Bibliography and web links for Fostering Creative Learning

Here's our links and resources for Fostering Creative Learning:

WEB LINKS

Section 1: Fostering Creativity and Aesthetics in Young Children

Art Cents Search
http://www.artcents.com
The Art Guide site employs the Art Spider search engine to retrieve the URL, title, and description of sites relating to all aspects of art. Users retrieve results by simple key word queries, or search and display 1–4 databases simultaneously.

Creativity Café
http://www.creativity.net
In 1980 VARIOUS (Visionary Artists’ Resources Including Other Unique Services) was a group designed to facilitate creative expression and personal/professional expansion for all people of planet Earth. This site is dedicated to their mission to create an Artists’ Resource Center, for all forms of creative expression.

Brain Stormer
http://www.jpb.com/creative/creative.php
This site contains information on boosting your own creativity. The Ten Steps for Boosting Creativity is a good place to start.

Brain Connection
http://www.brainconnection.com
This site is full of topics all related to improving brain functions. The library section contains information on child development and education, as well as on topics such as reading and math. Games and illusions to explore on your own are also a fun aspect of this site.

KidSource OnLine Welcome Page
http://www.kidsource.com/
This Web site provides in depth and timely education and health care information that is designed to “make a difference in the lives of parents and their children.”

Enchanted Mind
http://www.enchantedmind.com/
This site is designed to help anyone, from age 5 to 105, develop their latent creativity and have fun in the process. Be sure to check out the inspiration and humor sections.

Inventor’s Workshop
http://www.teachersfirst.com/lessons/inventor/index.htm
Inventions are a great introduction to history, science, and the higher order thinking skills required for problem solving. TeachersFirst’s invention unit, “The Inventor’s Workshop,” uses English and American inventors of the industrial revolution to show how one invention can lead to another. You’ll also find links to lots of other invention resources, an inventor’s quiz, and lots more.

Identity
http://www.artsconnected.org/artsnetmn/identity
This online art curriculum resource is one of five thematic units on the ArtsNet Minnesota Web site that explores how identity is expressed by artists in their work. The unit focuses on nine works of art and includes discussion questions, artist biographies, multidisciplinary classroom lesson activities, vocabulary lists, and more. The text is written in student-friendly language and promotes an inquiry-based approach to the study of the works of art shown. ArtsNet Minnesota is a collaborative project involving four Minnesota museums and several teacher-training sites around the state. These are exceptional online resources available for use in classrooms.

Art Images for Instruction
http://www.mcad.edu/showPage.php?pageID=1036
Visit this site to access an elegantly-presented collection of royalty-free art images which are copyright-free when used for instructional purposes. The site is broadly divided into time periods, and there are thumbnails for each image. Clicking on a thumbnail will bring up the image in several size options. This is a wonderful resource for lessons on styles of art.

Art Teacher on the Net
http://www.artmuseums.com/
Click on one of the small chalkboard icons for art ideas. This award-winning site contains a wealth of information for parents, teachers, and art teachers. There are project ideas, links, and advice. The Art of Many Lands section includes projects from around the world (some written in French!). This is a great resource for ideas!

In Depth Study Tours of Artists
http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/caldwel.htm
Explore an artist, a specific work of art, or a theme in depth using this site. Some of the artists you will find here are: Degas, Picasso, Rothko, Jasper Johns, Manet, and Vuillard. Some of the themes are Fauves, Still Life, Art for the Nation, American Impressionism, and Realism.

North Texas Institute for Educators on the Visual Arts (NTIEVA)
http://www.art.unt.edu/ntieva/
This site is sponsored by NTIEVA and promotes a discipline-based art education. This is a good source for activities and information on aesthetics. On the Home Page, click on Curriculum Resources, and then on Aesthetics for activities and ideas.

Amazingmoms.com
http://www.amazingmoms.com
This Web site is full of useful information for working with children. It includes links to children’s Web sites, parenting resources, and crafts.

Child Care Bulletin
http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/ccb/index.html
The Child Care Bulletin is published online six times a year for the Child Care Bureau, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, and Department of Health and Human Services. On this site you will find a searchable child care database, online library, internet links, resources in Spanish and much, much more.

Child Care Directory
http://www.childcare-directory.com
This Web site is the United Kingdom’s premier child care directory with special sections for working mothers. It is a source for great connections to product information, art and cooking projects to do with children, safe and fun Internet sites for children, grant and fund-raising tips, and a discussion forum.

Child Care Links and Local Resources
http://www.mdchildcare.org/mdcfc/mcc.html
A great site that provides links to Baltimore County, Maryland, and national services, associations, and information for child care providers and parents.

Child Care Parent Provider/Information Network
http://www.childcare-ppin.com/
This is the site of Child Care Provider Magazine. It also includes publications and projects, links to agencies, child care information and services, discussion forum and chat room, schedules of child care conferences, and activities for children.

Funorama
http://www.funorama.com/
An online activity center and bookstore for kids, this is a great place for kids, parents, or teachers to find fun and educational projects to download and print.

KidsClick
http://www.kidsclick.com
This is designed to guide young users to valuable and age-appropriate Web sites.

Scholastic Kids Central
http://www.scholastic.com/kids/
Presented by Scholastic, this is a comprehensive Web site for children, parents, and teachers.

United States Interactive Climate Pages
http://www.cdc.noaa.gov/USclimate
An abundance of information on climate in individual cities across the U.S. can be accessed at this Web site.

Nestle Very Best Kids.com
http://www.verybestkids.com
This is a Web site presented the Nestle Company. It has a Teacher’s Corner, Crafts and Activities, Learning Fun, Booking and Baking, and Holidays & Celebrations sections. A great source of ideas and activities for all seasons of the year.

Section 2: Planning and Implementing Creative Activities

Teacher.Net (The Ultimate Teacher’s Resource)
http://www.teachers.net
This site provides dozens of individual lesson plans specified by a general grade/age level. It also has sources for supplies, a job center, Web tools, and a chat room, among its many offerings.

National Child Care Information Center (NCCIC)
http://nccic.org/
A project of the Child Care Bureau, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This is a national resource that links information and people on early childhood issues.

