Need a Summertime Learning Opportunities for Your Child or Youth: Try These Websites

Summertime offers parents an opportunity to increase children’s competence by focusing on skill development.  Skill development requires concentration, which instantly improves mental health and reduces complaints of being “bored”. Here is Moxie Mental Health’s list of Summertime Learning Opportunities for Children.  Adults who love to learn may themselves be captivated by these sites.

Art Instruction

Www.artistshelpingchildren.org/howtodraw.html . Artists Helping Children contains learn-to draw lessons and how to make crafts from paper and recyclables.

Www.drawinghowtodraw.com/drawing-lessons/improve-drawing/drawing-for-beginners.html  How to Draw contains links several learn-to-draw sites which are appropriate for children as well as adults.  One of them is entitled “How to See and Draw the Shape of Things and Figures”.

Www.kidsfront.com/how-to-draw-pictures.htm  Kids Front How to Draw Pictures contains step by step drawing of cartoon figures and other images.

Computer Programming

Marshallbrain.com/kids-programming.htm  Marshall Brain provides parents with ideas and sources to engage their children in computer instruction through games that teach problem solving to the web sites that teach coding and programming languages.

 Www.squidoo.com/teach-computer-programming   Teach-Computer-Programming gives parents a graded sequence of programming languages children can learn and apply from ages 7 on. It also includes where to find the instruction for the languages.  Languages include logo (for youngest kids) up through Java and Python (for older kids).

Math

Www.childandme.com/how-teach-your-child-math-glenn-domans-dot-method/

Child and Me has instructions on (would you believe it?) how to teach math to babies.  It is an article from Science Daily describing games researchers have found work at teaching children math.

Www.aplusmath.com   Aplus math teaches math to children from primary through middle school. The site uses a multimedia approach including games, flashcards, worksheets, and tutorials. The site also gives parents tips on teaching children math.

Www.enchantedlearning.com  A comprehensive site with activities for children that teach math, science, English, Spanish.  The resource-intense site has an annual fee of $20.00 annually.

Www.khanacademy.com  site that helps parents diagnose and remediate math  and skills.  Includes over 3,000 videos on math (and many other subjects), as well as instructional materials . A google interface enables children to do the work, and parents to get reports based on their child’s work.

Reading

Clicknkids.com.  This is a great site for parents who want to teach their children how to read. Price is a one time $58.95. Additional children can be added on to the program for $19.95 each.

Science

Www.sciencenewsforkids.org/mysnk/for-kids  Science news for kids includes pictures and information for kids on chemistry, geology, biology, and health.

Www.sciencekids.co.nz/geology.html colorful page from New Zealand has links for geology games, facts, and projects for kids

Www.kids.gov/6_8/6_8_science_geology.shtml This site from the U.S. government has links to sites that teach geology to children from kindergarten to grade 8.

Www.rockhoundkids.com Rock hound kids has links to many websites with information about how to find rocks and build a collection.

Library.thinkquest.org/J001539  Think Quest has instruction on basic chemistry for kids for kids. The site includes glossary.

Faculty.washington.edu/chudler/introb.html  This is a large site with links about neuroscience for kids.  This site has great illustrations about how the body’s nervous systems work.

Sciencespot.net/Pages/kdzbio.html  This is the biology section of sciencespot.net, and is designed for children and teachers of middle-school aged.

Writing Instruction and Contests

Www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/doc/resources/help_write.csp  The National Writing Project site has ideas for parents to encourage good writing .

Owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/680/1/  The Owl site contains a plethora of guides for parents who want to encourage good writing in their children.

Www.time4writing.com/  Time4writing offers eight weeks of online writing instruction for k-12 students with an instructor.  Price: $99.00 for eight weeks.

Www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/basic/yngwrite.html  Noodle Tools has about 30 writing  contests for young writers, third graders through high school.