A few children's resources

Update:  Apparently, the link color on my blog is the same color as the text.  Oops!  The titles of the web pages/sites are actually links.  So, click away! 

Added links from suggestions received:

DLTK's

Printables, online puzzles (where you use your mouse to actually move the pieces), recipes, activity ideas and handouts, etc., etc.

Fisher Price.com

Online activities from toddlers to preschoolers.  Seth gets a big kick out of the peek-a-boo game.

Baby Smash

Does your child love to pound on the computer keyboard, so that he sometimes causes the computer to do strange things?  You can download a free program, for Mac and PC, that when turned on, makes all of the keys respond within the program.  As in, the letters and numbers will appear on the screen as themselves, with sound, and the other keys will appear as colored shapes.  The figures fade after 20 seconds.  The best part is the sound that the mouse wheel button makes.  It absolutely makes Seth giggle every time.

 

 

Lately I have enjoyed finding some awesome "free" internet resources that have made learning fun and have provided some activities for Seth and me.  I thought that I would share some of these with you, then if you have some, you could share with me.

Starfall

Actually, we have been doing the letters on Starfall for months.  Recently we tried the Gingerbread Man on the main page, and Seth LOVES that one.  This website does the names and the sounds of letters.  Seth knows most of the letters by both now, and a lot of that is from interaction with this website.  He does need help, since he doesn't know how to use a mouse yet.  Not only has he learned letters from this fun program, but he also has learned some content, i.e., what an alligator is, that it's cold in an igloo, etc.

National Geographic: coloring pages

This website and the next two are actually suggested by a magazine that has recently started coming to our house.  It makes Daniel and me both smile when we see it in the mail box: Working Mother.  Anywho, I usually look through it for anything useful, then toss it.  This past week I found a small corner that recommended these three sites for some fun.  Seth and I printed out some of these coloring pages the other day and colored them.  He especially liked the picture of the leopard.  He sleeps with a soft leopard named Moses.  :)

Toymaker

This site has lots of free print-outs to make: pinwheels, little trucks, fairy theaters, etc., etc.  The artist's focus is making things that are fun for adults and children to make together, things that are pretty and unique.  I cannot WAIT to make the Chocolate Truck!

Audible

This site has stories and books to mostly purchase and download to listen to on your computer, ipod, kindle (whoever has one of those anyhow?), or to burn to CD.  The free part is some of the fairy tales (and an O. Henry story) that you can download.  Also, the sample on the first page is the entire reading of Green Eggs and Ham--very fun.  To you ipod owners:  I would be curious to know how these compare with some of the podcasts I know are available.

VeggieTales silly songs

So, Seth has a rough time when I trim his finger nails.  My solution:  Turn on VeggieTales silly songs on Youtube while I trim the nails.  He LOVES VeggieTales, and will sing the hairbrush song or the cheeseburger song.  I try to only choose the songs that are sponsored (on the channel?) by BigIdeaInc, since they are the ones that make the stories.  I figure that means that the recordings are legitimate.

AndreaMosaic

Okay, this is a software to download, but it is pretty amazing.  You upload folders of pictures and you choose one picture as the main picture, then the software does a photo mosaic of all of the pictures.  There are different options for dpi, rotations, multiples of the same picture, etc., etc.  It's really cool!  Last year for my parents for Christmas I did a photo mosaic of lots of our family's pictures, and had a company turn it into a puzzle.  Pretty amazing!  Copyright-wise, the creator simply asks that you direct people back to his site, and give the software credit (where possible) to him.

 

 

WARNING:  the next few sites are actually games.  I don't know how you all feel about computer games, but know before you click.  :)

Typing Game

My cute Arkansan nephews introduced Daniel and me to the Meteor Typing Blast, where you practice your typing skills (at varying levels) to save your planet.

Music Catch 2

Another game introduced to us by our nephews.  In this one, varying musical symbols come onto the screen, moving to the soft music.  You try to "capture" as many as you can by touching them with the mouse, especially catching the yellow and purple ones, but avoiding the red ones.

 

So, any references or ideas or resources you have?  I would love to hear...