Saturday, May 8, 2010

PLANET SUDOKU

There's a brand new puzzle everyday and online here for all Sudoku lovers. You can also play a random puzzle from the archives. Click "Play" and then select your level of difficulty, Easy, Medium, or Hard.
http://members.learningplanet.com/act/sudoku/free.asp

Thursday, May 6, 2010

BUILD YOUR WILD SELF!

From the description alone, I had to try this game. Start with designing a human version of yourself, add some wings and other animal parts, and voila! You've created a whole new animal. I mean human. Or maybe humanimal? Have fun with this one, choosing skin tones, hair, eyes, mouth, head gear, and then moving on to the really fun stuff: spider legs perhaps? Or how about a rhinoceros nose? Add a few butterfly wings, or perhaps a stretch of peacock feathers - all accompanied by groovy sounds when you make your choice! Waaayyy too much fun, from the New York Zoos and Aquarium.
http://www.buildyourwildself.com/

CREATE YOUR MANGATAR

This game is way too much fun! There are tons of options to choose from to personalize your Japanese Manga-style avatar, including features of course, but also make-up, hair, even piercings and tattoos! You might want to add a character writing exercise to the finished product of this game. Simply print it out and write up a character description, setting, and plot synopsis for that character. Add his/her job/school/hobbies/habits, etc.
http://www.faceyourmanga.com/faceyourmanga.php?lang=eng

Mini-Mizer by Lego

How cute is this? Kids get to choose their own Lego parts in order to create a Lego variation of themselves. Print this one out when they're finished!
http://reasonablyclever.com/mini/flash/minifig.swf

How Mona Lisa Got Her Smile

Poor Mona Lisa! Everything is going wrong, and she is getting downright grouchy. Why? All because of her shoes! Find out how she changes from frown to smile in this delightful online and animated storybook.

EL DIA DE LOS MADRAS with Dora the Explorer

Want to celebrate Mother's Day with your children? Then try these online videos from Dora the Explorer, with choices including "El Dia de las Madras", "Mother's Day", "Grandma's House", or "Super Babies" to fit the occasion!
http://www.nickjr.com/kids-videos/kids-dora-the-explorer-videos.html

DORA'S COOKING IN LA COCINA

Want to make some empanadas? Or how about some chicken tortillas, or perhaps cookies for a sweet treat! Dora the Explorer leads children through her "cocina" to find the ingredients for each recipe, and will teach a little bit of Spanish at the same time.
http://www.nickjr.com/kids-games/doras-cooking-in-la-cocina.html

THE LUCKY SEED

Young children (3-7) will enjoy this online story, where an animated seed falls off a farmer's cart. He falls onto a hot, dry road, but with a little help from his friends, becomes a tall tree. The story helps children to understand what a plant needs in order to thrive and grow.
http://www.britishcouncil.org/kids-stories-lucky-seed-popup.htm

GOODNIGHT BIRD

Audio narration and music enhance a reading of this online children's picture book at Nick Jr. If your children don't want to go to sleep at night, then this book is for them!
http://www.nickjr.com/games/goodnight-bird.jhtml

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

BUILD A CIRUIT GAME

Build a virtual electric circuit with this online game, where you'll be using a soldering iron to create a pathway for the electrical current to correctly flow from the battery, to the lightbulb, and back to the battery. When finished, try designing a real experiment!
http://www.playkidsgames.com/games/circuitGame/circuitGame.htm

Build a Plantation Game

Explore the roots of Colonial Maryland with this excellent, interactive feature. Make sure you watch the online video first, then read the colonist's diary to see what was happening on a daily basis in Maryland, and then build your own plantations - and see if they survive a year of simulated hardships! Choose the pop-up options to learn more about the experience of the colonists.
http://mdroots.thinkport.org/default_flash.asp?ldIntNm=plantation

AN INTERACTIVE HISTORY OF ELLIS ISLAND

An astounding percentage of Americans can trace their immigrant ancestors back to Ellis Island; it's definitely a large part of our history and who we are. This online exploration allows you to delve into the experiences of immigrants, with an interactive floor plan to explore in text, photos, audio, and video presentations. A 15 year old girl from Ireland was apparently the first immigrant to go through Ellis Island; find out more fascinating fare with this immigration exploration.
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/tour/index.htm

DEEP SEA MEMORY

How good is your memory, when you're under the sea? This is a timed game, so get ready to remember where those sea creatures are hiding out. There are 3 levels of difficulty, with corresponding amounts of cards and critters. When the game is finished, click on any of the creature cards to learn more about the animal.

The SAME GAME

Here's another colored marble game. This time, you have to create groups of as many same-colored marbles as you can, with the object of eliminating all of them. Sound easy? Think again!
http://www.factmonster.com/games/samegame.html

Cool Math Marble Lines

The object of this game is to get rid of all the marbles before they reach the end target, but a minimum of three marbles of the same color must be collected before they can be eliminated. The game gets progressively more difficult until two lines are heading toward different targets at the same time. Warning: this game can get addictive!
http://www.coolmath-games.com/0-marblelines/index.html

Sunday, May 2, 2010

STITCH IT UP PATTERN DESIGNER

Design your own patterns and arrange them on your chosen fabrics. Choose the thread colors, borders, and patterns, cut it all out, and stitch it up!

Interactive Jewelry Designer

Little ones can enjoy making their own jewelry creations with this online design studio!
http://www.artisancam.org.uk/flashapps/jewellerydesigner/index.php

TYPING ADVENTURE

If children can learn proper placement and use of the keyboard, it will help them a good deal during their school years. Here's a level I game to practice typing in a fun, safari-type (pun intended!) format.
http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/keyboarding_games/keyboarding_games_typing_adventure1.html