Kindergarten Ideas

Special Areas
Art
Guidance
Media
Music
Physical Education
Speech

AAA Math - lots of skill builders.  Select topic and grade level.  Close alignment with HCPS curriculum. 
http://www.aaamath.com/

Create a Graph Site - students follow directions to create a graph.
http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/Graphing/
 

Counting Money and Making Change Links

http://www.funbrain.com/cashreg/index.html
http://www.edu4kids.com/money
http://www.aplusmath.com/cgi-bin/Flashcards/money
http://www.state.tn.us/financialinst/game.html

Eisenhower National Clearinghouse - lesson plans and curriculum resources by topic.
http://www.enc.org/

Electronic Manipulatives -  these interactive sites can be used to introduce, discuss, enrich, and assess mathematical concepts. Best with a fast Internet connect, but if your connect is slow, then use as a model to demonstrate concepts, or as a learning center within the classroom.  You will need to learn and practice the games first!

Base Ten Blocks - start with the directions to use the program and lessons ideas.
http://www.arcytech.org/java/b10blocks/description.html
This launches the base ten blocks program. http://www.arcytech.org/java/b10blocks/b10blocks.html

GeoBoard - experiment with geometric shapes.  Offers two online activities: Making Triangles and Creating Polygons.
http://standards.nctm.org/document/eexamples/chap4/4.2/index.htm#applet

Tangrams - for geometry standards and problem solving.
http://standards.nctm.org/document/eexamples/chap4/4.4/index.htm

Geometric Solid Figures - analyze properties of 3-dimensional shapes.
http://Illuminations.nctm.org/imath/3-5/GeometricSolids/index.html

Fraction Track - play this fraction game to learn about the relative values of fractions.
http://standards.nctm.org/document/examples/chap5/5.1/index.htm

Balance Scales - students begin to understand that the equals sign is a symbol of equivalence and balance.
http://Illuminations.nctm.org/imath/across/balance/index.html

Computational Fluencey Web Site - a great list of interactive Web sites (from Howard County) to enhance computation skills. http://www.howard.k12.md.us/wray/compute/index.html

FlashCards Sites

Flash Cards for Kids     (Math Square Math Game (4-12) Math Tables Drill (4-12) Time Experience Drill (2-6) Money Experience Drill (2-6) etc.) http://www.edu4kids.com/math/
All Math   Select Flash Cards   http://www.allmath.com/genpage.asp?page=text/welcome.txt

Illuminations - NCTM Principles and Standards for Mathematics.  A one-stop shop for standards, lessons, and interactive games.
http://Illuminations.nctm.org/index2.html

Just in Time - lots of activities to teach time.
http://www.fi.edu/time/Journey/JustInTime/contents.html

Math and the Web - a teacher specialist's guide to using the web to support math instruction (John Wray from HCPS)
http://www.howard.k12.md.us/wray/micca/

The Math Forum - a comprehensive site with math resources by subject and many teacher resources.  From Drexel.
http://mathforum.org/

Math in My World
http://www.mhschool.com/teach/math/mathinmyworld/teachres/index.html
McGraw Hill's teacher resource site.

Mike Lackner's Site - a list of math sites
http://tiger.towson.edu/~mlackn1/mathwebsitestudent.htm

Money, Business, and Economics - a hotlist of appropriate sites
http://www.techlearning.com/db_area/archives/WCE/archives/moneych.htm

Multiplication.com - games, lesson ideas, and more
http://www.multiplication.com/

National Center for Education Statistics: with math games and activities
http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/index.html

PBS Teacher Source - listing of math links
http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/recommended/math/lk_reference.shtm

Technology and Learning - listing of money links
http://www.techlearning.com/db_area/archives/WCE/archives/moneych.htm

The Stock Market Game - students engage in authentic investments.
http://www.smgww.org/

Sense and Dollars - kids find out about money, from Maryland Public Broadcasting
http://www.mpt.org/learningworks/senseanddollars/
 
