Tumblebooks and Bookflix!

Tumblebooks are wonderful animated online picture books.  I have previewed a number of them, and I suspect our students will find them as engaging and fun as I do.
It is possible to access Tumblebooks through many local library systems including Fairfax County and DC. The link to access Tumblebooks through the DC Public Library site is here:  http://www.dclibrary.org/kids/videobooks

(you can also find the link to Bookflix there, which I describe below)

Videos to Enrich the Mind

As I am a visual learner, and have a relatively short attention span, I have always loved educational videos. Schoolhouse Rock and I are old friends... and you all know how I love BrainPop.

This week, I discovered some neat new sources of educational videos on YouTube - to include Bill Nye the Science Guy and Schoolhouse Rock.  And I love the idea of Crash Course History and Biology.  Enjoy:

Crash Course History
This is a series of 37 fast-paced ten to twelve minute overviews of major concepts and themes in World History. These might be a fun way to kick-off or reinforce a unit in the Upper School.

A Pair of Great Guides for IPad Users - And a Prezi

Usually, I only post to the Summer Learning Blog during the summer, but I just posted the following entry to the blog for teachers that I maintain during the school year.  The items I mention below are fantastic, and I suspect parents that follow this blog might also be interested in these resources for educational iPad apps... so here goes.  Parents, comment below if you'd like me to continue to share items like this during the school year...

Earlier this week, I received a pair of super-cool guides in my inbox that I'd like to share:

First, Edutopia published a booklet titled:  Mobile Devices for Learning: What You Need to Know... Getting kids engaged with learning, focused on working smarter and ready for the future.  This guide is jam-packed with ideas - especially for our iPad users.

In his "GeekDad" Blog for Wired, Daniel Donohoo sums it up this way: "Along with the usual app recommendations, the guide offers some analysis that looks at the positives, but also the challenges, of using mobile devices to support learning. It presents a wide range of diverse resources for teachers and parents to access as they undertake a journey to using technology to support learning. The whole process can also be overwhelming, so the guide doesn’t feel like it has excessive information, but instead acts as a launching pad for those interested in exploring how these devices can be used with students both inside and outside the classroom."

Plus, it is free. Of course, free these days means signing up to the Edutopia site, but if you do you’ll find the complete guide at http://www.edutopia.org/mobile-learning. 

Thinkfinity has some Bright Ideas for Summer

One of the many wonderful techie resources we use at Holy Trinity is readwritethink, which is a part of the Verizon Foundation's Thinkfinity website.  The link to the website can be found here:

While this is a great resource for teachers, this website has a number of Bright Ideas to fight the summer slide for parents and kids:

I was particularly intrigued by four of their suggested projects, because they use some of the interactive literacy resources we love at HTS.

Oh How I Love BrainPop

As a technology teacher, one of my all-time favorite sites is BrainPop.  BrainPop, BrainPop Jr and Brainpop Espanol offer hundreds of animated educational videos for children on a wide range of subjects.  Brainpop was the brainchild of an immunologist and pediatrician named Avraham Kadar, as a creative way to explain difficult concepts to young children.   Let me assure you, he has succeeded!

In the BrainPop movies, Tim and his robot side-kick Moby narrate the movies:

And in the BrainPop Jr. movies, a little girl named Annie narrates with Moby:

Many of the HTS teachers use these videos in the classroom, and our students LOVE them.

The link to BrainPop can be found here:

The link to BrainPop Jr. can be found here:

The link to BrainPop Espanol can be found here:

Our students never seem to get enough time to explore the subject areas that most fascinate them in the school setting, so this would be a great website to suggest on one of those summer days when the heat index is 110... like this week!

There are dozens of free videos each week, or you can sign up for a free trial, so your child can explore the website for a few days.  The home subscription for BrainPop Jr. is about $9 a month, and for BrainPop $10 a month.  I subscribed to BrainPop for a couple of years for my own children, as they were captivated by the site... let me assure you, it was money very well spent!

 I should mention that BrainPop also offers a variety of fascinating games and activities.

Send your kids to Virtual Summer Camp with Common Sense Media

Before we get to the part about the nifty Virtual Summer Camp...

