Summer on-line learning tips

School is out for summer, but teachers say that's no reason to stop learning. Teachers say students can lose up to two month's worth of lessons over the summer. <br/><br/>Kids can stop the summer

Wednesday, June 29th 2005, 11:32 am

By: News On 6

School is out for summer, but teachers say that's no reason to stop learning. Teachers say students can lose up to two month's worth of lessons over the summer.

Kids can stop the summer brain drain just by surfing the World Wide Web, but parents need to beware, even of some of the web sites geared toward kids.

News on 6 reporter Ashli Sims says many folks have heard of summer reading for kids, but what about summer surfing. Not on the waves of the ocean, but the pages of the World Wide Web.

SBC's teachers and technology program suggested more than a dozen web sites that can help your student stay sharp during the lazy days of summer.

Emily Baker is a librarian at Robertson Elementary School in Tulsa and she says there are three things she always looks for in a website. "Is it educational, first of all. Is it age-appropriate? Is it interactive? Is the student going to be able to make choices? So that's the three main things I look for.â€

It may look and sound like a video game, but itâ€™s really a math lesson. Click over to www.funbrain.com and you can find dozens of games to test your knowledge on everything from math to science to reading. It scored an "A" from this educator. "I liked it. You have choices so for second grade itâ€™s going to be wonderful."

But even sites that are supposed to be kid-friendly can have their pitfalls. "Here we go, enter to win $500, do you want them in there? No.â€ Sweepstakes, advertisements and pop-ups are just as common on these kid sites as adult ones. "As a parent you really need to be aware of what they're doing on the Internet, especially very young children. Any child underneath 12 at least needs to be observed and watched by their parent."

Emily Baker says parents need to preview the sites before turning over the computer mouse to the kids. Bottom line, if you can't navigate the site without getting lost, your kids probably can't either.

Experts also advise parents to put the home computer in a family room instead of the child's room. That way you can keep an eye on where they're surfing.

Teacher Recommended Internet Sites for Kids...[PLEASE NOTE SEVERAL OF THESE WEB SITES HAVE POP-UP WINDOWS]

www.pbskids.org/games

www.funbrain.com/math

www.eduplace.com/kids

www.kidsdomain.com/games

www.crayola.com

www.alfy.com

www.hhmi.org/coolscience

www.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/home

www.kids.earth.nasa.gov

www.suffolk.lib.ny.us/youth

www.mathcats.com

coolmath4kids.com

www.syvum.com

www.nationalgeographic.com/kids

www.kidsites.com

www.greatsitesforkids.com