The web sites listed below are meant for use when kids just want to have fun on the Internet. However, it should be noted that many of them contain educational content and might increase learning!
Have fun !
Brookfield Zoo - In Search of the Ways of Knowing
http://www.brookfieldzoo.org/pagegen/wok/index_f4.html
A choose your own adventure in the African jungle.
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BuilD YouR WiLD SeLF
http://www.buildyourwildself.com
Ever wonder what kind of character you might be if could be part of the "Where the Wild Things Are"? Enjoy this creative web site and construct your own wild self! Made possible by New York Zoos and Aquarium.
The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
http://adisney.go.com/disneypictures/narnia/index.html
View trailers and video clips, listen to samples of the music and watch short video clips about the musicians, learn about C.S. Lewis and his seven books, listen to sample chapters out of each book, and finally, play the Narnia online game.
Dave Pilkey’s Extra-Crunchy Web Site O’ Fun!
http://www.pilkey.com/index.php
A great site for any Dave Pilkey fan.
DiscoverySchool.com – Brain Boosters
http://school.discovery.com/brainboosters
Browse through the categorized archive of challenging Brain Boosters.
FunBrain
http://www.funbrain.com
This web site contains a vast collection of language arts and math interactive games and activities for all ages.
Funschool
http://www.funschool.com
The site offers more than 300 interactive games and activities for preschool through 6th grade that are fun, easy-to-use, and educational.
Guinness World Records
http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com
Did you know that Guinness World Record Day is November 8th? This site has everything you would find in a Guinness World Record Book plus videos and podcasts of unique world record breakers such as the fastest Tuk-Tuk ride (Indian autorikshaw), tallest snowman, longest ladder, and plane pulling! Take a look at the newest book version online as well.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com
Trailers, video clips, wallpapers, screensavers, posters etc. This site really tries hard to sell you their product. This site provides a wonderful opportunity to teach your child about advertising and how viewers might be taken in by all of the extras. Hoever, there are some excellent features about this site for older students such as the Maurauder's Map with lots of different areas to explore and lots of interactive games.
I Spy
http://www.scholastic.com/ispy/index.asp
Just like the I Spy books except here as well as finding objects on a page, you also get to create your own I Spy Puzzle (online or off) as well as write your own riddles.
JigZone
http://www.jigzone.com
The JigZone is the place on the Internet for free online jigsaw puzzles. You choose the picture and the level of difficulty, from a quick and simple puzzle of 6 pieces, to a challenging 247 piece cut. Young children will require assistance getting started. Older children and parents will have a hard time leaving this site alone.
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Jigsaw Puzzle Generator
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/your-shot/jigsaw-puzzles
Solve one of these National Geographic jigsaw puzzles, which feature user-submitted photos converted into interactive puzzles. New images are added to the puzzle gallery each week. Challenging for younger students but there is an option tab which allows an increase in puzzle piece size and reduction of pieces.
Journey to a New Land
http://www.sfu.museum/journey
People first arrived in the Americas at least 12,000 years ago. The timing of their arrival and the route by which they travelled are not known. Did they follow an inland ice-free corridor route from Siberia to the unglaciated regions south of the ice sheets? Or did they take a coastal route, travelling by boat down the Pacific Coast? Did people arrive during the ice age, or not until after the glaciers receded? Choose your journey by clicking on one of a number of choices including a Primary Level and an Elementary Level at the top of the page.
LearningPlanet
http://www.learningplanet.com
The focus of LearningPlanet.com is on creating fun learning activities and tools.
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Lego Digital Designer
http://ldd.lego.com
LEGO Digital Designer is a fun, free program that lets you design your own LEGO creations. You have all the bricks you want at your disposal (763 brick types available) and there's no clean up! If you create a lego design that you really like, you can order the bricks you need from LEGO and make it for real!
Lego Games
http://club.lego.com/eng/games/default.asp
Adventure and building games, from the simple to the complex.