 
 

Social Studies (back to top)

50 States -quick and easy database of facts about the 50 states.
http://www.50states.com/

Ben's Guide to Government K-2 - Ben Franklin gives a guided tour to our government.  Select by grade level. 
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/

Geography K-3 - ideas from Enchanted Learning
http://www.EnchantedLearning.com/themes/geography.shtml

Lewis and Clark - go across America with Lewis and Clark. 
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/west/index.html

Maps

Quick Maps - select from all over the world
http://www.theodora.com/maps/
MapQuest - enter a location and see the map. 
http://www.mapquest.com/
Where is that? - an online map game
http://www.funbrain.com/where/

Pride of Baltimore II - ATTENTION 4th GRADE TEACHERS...great site for your social studies planning.  Select School/Maryland with Pride.
http://www.intandem.com/NewPrideSite/Navigate/SiteMap.html

The Secretary of State for Maryland
http://www.sos.state.md.us/sos/kids/html/kidhome.html
Lots of information on the state: history, geography, etc. Select the Maryland for Kids section.

USGS Learning Web - Map Adventures for K-5.
http://mapping.usgs.gov/www/html/1educate.html

Wendy Walstrum's Third Grade Site - Weather and Plant Growth
http://tiger.towson.edu/~wwalst1/

School Field Trip - links for History and Government
http://schoolfieldtrip.com/
 
 

Science (back to top)
The Amazing Frog Story
http://www.exploratorium.edu/frogs/mainstory/index.html
Suitable for the younger reader.

Bees: The Daily Life of Honeybees - enjoy the sounds as you tour the life of a honeybee
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/alienempire/multimedia/hive.html

Bees: Save the Honeybees WebQuest
http://www.manteno.k12.il.us/webquest/elementary/Science/HoneyBees/Honey%20Bee%20Webquest/Honeybee%20Webquest.htm

Butterflies

Butterfiles North and South - select butterfly variety
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/Butterflies/english/index.html
Monarch Migration - listen to the sounds as you follow the path of migration
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/alienempire/voyagers.html

Jay Jay the Jet Plan -  Simple text includes topics related to science and nature (rocks, day and night, water, weather etc.).  From PBS.
http://pbskids.org/jayjay/care.sciencenature.html

The Minnesota Children's Museum:Cool Science -  Five Exploratory Online Activities
http://www.hhmi.org/coolscience/

National Science Teachers Association
www.scilinks.org
Offers age appropriate web sites.  A good place to start.

NASA for Kids
http://science.msfc.nasa.gov

National Wildlife Federation Kid Site
www.nwf.org
Learn about animals on this kid friendly site.

Newton's Apple - from the famous kids' show
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/newtons/

Ocean Quest - topics include marine life, waves and tides, currents, and ports of call.  Sponsored by the Navy.
http://pao.cnmoc.navy.mil/educate/neptune/quest/quest.htm

PBS's Nature Series for Kids
www.pbs.org/nature -

Plant Study - a webhunt for third and fourth grade to provide background information
http://olp.swlauriersb.qc.ca/webquest/plants.htm

The Science Fair Handbook - step-by-step guide
http://school.discovery.com/sciencefaircentral/scifairstudio/handbook/scientificmethod.html#research

School Field Trip - links for Air and Space, Life Science, and the Earth
http://schoolfieldtrip.com/

The Sea - comprehensive and friendly site to study the sea.
http://ms.mathscience.k12.va.us/lessons/ocean/thesea.html

Star Child
http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild
Great sight about the solar system for the early learner.

The Space Place
http://spaceplace.jpl.nasa.gov/make.htm
Space things to make with kids.

The Tidal Pool Page - a very friendly site about this ecosystem.
http://web.mit.edu/corrina/tpool/tidezones.html

Virtual Field Trips in Science
http://www.field-trips.org/trips.htm
Select your topic and enjoy the trip.

