It’s Tuesday, and time for Science and I would like to invite you to check out the Recommended Website: EdHeads: Activate Your Mind If you have used this resource with your students what did you think of it and why?
Age Range: 10-18 (Grades 5-12, with parental supervision) This website offers free, colorful and engaging educational animations designed for teachers and students that explain how things work. EdHeads is a non-profit organization that raises money to produce the animations through the ads you’ll see on the site. The ads are randomly generated, so AS ALWAYS, parents should preview and supervise use of the site.
When you get to the website, you’ll see the list of games. The 5 games that do not require membership are:
- Manufacturing Technician
- Nano Start Up
- Trauma
- Virtual Hip Resurfacing
- Sickle Cell DNA
Each animation is narrated (so turn on your speakers) and comes with a “Teachers Guide” that provides the recommended grade level, tips for using the animation in the classroom (that can be tweaked for home education), printable activities, state and national standards, as well as quizzes.
The site provides the option to see graphic pictures of real surgeries, etc., so again, PARENTS SHOULD PREVIEW TO DETERMINE SUITABILITY OF CONTENT. Some of the activities and animations provide links to recommended sources for further learning as well. We have not reviewed those links.
Recommended Website: The Natural Inquirer
Age Range: 4-18 (Grades PreK-12, with parental supervision) Happy Earth Day tomorrow! This website offers FREE science education journals: “The Natural Inquirer,” for middle and high school, “Investi-gator” for upper elementary, and readers for PreK-2. Scientists with the USDA Forest Service share their research in a fun and engaging way.
Each issue of “The Natural Inquirer” introduces students to the scientists who conduct the environmental research and includes an article or more on a specific research project. Some of the issues are entitled:
- World’s Forests
- A Burning Question
- Chew on This!
- Full Throttle Model
- Fresh Water
- Wilderness
- Flower Power
- And more!
Each issue also contains a “Discovery FACTivity” designed to help students learn scientific vocabulary words included in the articles. There are also discussion questions designed to help students think more about research. You can download the issue(s) you are interested in or order hard copies (only 5 issues at a time).
Be sure to check out the left side bar under “For Educators” for links to lesson plans, science cards and posters, and more.
This is a treasure trove of environmental learning resources! Bookmark this one, as you’ll need to visit many times to explore the vast content!
