Websites
Please let me know via email if any of the sites don't work and I'll do my best to correct them! Also, If you know of any great websites, please email them to me and I will add them to the list.
Web sites for Parents
Here are some resources to help you get familiarized with the new Common Core State Standards.
Parent Newsletter from the Orange County Department of Education
Orange County Department of Education's Site
http://www.ocde.us/CommonCoreCA/Pages/Parent-Resources.aspx
Common Core Site- http://www.corestandards.org/
Math Standards- http://www.corestandards.org/Math/
English Language Arts Standards- http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/
Guides to Sites for Kids
FreeRice- http://www.freerice.com/
Children learn while they help fight world hunger. For every right answer to a multiple-choice question, the site donates ten grains of rice through the United Nations World Food Program.
General Sites for Middle School Students http://www.homeworkspot.com/middle/ Great resources for middle school students. Multnomah County Library Homework Centers. Quick links to resources by topic.
Homework Spot- http://www.homeworkspot.com/ Find the best K-12 homework resources organized by subject and grade-level
Kids.gov- http://www.kids.gov/ Find links to government and other kids' sites
Kid Sites- http://www.KidSites.com Guide to the Best Kid Sites on the Web; educational and fun sites
Free educational Websites
U.S. Government Web Sites for Kids & Students- http://bensguide.gpo.gov/subject.html
List of government websites for kids arranged by subject.
Games
Edup,up- http://www.edupup.com/
Educational games in all subject areas and just for fun
funbrain- http://www.funbrain.com/index.html
Games, mad libs, web books, comics, and movies.
PBS KIDS- http://www.pbskids.org/
Play educational games and find activities like coloring and music.
PBS Kids Island- http://www.pbskids.org/island
Carnival-themed site for preschoolers has sequential learn-to-read games and activities starring ELMO and other beloved PBS characters
Poptropica- http://www.poptropica.com/
Poptropica is a virtual world in which kids explore and play in complete safety. Every month, millions of kids from around the world are entertained and informed by Poptropica’s engaging quests, stories, and games.
Primary Games- http://www.primarygames.com/
Educational games in all subject areas and just for fun
Reference Sites
Learning where to go and how to appropriately use information that is on the Internet can be challenging to both parents and students. The following is a list at some of the most comprehensive and reliable educational Web sites a student can bookmark and use to research school projects and homework assignments.
Download.com- http://download.cnet.com
The ultimate file repository that links to literally tens of thousands of downloadable free or shareware programs. This includes utilities for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux, Internet tools, desktop dictionaries and language translators, Pocket PC and Palm applications, and of course, computer games. You can search by typing in a keyword or by perusing the many sections.
Second Grade Skills- http://www.internet4classrooms.com/grade_level_help/skills_second_2nd_grade.htm
This website has direct links to many activities that are based on the second grade standards.
Fact Monster- http://www.factmonster.com/
This site features an almanac, atlas, dictionary and encyclopedia made especially for kids, as well as handy search engine and layout designed for easy fact-finding. Check out fun features such as Biographies of the Presidents, the Geography Hall of Fame, and the Tallest Buildings Slideshow.
Internet4Classrooms- http://www.internet4classrooms.com/index.htm
Offers grade level help and links for grades K-12
Fizzy’s Lunch Lab- PBS Kids Island- http://www.pbskids.org/lunchlab
This PBS site promotes good nutrition and physical activity through educational games, yummy recipes, dance-along videos, and printable placemats.
FreeTranslation- http://translate.google.com
Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Perfect for language studies, this handy Web site automatically converts text from one language into another, such as English to Simplified Chinese or French to English. Simply type and paste up to 10,000 characters (about 1,800 words) into the search window and then select the desired language. Alternatively, you can cut and paste a Web URL to convert the entire site.
HowStuffWorks- http://www.howstuffworks.com/
Ever wanted to know why earthquakes happen? How do CD burners work? What the sun is made of? These questions, and a large number of others related to computers/electronics, automobiles, science, entertainment, and people, are all answered at this award-winning Web site. Simply type a query into the search window or peruse the topics by category. Extras include free newsletters, surveys, and printable versions of all answers.
NASA.gov- http://www.nasa.gov/home/index.html
NASA.gov brings you images, videos, and interactive features from the unique perspective of America's space agency. Includes links to NASA KiDS’ CLUB.