Volcano World - a great resource for finding information on volcanoes.
http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/

The Water Cycle - follow Drippy the raindropthrough the water cycle.
http://www.kimballmedia.com/Drippy/ToMountainsAndBack/Page1.htm

The Water Cycle - provides background information
http://www.getwise.org/wwise/cycle/cycle.html

Weather
http://www.weather.com
Weather from around the world, or in your backyard.

Weatherbug - local weather and storm systems
http://weatherbug.com/aws/index.asp

USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) Science for a Changing World - The Learning Web
Lesson plans and resources related to the earth (land, water, plants, animals, and maps)
http://www.usgs.gov/education/
 
 

Reading (back to top)

4 Blocks Literacy Framework - by Pat Cunningham.  Ideas for Guided Reading, Self-selected Reading, Working with Words, and Writing
http://www.k111.k12.il.us/lafayette/fourblocks/
with graphic organizers for reading
http://www.k111.k12.il.us/lafayette/fourblocks/graphic_organizers.htm

A Book-a-Week - an extensive supply of lesson plans to accompany young children's literature. Each book listed 
supplies activities for further exploration of the characters and themes developed in the reading mat-
erial. A reading guide for October through April recommends seasonally appropriate books, with all the 
favorites included. (pdf)
http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/wil/classroom_instruction.htm#Weekly_Instruction

Aesop's Fables - an online collection of selected fables
http://www.pacificnet.net/~johnr/aesop/aesopsel.html

The Author Page - From the Internet Public Library, learn about some of your favorite authors, plus read their answers to
questions that kids asked. 
http://www.ipl.org/youth/AskAuthor/Biographies.html

California Reading List - a place for parents, teachers, and students to see books recommended by the state based upon a student's reading level..  Just click a reading level from 1-13 to see the books. 
http://www.californiareadinglist.com/

Center Activities

Literacy Centers for Kindergarten - list of ideas
http://www.teachers.net/lessons/posts/469.html

Literacy Hour Activities - lots of ideas
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/wordsandpictures/clusters/print/index.shtml

Primarily Reading - lots of suggestions tiered for three types of tasks. 
http://www.knownet.net/users/Ackley/readprim.html

Children's Storybooks Online
http://magickeys.com/books/index.html
A series of online storybooks for young readers.

Comprehension Activities - select by grade level.
http://abcteach.com/directory/reading_comprehension/

CyberGuides - Cyberguides offer literary resources and activities on many of the classics studied in grades K-3, including such greats as "Katy & The Big Snow", "Hill of Fire", and "Little House in the Big Woods". Activities are offered across the curriculum in each individual unit, along with related links and extension resources, all connected to California content 
and performance standards.
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/cyberguide.html
 

English Club - online games for ESL students and beginning readers.
 http://games.englishclub.com/
 

Fairy Tales - select the famous fairy tale you want to read
http://www-ma.beth.k12.pa.us/jhoke/jhwebquest/ftales.htm

A Fairy Tale Unit - suggestions and activities for teaching with the fairy tale genre in the K-3 classroom.
Fairy tale crafts and activity sheets are also included.
http://www.teachingheart.net/f.html

Fairy Tales - 4 fairy tales with lessons
http://www.longwood.k12.ny.us/ridge/wq/savona/page4.html

First Grade Reading Vocabulary Lists: typical first grade readers, along with vocabulary lists to go with each title. Reading sentences are also included in a printable format for students to take home for practice (pdf)
http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/KSD/IS/lang_arts/teacher/vocablists.htm

Folk Tales - select from a list of titles
http://www.pitara.com/talespin/folktales.asp

ISLMC Children's Literature and Language Arts Resources -  this is the Internet School Library Media Center.  Tons of important links including storytelling, drama, genre and other related sites. 
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/childlit.htm

The L.A. Times' Reading by 9 Program - lots of resources and tips.
http://www.latimes.com/extras/readingby9/

