Category: Websites

Zapzapmath is a free gamified way to teach K-8 math skills that are tied to many national standards (like Common Core).  Its format is colorful and engaging, the music lively, and the space-themed layout exactly right for the age group. The over 150 games are fast-paced and interactive and cover over 180 math topics. Students direct their learning with an avatar (called a ‘mathling’) that identifies their work and keeps them engaged. Read my full review of Zapzapmath here.

Zap Zap Kindergarten Math, geared for ages 3-6, is the newest member of the Zapzapmath family. It includes 160+ visually-stimulating math games that make learning fun and engaging while students develop math and thinking skills. It covers foundation skills like addition, subtraction, place value, and measurement and data, and is aligned with international math standards such as the US’s Common Core. Each game is preceded by quick audio directions and ongoing gameplay is narrated so all levels of readers can understand. Analytics track and evaluate progress.

Players learn to:

• Develop number sense.
• Count to 100 by ones and tens.
• Count forward and backward from a given number.
• Compare 2 numbers as greater than, less than, or equal.
• Understand mathematical equality.
• Solve simple addition and subtraction equations up to 20.
• Differentiate two objects in terms of physical attributes; i.e. size and height.
• Identify shapes as two-dimensional or three-dimensional.
• Compose larger shapes out of smaller shapes.

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Memorial Day (May 29, 2017) is the time we remember all of those soldiers (and anyone in the Armed Forces) who gave their lives in the defense of American freedom. In war and peace, they made the ultimate sacrifice, and because of them we are privileged to live the American Dream.

Once a year, we honor them, their sacrifice, and those they left behind. Here are some activities to help students understand the import of this day:

1. Folding the American flag
2. In Flanders Field--poem
3. Memorial Day Messages, Speeches, Oaths, Poems, Anthems, and images
4. Memorial Day Poems
5. Memorial Day Poetry–poems
6. Memorial Day Prayer
7. Memorial Day puzzle I
8. Memorial Day Puzzle II
9. Memorial Day DigitPuzzle
10. Memorial Day Quiz
11. Memorial Day Word Search
12. Primary source recollections of War
13. Quotes about Memorial Day/Wars
14. Remember our Warriors
15. Who you are remembering–Americans killed in action

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April 22nd is Earth Day. Celebrate it with your students by letting them visit these websites:

1. Breathing earth– the environment
2. Breathing Earth YouTube Video–of CO2 use, population changes, and more
3. Conservation Game
4. Earth Day—NASA Ocean Currents
5. Earth Day Printables
6. Eco-friendly house
7. Ecotourism Simulation–for grades 4 and above
8. EekoWorld
9. Footprint calculator
10. History of Earth Day–lots of reading
11. My Garbology
12. Starfall — Every Day is Earth Day
13. Storyboard That! Earth Day lesson plans

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Many Christians celebrate Jesus Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday. The date depends on the ecclesiastical approximation of the March equinox. This year, it’s April 16, 2017.

Here are some websites your students will love:

1. Easter color-me (for Kindergarten/first grade)
2. Easter Color Me to print or import to drawing program
3. Easter games II
4. Easter games III
5. Easter games IV
6. Easter poems and songs (to play online)
7. Easter Puppies–video
8. Easter puzzles and games
9. Easter songs for kids
10. Easter story--the Easter Egg–video
11. Easter Word hunt (Starfall)

Here are four sites that work well with iPads:

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Getting ready for St. Patrick’s Day? Try these fun activities:

1. Color the shamrock
2. Color the Pot-o-gold
3. Color the leprechaun
4. Puzzle–St. Pat’s Puzzle
5. Puzzle–St. Pat’s puzzle II
6. Puzzle–St. Pat’s drag-and-drop puzzle
7. Puzzle–St. Pat’s slide puzzle
8. Puzzles and games
9. St. Pat’s math
10. St. Patrick’s Day history–video
11. St. Pat’s Day songs–video
12. Tic tac toe
13. Webquest for St. Patrick’s Day I
14. Webquest II
15. Wordsearch

If you have iPads at your school, try these three apps:

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Here are some fun Valentine sites to fill those few minutes betwixt and between lessons, projects, bathroom breaks, lunch, and everything else:

• Dress up the heart
• ‘I love you’ in languages Afrikaans to Zulu
• Line up the hearts
• Valentine games and puzzles
• Valentine Day games and stories
• Valentine Day poem generator
• Valentine drag-and-drop
• Valentine match
• Valentine mouse skills

• Valentine projects from Winter Wonderland
• Valentine puppy jigsaw
• Valentine rebus game
• Valentine rebuses
• Valentine Sudoku
• Valentine tic-tac-toe
• Valentine typing
• Valentine unscramble
• Valentine’s Day apps
• Write in a heart

Do you have any I missed?

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Need a few websites to fill in sponge time? Here are Holiday websites that will keep students busy while teaching them:

1. 12 Days of Christmas
2. Christmas puzzles and games
3. Christmas—history—fun video
4. Gift Hunt–updated version of 12 Days of Christmas–just as much fun
5. Holiday collection
6. Holiday Crossword
7. Holiday Elf Games
8. Holiday Hangman II
9. Holiday music II–sing along with the music–the site provides the words
10. Holiday—Design Gingerbread House
11. Holiday—find the word
12. Holiday—Math Facts
13. Holiday—North Pole Academy
14. Holidays around the world
15. Holidays–various
16. Penguin Show
17. Phone call from Santa
18. Santa Tracker

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Need a few websites and apps to fill in sponge time? Here are Thanksgiving websites that will keep students busy and still teach them:

1. Canadian Thanksgiving
2. Online/Offline Thanksgiving activities
3. Plimoth Plantation–a field trip of a Pilgrim’s life. Included on this real-life site is a video of the Pilgrim’s crossing to the New World.
4. Starfall–Silly Turkey
5. Thanksgiving edu-websites–CybraryMan
6. Thanksgiving Games
7. Thanksgiving games and puzzles
8. Thanksgiving games–Quia
9. Thanksgiving information–history, more
10. Thanksgiving Jigsaw
11. Thanksgiving Jigsaw II
12. Thanksgiving Lesson Plans
13. Thanksgiving Tic-tac-toe
14. Thanksgiving video–Brainpop
15. Thanksgiving Wordsearch
16. The First Thanksgiving

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Labor Day is annually held on the first Monday of September (this year, September 2nd). It was originally organized to celebrate various labor associations’ strengths of and contributions to the United States economy. It is largely a day of rest in modern times. Many people mark Labor Day as the end of the summer season and a last chance to make trips or hold outdoor events.

Labor Day is a US holiday dedicated to workers across the country. The public holiday always falls on the first Monday in September. The first federal observation of the holiday occurred in 1894 however the first Labor Day observed in a state was in Oregon in 1887.

Today, I honor the warrior, his job to fight for America’s way of life, invisibly and heroically, across the globe.

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Primary schoolers learn about money. The only way to really ‘get it’ is by repetition. Here’s a list of websites to provide redundancy for each type of learner:

1. Brain Pop Learn about Money
2. Cash Out
3. Cashtivity
4. Coin Counting
5. Coin games—from US Mint
6. Count Money
7. Counting Money
8. Face on money
9. Face on money–from Lunapic; lots of options
10. Make change
11. Money—counting
12. Moneyville
13. Money Flashcards–APlus Math
14. Mr. Bouncy’s Money collection–lots of websites
15. US Mint virtual tour (a slideshow)

If you have iPads, here are two you’ll love:

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