Novelguide.com- http://www.novelguide.com/
The Web's answer to those black- and yellow-striped Cliff Notes is Novelguide.com, a reliable and free source for literary analysis of classic and contemporary books such as Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn and Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Notes from the Underground. The site offers character profiles, metaphor and theme analysis, and author biographies.
Since 1995, Refdesk.com, which stands for "reference desk," has served as a one-click springboard to many of the Web's top dictionaries, encyclopedias, calculators, atlases, news headlines, and search engines. The site also includes a handy "homework helper" section that provides help in all subjects to students in every grade.
SuperKids- http://www.superkids.com/
SuperKids has reviews and ratings of educational software and practical and fun tools for online and offline use.
YAHOO! kids- http://www.yahooligans.yahoo.com
Features fun and educational resources for kids with games, animals, music, jokes, movies, news, and astrology.
Arts and Crafts
The Toymaker- http://www.thetoymaker.com/
Children can print out and assemble whimsical paper toys and miniatures: fairy furniture, finger puppets, boxes, boats, a car, and more.
Language Arts
An Egg is Quiet-http://pbskids.org/lions/stories/nature.html
Click on this link to listen to and watch the story An Egg is Quiet and other stories.
Arthur- http://pbskids.org/arthur/
This website is based on the book series and PBS show Arthur. You'll have tons of fun on this site playing games, reading poetry, and even learning how to draw Arthur! Click the link below to start the fun!
Dav Pilkey's Website- https://pilkey.com/fun-stuff
Dav Pilkey is the author of "Dragon Gets By" and he also wrote the entertaining and very popular, Captain Underpants series. This is a fun website dedicated to the books of Dav Pilkey. This site includes games, information about Dav Pilkey and his books, and much more. There is even a special boring adult section!
Grammar Gorillas- http://www.funbrain.com/grammar/index.html
The Grammar Gorillas need help identifying parts of speech. If you click on the right word in the sentence, our friends get a banana.
Magic Keys- http://www.magickeys.com/books/index.html
This site provides illustrated books for children of all ages.
Scholastic -https://kids.scholastic.com/kid/books/
Get information about the nooks, play games, and more on this cool website. You can even print out your own coloring pages to do at home!
Novelguide.com- http://www.novelguide.com
The Web's answer to those black- and yellow-striped Cliff Notes is Novelguide.com, a reliable and free source for literary analysis of classic and contemporary books such as Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn and Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Notes from the Underground. The site offers character profiles, metaphor and theme analysis, and author biographies.
PBS Kids Stories http://pbskids.org/lions/
Click on this link to listen to and watch stories, video clips and play games. Parent and teacher section.
Shakespeare Online- http://www.shakespeare-online.com
This Web site can be filed in the "where was this when I was a kid?" category. On the aptly named Shakespeare Online site, visitors can read every play or poem from the world's most celebrated writer and, more importantly, make some sense of his works with free analysis, Old English language translations, and famous quotes.
Spelling City- http://www.spellingcity.com/
Helps students learn their weekly spelling and vocabulary words.
Starfall- http://www.starfall.com/
This is a wonderful site for practicing phonics and independent reading. There are many great features including stories at many levels, games, tongue twisters, and a feature that demonstrates how to sound out words! This is a great site to check out with your kids.
The Great Word Quest- http://www.readytolearnreading.org
Kids join a team and by completing the quest. Earn words to use in games from PBS shows.
Ticket to Read- www.tickettoread.com/- a fun online environment where kids can practice reading. Code inside homework folder
Writers Contest- http://pbskids.org/read/
Writers Contest site you can create your own story mashups and check out other kids’ stories.
Math
ST Math- www.stmath.com- Play JiJi at home. The ST Math Homework Activation Code is Cox75I-h4n-3e-w8g (that's the letter I not the number 1 after COX75...) K-5 grade-leveled instructional software is designed to help all students reach math proficiency through self-paced, language-independent, and mastery-based objectives.
National Library of Virtual Manipulatives-http://nlvm.usu.edu/
A fun interactive way to practice math skills at home
A Plus Flash Card Creator https://www.varsitytutors.com/aplusmath/flashcards/flashcard-creator
Print your own math facts flashcards to use at home! You create the flashcards with the online software and print them out. Flashcards are a great way to review and practice math facts.
A Plus Math Flash Cards- https://www.varsitytutors.com/aplusmath/flashcards
Practice your math facts online. Just choose what skills you want to practice and get started. This is a great way to stay sharp with math facts.
