The Web Catcher » Simple

Leo Reynold’s Letter Collection

K. Haugen — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 02:51:35 +0000

Today we take you to a Flickr page of photo collections by photographer Leo Reynolds. What’s unique about Leo’s photos is he takes close-ups of letters in all kinds of wonderful, whimsical locations, often more than 100 examples of each letter. He invites visitors to use the letters (and many, many other photos) in any non-profit activities, under a Creative Commons license. You’ll want to visit Leo’s other collections as well, including signs, nuts and bolts, mosaics, cemetaries and churches, and more. This site invites you to consider letters and literacy in a whole new light!

BookShare.org

K. Haugen — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 21:04:34 +0000

Bookshare.org gives print disabled people in the United States legal access to over 34,500 books and 150 periodicals that are converted to Braille, large print or text to speech audio files.

UpToTen.com – fun and educational

K. Haugen — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 19:40:04 +0000

UpToTen Kids calls itself “the fun place to learn online.” With online cards, coloring, interactive games, puzzles and more, there truly are a lot of fun activities, with some opportunities to learn along the way. As the name implies, the site is designed for kids up to age ten, but will probably appeal most to kids a bit younger. The site has many free games and highlighted games change frequently. There are also paid and premium subscriber options to skip the (mainly print) ads and access even more games and content. Plenty of teacher and parent info regarding the design of the site and its content.

FossWeb Science for K-2, 3-6 or Middle School

K. Haugen — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 12:49:32 +0000

FossWeb offers three sites with interactive inquiry-based science activities. The site does not have full auditory support, but downloadable audio versions of the Foss texts are available. Each level offers a different range of features and topics, but all three offer extensive parent and teacher support.

The K-2 site includes background information, an interactive activity, related photos, web links, questions answered by professional scientists for units on insects, animals, wood and paper, fabric, trees, balance and motion, pebbles, sand and silt, new plants, air and weather, and solids and liquids
The 3rd-6th grade site includes interactive activities, posters, pictures and movies, links, vocabulary, book lists and ‘ask a scientist for topics such as magnets and electricity, models and design, the human body, levers and pulleys, food and nutrition, earth materials, water, mixtures and solutions, measurement, physics of sound, solar energy, land forms, structures of life, variables, ideas and inventions, and environments
The Middle School Site includes multimedia modules, books, links and a glossary covering activities such as human brain and senses, populations and ecosystems, force and motion, planetary science, electronics, earth history, diversity of life, weather and water, and chemical interactions

Magnetic Numbers

K. Haugen — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:50:04 +0000

Like its companion Magnetic Letters, Magnetic Numbers is a simple, open-ended place to explore numbers. Simply click or type to place an endless supply of numbers and operators on the screen, then move them around to order them, create equations, or just explore.

Magnetic Letters

K. Haugen — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:35:00 +0000

Magnetic Letters is just what it sounds like – a screen with an endless supply of letters you can add by clicking or typing. Once on screen, you can move the letters around.

Youngest users can simply explore. For older little ones, challenge them to make new words from old ones, find rhyming words and more.

Crayola Digi-Color

K. Haugen — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:20:33 +0000

Draw online with digital versions of Crayola’s pens, paints, crayons and colored pencils. This simple site has no outgoing links, making it great for younger kids. Apart from one Crayola logo, there are no ads. This site would work great with a touch screen or graphics tablet!

The major downsides are no “undo” button and no “fill” or “bucket” but this does provide a simple, non-cluttered space for fun drawings.

Draw (splatter!) like Jackson Pollock!

K. Haugen — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 23:50:23 +0000

Draw like Jackson Pollock!

This is a place for FUN… simply move your pointer and the virtual paint splatters. Click the heart to change colors. Then when you’re done, learn more about Jackson Pollock at The WebMuseum, Paris. No ads!
Image uploaded with Skitch!

Bembo’s Zoo

K. Haugen — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 19:39:13 +0000

Beautiful, animated ABC explorations where letters become animals and more. Includes sound effects, but I wish they’d also add the spoken names of the letters! (On the plus side, as is, it works in any language that uses the Roman alphabet).

Starfall Reading

K. Haugen — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 19:34:21 +0000

Starfall is one of the best sites for early reading and literacy, with online stories that offer audio support as needed, a fun, enticing interface, and supportive activities and printables. Multiple levels, with numerous stories and activities at each level.

Starfall was created by the family behind Blue Mountain Cards, one of the earliest online greeting card companies. One member of the Blue Mountain Card family struggled to read because of learning disabilities. The activities are free, and the printed materials very low cost, as a way to help all students who are learning to read, including those who struggle.