Website Review: Junie B Jones

The JUNIE B JONES website features activities based on this popular book character.

Published by Penguin Random House, this interactive website features books, games, activities, characters, and information about the author and illustrator. Children can join a kid’s club. Sections for teachers and parents explore ways to ideas and suggestions to connecting children with books.

Librarians will find this website useful when introducing Junie B. Jones to children. Use the resources in a book display or establish your own book club.

To visit the website, go to http://juniebjones.com/.

Website Review: Rockalingua

ROCKALINGUA is a music-based Spanish learning program for children.

The website is divided into five sections: videos, games, songs, worksheets, and picture dictionaries. Although a subscription-based option is available, many learning materials are available for free. The activities encourage repetition and include listening, speaking, reading, and writing elements.

Librarians will find this website to be a fun way to get elementary children started with Spanish language learning. Combine the website with picture books written in Spanish as well as language learning books.

To visit the website, go to https://rockalingua.com/.

Website Review: Scholastic Student Activities

STUDENT ACTIVITIES from Scholastic has been providing high-quality web and whiteboard activities for decades.

Hundreds of activities are available across disciplines. Activities are organized by grade level (PreK-K, 1-2, 3-5, 6-8). Categories include games, computer lab, interactive whiteboard, listen and read, and writing activities. While many of the activities are associated with Scholastic products such as books, most can be used without special supplies.

Librarians will find endless ideas for the K-8 curriculum. Mine this website for classroom connections. Of particular note are the “listen and read” activities.

To visit the website, go to https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/student-activities/.

Website Review: Games

GAMES from the National Museums Scotland contains dozens of interactive games for children focusing on topics from history to science.

While some of the games have educational value such as building a wind farm and designing a clinical trial, others are simply for fun such as monkey business lunch.

Librarians will want to mine this website for curriculum related games. For instance, Morse Code for the STEM curriculum and Discover Ancient Egypt for the history curriculum.

To visit the website, go to https://www.nms.ac.uk/explore?type=13119.

Digital Collection: National Science Foundation Special Reports

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION SPECIAL REPORTS

Contents: This collection contains dozens of special reports. While some of these materials are aimed at educators, others are useful for students. The reports are listed in chronological order.

Classroom Connections: From science games and interactives to tools and multimedia projects, each report connects to some aspect of science. Scan through the reports and mine those materials that connect to particular areas of the curriculum.

Featured Digital Objects:
Predicting Seasonal Weather - https://goo.gl/5swZX6
Generation Nano Contest - https://goo.gl/RWs2lp
Let It Snow - https://goo.gl/51q11b

To visit the collection, https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/.

Website Review: TATE Kids

The TATE KIDS website features a wide range of interactive activities exploring art topics.

Sponsored by UK’s Tate Gallery, users can easily access dozens of engaging art activities. The “My Gallery” section provides online space for sharing artwork.

The “Games” section includes over a dozen, engaging art games. Each game is identified as Level 1, 2, or 3. The games explore different aspects of art.

The “Videos” section provides over a dozen videos and clips focusing on art and artists. Each video is aimed at children and explores a focused topic of interest.

The “Tate Create” section introduces youth to off line activities such as mask making and Matisse cut-outs.

Finally, an adult space provides lesson plans and ideas for parents and teachers.

Librarians will find this hands-on, interactive website to be popular with art teachers. Many of the interactives work well on an electronic whiteboard. Consider weaving some of the hands-on activities into the library’s makerspace along with books and other resources.

To visit the website, go to https://kids.tate.org.uk/.

Book Review: Almanac 2017

ALMANAC 2017 by National Geographic Kids is a reference book chuck-full of fascinating facts and activities.

The almanac begins with a table of contents including Your World, Amazing Animals, Going Green, Culture Connection, Awesome Adventure, Fun and Games, Super Science, Wonders of Nature, History Happens, and Geography Rocks. Each section includes photographs, diagrams, games, jokes, and lots of activities.

Color-coded tabs make it easy to thumb through the book looking for sections of interest. An index also helps with access.

Almanacs are always a hit with youth. Librarians will find the 2017 edition contains about 40% new content. Readers will find expanded content at the national Geographic Kids website.

For online content, go to natgeokids.com/almanac.

Published by National Geographic Kids on May 10, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Technology Review: DOGOnews

DOGOnews is a website and app resource focusing on current events, news, and nonfiction articles for students and teachers.

