Student Friendly Websites

Cooking

• Spattulata— More than 350 basic, kid-friendly video recipes will teach your children the step-by step basics of cooking.

English and Reading

• American Association of School Librarians— It’s a sure bet that librarians can point you in the direction of websites that provide innovative and creative ways for teachers and students to actively engage and collaborate.
• BookPALS— BookPALS (Performing Artists for Literacy in Schools) bills itself as “a national program administered by the nonprofit Screen Actors Guild Foundation. It helps children learn to LOVE books by bringing the talents of performer volunteers into classrooms, hospitals, shelters, and other venues.”
• Colorin Colorado— Billed as a bilingual site for educators and families of English language learners, there’s something for everyone.
• Fun English Games– You’ll find free teaching resources for learning English including interactive games, classroom activities, printable worksheets and more.
• International Children’s Digital Library – This site bills itself as a library for the world’s children. Its mission is to promote “tolerance and respect for diverse cultures by providing access to the best of children’s literature from around the world.”  Online books in 19 different languages are offered from dozens of different countries and one can search for books by age level, topic, length, award winners, color of cover, and those that have recently been added.
• No Red Ink– Check out this website that is aimed at helping students to improve their writing skills and grammar.
• Scholastic— Search through 50,000 books by reading level to find similar books and create your own “customized” book lists.
• Story Bird— The site bills itself as digital publishing for everyone and offers “Storybirds” — short, art-inspired stories which you can make and share on any device.
• Wonderopolis— The National Center for Family Literacy created this website to focus on topics that make children curious.  A video on each subject and an opportunity to post your questions helps to keep the site engaging and fun.

Geography

• Google Earth Lessons— This site provides teachers with assistance in using Google Earth to teach lessons and offers students the opportunity to explore landmarks around the globe.
• National Geographic— With the goal of “inspiring people to care about the planet,” the site provides free maps, photos, videos and links to articles about animals, the environment and more.

Health and Safety

• Let’s Move— Intended to raise a healthier generation of kids
• Stop Bullying— Learn the warning signs and learn how to help prevent and respond to bullying.
• The More You Know— This site focuses on online safety and provides the opportunity to download a free eBook and start a conversation with your children.
• Recycle City– This fun and interactive EPA site helps kids learn about reducing waste, using less energy, and saving money.
• Sparky— The National Fire Protection Association provides kids with the chance to explore and learn about fire safety in an interactive environment.

History

• America’s Library– This Library of Congress site is designed to share America’s story with young people.
• Ben’s Guide— This site provides a fun way for students from kindergarten through 12th grade to learn about the federal government
• Fact Frenzy– Started by a group of educators, the data comes from educational textbooks and materials, official government websites, interviews, manuals and periodicals among other authoritative sources.
• History, Art & Archives– Does a history buff live in your house? There is information here on the nearly 11,000 people who have served in the U.S. House of Representatives with nearly 1,000 database items including photos, furniture, and even congressional baseball cards.
• National Gallery of Art— This National Gallery of Art site introduces art and art history and has activities for kids of all ages.

Math

• Algebra.Help— This collection of lessons, calculators and worksheets helps students to see step-by-step solutions and practice new problems.
• Math Cats–This site invites visitors to a creative, open-ended math exploration.
• Real World Math— Using Google Earth as a platform, this site offers free math activities for students and teachers.

Science and Technology

• Common Sense Media— This site bills itself as being “dedicated to helping kids thrive in a world of media and technology.” It provides a number of “Best of” lists including best websites for kids.
• Howtosmile — Provides free access to 3,500 of the best hands-on science and math activities, making STEM fun and educational for students of all ages.
• Mad Sci Network– Posted by a non-profit organization, it bills itself as “the laboratory that never sleeps” with scientists providing answers to your questions and an archive of 36,000 Q&As.
• Science Buddies— With more than 1,000 project ideas in all areas of science, your child can find the perfect idea for a science fair or an interesting project to do during that snow day or school vacation.
• Smithsonian Kids— From air and space, to dinosaurs and animal cams, the Smithsonian site for children is jam-packed with educational and interesting information and activities for kids of all ages across a wide spectrum of interests.
• Windows to the Universe— This sophisticated site helps the general public, students, and teachers learn about the Earth and Space sciences.

For even more educational fun, check out:

• Fact Monster— It combines reference materials, facts, and trivia quizzes for kids on all subjects and it’s designed for parents, educators and kids.
• Federal Reserve Education— This site is all about money and provides fun facts, classroom resources, games, simulations, and more.
• Fun Brain— This education site for kids between kindergarten and grade 8 is filled with educational games in math and reading as well as those that are just for fun.
• Kids.gov— Posted by the government, it’s billed as a safe place where kids can create, share and learn.
• Kidsites.com— Its goal is to find and provide reviews of the best websites for children, those offering quality content, good presentation values and subject matter that is safe and suitable for young people to view.
• Magic Treehouse— This site offers content for students, parents, and teachers, and allows visitors to explore books, play games and more.
• PBS Kids— Check out the videos, games and shows.
• Peace Corps— This site is dedicated to promoting 21st century global learning through stories, activities, and classroom resources – all of which are based on Peace Corps Volunteer experience.
• Sweet Search— A search engine for students that helps them to identify the most relevant results from 35,000 credible sources that have been evaluated and approved by research experts, librarians and teachers. The site gives more value, thereby ranking them higher, to government, university, public television and museum websites.