Magic Schoolbus
http://place.scholastic.com/magicschoolbus/home.htm
Lots and lots to explore and learn at this site.
NFBkids.ca
http://nfbkids.ca
This creative and challenging site has a lot to offer older children. Try your hand at creating your own UltraBug movie clip, storyboarding, animating blobs, or playing a game. This site won't work if you have popups blocked and is sometimes difficult to get into.
Orisinal – Morning Sunshine
http://www.ferryhalim.com/orisinal
One of my favourite sites for playing games that are a little bit different.
Paper Toys
http://www.papertoys.com
Paper stuff for kids and grownups including trains, airplanes, party hats, cars (great selection of different models for the car enthusiast!), motorcycles, famous buildings, tyrannasaurus rex, and even a 3-D version of Jimi Hendrix's guitar! Just print, cut, fold, and glue. These cut-outs would be difficult for young children but something manageable for ages 7 years and up.
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Poptropica
http://www.poptropica.com
Ready for some island hopping? Then head on over to Poptropica, a virtual world created by the Family Education Network. Players get an avatar and username, then board the Poptropica blimp for one of three destinations: Early Poptropica Island, Shark Tooth Island, or Time Tangled Island. Each island holds its own adventure; players climb, jump, and collect objects in order to complete missions, which they learn about by talking to the locals. Poptropica uses safe, kid-friendly, pre-scripted chat, which allows players to communicate without sharing personal information. After saving their game once, players can leave and come back at any time to pick up where they left off. Make sure you check out the Q&A.
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Questionaut
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/games/questionaut/pop.shtml
Journey through strange worlds and test your knowledge of English, Maths and Science on this magical mission to recover your friend’s hat. Use logic (which becomes more apparent as you go along) and answer questions to inflate a helium balloon and retrieve the lost hat. I suggest parents try this activity with their children or teachers put aside a good half hour and problem solve through the levels as a whole group. Questions are different each time you go through. Would be great with an interactive whiteboard!
Salmon Challenge
http://splash.metrokc.gov/wlr/waterres/salmonch.htm
In this online activity, your mission is to protect a coho salmon fry as it makes its long journey to the ocean. You will be given a series of ten questions that will affect the safety and health of your salmon. Try to make the best decisions about water quality, soil management, vegetation management, and even what to do if you see someone harming the environment. Your salmon will encounter all kinds of danger on his way to Puget Sound. Watch out for hungry seagulls, yapping dogs, or toxic chemicals! Students will learn how to think environmentally and appreciate the delicate balance of ecology.
Scholastic for Kids
http://www.scholastic.com/kids/home_flash.asp
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Simon
http://www.simonsaid.com/swf/766.swf
Do what Simon Says. Follow the pattern of lights and sounds for as long as you can... if you can!
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Slide Puzzle Generator
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/your-shot/slide-puzzles
Time yourself and challenge your friends to solve these slider puzzles, featuring photos from National Geographic. There is an Option tab to change some of the settings to make this a bit easier but still a challenge and not for the easily discouraged!
Sodaplay
http://www.sodaplay.com
Sodaconstructor animates and edits two dimensional models made out of masses and springs; springs can be controlled by a wave to make pulsing muscles; models can be constructed that bounce, roll, walk etc. Try some of the ready made models or try to build your own. Very challenging!
Sports Illustrated for Kids
http://www.sikids.com
Lots to explore at this site but children will either need to be able to read or have an adult to guide them through.
Viking Quest
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/games/vikingquest/index.shtml
Travel back in time to the year 793 AD. Can you build a ship, cross the seas, loot a monastery and return home to claim your prize? Your chief has set the challenge, it's up to you to undertake the Viking Quest.
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World Food Day
http://www.freerice.com
World Food Day is on October 16. Students can challenge themselves with the activities on this site and for each question they get right, 20 grains of rice will be donated to the U.N. World Food Program to help end world hunger. Kids can do this at home or together as a whole class at school using an LCD projector connected to the Internet. Topics cover Art, Chemistry, English, Geography, Math, and Languages.
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