Teacher Created Resources
http://www.teachercreated.com
A leading publisher of supplemental educational resource materials, specializing in technology integration and staff development.

Technology and Young Children
http://www.techandyoungchildren.org
This Web site is presented by the NAEYC Technology Caucus. It is dedicated to providing the most comprehensive and up-to-date information, research, and links on the use of computers and young children.

Kidlink—The Internet Working for Young Children
http://www.kidlink.org
This site provides opportunities for children to engage in a global dialog. Kidlink is a nonprofit, grassroots organization working to help children through secondary school level be involved in a global dialog. Since the start on May 25, 1990, over 175,000 kids from 139 countries on all continents have participated. Kidlink has activities in English and 19 other languages.

Creative Teaching Press
http://www.creativeteaching.com/
This site is an excellent resource for K–8 teachers, parents, and children. It includes activities as well as a forum for teachers and parents.

Lesson Plans
http://www.lessonplanspage.com
This site presents a collection of over 3,500 free lesson plans for teachers to use in their classrooms. The site is easy to use with lessons categorized by subject and grade level.

Early Childhood.Com
http://www.earlychildhood.com
This Web site presents a wide variety of activities, as well as a curriculum section, arts and crafts, and an “Ask the Experts” chat room. Activities are divided by age group.

Kid Info
http://www.kidinfo.com
One of the Web’s best homework and teacher/parent reference resources. It has indexes (sections) for students, young children, children, and parents. It has a separate Lesson Plan section, as well as tutorials.

TeachersFirst Instructional Units
http://www.teachersfirst.com/unitlist.htm
Over the years, TeachersFirst has created a number of lessons and instructional units that have proven popular with teachers. These are listed in this site along with a brief description of each unit. This is just one part of the amazing resources provided by TeachersFirst, a site dedicated to K–12 teachers.

Internet 4 Classrooms Projects
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/project.htm
This is an outstanding resource for project-based learning that covers all content areas with projects categorized by grade level. Click on “Teacher’s Guide to International Collaboration on the Internet” to access an excellent tutorial guide for K–12 project-based learning. The link to “Tutorials and Guides” in the menu offers a multitude of excellent web resources for curriculum projects. “Starting a New Project” is a practical guide for the classroom teacher with reviewed resources to provide additional help. “Tips for Online Cooperation” posts a Top Ten list for project collaboration. You’ll also find links to project examples for all the content areas. Don’t miss this excellent resource for online global communication.

Technology Topics
http://www.teachersfirst.com/matrix.htm
This site offers a great collection of tips, ideas, and strategies for using technology effectively in your teaching. Some of these are great for “newbies,” and others are strictly “geeks only.”

Video Placement Worldwide
http://www.vpw.com/educational
VPW classroom Information Network offers an ever-growing list of high quality educational videos and teaching materials free to educators and youth leaders. Their list is kept up-to-date and changes as new programs are added or existing are discontinued. Available only to teachers of 25 or more (no preschools). Videos are shipped to an official school address. Videos are categorized by grade levels and subject areas with a complete description of each program.

Understanding No Child Left Behind Act
http://www.teachersandfamilies.com/open/parent/nclb/index.cfm
This article provides an overview of the act and its requirements. There is also a questions and answer section, which covers most commonly asked questions on the act. The Resources Section provides links to more information related to the act.

The INTASC Standards
http://www.ccsso.org/projects/Interstate_New_Teacher_Assessment_and_Support_Consortium/
On this site you will find a listing of the standards including a brief overview for each standard. Included in the overview are the key indicators for each candidate, stating what the candidate must demonstrate to meet the specific standard.

Research in Preschool Special Education
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/pep/research.html
This site has listings for articles relating to many disabilities, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, cerebral palsy, down syndrome, epilepsy, impaired speech and hearing, visual impairments, and Williams Syndrome. Literature resources are also included. There is also a section for activities to do with children with specific disabilities. This is an excellent source for simple, direct information on disabilities.

E-Ready—TeachersFirst’s Resources for Gifted and Special Education
http://www.teachersfirst.com/sped/prof/adapt-strat.html
This site contains information on adapting instruction for working with special education students.

For New Teachers
http://www.teachersfirst.com/new-tch.shtml
This site has first-time teaching tips for new full-time teachers and also for those who are student teaching.

Bloom’s Taxonomy
http://www.eduscapes.com/tap/topic69.htm
This is a wonderful resource for critical thinking. Detailed list of verbs for Bloom’s taxonomy and an extensive annotated list of Web resources for critical and creative thinking. There are even ideas for integrating technology.

Online Disability Simulations Web Sites
Misunderstood Minds (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/misunderstoodminds/). This site offers simulations addressing learning differences and disabilities related to attention, reading, writing, and mathematics difficulties.
Pediatric Neurology.Com (http://www.pediatricneurology.com/). This site offers simulations that address attention disorders and Asperger’s Syndrome.
National Coalition of Auditory Processing Disorders (http://www.ncapd.org). This site offers simulations addressing auditory processing difficulties.

American Toy Institute
http://www.toy-tma.com
This Web site is presented by the Toy Manufacturers of America, Inc., which is dedicated to providing educational and safe products to all ages in a free manner, and in so doing, supports the positive development of children.

Early Childhood Development
http://www.worldbank.org/children
This site is a knowledge source designed to assist practitioners and administrators in their efforts to promote the healthy growth and integral development of young children.

ECRP: Early Childhood Research & Practice
http://ecrp.uiuc.edu
This is an Internet journal on the development, care, and education of young children. Lillian Katz is editor with Dianne Rothenberg as Associate Editor.

Family Education
http://www.familyeducation.com
This is a Web site produced by the Learning Network. It has pages for parents, K–12 teachers, and students. It presents articles on issues such as the importance of play for young children and many other educational issues. Other sections included are family education, idea exchange, lifelong learning, professional development, and references.

International Council of Toy Industries (ICTI)
http://www.toy-icti.org/
This Web site is produced and sponsored by the ICTI, which was formed in 1974 as an association of toy trade associations from around the world. It is a non-profit corporation dedicated to promoting toy safety standards, among its many other goals.

