physical science. There are also links to sites about computers, technology and science projects you can complete at home.
        www.sciam.com
This site will provide you with the latest science and technology information direct from Scientific American magazine.

        www.whyfiles.org
This site presents the science behind the news in a clear and accurate way. You will find a variety of scientific images, new columns and articles every week and over 450 stories in the site’s archive.

 Social Studies Web Sites

This research site from the Library of Congress will allow you to learn about the social, economic and political systems of 101 countries around the world.
You’ll be on top of the world after you receive help from this site, which contains a section on the study of geography, as well as in-depth analyses of United States and world geography.
This site is broken down into three sections. The first section contains links to information about the three branches of the United States government: the President, the Supreme Court, and the Congress. The second section contains general information about the United States, and the third section contains general information about countries of the world.
This site will keep you up-to-date on the latest news in nature and geography. In addition, you will find links to animals, history, maps, people and places and more.
        www.si.edu
This official site of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. features links to each of the Smithsonian’s museums and their exhibitions, as well as special online resources in art and design, history and culture, and science and technology.

Top Educational Websites for Kids

Technology is pretty amazing!  There are lots of wonderful ways to help our child practice the skills they are learning in school.  Often times with some of these great educational sites our children don't even know that they are learning at the same time!
It's also a great way to motivate kids to do their homework,have them do their reading and math first and for a reward they can play an educational game...tricky!
A friend of mine asked me for some recommendations on some other educational websites,
So you know me, I went crazy and found a bunch.

I spent many hours digging through cyberspace to find and test out the following educational game sites.  I spent about an hour a site digging and finding the best parts. Also I have spent time teaching grades K-6 so I have used my knowledge to determine the validity the games on these great sites. 

Just bookmark this page, and every time you want to use a new site you can come here to find it quickly.

1. 
Starfall.com http://www.starfall.com/
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1yNdBQyO4eY/T1Uy_fW_fqI/AAAAAAAABgg/PPY2ZvsDnNI/s320/starfall.jpg

This site has lots of great language arts games. It takes a fun game like this snowman game and has words that it helps your child sound out. There are lots of seasonal games as well as early reading, phonics, as well as reading practice for 1st and 2nd graders.

2. 
PBSkids.org  http://pbskids.org/
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1IznNxwHYBE/T1U1RJBzsnI/AAAAAAAABgo/fCJbXuz4Qb4/s320/PBS+kids.com.jpg

Hello! Don't you just love this site! There is SO much on here.  Your child can pick his/her favorite show and play a bunch of learning games for that show.  Right now M. loves playing the
Curious George games, although the T.V. show is a little young for her, the games are right on her level. (I wish I would have known more about this site when I was a teacher, there are very specific games you could play and coordinate with the theme you are learning.) The game shown is calledPresent Time, you choose a gift, go to the store, decorate the wrapping paper, and give it away, it's great!  We also love theSuperWhy Spelling games, they are too difficult for her to do on her own, but they are well done and give lots of helps and rewards.

3. 
ABCya.com http://www.abcya.com/
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NZAf7hMLiOY/T11Popb__UI/AAAAAAAABkw/ClQIjbKj63c/s400/ABC+ya.jpg

Here's a wonderful site c/o one of my readers! This site is great because it's split up into grades K-5 so there's no guess work there! I spent a lot of time on this site trying to find the best games to tell you about.  I think my favorite K game would be the 
Pirate Marble game which is great for learning addition, andconnect the dots. For 1st grade it would be the foul shot where you can practice math facts to earn basketballs to shoot a foul shot, the math can go up to a 4th or 5th grade level. There are also telling time games and learning coin games as well. For 2nd grade my favorite would be the fun typing game here too! 3rd grade fave would be Pop the Words which letters fall and you can make words out of them to pop the letters. My 4th grade fave is division drag race which you race others in dividing numbers and go faster when you answer them correctly.  My 5th grade fave is the U.S. Map and World Mappuzzles.  There are also fun seasonal and holiday games for each grade level when you scroll to the bottom of each grade levels page.  Too much info?? Sorry, this site was just really fun to explore!

