Primary Games Arena – Full of fun resources!

Thank you to John who commented on my ABCya! post for leading me to this fun-filled site called the Primary Games Arena.  According to their site:

“Primary Games Arena is the largest resource of Primary School games in the universe. Webmasters and developers can enjoy the use of our API which allows them to register games & feed scores from their games straight onto Primary Games Arena! Kids have full national curriculum game coverage. Please be eSafe on this website and never give your real name.”

Covering most subjects, there really does seem to be a game for everything.  After wandering around the site, I am very impressed with the resources that have been sourced and organised. 

The ability to locate resources through both subject and year level is very useful, and I also like the side bar that includes ‘today’s top games’ for you to see what is popular.  There are some advertisements, but they are appropriate for the audience and are clear to see that they are ads (so as not to be confusing for younger students).

One issue I have with the site is that only some resources open within the primary games arena page (ie their banner and navigation remaining at the top of the page).  Unfortunately, some of the resources take the user away from the main site.  Whilst this will not be a problem with upper school students, it does limit its use for lower school students.  Of course, there’s always a way around everything …… if the teacher uses the primary games arena to source the games they require, they can always just link directly to that game in a virtual classroom or class website. It seems a shame though.

 Overall, a very useful site that will be a great resource to use in the classroom!  Thanks again John 🙂

Interactive Life Cycle of plants

This ‘Life Cycle of Plants‘ website is a great interactive resource for teaching students about the life cycle of plants.  The students can explore how the seed would react to different growth situations such as light but no water, water and light, or water but no light.

Not only does the site contain the interactive resources, but it also has a link to a 2 page worksheet document.  Whilst the info may be geared towards middle to upper classes, the site (and 2nd worksheet) could still be modified for the lower year levels.

Another bonus of the site is that it also has a link to a larger whiteboard version.

e-Learning for Kids – Great Resource!!

e-Learning for kids vision is to be the source for childhood learning on the Internet – available from anywhere and without charge. Established in late 2004, e-Learning for Kids is a global, nonprofit foundation dedicated to fun and free learning on the Internet for children ages 5 – 12. They offer free, best-in-class courseware in math, science, reading and keyboarding; and we’re building a community for parents and educators to share innovations and insights in childhood education.

A fantastic site with lots (and lots!) of resources to use in your classroom.  Something for just about anyone!

Microorganisms

Following is a collection of resources that would be useful in the planning and implementation of a microorganisms science unit (Primary Connections, Stage 3 – Marvellous Microorganisms).

• Micro-organisms Videos (the song is quite funny!)
• Disease Detectives
• Microorganisms (Interactive activities great for the IWB)
• Microorganisms 2  (Interactive activities great for the IWB)
• Microbes on my mind
  
• Viruses and Bacteria Powerpoints
• Dettol Kids Site
  
•  NEO K-12
  
• Biology4Kids
• Science Kids
• The bug investigators
  
• Microbe World
• Food a fact of life
  
• Microorganisms Interactive Resource
  
• Cells Alive
  
• Fight Bac
  

Insect Wonderland – Some sites to get you started!

Probably one of the most popular topics covered in the junior school is Insects. Below is a list of insect sites I have found on the internet for those of you who may have this unit coming up (… especially as validation time looms nearer 🙂  )  This list is by no means indicative of what is available, but merely a way to help get you started.  Hope you find something useful!

 http://www.ento.csiro.au/about_insects/index.html
An Australian site about insects.  The site includes lots of information and fact sheets, as well as a fun for kids section.

http://animals.pppst.com/insects.html
A collection of free powerpoint presentations all about insects.

http://www.bugsed.com/
Interactive insect workshops for all ages.  There is a great ‘extras for teachers’ section that has a fantastic list of resources to visit. 

http://www.mes-english.com/flashcards/insects.php
A site full of free printable flashcards, worksheets and games.  Meant for ESL students, but great for all!

 http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bugs/
Going Buggy!  Facts and fun about insects from Scholastic.

 http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/kids/insects/insectintro.htm
Sci4Kids is a collection of bug related ‘stories’.  Worth a look.

http://www.animalcorner.co.uk/insects/insects.html
A great site with lots of information on a variety of insects and bugs.  A good resource to ‘pull’ information from.

http://www.britishcouncil.org/kids-games-insect-world.htm
This insect world website has an online game with resources below.  The game takes a little while to load, so be patient! 🙂

http://eliot.needham.k12.ma.us/technology/lessons/insects/index.htm
A great collection of resources!

http://www.daniellesplace.com/html/bugs.html
This page has a fantastic collection of insect arts and crafts that you could do with your class and hang around the classroom.  Well worth a look!

http://insected.arizona.edu/lessons.htm
The lessons on this site have three sections:  teacher preparation (set-up and materials), the actual lesson plans, and additions (extensions, vocabulary, and a bibliography). The lessons also contain direct links to pertinent activity, information, and rearing sheets.

http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/ythfacts/oldentyouth.htm
Katerpillars and mystery bugs is a great site that has sections on bug food for you to make, teacher and parents resources, and a bug fun section.

Eyes on the Sky, Feet on the Ground

This Eyes on the Sky – Feet on the Ground site was developed by Harvard.    It has links to hundreds of fun explorations into astronomy as a classroom tool for learning how to theorize, experiment, and analyze data.  The activities are fully illustrated and contain detailed, step-by-step instructions as well as suggested discussion topics. The site is lots of fun for teachers and students alike.

Eyes on the Sky – Feet on the Ground contains the complete text and graphics of the collection along with related links, a table of contents, an explanation of how to use this book, and email links to the authors.

Don’t forget to check out the Everyday Classroom Tools for an inquiry-based science curriculum!