The website consists of short articles. Most of these informational stories contain numerous images. Vocabulary words that may be unfamiliar to youth are highlighted and link to pop-up definitions and examples. Each article ends with reading comprehension questions, a critical thinking challenge, and vocabulary. A game helps readers review the vocabulary. While the website contains limited, education related advertising, it’s not distracting to readers.

Tabs lead users to articles about news, books, or movies. Within the news category, students can choose from science, sports, social studies, world, green, entertainment, fun, and other categories. They can also narrow by grade levels including K-3, 3-5, 3-8, and 3-5. This is useful when accessing articles that are appropriate for particular reading and interest levels. Within the book category, students can choose clubs, series, freebies, or seasonal works. Books are also organized by genre and reading level. Within the movie category, children can browse by categories such as mystery or animation.

The website also offers special features for students and teachers. Students can create their own avatar, earn badges, share articles, and write articles. Teachers can set up classroom accounts and make assignments.

The app works much the same way as the website. The easy-to-navigate app contains access to over 3,000 articles across the curriculum. Articles are categorized by grade level. Clicking on highlighted works leads to definitions and places are linked maps. Lesson plans are connected to national standards.

Librarians will find this easy-to-use resource is useful in reading activities. It’s also valuable for informational reading in the subject areas such as social studies and science.

To visit the website, go to http://www.dogonews.com/.

To download the app, go tohttps://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dogonews/id740364862.

Website Review: BBC Bitesize

BBC BITESIZE is a website providing small chunks of instruction on key topics across the curriculum.

Although designed for students living in the United Kingdom, the focused, online study guides are useful in the K-12 US curriculum too. The website provides elementary, middle, and secondary content in areas such as art, music, media studies, English, science, technology, social studies, business, history, and many other areas. Users can access content by primary or secondary grades or by subject area.

While some topics include learning guides, others contain short animated clips, video clips, interactive games, quizzes, tutorials, or other instructional content.

While the website can be overwhelming for students, librarians will find a wealth of resources. Work with teachers to connect specific topics to the curriculum and link students directly to the resource such as the tutorial or video clip.

To visit the website, go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/education.

Website Review: Capstone Kids

CAPSTONE KIDS is an engaging children’s website featuring characters from Capstone books.

The Characters section takes children to information about dozens of book characters. These pages contain short videos, information about the characters, book lists, interesting background information, author/illustrator information, and sometimes downloadable such as activities that can be printed.

The Make Stuff section features recipes, magic tricks, drawing, fold it, crafts, and projects. Written with children in mind, each page provides simple instructions, materials, additional project ideas, and downloadable handouts.

The Contests section is updated as new opportunities arise such as the Create the Scrappers Contest.

The Explore section features facts about a wide range of topics. Each page contains a topic, jokes, activities, information, quizzes, and games.

The Games and Quizzes sections feature dozens of games related to science, folk tales, health care, and other topics.

Librarians will find this website to be a fun way to connect reluctant readers to the world of books. Create a display that features book series and characters along with a tablet or laptop where children can explore the website. Periodically rotate the featured series. The short articles in the characters and explore sections would be useful for informational reading activities.

To visit the website, go to http://capstonekids.com/.

Website Review: Mo Willems

The MO WILLEMS website celebrates the books of popular children’s author Mo Willems.

The author’s website is divided into sections that explore the author’s book characters, books, and writing activities.

Visit the Go Mo! to explore a website specifically designed for children that contains book information, fun games, an art gallery, videos, and an adult page. Featuring Willems’ beloved characters, the audio-enhanced games are age-appropriate and engaging for young children.

Visit the Pigeon Presents! website to enjoy information and activities focusing on Willems’ popular pigeon characters. Users can play games, read about books, learn about book characters, and explore teaching materials. This website also links to the new Elephant and Piggie Thank-o-Rama website that provides an introductory video, thank-you spinner, drawing video, and worksheets for printing.

Visit Mo’s Blog for up-to-date information about the author’s recent activities and upcoming books.

Visit Mo’s FAQs! for fascinating insights into the author and his works. These FAQs provide a wealth of ideas for teaching with Willems’ books.

Visit Get Mo’ Stuff! for links to cool books, videos, toys, posters, and other materials that would be useful in creating an author display in the library.

Visit The Pigeon “Tweets” to follow the author’s tweets. Youth will enjoy following the many adventures of this fascinating author.

Librarians will find this website to be an outstanding resource for introducing primary grade children to the idea of author websites. The easy-to-use format and abundant videos and activities will help youth connect the author to his works. It’s also a nice way to provide relevant examples of social media including Twitter and blogs to children.