KidSource OnLine
http://www.kidsource.com/
This Web site is a source for in-depth and timely education and health care information that will make a difference in the lives of parents and their children. It has a link to the familyeducation.com Web site, which has a search by age/grade level engine for the top five things children should know at each age/grade level.

National Parent Information Network (NPIN)
http://npin.org
The NPIN is a project of the ERIC System, which is administered by the National Library of Education (a link is provided on this Web site) in the U.S. Department of Education (a link is provided). NPIN is designed and maintained by two ERIC Clearinghouses: The ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education at Teacher’s College, Columbia University, New York and the ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This site has a virtual library, a question-answering service, and an electronic discussion section.

Public Broadcasting System
http://www.pbs.org/
This is the Web site for the PBS. It is a good source of programs, as well as information on many child development and early childhood education issues.

Teacher Magazine
http://www.teachermagazine.org/tm/
This Web site addresses issues from preschool through grade 12. It has links to other Web sites with information on daily news, education week, special report, hot topics, and archives.

The Future of Children
http://www.futureofchildren.org/
This is an online journal published twice annually by the David & Lucile Package Foundation, Los Altos, CA. The primary purpose of the Future of Children is to disseminate timely information on major issues related to children’s well-being.

Young Children
http://www.naeyc.org/resources/journal/default.asp
Young Children is the journal of the NAEYC, the nation’s largest and most influential organization of early childhood educators and others dedicated to improving the quality of programs for children from birth through grade 3. This site contains tables of contents and a searchable index of articles from past issues. The searchable index provides a brief synopsis of each article.
Section 3: Art and the Development of the Young Child

Art Education and Teaching Art
http://arteducation.co.uk/
This site from the United Kingdom has over 300 art lessons and art projects for nursery, primary, and K–12 schools. It also has art links to over 500 Web sites and Web site reviews to help resource your art teaching.

Arts/Crafts for Kids
http://familycrafts.about.com/
This is a very comprehensive Web site, organized by subjects. It has links to art and music education, and lesson pages for kids, teachers, parents, and students. It also has links to related sites.

Crayola Art Education
http://www.crayola.com/educators/
This venerable manufacturer of art supplies for kids contains information on art techniques for painting, drawing, coloring, and modeling with clay.

Favorite Lessons
http://www.artswire.org
New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) official Web site containing art news for artists and all those who support them.

Global Children’s Art Gallery
http://www.naturalchild.org/gallery/
On this Web site, young artist’s work is presented. Information on how children’s art can be contributed to this site is also provided.

International Child Art Foundation
http://www.icaf.org/
This site is presented by a Washington, DC, nonprofit organization, the International Child Art Foundation (ICAF). It has portals for both creative children and adults.

Kids Art Education
http://www.kidsart.com
This site is full of art education resources, lessons, and activities for students in grades K–8.

Kinder Art
http://www.kinderart.com
This site provides over 800 lesson plans for preschool through upper elementary levels.

Schoolzone
http://www.schoolzone.co.uk/
This is the United Kingdom’s #1 education site. It provides teachers, students, and children with free resources, guides, and much more.

Scholastic
http://www.scholastic.com/
This Web site is presented by Scholastic. It has been judged one of the best educational Web sites on the Web. You will find activities for families, kids, and teachers.

Social and Emotional Development at iVillage
http://parenting.ivillage.com/
This site is an excellent resource on social–emotional development from birth through grade 12. There are articles on the various stages in social emotional development as well as extra-curricular activities for each age/stage. Social skills for each age/stage are also included in the listing.

Committee for Children: Combining Academics with Social–Emotional Learning
http://www.cfchildren.org/
This is an article by Laura Smith, a curriculum developer at Committee for Children, a non-profit organization which is a leader in social–emotional learning and violence prevention. This article includes an overview on integrating social–emotional learning with academics. But the best part of the article is the Activities Section. There are many good ideas for Preschool and Kindergarten, Grades 1–3, and Grades 4–5.

Brain Development—Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=key_brain
This site contains information on brain development including general brain development, and prenatal and postnatal development.

Science Daily—Study Describes Brain Changes during Learning
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/10/001020092659.htm
This article reports on research done at Brown University on changes in the brain during learning.

Young in Art
http://www.artjunction.org
This Web site provides an illustrated account of children’s artistic development. It is intended to assist teachers and parents who are interested in nurturing their children’s creative involvement with art materials. It includes sections on scribbling, pre-symbolism, symbolism, realism, a gallery, and links to other Web sites.

Brain Connection
http://www.brainconnection.com
This Web site provides Web resources from Scientific Learning Corporation on the development of the human brain and the many processes involved in this development.

Section 4: The Early Childhood Art Program

@rt Junction
http://www.artjunction.org/
This Web site is designed around the idea of activity centers that encourage kids to create, learn, and explore new ideas, places, and things on their own. It is designed primarily for children, but has lots of ideas to inspire teachers as well.

Arts & Activities
http://www.artsandactivities.com/
This Web site is presented by Arts and Activities, one of the nation’s leading art education magazines. It has online arts and activities, as well as a young artist section, clip-and-save-ideas, articles contributed by art teachers, plus much more.

Family Crafts
http://familycrafts.about.com/
Another comprehensive site filled with two- and three-dimensional art activities for various ages/grade levels.

ArtSource
http://www.ilpi.com/artsource/welcome.html
This Web site began in 1994 as a service to art librarians. It developed over time as a selected site for art resources such as new media, image collections, artist’s projects, and online art journals, to name a few.

Bright Ring Publishing, Inc.
http://www.brightring.com
This site is dedicated to the fun-filled world of process art. Crayons, clay, fingerpaints, cookie sheets, milk cartons, and music are among the many media activities on this Web site.

Crayola Store
http://www.crayola.com/store
This venerable manufacturer of art materials has a wonderful Web site that should quickly become one of your favorites for ideas as well as for supplies.

KidsArt
http://www.kidsart.com/
This Web site is filled with art activities for children. You can download free instructions for some great art projects and discover some popular KidsArt Booklets for children and teachers. There’s also a wonderful gallery of artwork created by kids to explore.