4. 
Cookie.com  http://www.cookie.com/
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G38wTFDlUXA/T1fSbmQl3pI/AAAAAAAABiQ/2EiWXcWE_50/s400/cookie.com.jpg

Well after I posted this list on Monday I found an phenomenal site on Wednesday!  I can't believe I've never been to this site.  It has hundreds of educational games, for literacy, math and science.  It also has learning videos on subjects like the plant life cycle, frog life cycle, the 5 senses, and more with review games you can play afterward. It has lesson plans, tons of free printable worksheets, arts and crafts coloring pages, and a cute blog.  What a great resource!  My only complaint would be that the games are all narrated with a robotic voice, but other than that it's golden!

5. 
Scholastic.com   http://www.scholastic.com/parents/play/games/
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2KhPXfSAhKs/T1U-muaFRLI/AAAAAAAABhI/Nz3M7Yje9k8/s400/scholastic.com.jpg

Wo this is another great site.  It has games from books like The Magic School Bus (which is oozing with science fun!), Clifford, WordGirl and more.  This site is has games for kids 
ages 3-7and another section for kids ages 8-12.
Fun fun fun!

6. 
Funschool.com  http://funschool.kaboose.com/preschool/games/index.html
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EFiCUu5Crgg/T1U1STCfWbI/AAAAAAAABgw/uqH-YbRyP6U/s320/ABC+games.jpg

There is also a lot to this site as well. Pictured here are the ABC games which are for practicing letter recognition. There are also lots of other harder games that are also educational. Check it out it's a pretty good site.


7. 
Sheppardsoftware.com   http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DSyA_7_Rfd8/T11J86VzyRI/AAAAAAAABkg/Xn3SGsfWyuw/s400/Sheppard+softward.jpg

Thanks to Jane and the Jitterbugs for telling me about this site! I am so excited about it! This site has lots of learning games for kids of ALL ages.  It's very tutorial centered which is good for learning a new concept. I also love the Kids Corner which you can explore lots of science centered ideas, such as the Four Seasons (as shown in the picture).  You can paint using movable parts like rain clouds which are actually raining!  Fun fun fun site!

8. 
NationalGeographic.com   http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/?source=NavKidsHome
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j3oB5WP1uvw/T11OZ-HwbyI/AAAAAAAABko/x_RcSNxotVI/s320/National+GeographicII.jpg

I know I'm crazy but I keep finding more and more sites! This site has a bunch of 
games that are all science related.  They are all pretty fun.  Some of them like Animal Jam require an e-mail address and some personal info about your child, just FYI. They also have a bunch of geography games, adventure games,  action games, puzzles and quizzes, games for young children, and all of the games really are science related.  They also have science experiments, videos, and interactive information about animals and countries. The more I kept digging, the more I found that was well done and educational. I thought this was a pretty cool site, and had tons of educational value!

9. 
Highlightskids.com     http://www.highlightskids.com/
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-diWItVX7HHk/T1kk3B1voeI/AAAAAAAABjg/l-hxy3dthqM/s400/Highlights+for+kids.jpg

Here's another new great site that I found.  I feel like I'm on a treasure hunt!  Highlights is a classic magazine that has been around for years. They are very well known for their hidden puzzles in their magazines. On their site for kids they have
stories that you can have read to you and tons of games, their specialty is hidden picture games which you can click and the hidden image appears.  This is another great site if you are learning a theme for the week and you would like to practice newly learned skills.


10. 
Funbrain.com  
http://www.funbrain.com/brain/SweepsBrain/sweepsbrain.html
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KhisrfWiWhs/T1U1Ub0X8yI/AAAAAAAABg4/-W3jY-gFh_U/s320/Funbrain.com.jpg

There are reading games on here as well as fun simple counting games. There also some difficult reading and math games on the 
main game page. There is a lot to choose from on this site.