To visit the website, go to http://www.mowillems.com/.

App Review: Save the Park

SAVE THE PARK is a collaborative game launched to celebrate the centennial of the National Park Service.

Developed by Games for Change, this engaging app is intended to inspire young people and encourage a new generation of park lovers. The game focuses on ways volunteers can take an active role in preserving natural and historic resources.

Players take on the role of a park volunteer and complete tasks within particular settings such as a forest, desert, or coastal area. Information about national parks is woven throughout the game and links are provided to learn about real-world volunteer opportunities.

Librarians will find the game to be a fun way to introduce the concept of volunteerism and community service. Pair the game with a learning center containing books about civic participation. Youth will find the game to be easy and fun, but not much of a challenge.

The Games for Change website includes many other games that might be of interest to young people.

Visit the website at http://www.gamesforchange.org/.

To download the game, go to http://www.gamesforchange.org/savethepark/.

App Review: Messy Mia & the Tale of Ancient Technology

MESSY MIA & THE TALE OF ANCIENT TECHNOLOGY is an interactive story and learning app focusing on old and new technology.

Designed for preschool and primary aged children, the 20 page storybook explores how technology such as televisions, phones, and music players have changed over time. The large text, engaging storyline, and attractive illustrations will keep young children interested. The app provides “Read it Myself” and “Read to Me” options. Readers are encouraged to interact with the screen using predictable icons. In addition, a “What’s That Picture?” quiz and three, short games will appeal to users and keep them involved in the story content.

Librarians will find this app an effective way to address digital literacy standards related to changes in technology.

To download the app, go to https://itunes.apple.com/…/messy-mia-tales-sto…/id928647708…. The basic app is free, but additional resources can be purchased.

Published Avatar Generation.

Tech Review: Progenitor X

PROGENITOR X is a web-based, narrative science game from the Games Learning Society.

In this immersive learning experience, users become part of an elite squad of scientists who must identify and treat humans who have been infected during a Zombie pandemic. Student scientists must apply problem-solving skills to save the world.

Designed for middle school through college, students learn key biology concepts including the relationships among cells, tissues, and organs.

Based on real-world research, game players learn how human skin cells work. In addition to the demo game, the website also links to current research related to regenerative biology.

Librarians will enjoy the connection between fact and fiction connecting the Zombie stories teens love with real-world science. Use the game to jumpstart interest in biology.

To learn more, go to http://gameslearningsociety.org/px_microsite/.

Website Review: Challenge: Robots

CHALLENGE: ROBOTS from National Geographic is an educational game involving youth in solving real-world problems.

Designed for grades three through ten, the online activities explore key concepts related to engineering. Students act as engineers to solve a series of problems at RoboWorks. Students begin with an orientation that reviews the six steps of the engineering process. After completing the Orientation, students work their way through a series of online activities including Build a Robot, Robotic Bees, Ocean Cleanup, and Tunnel Explorer.

Librarians will find this resource to be a motivating way to promote the engineering aspect of STEAM. An educator guide provides lots of extension activities for both the library and classroom settings.

To visit the website, go to http://education.nationalgeographic.org/g…/challenge-robots/.

Website Review: Hour of Code

HOUR OF CODE week is an annual event in December encouraging young people to explore computer science. However, the resources are available year round.

Organized by Code.org, the website has helped millions of people learn the fundamentals of computer science.

For those wishing to spend an hour as part of the annual celebration or any time of year, go directly to the hour of code section. Themes include Minecraft, Star Wars, Frozen, Classic Maze, Flappy Code, Infinity Play Lab, Play Lab and Artist.

The Computer Science Fundamentals section is divided into four courses with options for ages 4 through 18. An accelerated course is also available for ages 10 through 18.

Galleries show stories, games, and art created by users. Registered users can choose to Make an App or Draw Something. Then, save it for later exploration and saving.

The website is an effective way to promote computer science at home or at school. The short activities would work great in a classroom or library setting. Set up a library station that includes the website along with fiction books such as Secret Coders by Gene Luen Yang and nonfiction works exploring tools such as SCRATCH.

To Learn an Hour of Code, go to https://code.org/learn.

To go to the Code Studio, go to https://studio.code.org/.

Technology Review: Sesame Street

The SESAME STREET website, apps, and ebooks contain endless learning resources for preschool and primary children.