Art Kids Rule
http://artkidsrule.com
This Web site is full of fun two- and three-dimensional activities, resources, and tutorials for kids, grown-ups, and teachers.

Mark Kistler’s Imagination Station
http://www.draw3d.com/mainframe.html
This is a Web site based on public TV’s favorite Learn-to-Draw in 3-D Series. Sections include a classroom teacher resource guide, homeschool parent’s guide, and 3-D drawing lessons online.

The Incredible Art Department
http://www.nyfa.org
This is a very comprehensive Web site for teachers. It provides sections on the art room, art “stuff,” lessons, a chat room, the art site of the week, art news, art jobs, and a guest book.

The Imagination Factory
http://www.kid-at-art.com/
Children and adults are taught creative ways to recycle by making art.

World Wide Arts Resources
http://wwar.com/
This site is an interactive arts gateway for access to artists, museums, galleries, high quality art, art history, arts education, art chats, and much more.

Art & Creative Materials Institute (ACMI)
http://www.acminet.org/
ACMI, an international association, is the leading authority on art and craft materials. Founded in 1940, ACMI was organized to assist its members in providing the public with art and craft materials for children and artists that are non-toxic. All products tested by ACMI undergo extensive toxicological evaluation and testing before they are granted the right to bear the ACMI certification seal. This is an excellent source for information on safe art materials and safe use of materials.

Hazards in the Art Classroom
http://www.artjunction.org
As a service to art teachers and parents, this site is offered with information on maintaining a safe and hazard-free learning environment for children while they are engaged in art activities. The material on this site was originally written by Allison Jerard, a former art education student at the University of Florida. Included on this site is information on General Classroom Conditions, Current Practices, Age and Risk Groups, Materials and Activities. Five Common Hazards in the Art Classroom, and 20 Things Teachers Can do to Make their Classrooms Hazard-Free.

Selected Internet Resources for the Arts and Disabilities
http://ericec.org/faq/arts-x.html
This site, presented by the ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education, contains Web links to numerous organizations dealing with the arts and disabilities.

Printmaking 101, 102
http://www.kinderart.com/printmaking/print101.shtml
http://www.kinderart.com/printmaking/print102.shtml
Basic information on printmaking is found in these two sites. In Printmaking 101, background information on the process of printmaking is covered. This includes four main types of printmaking: relief printing, intaglio, planography (lithography), and stencil (seriagraphy). In Printmaking 102, you will find a list of basic printmaking supplies, as well as information on printing with a brayer (roller), and information on types of paper suitable for printmaking.

Mondrian Style Painting
http://kinderart.com/painting/mondrian.shtml
On this site you will find information about Piet Mondrian, a Dutch painter of abstract images. Directions are included to create Mondrian style paintings.

Matisse Cut-Outs
http://kinderart.com/arthistory/matissecutouts.shtml
Learning about color and composition from an arrangement of color paper cut-outs is the focus of this Web page. It includes information on materials and step-by-step directions on how to create Matisse-type cut-outs.

Abstract Art: Line, Shape, and Color
http://kinderart.com/arthistory/abstract.shtml
Learning to define and create an abstract art work is the focus of this Web page. It also includes information on the artist Piet Mondrian. You will find a list of materials and step-by-step instructions on how to create this type of abstract art.

Art Interactive—Sculpture
http://www.hmsg.si.edu/education/interactive.html
From this page, students can learn about different types of sculpture and try their hand at making their own sculptural work online. Four types of sculpture are briefly described and illustrated. The accompanying text discusses how artists make choices about such things as materials, shapes, color, texture, and composition when creating something that represents their ideas or personal visions.

Disability-Related Virtual Museums
http://www.americanhistory.si.edu/disabilityrights/welcome.html
Disability Rights Movement Virtual Museum offers online access to a virtual exhibition developed by the Smithsonian Natural Museum of American History on the Disability Rights Movement.

Disability History Museum
http://www.disabilitymuseum.org
This site offers online access to exhibits, a library, and teacher resource course packets designed to teach about the historical experiences of individuals with disabilities.

Museum of disABILITY History
http://www.museumofdisability.org/
Here you will find access to exhibits and activities related to people with disabilities.

Section 5: Creative Activities in Other Curricular Areas

Dramatic Play and Puppetry
Puppets from Everyday Materials
http://www.enchangedlearning.com/crafts/puppets/
This Web site presents puppet projects for preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school children. The puppets are made from everyday materials, like egg cartons, cardboard, paper, boxes, string, crayons, paint, glue, etc.

Legends & Lore.com—It’s All about Puppets
http://www.legendsandlore.com/puppet-resource.html
This Web site has lots of information on puppets: Teacher Resource Pages, Puppet Hints, Puppet Scripts, instructions on making sock and sack puppets, as well as craft recipes for paint, clay, bubbles, chalk, and papier mâché. Legends & Lore is dedicated to sharing puppet tips, tricks, and stories.

Movement
KidsKorner
http://www.kidskorner.net/
Movement activities are provided for preschool through elementary levels.

Perpetual Preschool—Music and Movement Area
http://www.perpetualpreschool.com/music.html
This Web site contains songs, finger plays, movement activities, and music for preschool children.

Teaching Strategies.com
http://www.teachingstrategies.com/
An early childhood site for teachers and parents of children from birth through grade 3. Movement activities are found in Educator’s and Parent’s Web pages.

Music
Children’s Music Web
http://www.childrensmusic.org
Children’s Music Web is a non-profit organization dedicated to music for kids. It has Web pages for kids, parents, educators, and musicians. Also included are radio lists, links, discussion groups, and a message board.

Kiddidles
http://www.kididdles.com/
This is not your average kids’ site. Here you will find a Musical Museum, loaded to the brim with almost 2,000 kids’ song lyrics, organized alphabetically, and by category with a search engine. Visit Loopity Lee’s fun and games, send a Kiddidles Kard, share your songs, stories, jokes, and pictures with other teachers (and students).

Kindermusik.com
http://www.kindermusik.com
This site includes resources for parents, educators, and children. Musical activities designed for newborns through age 7 are presented here.