Buy it!- http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/java/buyit/BuyIt.html
Practice money skills on this website. You must click on the bills and coins needed to buy what the little farmer sells. Try it out for yourself!
Math.com- http://www.math.com The World of Math Online-
This site provides help in a number of mathematics-related subjects, including basic grade-school math, calculus, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and statistics. Practice exercises are automatically graded, plus this free site also features a glossary, calculators, homework tips, math games, and lesson plans for teachers.
Spacey Math- http://www.learningplanet.com/sam/sm/index.asp
Zap the aliens before they zap you! This site provides a fun space game to help students practice math facts!
Time Teller- http://www.lil-fingers.com/games/time/index.html
Move the hands of a clock to show the correct time.
What time is it?- http://www.primarygames.com/time/start.htm
This site provides fun practice telling time.
Music
Ron Brown Music- http://www.intelli-tunes.com
Classroom tested songs that teach concepts, skills and standards across the curriculum.
Science
Exploratorium- http://www.exploratorium.edu/explore
The San Francisco science museum provides interactive activities.
NASA.gov- http://www.nasa.gov/home/index.html
NASA.gov brings you images, videos and interactive features from the unique perspective of America's space agency. Includes links to NASA KiDS’ CLUB and NASA Students.
National Geographic Kids- http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/
Photo galleries, science, and animal videos, activities, and games.
Science Made Simple- http://www.sciencemadesimple.com
Science classes—including the ubiquitous science project—aren't as easy for some to grasp as for others. At Science Made Simple, kids of all ages can get detailed answers to many science questions, read current news articles related to science, get ideas on school projects, and take advantage of unit conversion tables. Users can also find out if their school's textbooks pass the test.
Bats
Science Kids- http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/animals/bat.html
Check out a range of fun bat facts.
Kid Zone-http://www.kidzone.ws/animals/bats/index.htm Kid Zone: Bats
This site has great photos, printables, and activities.
Defenders of Wildlife- https://www.defenders.org/bats/bats Learn basic facts about bats
Desert Museum- http://www.desertmuseum.org/kids/bats/california_leaf_nosed_bat.php
California leaf-nosed batLearn specific facts about the California leaf-nosed bat.
Butterflies
Butterfly Quiz- http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterflies/activities/ radiobuttonquiz/Bflyquiz1.shtmlTake this online quiz to test your butterfly knowledge. Answer a question to reveal part of the hidden
What is a Butterfly?- http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterflies/allabout This site has tons of great information about butterflies including many detailed diagrams. Learn more about the life cycle of a butterfly, the differences between butterflies and moths, and butterfly extremes.
Monarch Butterfly Website-http://www.monarch-butterfly.com/ This site is a great source for photos of monarch butterflies. Check out the photos of the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a chrysalis. It also has great pictures of a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis.
Soil and Worms
Discovery Education- http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schooladventures/soil/down_
dirty.html This site has great information about how worms help recycle. There is also a detailed diagram of a worm's body! It also explains a lot about soil. It even has a picture to show the different size particles in the soil!
National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences Kids' Page-http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/
explore/reduce/worms.htm This site offers directions on how to use worms to compost at home!
Social Studies
Bens Guide to U. S. Government for Kids- http://bensguide.gpo.gov/index.html
This site provides learning tools for K-12 students, parents, and teachers that teach how our government works.
Kids.gov- http://www.kids.gov/ Find links to government and other kids' sites
Free Places to Visit
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I will continue to update this site with ideas for educational fun! If you have any suggestions or if you know of any other great educational deals, please let me know! Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County- http://www.nhm.org/site/ The Natural History Museum is the largest natural and historical museum in the Western United States. Their exhibits include dinosaurs and fossils, American and African mammals, marine animals, Pre-Colombian culture, the Gem and Mineral Hall, and much more! *Admission is free on the first Tuesday of every month! Los Angeles County Museum of Art- http://www.lacma.org/ The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is the largest art museum in the Western United States. This is a great place to visit to get a taste of a variety of art dating from ancient times to the present. *Admission is free on the second Tuesday of every month! Goat Hill Junction Railroad- http://www.ocmetrains.org Ride a miniature train. It’s only open on the third Saturday of each month from 10:00 am until 3:30 pm. The rides are free, but they love donations.
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