PBS
Kids is an awesome website. Not only do you not have to create an account, sign
in, or have parental supervision, there are limited advertisements and colorful
graphics that make it appealing to kids. PBS is a trusted organization so I
feel confident that all of the material on this website will be appropriate for
children.
I
played around on the home page that is easy to navigate through, and clicked on
a couple of the tabs. From the home page, students can go directly to reading
books or being read too. If being read to, the words are highlighted as they
are spoken. After the page has been read an interactive feature will be
available like manipulating the illustration or finding the definition of a
highlighted word. There are fun fictional stories with familiar storybook
characters, math theme stories, environmental, and technology based stories.
There
is also a tab on the home page directed to games and activities based on the
series The Cat in the Hat Knows a lot About That. One feature about this section
that I really like is that whenever your mouse scrolls over or lands on an icon
that can be clicked, what the icon says is read aloud to you. This makes the
page even easier for students who are learning to read to navigate through.
I
could go on and on about the endless games, books, and activities that are
available to students through PBS Kids. Although there are so many items
through the website it is easy to navigate due to a lack of clutter and kid
friendly accommodations. There is also an option to view the website in
Spanish! I think that this website is appropriate for students age 4-10 and
could be used in schools. Most commonly I see computer and websites like this
used as early finishers or, if there is access, as indoor recess activities. There are many different content areas
represented through the endless activities on this website. I would highly
recommend this website to students who are learning to read, are already
reading, or have a favorite PBS character.
Kelly, I also love the PBS site! You are right about it being a trusted and worthwhile site for kids. My favorite part of this site is the Curious George section! I am over the moon about Curious George. I have my classroom decorated all in George! This site is always included in the Curious George unit that I use in my classroom each year.
ReplyDeleteI use PBS all the time with my students. There are so many useful resources on this page from games that are educationally related and videos. They can connect with characters from different shows while learning something along the way.
ReplyDeleteI love that this website provides so many different types of support for young learners! I wonder if it will read the stories in Spanish, as well? Thanks for posting! I do not teach the younger grades myself, but think this is a great resource to be familiar with. I will definitely pass it along!
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