Music for Young Children (MYC)
http://www.myc.com
MYC was established in 1980, created by a music teacher who is also an early childhood and remedial specialist.

MuSICA, the Music & Science Information Computer Archive
http://www.musica.uci.edu/
This Web site presents research on music as related to behavior, the brain, and allied fields.

Why Is the Mona Lisa Smiling?
http://library.thinkquest.org/13681/data/davin2.shtml
This Internet site was created by high school students on a Think Quest team. It is filled with interactive learning opportunities for kids to discover DaVinci and listen to his music, create multilingual musical postcards in one of 16 languages, take an online quiz, or create one.

Creating Music
http://www.creatingmusic.com
In this creative online environment, children of all ages can play with virtual musical instruments as well as enjoy games and puzzles. This site strives to help children compose music with the same joy and ease they experience while they’re engaged in other creative activities, such as drawing or playing with blocks.

The National Association for Music Education
http://www.menc.org/
This national site for music educators offers standards for music education as well as links to music education resources. Advocates for the importance of the arts in education will find help here. The site also includes sections on Early Childhood and Teacher Education (under the “Channels” heading).

The Classical Archives
http://www.classicalarchives.com/index.html
With tens of thousands of full-length recordings, the Classical Archives is an important stop for students or teachers who are interested in classical music. The Features section contains a collection of MP3s by well-known orchestras and instrumental soloists. Visit the Archives to find biographies of thousands of composers, along with examples of their music. You may find the Learning section useful as it is filled with tips on how to have more fun with music.

Science
Insectlore
http://www.insectlore.com/
This creative site includes science units for K–3 teachers. You can order live butterfly, ladybug, worm and silkworm, and other insect kits for education and home use.

National Science Education Standards
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/4962.html
Sponsored by the National Academies Press, this site gives you access to all of the National Science Standards.

Science Kids
http://www.sciencekids.com/
This Web site provides information on books that present the complete content of the National Science Standards. It also has activities for children on the site.

BrainPOP.com—Activities Relating to National Standards
http://www.brainpop.com
BrainPOP.com is a Web site that features Math, English, Science, Social Studies, Health, and Technology topics for grades K–8. Developed according to national standards (NCTM, NSES & NCTE), BrainPOP’s hundreds of topics present students with an engaging, enlightening, and entertaining view of a given subject.

Teacher-Created Stuff
http://www.teachercreated.com/free
Teacher-Created Materials, an educational publishing company founded by teachers, publishes supplementary resource materials with an emphasis on technology. The company’s Web site features free lesson plans and activities for primary, intermediate, and upper elementary students that include worksheets and Internet links. Also available are seasonal art and activities, “brain teasers,” and a teaching tip of the month.

TeAchnology
http://www.teach-nology.com/
This site offers teachers free access to 19,000 lesson plans, 5,600 printable worksheets, and over 200,000 reviewed Web sites, 50+ teaching articles, 60 teaching themes, educational games, teaching tips, advice from experts, current educational news, teacher downloads, Web quests, and teacher tools for creating exciting classroom instruction.

Clean Sweep U.S.A.
http://www.kab.org/site/PageServer?pagename=kids_zone
Enter the world of waste management at Clean Sweep U.S.A. There are six solid-waste topics for students to explore. Garbage Pizza looks at what makes up our garbage and lets students create their own “pizza graph” of everyday trash and then print the masterpiece. The detailed lesson plans focus on web-based research and classroom activities for the “Keep America Beautiful” campaign. Click on the “educators” icon in the upper-right corner and go to “teacher background information” for teaching tools, resources and ideas related to garbage, source reduction, composting, recycling, waste-to-energy, and landfills.

Windows to the Universe
http://www.windows.ucar.edu
The Windows to the Universe Web site includes images, movies, animations, and data sets that explore Earth and space sciences and the historical and cultural ties among science, exploration, and the human experience. Teachers can register as Windows to the Universe Educators to receive a monthly newsletter highlighting aspects of the Web site, new resources, upcoming professional development opportunities, and curriculum activities.

Geography Zone
http://www.geographyzone.com
Geography Zone is a Web site designed to enhance the geography learning experience. This Web site hosts The Geography Challenge, the world’s largest online geography contest, as well as several other geography tools and facts to help make students enjoy geography. The latest addition to Geography Zone’s series of educational tools is a new online tool—an interactive global Internet classroom for all educators to use free of charge. Teachers can apply this tool to their classroom with friendly student competitions or geographic lesson plans.

Why Earth Science?
http://www.agiweb.org/education/teachers/online_resources.html
The Why Earth Science? American Geological Institute publication, now available in Spanish, promotes the importance of Earth science in K–12 education. The free publication is designed to help teachers, parents, industry leaders, and geoscience advocates explain the importance of Earth sciences in today’s educational environment. Both the English and Spanish versions are available online.

SCIENCE WEB SITES FOR BUSY TEACHERS
Environmental Protection Agency Kid’s Site
http://www.epa.gov/kids
Is it garbage or recycling? This site offers activities and lesson plans on a variety of environmental issues.

Great Science Sites for Children
http://www.ala.org/parentspage/greatsites/
This site offers windows to science experiences compiled by the Children and Technology Committee of the association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association.

National Wildlife Federation Kidzone
http://www.nwf.org/kids
This site provides a nice collection of activities that can help you bring the outdoors inside your classroom.

Online Metamorphosis
http://www.yesnet.yk.ca/schools/jackhulland/projects/butterflies
Watch an online metamorphosis and learn about the life-cycle of the Painted Lady Butterfly as it transforms from larva to caterpillar to adult butterfly.

Language Arts
Between the Lions: Get Wild about Reading
http://www.pbskids.org/lions/
Produced by WGBH and Sirius Thinking for PBD Kids, Between the Lions is funded in part by a Ready to Learn grant from the U.S. Department of Education through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Lesson PlansPage.com
http://www.lessonplanspage.com
This Web site offers over 3,500 free lesson plans in language arts.

Writing.com
http://www.writing.com/
Stories.com has a multitude of user-created interactive stories. Read and add to any number of the stories. You can even create your own story.