I believe that every parent needs to know about the resources at Common Sense Media.  I wrote about this organization last summer, but in case you are new to the blog, Common Sense helps parents sift through the vast sea of websites, apps, computer games, television shows, movies and books to identify which are appropriate for children at every age group - and why.  I have found that it is a handy resource when one of my own children is begging to buy a game or watch a movie that is not even close to age-appropriate... I'll just pull up the review and tick off the reasons why they'll need to make another choice.  It also helps parents navigate the world of Social Media once their kids hit the 'tween and teen years.  Check out the website on http://www.commonsensemedia.org/   I suggest you subscribe to the weekly parent newsletter.

Common Sense Media has a new learning ratings initiative that will evaluate the learning potential of websites video games, and mobile apps. As part of this new initiative, the creative geniuses of this organization have created a Virtual Summer Camp Guide, as they thought: What better way to orient skills than around camp themes?  I couldn't agree more. This guide has 50+ recommendations with the highest Learning Ratings for kids age 2-17.  The themes include: outdoor exploration, arts and crafts, scavenger hunt, campfire friends, and more.  There are also great tips and activities that you can use to support your kids as they sharpen their skills.

Download the Summer Learning Guide here.

If you find any particularly amazing games, please let me know by commenting below:

The Joy of Reading with the KidsPost Summer Book Club!

Each summer, the Washington Post KidsPost sponsors a summer book club, and suggests a number of wonderful titles to read.  This club is open to kids ages 5 to 14, and those who are registered receive a bookmark designed by a local child. Children may read some or all of the books on the list - on the honor system. (So you could mix in a few of these titles with the ones on your HTS Summer Reading Lists) The Post reports: "We just want kids to enjoy summer reading, and we hope this helps."

 If you would like to register for the program, click on the link here to learn more:
Join the Washington Post Summer Book Club (Kids, you will need your parents help to register)

The eight books suggested this year include:
 Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage
 Summer of the Gypsy Moths by Sara Pennypacker
Anyway* by Arthur Salm
The Secret Tree by Natalie Standiford
Stars in the Shadows by Charles R. Smith, Jr.
Summer of May by Cecelia Galante
Crunch by Leslie Conor
Absolutely Normal Chaos by Sharon Creech

 Have a favorite on the list?  Leave a comment below!

Introducing Mathletics

After much research and discussion, the math teachers of HTS have decided to purchase a subscription to Mathletics for the 2012-13 school year for rising 1st - 8th graders.  The great news is that we are able to begin to use it over the summer.

As described in a previous blog entry,  I have heard wonderful things about this site from my friends who teach in International Schools.  It is a program that is aligned with the core curriculum.  Students are able to play online games to work on each math topic taught in a given year... and practice math facts by playing live against students from around the world.  It's incredibly engaging, and for kids who are competitive, it can be very motivating.

If you are interested in enrolling your child in the program before school begins in August, please contact Polly Sileo on psileo@htsdc.org.  She will need to know your child's full name and his or her homeroom teacher from last year.

10 Recommended Apps from our Early Childhood Students

This year, thanks to our generous parents, we were able to pilot iPads with our Pre-K, Kindergarten and 1st graders.  Each class received five iPads loaded with (only!) educational apps, and the children played with these apps during center time.  When I walked in to classrooms with these new gadgets after Christmas break, I found I had an immediate hobbit-sized fan club - the kids LOVE iPads.  Everyone involved was impressed by how engaged the kids were while learning basic building blocks in language arts and math. The EC team met earlier this week to discuss the program, and among the topics discussed were classroom favorites, as we look to build our library of "apps that work" for next year.  So, in no particular order, I offer you the favorite educational apps among the littlest students of HTS during the spring semester of 2012:

(All apps can be purchased from iTunes or the AppStore, and many can be run on iPhones in addition to iPads)

1. Don't Let the Pigeon Run the App

This app is more than simply an online story book - it lets children create their own Pigeon stories with their pal, Mo Willems.  Our pigeon-loving students loved the creative possibilities of the three games on this App.