Launching K-3 Readers - includes assessment tools, the latest research, and case studies.
http://teams.lacoe.edu/reading/welcome.html

The Lexile Framework for Reading - Type in the book title and you will be provided with the reading level by grade.
http://lexile.com/

List of Literacy Web Sites - from the Teacher's Lounge
http://www.bookadventure.org/te/bkt/te_bkt_edu_links.asp

The Literacy Center - for grades K-2, pre-reading activities; need a high speed computer
http://www.literacycenter.net/

The Media Services Offices for the Baltimore County Public Schoolshttp://www.bcps.org/offices/lis/
Select Student Resources/ Online Projects/ CyberGuides for online lessons by grade level related to literature.

Mystery 

Kids Mystery - Mini mysteries for kids to read.
http://Kids.MysteryNet.com
 

MysteryNet's Kids Mysteries - mysteries for kids to solve.
http://mysterynet.com/kids/

Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children - from the National Research Council
http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/prdyc/index.html

Read Write Think - lesson plans, web resources, and standards for language arts curriculum
http://readwritethink.org/

Reading by Grade 3 - resources and research
http://www.readbygrade3.com/

Reading Comprehension Worksheets - to download and print
http://www.rhlschool.com/reading.htm

Reading Technology Applications - ideas to integrate reading and technology
http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/staff/jjancola/reading_class/weblessons.html

Reading Writing and Your First Grader - specific ideas from first grade teachers (pdf)
http://www.coreknowledge.org/CKproto2/resrcs/lessons/12KReading.pdf

A Scavenger Hunt for Beginning Readers (penguins) (from Enchanted Learning)
http://www.buddyproject.org/teach/articles/technight/ideas.asp

Spelling - ideas to help spelling skills
http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/lessonplans/instructor/spellstat.htm

Starfall - a creative site designed to teach children to read
http://www.starfall.com/

Stories to Grow By
www.storiestogrowby.com
Collection of 50 kid tested stories.

Teaching Books.Net - great place for literary resources, including links, lesson plans, and author studies.
http://teachingbooks.net/

Top Ten Tips for Parents - from the Learning First Alliance
http://learningfirst.org/reading_tips.html

Vocabulary - Free vocabulary puzzles to enhance vocabulary mastery.
http://www.vocabulary.com/
 

Writing(back to top)
Creative Writing - lessongs for each grade level from Teacher Vision
http://www.teachervision.com/tv/browse.php?term=140902000000

Graphic Organizer Generator at Teach-nology.com
http://www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/graphic_org/

Graphic Organizers
http://www.k111.k12.il.us/lafayette/fourblocks/graphic_organizers.htm

Library of Graphic Organizers
http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/edis771/notes/graphicorganizers/graphic/

Teacher Vision
http://www.teachervision.com/lesson-plans/lesson-6293.html
Select from a wide variety of graphic organizers.

The Tools You Need to  Assess Writing - an informative article
http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/teachstrat/tools.htm

Kindergarten (back to top)

ABC Teach - lots of ideas and free printables
http://abcteach.com/

ABC Teacher
www.abcteacher.com
Pre-K, Kindergarten, Intermediate
Select Activity Pages for coloring, self-esteem awards, and learning activity printables.

Alphabet Animals
http://www.infostuff.com/kids/a.htm
Kind. Letter identification with cute animal pictures.

Alphabet Soup - Activities, ideas, crafts for the younger child 
http://www.alphabet-soup.net/
 

Animabets Character Book
http://www.animabets.com/charbook/contents.html
Select a letter to meet an animal character. For example,
Kind: Select K for Katie Kangaroo for a number identification activity.
Grade 1: Select C for Claude Camel to build a cake to practice mouse clicking.
Grade 2: Select letter T to meet Tyrone the Tyrannosaurus who has a great geography learning activity.