The Lion and the Unicorn
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/lion_and_the_unicorn/
This site presents a theme and genre-centered journal of international scope that offers a serious discussion of literature for children. It has become noted for its informative interviews with authors, editors, and other prominent figures in the field of children’s literature.

Author & Title Resources for Teachers
http://www.teachersfirst.com/read-sel.html
TeachersFirst site offers great reading suggestions for students from preschool through high school. The site also includes title and author resources for many of the most popular children’s books. You can find lesson plans, author information, and title resources for many of the books on your syllabus.

Setting up a Language Arts Program for Special Ed Students (Grades 1–8)
http://www.pacificnet.net/~mandel/SpecialEducation.html
Practical ideas to keep in mind when working with special ed students in the language arts area.

Current Research on Language Development
http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com
Click on Development, then on “Language Research.” This page lists short summaries and Web links for many current research articles on language development.

Reading Aloud
http://www.bookpals.net/cgi-bin/bookfinder/index.pl?page=dosndonts
An excellent site for suggestions on read-aloud techniques provided by the Screen Actors Guild. Included are tips such as “Preview the book by reading it to yourself first…. Such advance reading allows you to spot material you may wish to shorten, elaborate on, or eliminate.”

Creative Language Arts Resources
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/
Literature-based theme unit ideas for preschool to 1st grade. Includes multi-sensory, hands-on learning activities that use active involvement to meet individual learning styles.

Scholastic Teacher Web Site
http://teacher.scholastic.com
This site contains online activities, lesson plans, and teaching strategies for Pre–K to Grade 2, Grades 3–5 by subject area.

Learning Braille for teachers and parents
Braille Through Remote Learning: http://www.brl.org/
Hadley School for the Blind: http://www.hadley-school.org
American Foundation for the Blind: http://www.afb.org
American Printing House for the Blind: http://www.aph.org

Mathematics
Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM)
http://www.awm-math.org
This Web site is sponsored by the AWM, a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging women in mathematical sciences.

Figure This! Math Challenges for Families
http://www.figurethis.org
This Web site is funded by the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Education, and National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Activities and information are related to the national standards. The site is suitable for grades K–12.

Math-Kitecture
http://www.math-kitecture.com/
Activities using architecture to do math. Apply scale to a class floor plan, analyze the geometry of famous buildings, complete ratio and proportion activities with lesson plans.

Online Math Applications
http://library.thinkquest.org/4116/
Investigate real-world situations with a stock market simulation, musical math, the contributions of famous mathematicians, and the cost of planning a trip.

Math in Daily Life
http://www.learner.org/exhibits/dailymath/
Everyday math activities with teacher’s guide from Annenberg/CPB. Explore probability, population growth, savings, and more. The Related Resources are a must-visit.

National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics
http://www.ncsmonline.org
This Web site, hosted by the Math Forum at Swarthmore College, is designed for those interested in leadership in mathematics. It provides a listserv for exchanging ideas with other teachers, a section on “What’s new in math education,” and links to other related mathematics sites.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)
http://www.nctm.org
This is the Web site of the NCTM, the largest non-profit professional association of mathematics educators in the world. The Web site offers information on NCTM, as well as complete documentation of the national standards and related activities for each.

Show-me Center
http://www.showmecenter.missouri.edu/
This Web site is designed to support the national standards in mathematics. It has lesson plans and activities for grades K–12.

The Math Forum
http://mathforum.org/
Presented by WebCt.com, the e-learning Hub, a provider of e-learning systems, this Web site contains a Student Center, Teacher’s Place, Research Division, and Parents and Citizens section. Other sections include Math Resources by subject, Innovations in Math Education, and Key Issues in Math.

What Good is Math?
http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/education/projects/webunits/math/index.htm
Here’s a great resource from Math Alive for helping students understand “real-world” math. Follow the strategies to calculate your grades (and predict grades, too), calculate the sales on a shopping spree, plan a trip (maybe figure costs for that end-of-the-year trip!), practice your fractions with recipes for a school party, and build your economics IQ with checking and savings account activities.

Cool Math 4 Kids
http://www.coolmath4kids.com/
Cool really is the word for this Web site! “The Amusement Park of Math and More” section includes “Lemonade Stand,” which is a challenging simulation where students have full control of decision-making, and dozens of Brain Benders to exercise math skills with topics ranging from alphabet soup to geometry and math games to challenge students preschool to adult. Every teacher will want to explore the Calculators activities in the Amusement Park. There’s even a CoolMath Algebra area.

U.S. Treasury—Kids
http://www.treas.gov/kids/
Here’s a true treasure of math resources for the classroom, and all of them are free links to government Web sites designed especially for kids. The links of interest to the math curriculum are the U.S. Mint, FirstGov, and Savings Bonds.
U.S. Mint—Hip Pocket Change will have your students investigating facts as they study the Fifty States Quarters from the U.S. Mint. Lesson plans, interactive games, and a Time machine of U.S. history make this a must-visit for K–12 classrooms.
FirstGov—This extensive Web resource links to specially designed kids’ sites for dozens of government agencies and other organizations. Use the WebQuest to guide student exploration of these informational Web sites.
Savings Bonds—Money Math: Lessons for Life is an interesting curriculum unit on savings and bonds that is sure to inspire your students to explore the U.S. economy.

Math and Reading
http://www.education-world.com/a_books/books132.shtml/
Great books that can help reinforce math concepts for elementary students. Check out the links at the end of each article for even more math stories.

Math and Children’s Literature
http://www.carolhurst.com/subjects/math/math.html
Articles, lessons, and book lists to link math and reading.

Ask Dr. Math
http://mathforum.org/dr.math
Ask Dr. Math is a question and answer service for math students and their teachers. A searchable archive is available by level and topic, as well as summaries of frequently asked questions. This site is designed for K–12 students.

All Math.Com
http://www.allmath.com
Have some fun with math on this site. Here you will find fun and games, kid references, kid resources, math articles, math help, math humor, teacher references, and resources.

