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EcoKids.ca
Pros: Engaging and informative games for students, with a positive eco message; thorough lesson plans and templates for teachers.
Cons: The site is geared toward Canadian kids; those elsewhere may not find info on specific ecosystems and statistics as relevant.
Bottom Line: Kids will learn about the environment in a fun and interactive way, while teachers will find useful lessons, templates, and printables.
Teachers can find lots of uses for EcoKids' activities. Games and quizzes can be used as introductory activities to engage, or to activate kids’ prior knowledge about environmental issues. The site could also make for fun practice during or after a unit. The Homework Help info pages would make for good introductions to various environmental and ecology-related topics.
There's an extensive resource section that teachers can gain access to by registering. It includes a searchable library of English, French, and ESL specific lessons, as well as hands-on activities for the classroom. Each lesson includes thorough objectives, instructions, tips, handouts, and suggestions for follow up. Teachers can also access a library of printable puzzles, games, and coloring sheets, as well as a number of literacy and graphic-organizer templates; everything from word cards to brainstorming tools, topic organizers to help with text comprehension, compare and contrast charts, flow charts, and much more.
EcoKids is an environmental education website geared toward elementary through middle school kids. The site offers colorful and simple interactive games, activities, and informational pages. It's well organized, covering many key topics in environmental education, including energy, waste, and climate change, just to name a few.
The Homework Help section gives information on each topic, with links to other activities and external sites for further exploration (mostly conservation/environmental groups). All activities and info pages are clearly marked by student level: primary, junior, intermediate. Most of the Homework Help pages are labeled for the junior to intermediate level and would be best used with middle school students.
Standouts:
- The EcoReporters encourage kids to create articles or videos about environmental issues in their community.
- The downloadable EcoCalendar gives a daily update with a fun eco tip/factoid.
The EcoKids website almost certainly will engage students with its fun and colorful cartoons and games. The activities are short and interactive, with simple instructions and topic information either before play, or built in to the game/quiz. Many of the games start with a comic strip of multicultural cartoon kids who help students learn how they can take environmental action.
There's a social and creative opportunity with the Eco Reporters section, where students can post and receive feedback on their articles or videos about local environmental issues. Students also have the opportunity to chime in on the Have Your Say page, where open questions range from very simple to more environmentally-driven topics. As a public forum, it’s unclear how much this section is moderated. Nevertheless, responses seem generally on topic; inappropriate content and personal information aren't allowed.
Learning Rating
Community Rating
Canadian Earth Day Website Good for US Kids Too!
This is a great website! I only wish the games worked on the iPads or that they would develop an app that includes some of the games. The kids would love it and learn while they played. It is great that teachers can sign up for a free account to access lesson plans, links, and print resources for students. I will definitely use the site to obtain print resources to complement future activities. The scavenger hunt worksheets are a great way to guide students as they locate information in the Homework Help section. Overall, I found the website very user-friendly (both for teacher and student) and to contain useful resources. I would not hesitate to recommend it to a colleague for the to use on laptops or in the computer lab.
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