The Brain Connection - Select Brain Teasers for wonderful skill building games
http://www.brainconnection.com/

Do2Learn - Select Basic Skills for many ideas
http://dotolearn.com/

KinderKorner.com - resources and lesson ideas.
http://www.kinderkorner.com/

Enchanted Learning
http://www.EnchantedLearning.com/Home.html
Many kid friendly activities K-5. From building a snowman to the study of Explorers, don't miss this site!

The Internet Picture Dictionary - browse by category, games available
http://pdictionary.com/

Kids Domain
kidsdomain.com
Select Online Brain Games. Then select age group (3-6) or (6 and up).

Preschool Printables
www.preschoolprintables.com
Updated weekly, this site provides calendars, Center signs, certificates, Bulletin Boards etc.

Preschool Education - lots of ideas and support
http://www.preschooleducation.com

Primary Games - Educational games for the elementary student.
http://www.primarygames.com/
 

Art (back to top)
ArtsEdge - Lesson plans and links
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/teaching_materials/artsedge.html

Arts Ed Net -An art education web site from the Getty Foundation.
http://www.getty.edu/artsednet/

The Incredible Art Department - it's just like a visit to the art room.
http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/

Guidance (back to the top)
American School Counselor Association - professional organization with resources
http://www.schoolcounselor.org/

Girls and Boys Town - lots of advice for parents
http://boystown.org/home.htm

Character Education

Center for the Fourth and Fifth Rs
 http://cortland.edu/c4n5rs/
Character Counts
 http://charactercounts.org/
The Character Education Partnership 
 http://www.character.org/

HCPS Guidance and Counseling - our local site with lots of links
http://www.hcps.k12.md.us/guidance/

KidsHealth - from the medical experts of The Nemours Foundation
http://www.kidshealth.com/

Life Advice Center - lots of topics for parents
 http://www.metlife2000.org/Lifeadvice/Gateway/index.html

OSEP Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports - resources for school discipline issues 
 http://www.PBIS.org/

School Psychology Resources Online - resources for parents and educators
http://www.schoolpsychology.net

Talking with Kids about Tough Issues - ideas to foster discussion about critical life issues
http://www.info4parents.com/

Tough Love International -   a self-help program for parents, kids, and communities
http://toughlove.org/

Media (back to top)
Kathy Schrock Guide for Educators
http://discoveryschool.com/schrockguide
A media specialist, Kathy has lists and lists of instructionally helpful sites in alphabetical order.

The Lexile Framework for Reading- Type in the book title and you will be provided with the reading level by grade.
http://lexile.com/

Mikids.com
www.mikids.com
From media specialists in Canada. Select from a wide assortment of online learning activities. Select by age group.

The Media Offices of the Baltimore County Public Schools
http://www.bcps.org/offices/ls/
Select Student Resources/Online Projects/CyberGuides for online lessons by grade level and connected to literature.
 

Music(back to top)
ArtsEdge - Lesson plans and links
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/teaching_materials/artsedge.html

K-12 Resources for Music Educators - Tons of links for both instrumental and vocal teachers.
http://www.isd77.k12.mn.us/resources/staffpages/shirk/k12.music.html

Music Education Resource Links - tons of links related to the music content standards
http://www.cs.uop.edu/~cpiper/musiced.html

Music Kit - Music activities and resources for kids and teachers promoting music literacy.
http://musickit.com/

Physical Education  (back to top)
ArtsEdge - Lesson plans and links
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/teaching_materials/artsedge.html

P.E Central - Your one-stop-shop for lesson, ideas, assessments, and resources.
http://pe.central.vt.edu/index.html

P.E. Teaches - Harford County Elementary School P.E. web site
http://www.jarrettsville.org/pe-teaches

Sports Media - An international site for P.E. support, lessons, and resources.
http://www.sports-media.org/

Speech(back to top)
The American Speech Language and Hearing Association
http://www.asha.org/

Caroline Bowen - links in alphabetical order
 http://members.tripod.com/Caroline_Bowen/reciprocity.htm

Related links  - more interesting links for therapists
http://www.main.org/aaaslp/Links.html