The website contains sections focusing on games, videos, art, and muppets. The games section provides age-appropriate games for young children including life skills such as a getting dresses and academic games such as letters and numbers. The videos section features short 2-3 minute videos on a variety of topics. Again, the interface is easy enough for small children to use. The Art Maker section provides easy-to-use interactive tools for creating everything from a cookie or pizza to a Jack-O-Lantern. The Muppets section allows users to explore resources related to their favorite character including games, videos, and art projects. Playlists are available based on specific topics and ages.

The bookstore area contains access to eBooks, audio eBooks, animated eBooks, and interactive eBooks. A subscription is required to access most of these books.

Dozens of apps are available including game apps, story apps, and ebooks. Educational bundles are available for sets of apps. Many of the apps contain the same resources found online.

Librarians will find a wealth of resources for preschool and primary children. Keep in mind that while the general website is free, access to the ebook website and many of the apps requires a license.

To visit the website, go to http://www.sesamestreet.org/.

To visit the ebook area, go to http://ebooks.sesamestreet.org/.

To download apps, go to https://itunes.apple.com/…/develo…/sesame-street/id339077104.

Website Review: Smithsonian Encyclopedia

The SMITHSONIAN ENCYCLOPEDIA provides access to a multitude of online resources through an easy-to-use interface.

The online encyclopedia is organized into themes including Art and Design, History and Culture, Science and Technology, Mysteries of the Universe, A Biodiverse Planet, World Cultures, and The American Experience. Each section provides links to activities and games, fact sheets, online exhibitions, online features, reading lists, and research resources. While the resources are designed for the general public, they’re very useful for middle and high student projects.

Users can also explore by topic from aeronautics to women’s history or by resource type such as activities, games, online features, and teacher resources.

The Kids Favorites section is specifically designed for children. It provides access to dozens of activities and games found throughout the Smithsonian website. It also provides access to Fact Sheets that would be great for informational reading activities. Online Exhibitions of particular interest to youth are also provided including topics such as Abraham Lincoln, Butterflies, and Dinosaurs. Online Features include Invention Stories, Lewis and Clark resources, and the Dynamic Earth.

Librarians will want to spend some time mining this wonderful online resource matching the information sources with specific curriculum area needs.

To explore the website, go to http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia.

Website Review: Smithsonian's History Explorer

THE SMITHSONIAN’S HISTORY EXPLORER website provides access to high-quality teaching and learning materials.

The Lesson & Activities section contains hundreds of standards-based educational resources. Users can search by key words and filter results by grade, resource type, historical era, and cross curricular connections.

The Interactives & Media area features audio, video, and interactive resources such as 3D tours, learning games, and tutorials.

The Museum Artifacts element uses an object-based learning approach applying artifacts from the Smithsonian’s collection.

The Themes section explores major topics from American history such as immigration, civil rights movement, westward expansion, and War of 1812.

The Books area features selected children’s books that represent particular historical eras. These titles can be organized by reading level.

The Teacher Resources provides materials to help educators teach with primary resources. This section also links to a variety of professional development materials and opportunities.

The Web Links area links to over one hundred useful websites related to American History. These websites are specifically aimed at K-12 youth.

Librarians will find many opportunities to connect classroom teachers with standards-based activities and resources. Specifically seek out those materials that stress inquiry-based learning and primary sources.

To visit the website, go to http://historyexplorer.si.edu.

Website Review: Wonderville

The WONDERVILLE website is an engaging science destination for youth.

This award winning website is divided into five sections.

The Living Things area provides access to dozens of videos, games, readings such as comics, and experiments associated with life science. Topics include cells, body systems, nutrition, plants, genetics, and biodiversity.

The How Things Work section includes topics such as nanotechnology, chemistry, computer science, earth science, energy, electricity, forces, habitats, physics, and machines.

The Our World area explores a wide range of themes like the diversity of life, ecosystems, habitats, space exploration, and weather.

The Blog features fascinating stories about innovative advancements in science, engineering, technology, and mathematics.

The Careers section focuses on scientists, engineers, and specialists who work in a wide range of settings. The emphasis in on activities associated with real-world problem-solving and authentic situations.

When exploring the videos, games, readings, and experiments, youth are provided with links to related resources and activities. The entry page contains links to the most popular content.

Librarians will find this website to be an excellent resource for addressing Standards for the 21st Century Learner. An emphasis is placed on curiosity, exploration, and inquiry. Use the resources to connect information literacy activities with STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math).

To visit the website, go to http://www.wonderville.ca/.