K–5 Math Challenges—National Math Principles & Standards
http://auntymath.com
This kid-friendly site from the DuPage Children’s Museum consists of math problems, written as stories about Aunt Mathilda. Students can post solutions and receive a reply from Aunty Math about their solution strategy. Based on the NCTM Principles and Standards for School Mathematics, the site has modifications and information about the math involved in each problem for parents and teachers.

National Library of Virtual Manipulatives for Interactive Mathematics
http://matti.usu.edu/nlvm/nav/index.html
Sponsored by Utah State University, this site offers virtual manipulative activities related to the NCTM Standards for grades PreK–2, Grades 3–5, Grades 6–8 and 9–12. Activities are related to the following standard areas: number and operations, algebra, geometry, measurement, and data analysis and probability. It is supported by a three-year National Science Foundation grant to develop a library of uniquely interactive, Web-based virtual manipulatives or concept-tutorials for mathematics instruction with a K–8 emphasis.

Social Studies
KidInfo
http://www.kidinfo.com
This Web site has a student index, a section for young children, and a teacher index—all good sources of social studies activities.

National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)
http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/
This Web site contains the complete manuscript of the National Social Studies Standards.

SocioSite
http://www.sociosite.net/index.php
Sociological information system based at the University of Amsterdam. This is the Web’s reference for researching any subject in society.

U.S. Census Bureau Home Page
http://www.census.gov/
A wealth of information on the U.S. can be found here. A great place for both teachers and students to visit.

Education World—Activities for Social Studies Standards
http://www.education-world.com
Scroll down to “Reference Center” and click on “Education Standards.” Then, click on “Social Studies Standards.” Under this section you will find activities for the following social studies subjects: civics, economics, geography, U.S. history, or World history. Topics are arranged by grade level under each subject.

Social Studies Lesson Plans and Teaching Strategies
http://www.csun.edu/~hcedu013/plans.html
This site contains 50 lesson plans for primary grade students (K–5). Click on “Lesson Plans to Teachers” for teacher-written and classroom-tested lesson plans.

Lesson Planet
http://www.lessonplanet.com
On this site you can search from over 130,000 lesson plans by keyword and grade level. From the home page in the Lesson Plans Directory, click on Social Studies. You can choose from many lesson plan subcategories including Pre-K Resources, Lesson plans for K–2 and 3–5, as well as specific lesson topics.

Teachers.Net Lesson Bank
http://teachers.net/lessons/
This site, offered by the University of Phoenix Online contains teacher-submitted ideas and lesson plans. The lesson plans are by grade levels as well as by subject area.

National Geographic Education
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/education
The National Geographic Education site has hundreds of lessons, activities, and resources to support your study of world cultures and a class study of the diverse cultures in your students’ community.

Health, Safety, and Nutrition
Children’s Defense Fund
http://www.childrensdefense.org/
The mission of the Children’s Defense Fund is to Leave No Child Behind® and to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start in life, and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities.

Healthy People 2010
http://www.healthypeople.gov/
The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office of Public Health and Science, Office of the Secretary, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services work to strengthen the disease prevention and health promotion priorities of the department within the collaborative framework of the HHS agencies.

National Center for Health Statistics
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/
NCHS is the federal government’s principal vital and health statistics agency. Since 1960, when the National Office of Vital Statistics and the National Health Survey merged to form NCHS, the agency has provided a wide variety of data to monitor the nation’s health.

National Network for Child Care—Good Times with Snacks
http://www.nncc.org/
Click on Early Childhood, then on Food, Nutrition and Health. Presented by Human Development and Family Studies of Colorado State University Cooperative Extension, this site is full of information on nutrition and food activities for teachers.

National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education
http://nrc.uchsc.edu/
National Health and Safety Performance Standards: Guidelines for out-of-home care providers can be accessed at this site.

American Academy of Pediatrics
http://www.aap.org/
This site of the American Academy of Pediatrics includes sections on Parenting, Health Topics, and Professional Education Resources as well as many other topics.

Head Start Information and Publication Center
http://www.headstartinfo.org
Click on Information Center, then on Health Services, then on Health and Safety. On this site you will find a list of over thirty sites which present health guidelines, information on safety in child care, medical, healthcare and pharmaceutical information, parenting, disease prevention, nutrition, and safety.

Clean Hands. Good Health.
http://www.nasn.org
http://soahec-nm.org/DownWithGerms.pdf
To learn more about hand hygiene and improving the health of students in your school visit these two sites. Important facts about clean hands and good health, and ideas to implement healthy practices can be found on these sites.

Bilingual Health Information
http://www.ncfh.org/pateduc.htm
The information on this site was originally developed for limited literacy Spanish- and English-speaking patients. It offers basic health, nutrition, and lifestyles information in a context which may be suitable for either students or parents in certain specific settings. Lots of illustrations and minimal use of text help make these resources easy to use.

National Network for Child Care
http://www.nncc.org
Childcare information is provided on this site by a host of government and education agencies. It includes dozens of links, a specialist forum, and an event list.

Environmental Health Center—National Safety Council
http://www.nsc.org/ehc/links/kidslink.htm
This page presents Web links to many sites providing health and safety information, activities, and research on health and safety.

Consumer Product Safety Commission
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/chldcare.html
Child Care Safety Checklist for Child Care Providers.

SafeUSA
http://www.safeusa.org/
Resources for reducing injury and deaths from accidents for youth in various settings.

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
http://www.nichd.nih.gov
Health and human development information and latest clinical studies sponsored by the NICHD.

Puppets
http://family.go.com/tagsearch/puppets/
This site has a great variety of ideas that any teacher, whether a beginner or experienced, could find very useful.
http://www.puppetools.com/index.php
A wonderful guide to making puppets and using them in your work, including ideas for use in the curriculum, special education, and special projects.
http://www.puppeteers.org
The Puppeteers of America Web site
http://www.unima-usa.org
UNIMA-USA—The American chapter of Union Internationale de la Marionette, which promotes international friendship through puppetry.

Healthful Web Sites
USDA National Nutrient Database
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search
This site is designed for people who want to track the calories, fat, cholesterol, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and about a dozen other nutrition variables in their diets. The search function is organized by key word ingredients and food groups. Be prepared to be specific in your search requests. For example, searching for apples in all food groups yields 41 different products.