2. Super Why

This was a huge favorite among the younger set. Based on the PBS series, this app offers four games: Lickety Letter Hunt, Wands up Writing, Rhyming Time and Story Saver.  The children love the graphics, and are able to earn stickers as they successfully complete the games.  Stickers are a big deal for these kids :)


3. Math Bingo

This game offers the option to practice math facts in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division... or a mix of all problems. It was very popular with our 1st graders this year, who loved the quirky little creatures that took up residence on their bingo boards.  It is possible to set up a player profile, so you can see which problems your child is solving correctly.

4. Word Bingo

This was a huge favorite among our first graders, but it is possible to set leveled word lists from Pre-Primer through 3rd grade.  Like Math Bingo, the kids found love the critters on the bingo board. Beyond the bingo game, the app also offers a spelling practice options.

5.  Teach Me Kindergarten

The children loved to earn stickers while learning important kindergarten skills such as addition, subtraction, sight words and spelling.  It is possible to set specific topics for the children to work with.


6. Teach Me First Grade

Again, earning stickers was very motivating to our students while they learned all-important skills such as addition, subtraction, sight words and spelling.  It is possible to set specific topics for the children to work with.


7. Bobo Explores Light

Mr. Denny reported that this was a huge favorite in his 1st grade class.  The Bobo Explores Light iPad book takes fundamental science concepts for school-age children, and injects them with humor, astonishment and whimsy.  It is truly wonderful.


8. Pirate Trio - Love to Count

This lovely, engaging British game introduces numbers as being the indicators of order, time, weight and quantity.  Parents are provided a tracking screen which is helpful for evaluating a child's progress.  The kids love this game.


9. Pirate Trio - Love to Read

The companion to Love to Count is an app inspired by Montessori teaching methods designed to lead children through the steps of getting to know words and understanding how to apply them. The child shakes the iPad or iPhone to scatter the letters, and the challenge is to put the letters back into place so the word is re-constructed again.  This was a favorite in the kindergarten and PreK.

10. Little Matchups - Count Money 

OK, I'll be honest.  This wasn't one of our student's favorite games, but a game that speaks to an area of weakness for many of our students.  The "Little Matchups" games are very visually appealing and easy to use for the kids.  Be sure to explore others by this game designer.


We'll be hunting for great new apps to introduce in the fall, so let me know if you discover any wonderful new titles.

10 Ideas for Practicing Math Skills This Summer

Last summer, I provided links to CoolMath4Kids and series of games to build skills in multiplication, such as Multiplication.com and Johnnie's Math Page.  I'd like to offer a few more ideas of websites that have activities spanning many of our grade levels:

1. IXL - this site offers comprehensive dynamic lessons and activities for every grade.  It is possible to take a look at the IXL, and try a series of sample problems, but to get full use, you must purchase a membership for a nomimal fee. A few of our teachers use this site, and love it.  The activities are engaging and the kids find it to be fun.   We will be looking into using this website next school year,  so please let me know if you try it and have any comments.

2. Mathletics - I have heard wonderful things about this site from my friends who teach in International Schools.  It's incredibly engaging, and for kids who are competitive, it can be very motivating.  This is an Australian website.  Again, it is a paid subscription, and we will be exploring it's use at HTS next year.  One of the elements of the site I love is a page called Rainforest Maths.  If you decide to subscribe, please let me know if you have any feedback!

3. Dreambox - We use this website with our 1st - 4th Graders, so they should be familiar with it, and be able to link to our school's page here.  Our younger students love the colorful, imaginative and challenging  games on the website, but never seem to have enough time to play it in school.  Perhaps over the summer would be a good time to work on reinforcing their math concepts!

4. PBS Kids Math Games - PBS Kids offers dozens of free games designed primarily for Lower School students in mind.  I would like to point out a particular group of games that tie into the Cyberchase show.  These games are designed with students aged 8-12 in mind, and our students (especially the 4th and 5th graders) find them to be incredibly fun.  The site is free of advertisements.

5. Internet4Classrooms - This site lists hundreds of games and challenges for students across all our grade levels - in all subjects.  It helps to know exactly what you might need practice with (say fractions), as sometimes I find it takes a bit of hunting to find the perfect game.  The good news is that all the games are free. The downside is that the advertising can get distracting.

