….that this blog will remain dormant for some time. Regular posting will start again in the month of January 2012, Insha Allaah.
Wassalam
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Blogs For Kids
“When thinking about “BLOGGING” , the untrained eye (in regards to blogging) of an educator usually will think of “Technology Integration”. When digging a little deeper he/she might recognize that blogging is more about WRITING than technology. But let’s roll blogging back even a little further and we will discover that blogging starts with READING!”
Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano
To get your kids in the habit of blogging, it is important for them to first subscribe to a number of quality blogs and read them on a daily basis. Below I have compiled a list of blogs and websites whose content may appeal to young readers. Encourage them to set up their own RSS readers and start following blogs and websites before they start writing their own blogs. Many of the sites are incredible as resources for education as well.
(Sometimes some of the content available on these sites may not be appropriate for Muslim children, like the news stories about actors and singers etc. , so make sure that adult supervision is available and children have a sense of what content type may not be suitable etc.)
NEWS SITES FOR KIDS
CBBC Newsround
BBC news site for kids and teens.
GOGO News
Big news for little people.
CNN Student News
Many discussions and quizes based on news. Can be doubled as a teaching resource.
Scholastic News
Complete in-depth reports and activities on the latest news for kids.
Time for Kids
Well it is just that! TIMES for kids.
News Bites from National Geographic
Some cool bits of news with National Geographic’s signature photography.
Youngzine
News + more for the young.
MAGAZINES FOR KIDS
National Geographic Young Explorers
A must must for young kids.
Bear Essential
Many past issues are available as well to read.
Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears
All about poles.
Children’s Web Magazine
A safe magazine for ages 8+
ANIMAL SITES
WWF News
Conservation news and stories.
Zoo Borns
The newest and cutest exotic baby animals from zoos and aquariums from around the world.
MUSEUM AND OTHER SCIENTIFIC SITES
BLOGS BY OTHER KIDS
Miriam’s Magical Moments
Blog by a fourth grader. High content quality and nice blogging etiquettes.
Ibne Muhammad’s Blog
My son’s blog which serves as an eportfolio at the moment but we plan to make it more than that in future Insha Allaah.
Binte Muhammad’s Blog
My daughter’s blog which serves as an eportfolio at the moment but we plan to make it more than that in future insha Allaah.
Interactive Math Calendar for Nov 2011
… is up! As always you can access it here. I have tried to include a diverse range of activities and as always it is suitable for kids from 7-10 years insha Allaah.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Wednesday Weekly Website–Light Bot
Review: Light Bot is an amazing and quite addictive pre programming game for children and adults alike. You have to use programmer-style logic to tell the bot (robot) how to light up all the blue tiles! You have to use Functions, conditionals, recursions and loops! An excellent way to sharpen your logic and getting kids ready for computer programming all the while having fun. Logic and algorithm are two vital skills needed in computer programming no matter which programming language you are using and this game introduces both the skills to kids in a very informal way. There is music but it can conveniently be switched off by clicking the speaker icon in the game. There are also walkthrough videos available for the game, incase you find it too hard.
Suitable for ages: 7-70
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Water Cycle Webquest
I have made a webquest for my kids on the topic of water cycle. I like the idea of introducing a topic through different web activities and books. From there we go to the more hands on activities which may include experiments and further exploration.
What I like about webquets is that it eliminates “a teacher delivering information” setup. Learners are able to learn on their own with out some one delivering the information to them. It is a first step towards being a self directed learner. From webquests, I would like to go on where my children search, analyze and sift through the information on their own.
I have included some review activities at the end, some from the lower level and some from the higher level of Bloom’s Taxonomy. As always, this activity was made specifically for my kids, so it is suitable for an age range of 7-10 or grades 2-5.
You can access it on Muslim Kids’ Interactive Blog.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Techno Tools - TurtleArt
TurtleArt is a very cool tool for not only designing your art, but for learning the basics of computer programming while having fun with colors and shapes. The website itself explains this program as:
TurtleArt lets you make images with your computer. The Turtle follows a sequence of commands. You specify the sequence by snapping together puzzle like blocs. The blocks can tell the turtle to draw lines and arcs, draw in different colors, go to a specific place on the screen, etc. There are also blocks that let you repeat or name sequences. Other blocks perform logical operations.
The sequence of blocs as a program that describes an image. This kind of programming is inspired by the LOGO programming language. It was designed to be easy enough for children and yet powerful enough for people of all ages. TurtleArt is focused on making images while allowing you to explore geometry and programming.
This is a must do for all your learners! Have a look at the gallery to see what and how others have made. This program is completely free but you need to email the developers in order to obtain a copy. I got the reply with link to download my copy fairly quickly and it has been a big hit with my kids ever since. There are five books available on the site under getting started section that guide you through using different tools in this program. Overall it is a very good quality resource.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Wednesday Weekly website–Learning Circuits
Review: Learning circuits is an interactive resource that takes the children on a learning journey from very basic to more complex information about circuits and how they work. It can be a good starting point when doing a unit on electricity. Topics covered include electricity basics, simple circuits, circuit diagrams, switches, changing circuits, insulators and conductors. There is also an optional worksheet available for printing.
Suitable for ages: 7-10
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Wacky Poetry Writing
Use this concrete poetry maker to write your own poems about nature. Use one of the shapes provided, or draw your own shape. Then use the words to write a poem about that shape. Have fun!
Monday, October 17, 2011
JCB Explore Activities
JCB Explore website has tons of activities (both online and offline) to do with your kids. activities include stuff like how to construct a river and a lake, how to build a car park, make a safety helmet, making chocolate boulders, making poetry blocks, growing seeds etc. You can filter the activities by age, by mood or situation. For example there are activities for when you are feeling calm, there are rainy day and sunny day activities etc.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
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