The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) maintains a helpful online resource that all parents should know about, “Great Websites for Kids.” Looking for some fun and educational sites to share with your children? Try some of the links below! And be sure to check out “Great Websites for Kids” frequently – a different website is highlighted every week.
Creative Kids Central
Creative Kids Central encourages young people to explore the power and beauty of classical music. Co-sponsored by Classical KUSC 91.5 in Los Angeles and the Creative Kids Education Foundation, this site is primarily aimed at children aged 7-9, their families, and caregivers. Continue reading
“Tell me a story.” This is a frequent request in my house. And of course, we have
teetering piles and overflowing baskets shelves of neatly alphabetized picture and chapter books from which to choose. Snuggling up on the couch and sharing the latest adventure of Bink and Gollie or young wizard Harry Potter is one of my favorite ways to spend an evening. But sometimes I encourage my kids to tell me a story. Being able to describe events and settings in narrative form is an important skill, and websites like myHistro add a visual and interactive element to storytelling.
myHistro lets you create stories displayed on maps. Kids in grades 4 and older can use text, video and pictures to create a dynamic timeline, practicing telling when, why and where events happened. Embed each piece of a story in the location where it took place. I can imagine a fourth grader, working on a famous Missourian presentation, showing the various states in which Daniel Boone lived, explored, worked and finally settled, from his birth place in Pennsylvania to his final resting place in Missouri. You could create an “all about me” project, with various parts of your kid’s story attached to the places she lived or was visiting when they happened. Browse on over to myHistro to check out the timelines others have made, describing everything from the history of libraries to the landmark cases of the Supreme Court, and get your kiddos inspired to create place-based stories of their own!
Here’s an app, there’s an app, everywhere’s an app app! How can you keep up? Here are a few reviewing tools to help you choose the best apps for you and your young child to explore together.
- Digital Storytime: Rates and reviews picture book apps for iPad
- Touch and Go: A guide to the best apps for kids and teens from School Library Journal
- A Matter of APP: A children’s educational app review blog
- Kirkus Reviews: Picks the best book apps for kids in a variety of categories
- apps4Stages: Makes suggestions based on a child’s stage of development
Keep in mind, screen time of any kind is not recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics for children under 2 years of age, and the organization recommends no more than one to two hours of total screen time per day for children older than 2.