Diabetic Lifestyle
http://www.diabetic-lifestyle.com
Health updates, recipes, menus, and practical information on living with diabetes are provided on this site. Visitors also can find informative articles in the “What’s Hot” section on topics such as how to control diabetes while in the hospital, tips for people who are newly diagnosed, diabetic meal plans, and how to handle stressful holiday seasons.

Change One Diet.com
http://www.changeone.com
This interactive site supports the Reader’s Digest ChangeOne Diet and Fitness Plan and includes a wealth of tools, inspirational stories, and suggestions to help visitors attain and maintain a healthy weight. Unregistered visitors can calculate their BMI’s and daily calorie burns and read articles on health, fitness and motivation. Registered members receive weekly meal plans, healthful recipes, and physical activity guides.

American Academy of Dermatology
http://www.aad.org
The Public Resource Center section of this site provides information on skin, hair, and nail care and conditions. Visitors can learn about acne treatments, tanning dangers, cosmetic surgery, skin cancer, rashes, psoriasis, warts, and anti-aging procedures. They also can locate a dermatologist in their area.
Section 6: Creativity, Diversity, and the Early Childhood Program

AskAsia
http://www.askasia.org
This is a link for elementary and secondary lesson plans and activities. Sections on the site include Adult-Free Zone, a Gateway to Asia, Information/News, and a For Educators section.

Black History Quest
http://blackquest.com/link.htm
African-American History, Culture, and Black Studies resources can be accessed at this Web site.

Education World®
http://www.educationworld.com/
This Web site is an Internet connection to holiday resources.

Multicultural Education
http://www.iluminated.com/
This Web page contains useful information on Puerto Rican history and culture.

Native Culture.com
http://www.nativeculture.com/
This is a comprehensive portal site for Native American resources on the Internet.

Open Hand Theater’s International Mask and Puppet Museum
http://web.syr.edu/~pbarfoot/museum.html
This is the Web site for the traveling Museum of Mask and Puppetry, an exciting program that engages the imagination and hands of children in learning about culture and history through the magic of mask and puppet theater.

Multicultural Review
http://www.mcreview.com/
This is the Web site for a quarterly journal for educators about new developments and trends in cultural diversity education.

Classroom Newsletters—Keeping in Touch with Families about Celebrations
http://www.teachersfirst.com/takehome.html
Using a Classroom Newsletter is a good way to communicate with families about your classroom celebrations and other activities in the curriculum. The TeachersFirst Web site provides teachers a series of customizable take-home, teacher-to-parent newsletters. TeachersFirst developed these newsletters as an efficient way to maintain that important regular communication between the classroom and students’ parents. Each newsletter lets you add your own name and class, as well as comments about your classroom and activities. For example, there’s a “summer sendoff,” with reading and activity ideas that parents can use to keep students’ minds active in the summer.

Hannukah Resources
http://www.teachersfirst.com/hanukkah.htm
TeachersFirst’s resources include items that will be familiar to some students, but which can provide an effective introduction to the customs and cultures of Hannukah.

Preschool Holiday Activities
http://www.teachersandfamilies.com/open/ps-themes.html
The Teachers and Families site has a full collection of activities and ideas for Christmas, Hannukah, winter themes, and lots more

Holiday Resources
http://www.teachersfirst.com/holiday/christmas.cfm
A good site to find Christmas and Hannukah resources.

Halloween for Wee Ones
http://www.teachersandfamilies.com
If you’re working with preschool or Kindergarten students, you might want to try the Halloween theme activities on this site. You’ll find activities, activity pages, a list of related books for little ones, and more. Click on “Preschool or K–12.” Preschool Section has hundreds of original, theme-based activities and learning projects. The K–12 Section has links to thousands of K–12 study resources, reviewed by teachers and grouped by subject and grade level.

Multicultural Pavilion: Teachers’ Corner
http://www.edchange.org/multicultural
A compilation of multicultural resource links for K–12 teachers of all subjects.

Children’s Resources International
http://www.childrensresources.org/
This site provides curriculum guides, activity books, and training and technical assistance for teachers, administrators, and caregivers.

Bibliography:
Some Texts for Further Research - There are many, many others

Barr, M.A., and Syverson, M.A. Assessing Literacy with the Learning Record (Portsmouth, NH, Heinemann, 1999); two handbooks, one grades K-6, the other grades 6-12 ($15 each). And,
Barrs, M. et al. Primary Language Record (Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1988). One handbook for English primary grades ($20).

These provide excellent, succinct explanations of how and why children acquire literacy and how to document and assess their literacy behaviors. Integrates instruction and assessment of literacy from a whole language perspective. Developed for use with multilingual school populations. Includes sample recording forms. The Learning Record is based on the Language Record. They include sample recording forms. (Heineman, 361 Hanover St., Portsmouth, NH 03801; $20.00.)


Bredekamp, S., and Copple, C. Eds. Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs. (Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1997).

Contains discussions of appropriate and inappropriate assessment practices for children through age 8, with many examples.

High Scope Educational Research Foundation. Child Observation Record. (Ypsilanti, MI: Author. 1992.)

Manual and forms for developmentally appropriate, ongoing observation and assessment of children 2-1/2 through 6 years of age. Provides examples of behaviors that can be recorded in each of six categories; describes various forms of performance assessment.

National Association for the Education of Young Children. "NAEYC Position Statement on Standardized Testing of Young Children 3 Through 8 Years of Age" Young Children (March 1988) pp. 42-47.

Reviews appropriate and inappropriate test use. Urges caution in the use of tests.

National Association for the Education of Young Children. "NAEYC Position Statement on Developmentally Appropriate Practice in the Primary Grades, Serving Children 5- Through 8- Year Olds" Young Children (Jan. 1988) pp. 64-84.

Includes section on testing and has a comprehensive bibliography.

National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE). Right from the Start: the Report of the NASBE Task Force on Early Childhood Education (Alexandria, VA: NASBE, 1988).

In this set of general guidelines are recommendations calling for improved, developmentally appropriate assessment methods. They support the NAEYC guidelines (see above) and outline elements of appropriate assessment.