Educational Websites You'll Grow to Love

In my former life, I was an elementary teacher. Today, I am a fulltime mom of two homeschoolers. Between these two lives, I went acquired a master's degree in technology integration. It is because of this that I am often approached by other homeschooling moms asking for website recommendations. They want to know what sites will best enhance their child's education. There are so many great websites for children, both educational and fun. This list is just a few. Though most websites can be used with a variety of grade/age levels, I have tried to indicate what level would benefit most from a particular website.

Internet4classrooms (www.internet4classrooms.com) - I've actually met the team who put this website together. It is a compilation of internet resources that help students practice skills that are required on various assessments. Sites are broken down by grade level (preK through high school) and subject. For high schoolers, sites are also broken down by type of test. There are ACT and SAT sites listed of course, but there are also sites listed that will help with end-of-course exams.

Teachers.net (www.teachers.net) - Looking for a lesson on a particular subject? This website probably has it. On this site, you can take advantage of their databank of lessons. Users are able to submit and request lessons. So, if you are in need of a lesson to teach about plants, just do a search and hundreds of lessons will pop up.

Brainpop (www.brainpop.com) - Brainpop is a site full of cool animated health, science and social studies videos. It has been a while since I visited Brainpop, but it was one of my favorite sites when I was teaching sixth grade. It was free back then. It will now cost a whopping $99 per year for a family subscription. However, they have recently added Brainpop Jr. (www.brainpopjr.com) for grades K through 3. The junior site covers science, health, writing, reading, social studies, and math. It is still in the developmental stages, so it free. There will be a charge in the future, but in the meantime, I would encourage you to check them out.

Enchantedlearning (www.enchantedlearning.com) - For the K through 3 crowd, Enchantedlearning has it all. For $20 per year, you can have access to a wealth of activities. Pick a topic and you are sure to find crafts, printouts, quizzes and more. There are sample pages available for "prospective subscribers."

First-school (www.first-school.ws) - Need preschool activities? This site should be your first stop. The site contains lesson plans, printable crafts, worksheets and more. In addition, first-school is linked to their sister site, DLTK crafts. So, if you do a search DLTK's activities will show as well.

Kidzclub (http://kizclub.com/index.html) - This is another great site for preschool and early elementary material. Here, you can find flashcards, games, activities, stories. The site covers a wide range of topics, such as animals, colors, community, and much more.

Book Adventure (www.bookadventure.com)- On Book Adventure, children can take quizzes on books they have read in order to earn points. The points can be redeemed for prizes through the website or parents can enter their own personal incentives into their child's account. In addition to the quizzes, Book Adventure will help your child choose books to read by compiling a list based on your child's interest. Many parents compare the quizzes on this site to the Accelerated Reader test that are used in many public schools. I have even know n some parents of public school students who have their child take the Book Adventure test prior to taking the AR test at school hoping that it will help their child do better. Book Adventure is free, but does require that you sign up. Parents will have to give permission for kids to sign up and they will need to sign up themselves in order to personalize the prizes.

These are just a few sites to get you started on your quest for great materials and resources. For more great websites, check www.kidsites.com.