Educational Links and Resources

As a parent, I have an interest in high quality educational materials and resources that are suitable for my children.  I am sharing these internet resources here in the hopes that this will be helpful to other parents (and teachers) who are also interested in enhancing childhood education for their children in ways that are interesting and inspiring to young minds.

For those resources that were suggested by others, I have included a "recommended by" notice following the abstracts (with a link to their personal web site or social networking account if known) -- thank you to everyone for your wonderful suggestions.  If you know of an educational resource that should be included in this list, please contact me so that I may include it (after I review it for suitability, etc.).

Amoeba Sisters, The
The Amoeba Sisters are on a mission to demystify science with humor and relevance by creating entertaining videos, GIFs, comics, and resources (such as handouts and Unlectured Series).  With a love to empower teacher and student creators, their videos are therefore designed to introduce basic concepts and to inspire students to have fun and remain curious about the science-focused content.

Animal Jam
by National Geographic
Animal Jam is an online playground designed by National Geographic for kids to learn about the natural world while playing with friends.  Parent awareness was an important factor in the design, so Animal Jam was developed with tools to help parents manage their childrens' online play while also providing free resources to keep the fun going offline too.

(Recommended by Jayden Richardson.)

Coolmath Network
by Coolmath Karen

Since 1997 the Coolmath Network has been teaching math to people of all ages (primarily 13 to 100) using explanations that are easy to grasp on topics like addition, subtration, multiplication, division, fractions, geometry, algebra, pre-calculus, prime numbers, trigonometry, and so much more.

This web site was created and is maintained by a professional math teacher, who takes great pleasure in helping people understand and enjoy mathematics.

Crash Course

This YouTube channel features a variety of hosts who teach a variety of subjects in short videos.  Hank Green teaches Anatomy and Physiology; Phil Plait teaches Astronomy; Craig Benzine teaches U.S. Government and Politics; Adriene Hill and Jacob Clifford teach Economics.  There are also some helpful playlists provided for past courses in World History, Biology, Literature, Ecology, Chemistry, Psychology, and US History.

(Recommended by Nethar6.)

eSchoolToday
Learn something new today

From environmental lessons, health, class revision and global matters, the educators at eSchoolToday explain a wide variety of subjects in fun and illustrative ways that make learning easier and more enjoyable for young students who need a clear starting point in their research for school projects.

Khan Academy

Learn for free about math, art, computer programming, economics, physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, finance, history, and more.  Khan Academy is a nonprofit with the mission of providing a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere.

(Recommended by Daniel Leon.)

Kids Philosophy Slam

The Kids Philosophy Slam is an annual program designed to make philosophy fun and accessible to all kids in grades K-12, as well as to help promote critical thinking skills and encourage dialogue with other students and adults.  The Philosophy Slam asks kids to answer a philosophical question such as "What is the meaning of life?"  Depending on their age, kids can express themselves in words, artwork, poetry, or song.

NASA Kids' Club
by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NASA brings you images, videos, and interactive features from the unique perspective of America's space agency.  Read the latest updates on NASA missions, subscribe to blogs, RSS feeds, and podcasts, watch NASA TV live, or simply read about NASA's mission to pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery, and aeronautics research.

National Geographic
for Kids

National Geographic, the famous publication best known for its amazing photography, features a fully-interactive web site to spark an interest among those who are younger.  This web site focuses mainly on topics about different people, animals, and places, and features education facts, games, activities, etc.

New Dinosaurs
10,000+ pictures and facts about dinosaurs

This web site educates people of all ages on some of the most fascinating creatures to have ever walked the earth - dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals - through thoughtful articles and visually stimulating pictures that provide a glimpse into the dinosaurs themselves and the ages in which they lived.

Old Farmer's Almanac for Kids
by the Old Farmer's Almanac

Fun, informative, and educational stories and activities, history, weather, moon phases, sky watch, question-of-the-day and joke-of-the-day, animal tracks, and so much more is provided on this interactive web site which also has an accompanying magazine that parents can subscribe to (it will be mailed to your door regularly).

Particle Adventure
the Fundamentals of Matter and Force

An award-winning interactive tour of quarks, neutrinos, anti-matter, extra dimensions, dark matter, accelerators, and particle detectors from the Particle Data Group of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory with support by the USA Department of Energy (DOE) and the USA National Science Foundation (NSF).

PBS Kids
by the Public Broadcasting Service

Between birth and age five, 90 percent of a child's brain develops. During these early years, it's critical to build the foundational cognitive and social-emotional skills that kids need to be successful lifelong learners, and PBS Kids offers free access to media content (educational games, videos, etc.) and community-based experiences that support learning and open worlds of intellectual possibilities for all children, so that every child can reach their full potential in school.

See also:  PBS Kids for Parents

Space for Kids
by the European Space Agency (ESA)Space for Kids (ESA Kids) is an interactive web site by the European Space Agency that features space news, information, intellectual challenges, animations, games, and downloads for pre-teen children.

Stellarium
Planetarium software

Stellarium is a free software planetarium (available for Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X) that uses OpenGL technology to render a realistic projection of the night sky in real time.

Talks to watch with kids
by TED: Ideas worth spreading
"Talks to watch with kids" is a collection of fun, informative, and captivating TED talks that inspire young minds.  (TED is an acronym for Technology, Entertainment, and Design.)

TIME for Kids
by TIME Magazine

TIME for Kids is a news magazine geared toward students in grades K-6.  This web site offers age-appropriate news stories and features about children's books, movies, the environment, science, world cultures, and other high-interest topics.  Students can find easy-to-use homework help, grammar and punctuation practice, writing tips, and a flash-card maker.  Educators and parents can view teaching resources, printables, interactive classroom materials, and a teacher community board where they can connect with each other.

Twinkle Trails
by LittleLives

LittleLives was officially founded in 2007 with the belief that children are the future.  With the firm belief that education is one of the best ways to contribute to a child's life, this group has committed themselves to creating products that will enrich and complement the education of children around the world.  Most notably, they produced an animated series called Twinkle Trails which is comprised of 25 short episodes that introduce the basics of science and literacy in a fun, musical, and entertaining manner.