11. 
Qubo.com  http://www.qubo.com/games
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Tukizszj8Y4/T1Uy4U9GaZI/AAAAAAAABgQ/irfqyoNRi4I/s320/Qubo.com.jpg

This site has a bunch of educational games that are also quite fun for kids. It has games for Babar, Jane and the Dragon, Zoola Patrol (great science games), and Vitamix.

13. Jayzeebear.com  http://www.jayzeebear.com/ect/game_list/list_bird_0.html
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7UUuxWAH4k4/T1U_7YNZzHI/AAAAAAAABhQ/rF6iUsN5VP4/s320/Jayzee+bear.jpg
This site is a little old school but it is still really fun for preschoolers. 

14.
Weatherchannel.com 
 http://www.theweatherchannelkids.com/weather-games/
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-COzrSSmNelA/T1VCQ586JHI/AAAAAAAABhY/1xuhfalafyc/s320/Weather+Channel.jpg

This has some puzzles, word searches, and mazes for older children. It seems like they stop putting money into this site, because it has an add for Clouding with a Chance of Meatballs in 2009. But it is an alright resource.

15. 
KidsKnowIt.com   http://kidsknowit.com/
This site has some good science and nature games.
16. Switchzoo.com    http://www.switchzoo.com/puzzles.htm
This site has some fun animal games that you can switch animals around to look silly.

17. 
Exploratorium.com   http://www.exploratorium.edu/mind/judgment/cuteify/v1/
This site has some fun games that explore expressions, proportions, and emotions.


Well I hope that gives you some new ideas!
Do you know about a cool and educational website for kids?
Let me know and I'll add it to this growing list!
P.S. I'm not endorsed in any way by any of these websites.

TOP 10 MATH WEBSITES

Your child shouldn’t spend the summer stuck in reverse—especially when it comes to math skills. Children can lose up to three months of learning over summer vacation, according to a study by Dr. Harris Cooper, professor and chair of the Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, so it’s important to keep them engaged.

It can be difficult for parents to keep math on the front burner, especially when it is hard to gauge exactly what their child should be learning. Here are some of the best websites to help your child combat the summer math brain drain.

  1. www.mathforum.com. This online community includes teachers, students, researchers, parents and educators who have an interest in math and math education. The site includes Ask Dr. Math, Problems of the Week, discussion groups and much more.

  1. www.AAAmath.com. Customized by grade level and topic, AAA Math features explanations of various mathematical topics, practice problems and fun, challenging games.

  1. www.coolmath.com. This fully interactive site and allows the user to sharpen basic math skills, play games and explore new math concepts.

  1. www.figurethis.org. Created by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, this site helps families enjoy mathematics outside school through a series of fun and engaging challenges.

  1. www.mathcats.com. Math Cats provides playful explorations of important math concepts through games, crafts and interactive projects. Includes a magic chalkboard and an art gallery.

  1. www.easymaths.org. This South African Community website for teachers, parents and students is complete with lessons, tests, exams, worksheets, study skills and much more.

  1. www.bbc.co.uk/education/megamaths/tables.html. This lively, interactive Web site, based on the popular BBC Schools Television series “Megamaths,” is for practicing and testing times tables.

  1. www.mathleague.com. The Math League, designed for students in fourth grade through high school, specializes in math contests, books and computer software. The “Help Facility” is handy reference guide for math topics complete with examples, definitions and explanations.

  1. www.fleetkids.com. FleetKids games teach elementary children several different aspect of money management. Games include Windfall, where a child can run an imaginary business and BuyLo/SellHi, where children can play the stock market. Students can sign up as an individual or as part of an elementary school team.

  1. www.funbrain.com/numbers.html. This site includes 17 original games based on soccer, car racing and much more Other games include Math Baseball, where a child can score runs with correct answers and Operation Order, where students can build pyramids with their knowledge of algebra.

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