THINKFINITY -- Are you looking for fun interactive activities for children and young people to use one the computer? Check out www.thinkfinity.org/. If you are not familiar with this site, it is outstanding! Materials are divided by the audience, i.e. parent, educator, student, and after school. Activities and games are available for all ages PK-12 in a variety of topics – math, science, reading, and so on.

FAMILY EDUCATION -- arents find educational printables, games, activities, parenting ideas and advice, and information on learning disabilities for all ages: babies to teens." This website is organized by education, family, and life sections within Pre-K through 12th categories.

Anyone can access the site at any time simply by going to www.thinkfinity.org/ and completing a search. Searches are usually completed by completing the key words sections on the left side of the homepage and can be narrowed using ages or grade levels, or resources desired. Numerous sponsoring partners, including Illuminations, National Geographic, Arts Edge, and ReadWriteThink and many others provide excellent ideas, lesson plans, and interactive games to challenge all levels of young people.

Here are a couple ideas to check out this month:
Cartoon Comic (gr. K-12) – does your student like to read comics? How about make their own? This activities provides a template for students to create their own comic online. This can then be printed, colored, and shared with family and friends. To get started, simply click here www.thinkfinity.org/student_games.aspx

Power Play (gr. 3-8) – Here is your budding scientist’s chance to build a machine to harness power to complete a task. Students move different machine parts to a specific location and receive immediate feedback about their choice. The “buzz” sound means try again, the “ding” sound means move to the next part in the construction series. When the series is complete, a simple explanation about the created machine is shared. Experience fun while learning together!
www.thinkfinity.org/student_games.aspx

ABC Match (gr. PK-2) – Learning to read can be tough! Here is a fun way to reinforce beginning sounds using pictures and letters…online. Just getting started – try the game in “learner mode.” For children who are more advanced in beginning sounds, try playing the game against a timer. Feedback is immediate with sounds to let the child know to guess again or that the answer chosen was correct.
www.thinkfinity.org/student_games.aspx

Parents can feel safe allowing children to navigate this page to see what interests them. Remember, search by keywords, ages, or subject areas. Enjoy!