6. Khan Academy - Khan Academy is a free website.  Students can set up an account using their HTS Email and password.  They can do activities to strengthen their skills from early learning through Calculus.  They can also watch videos to learn new skills or review old ones (it's great for parents to have a resource to brush up on skills learned years ago as well!)  If students enter their parents' information under the "coach" tab, parents can sign in as the coach and get useful information about activities completed as well as strengths and weaknesses.

7. EdHelper - This site provides hundreds of worksheets to help review skills.  Again, it encompasses all subjects and grade levels.

8. BBC Maths Key Stage 2 (through age 11)

I love the BBC websites because they tend to be very engaging and colorful - and always free and without advertisements.  The links to math sites are offered here, but BBC offers games and activities across a range of disciplines.

9. BBC Maths Key Stage 3 (through age 14)

 
10. Summer Skills - This is not a website, but a series of books recommended by Upper School Mary Shannon to help review skills.

Do you have any other amazing ideas to reinforce math skills?  If so, send me a comment below:

First and Second Grade Technology Blogs

Mrs. Miller teaches technology to our PreK through 2nd grade students.  She maintains a pair of blogs for our first and second graders full of websites perfect for these young learners.  Links to our online subscriptions, such as Ticket to Read and Dreambox can also be found there.  If you have children in one of these grades, be sure to explore these wonderful resources over the summer months:

1. First Grade Technology Blog 

2. Second Grade Technology Blog

Enjoy!

Mrs. Morell

Globetrotting via Cyberspace!

I'd like to introduce a selection of websites that help you explore the world...
1. Google World Wonders Project

I found this new project to be so incredible.  This website allows students to explore palaces and castles, cities and towns, and archeological sites.  From the archaeological areas of Pompeii to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, Google’s World Wonders Project aims to bring to life the wonders of the modern and ancient world.  Using Street View, 3D modeling and other Google technologies, Google has made these amazing sites accessible to everyone across the globe. With videos, photos and in-depth information, you can now explore the world wonders from your armchair just as if you were there. Check out the video below:

2. Free Rice - Geography

My students have played the Free Rice vocabulary games in class, but there is also a cool section devoted to geography.  It is possible to quiz yourself on World Landmarks, Flags of the World, World Capitals and  Identify Countries on a Map.  For each correct answer, you  earn 10 grains of rice to help end world hunger through the World Food Programme - how great is that?  Free Rice also offers a number of articles to help students understand the latest issues in the fight against hunger. Be sure to select the "Subjects" option at the top of the Free Rice home page to find the Geography options:

3. Toporopa

Wishing you could pack your bags to go to the Olympics this summer?  Intrigued by European monarchs or history? This site provides dozens of challenges to quiz students about all things European.  I found this site is particularly colorful and fun.  See how much you know!

Just Keep Typing...

During the school year, our 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th graders use a program called Type to Learn during technology class.  I spend a lot of time saying: "Just Keep Typing" to the tune of "Just Keep Swimming" from Finding Nemo :)  The goal is that our students should be typing at least 25 to 30 words per minute by the end of 6th grade.  We do alot of keyboarding at HTS in the Upper School!

During the summer months, I'd like to offer you a menu of fun typing games to keep your skills up to speed.  Be sure to always sit up straight, keep your feet on the ground, and keep your fingers on the home keys when you practice keyboarding!  I promise - you'll be a faster typist if you follow those tips.

1. Typing Games at ABCya 

These games are great for our younger students. Be sure to try Alpha Munchies, Cup Stacking and Keyboard Challenge:

2. Keyboarding Games at LearningGames for Kids:

This site offers a comprehensive menu of games. 

Try them out, and let me know which ones you like best!

3. Free Typing Games:

I have to admit, I find the advertising a bit distracting on this site, but the games are very fun... especially "Desert Typing Racer."

4. BBC Dance Mat Typing
This is a very methodical approach to typing - carefully structured lessons are offered in a colorful, fun format. I like it because the lessons constantly prompt the kids to keep their hands on the home keys.  I have to report that various critters with the Scottish accent who direct the efforts seems to get quite a few giggles in class.

5. Typer Shark on AOL Kids

This is always a favorite among our students - but beware... it gets hard very quickly!!

Happy Typing!

Mrs. Morell