Geography Games Galore!

Thank you to Larry Ferlazzo and his blog site Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day, here is a list of great Geography games. I have tried some of these and others look fun to try as well. Over the summer, give these a try if you teach social studies or geography.

Geography Games list by Larry Ferlazzo

Engineering/STEM Games

If you teach science, technology, physics, or any sort of STEM type learning, these games might be some fun or interesting ones to try. I have not tested them out, but there are many to choose from and they all will get kids using their STEM knowledge and hopefully get them more interested in these subjects. Everything from building a bridge to making solar cars race virtually, this game site has lots of options. Test some out or better yet, have some students test them out. Good luck.

Engineering Games click here (from the game site, you can go to the home site for more engineering information)

Spelling Games/Sites for Students

For teachers looking for some good spelling games and sites, Richard Byrne of Free Technology for Teachers has a great list of 5 sites for you. I use Spelling City with my own children and would highly recommend it to anyone. I have not used the other sites he lists, but I am sure they are good. I plan to have my own children test some of them this summer. My daughter really likes to spell things and play spelling games, so we will see which one she likes best. Currently, she loves Spelling City. Give some of the sites listed a look and test them out and see which one might work for your own students.

Richard Byrne's blog post on Spelling sites for students click here!

Room Recess: Good for Quick Skill Review and Interactive Whiteboards

Room Recess is a great game site to bookmark for teachers who want some basic math and word games for kids to play at the end of class or at the end of some computer lab time. I  tested out the snowball game and thought kids would love it. The math problems are basic math facts, but middle school students can still benefit from that type of skill practice. There was also a competitive flashcard game that can pit two teams against each other using an interactive whiteboard. I am not sure if you would need two Mimio pens or not, but still pretty fun for students. Give it a try!

Room Recess click here!

100 Best Apps and 60 Best Websites and Apps

Two big resources in one! I have posted links for 2 great resources below. One is listed as a source for the 100 best free apps for kids. Who doesn't love Free?? I have tried some of the apps they note and they have been very good for my kids. My guess is most of these will be for kids younger than middle school, but some of them are likely middle school appropriate and some may be for our struggling learners as well.

  Secondly, Richard Byrne has his 60 Best Apps and Websites for Educators. A lot of really good stuff in here too. Thanks Richard and thanks for your blog Free Technology for Teachers!

Enjoy!

Common Sense Media's Summer Guide for Learning Activities for Kids and Teens

   Thanks to Richard Byrne of Free Technology for Teachers for alerting me to another great thing one of my favorite sites, Common Sense Media, is offering. If you remember, Common Sense Media is a great place for parents and children to go to find accurate and detailed reviews about the newest movies, books, TV shows, and now games and apps. Now they have added a summer guide to learning apps you could download to a device or games that can be played on certain video game systems. They are broken down into 3 age categories and into 5 learning areas. I noticed that I have already downloaded some of the apps for my own kids. And of course, each app or game is rated by Common Sense Media so you can see how educational or applicable it is for your child. Enjoy!

Common Sense Media 50+ activities for summer click here!

Very Interesting Nation Building Game Website

  I admit, I haven't tried this website, but the concept behind it is very interesting. I could see how some kids could really get into this website. Basically, kids create a nation and build it and try to become the best nation overall. Sort of like a multi-layered game of "Risk" played online in a social setting. Lots of government and social studies learning possible. Might be something you try out this summer and play around with if you are a social studies teacher.

NationStates website click here!

Math Chimp Aligns with the Common Core

    Need a one-stop shopping site for free math games that are leveled by grade and matched to the Common Core? Math Chimp is a great site. I just tested it and had my own son test it, and we both approved. Lots of math games that our own students have likely played before, only now they can click on the appropriate grade level and choose a game from there. If you have a free math day in class or want to have students practice at home, this is a good site to send them to. Give it a try!

Math Chimp click here!

Time's Top IPad Apps of 2012

2012 has really just begun, but Time already has its 2012 Top 30 Apps for the IPad. The best part? Over half of them are FREE! I am posting this a little selfishly as I want to be able to refer back to this post when I get my IPad 2 this spring/summer. But for any teachers or administrators out there who have an IPad, there are some great apps in here that you could use educationally and share with students educationally. Take a look when you have a moment, some are really neat!

Top 30 Apps for the IPad 2012

Giant List of Educational Games

Thanks to Richard Byrne (again!) and his blogsite "Free Technology for Teachers" for producing a huge list (77 actually) of online educational games, experiences, or simulations. I have used some that he has listed and most are really good. No matter what you teach, you should be able to find something for your class. As I have done in the past, instead of you trying these games out and using up your precious time, have the students test them out. Offer extra credit and have them try these out at home. Or take the class to the computer lab and have them test and write a game review. Lots of ways you can get students involved and make these into a cross-curricular activity. Have fun!

77 Great Online Educational Games click here!

Geosense is a Tough World Geography Game

Geosense is a fun site to challenge your knowledge of world geography. I played one round and it was very challenging as you have to guess where the city and country that flashes up on the screen is actually located. Based on the time it took you and distance away you were, you get points. What makes this site even cooler is that you can create a username and challenge friends or people around the world. It would be fun to see how high a student could score or have a class challenge. Would match well with a class that has studied world geography or just to challenge a class to see if they know where certain countries are.

Try Geosense game by clicking here!

More on Online Educational Games

Thanks to Larry Ferlazzo and his Websites of the Day blog, he has helped me find the best of the best online when it comes to educational games. This blog post might be more for me than anyone as I will soon have my 6th graders test some of these games out and give me a review. I find it very important to have students use technology and be online, but I also feel it is important for their online time to be mainly educational and productive, even if it is when they are playing games. There is a lot of "junk" on the web, so if they are going to be on there, I want them to be on sites that might increase their thinking ability and improve their basic skills. For anyone who wants to know what these game sites are, please click the link to Larry's blog below. Have fun!

Larry Ferlazzo's best online educational games list

Great Social Studies/Science Educational Game and Simulation Site!

Catching up on my blog reading over the Labor Day Weekend, I came across a couple blogs highlighting a teacher's social studies blog. This is not just any blog, this is a huge list of interactive social studies, science, and ethics games that kids can play straight from the links the teacher gives. And as an amazing bonus, he has also linked the worksheets, study guides, and questions he has the students do as they play and finish the games. What a resource!! This could be a great site for a teacher, a student teacher, or even the students to really test out and get into and review what they liked best and learned from the most. Give it a try!

Mike Farley's Social Studies blogsite click here: