# Educational websites for children



## asc (Aug 28, 2009)

Hello,

My oldest son (4 and a half) already likes playing on the computer.
When on the web, I have him limited to playing games on pbskids.org
and noggin.com. I was wondering what good websites are out there 
for young kids, especially educational sites. I'm sure he's interested in
the fun kind of learning sites, but I'm also curious if there's any lecture
or teaching videos online, too. I figure with so many folks homeschooling
there must be some good sites like this out there?

Thanks.


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## jandrusk (Aug 28, 2009)

I like this one and am using it with my 4 year old boy who has a speech/language disorder.

Do2Learn: Educational Resources for Special Needs


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## asc (Aug 31, 2009)

Hmm, do you folks not let your kids get onto the web?


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## Andres (Aug 31, 2009)

asc said:


> Hmm, do you folks not let your kids get onto the web?



Nah, I just don't have any kids. I will still help you out though. Learn to Read at Starfall - teaching comprehension and phonics Don't ask me how i know about his site.


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## asc (Sep 1, 2009)

bump


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## brianeschen (Sep 1, 2009)

asc said:


> Hmm, do you folks not let your kids get onto the web?


That's affirmative. We believe that all the computer skills they will need are better learned later in life. Here are a couple of reasons why taken from the Bluedorn's website Trivium Pursuit Blog Archive Ten Things NOT to Do with Young Children . . .



> 1. Do not let your child be a passive observer. If you read to him, ask him questions about what he has heard. Tell him to narrate the material back in his own words. Make him address any moral value issues which may come up. Develop his mind, not simply in the direction of absorbing, but in the direction of responding. The mind which can respond has to absorb in some measure, but the mind which simply absorbs — like in front of a television or computer screen — is too passive in the learning process, learns to take without giving, and it is questionable how much it really does absorb anyway. Computers do not offer learning experiences which require real human responsiveness. Programmed learning has its uses, and it can be very effective at later ages, but at this age your child needs interaction with an adult (and not with groups of children his own age).
> . . .
> 10. Do not let your child play in a cyber world. He can play in a miniature world. He can play in a pretend world. But it must be made up of objects which exist in the real three-dimensional world, not electrons hitting an opaque, two dimensional phosphorescent screen. Why? Because — though he may learn something from the screen image, there are nevertheless many things which he is not learning precisely because it is only a screen image. Besides the missing sensory experiences (touching, tasting, smelling, hearing, seeing — three dimensionally), there are logical things missing (such as consequences in the real world). When the computer substitutes for the functions and processes which the brain normally supplies, the brain is left to atrophy. It does not develop its brain muscles, as it were. Excessive use of computers, especially at early ages, will restructure the way the brain processes information, often for the worse. It also causes the underdevelopment of the emotional and social dimensions of the child. Young children are developing many parts of their understanding, and “holes” can occur in their development if they are deprived of certain experiences during critical periods of time. These may not be discovered until much later.


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## he beholds (Sep 1, 2009)

asc said:


> Hmm, do you folks not let your kids get onto the web?



My husband will play Thomas The Train games with our son online. But he is always holding him in his lap and dictating what to do. The games are matching games like Memory, and such, so I don't see how that could be much different than playing the game, though I do see that the motor skills are not involved there. 

I did teach my son (at two years old) his letters with the help of a Fisher-Price website. 

I think the internet can be a useful tool, but I don't allow my son to play games by himself on it--I've seen too many zombies created that way!


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## asc (Sep 2, 2009)

brianeschen said:


> asc said:
> 
> 
> > Hmm, do you folks not let your kids get onto the web?
> ...



This is actually why I favor him playing the computer, as opposed to watching TV. Computer games are very interactive. But then again, I suppose some people here don't be let their kids watch TV either.

I think it's a shame. I think properly supervised, computers and the internet would be a great learning tool and resource; especially for all the homeschooling folks.


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## Vonnie Dee (Sep 2, 2009)

I am going to second starfall.com. I was a kindergarten teacher last year. My kids loved it.


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