Awesome Earth Science Apps, Websites, and Games

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The best Earth science lessons help kids build a greater understanding of the world around them. The subject gives students opportunities for inquiry into the complex workings of our planet and the natural phenomena that affect us on a daily basis. Students gain insight into the issues we face as a community, including natural disasters, climate change, fuel scarcity, and environmental pollution. Encompassing a wide range of terrestrial topics that include geology, meteorology, astronomy, and oceanography, here's a list of digital tools to support your Earth science lessons.

A Changing Planet

The Earth by Tinybop Publisher: Tinybop Explore challenging concepts with beautiful, interactive free play	Grades K-2 Type App Price $2.99 Platforms Android, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch Common Sense Rating 3 Teacher Rating Not Yet Rated
Mystery Science Visit Website: http://mysteryscience.com Big questions, kids' curiosity drive thoughtful science curriculum	Grades K-5 Type Website Price Free Common Sense Rating 4 Teacher Rating 4
Earthquakes for Kids Visit Website: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/kids/ Fact-heavy site could shake things up with more kid-friendly design	Grades 1-6 Type Website Price Free Common Sense Rating 3 Teacher Rating 3
Puzzling Plates Publisher: Tasa Graphic Arts, Inc. Piece together Earth's plates with fun science activities	Grades 4-8 Type App Price $2.99 Platforms Android, iPad, Kindle Fire Common Sense Rating 4 Teacher Rating 4
Focus on Earthquakes Publisher: Tasa Graphic Arts, Inc. Content-rich resource digs deep into the causes and consequences of earthquakes	Grades 6-12 Type App Price $3.99 Platforms iPad Common Sense Rating 4 Teacher Rating Not Yet Rated
Stop Disasters! Publisher: United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction Slick sim explores global natural disasters	Grades 7-12 Type Game Price Free Platforms Mac, Windows Common Sense Rating 4 Teacher Rating 4

Earth's History

National Geographic Education Visit Website: http://www.natgeoed.org Explore the fascinating, wide world with multimedia resources	Grades 2-10 Type Website Price Free Common Sense Rating 4 Teacher Rating 4
NASA App Publisher: NASA Ames Research Center Visually super NASA-backed treasure trove may overwhelm	Grades 2-12 Type App Price Free Platforms Android, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch Common Sense Rating 4 Teacher Rating 4
CK-12: Earth Science Visit Website: http://www.ck12.org Multimedia resources inspire kids to hypothesize, investigate, prove	Grades 6-9 Type Website Price Free Common Sense Rating 4 Teacher Rating 4
NOVA: Planet Earth Visit Website: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova Examine evidence to figure out how our planet was shaped	Grades 6-12 Type Website Price Free Common Sense Rating 5 Teacher Rating 5
Big History Project Visit Website: http://www.bighistoryproject.com Fascinating look at life's bigger questions offers a fresh perspective	Grades 9-12 Type Website Price Free Common Sense Rating 4 Teacher Rating 5

Focus on Climate

MarcoPolo Weather Publisher: MarcoPolo Learning Adorable sandbox tool lets kids safely explore, experiment, observe	Grades Pre-K-2 Type App Price $2.99 Platforms Android, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch Common Sense Rating 4 Teacher Rating Not Yet Rated
Climate Kids - NASA's Eyes on the Earth Visit Website: http://climatekids.nasa.gov/ Kid-friendly, expert site explores key climate issues	Grades 3-6 Type Website Price Free Common Sense Rating 4 Teacher Rating 3
Edheads Visit Website: http://www.edheads.org Realistic, appealing simulations deliver superb science content	Grades 3-12 Type Website Price Free Common Sense Rating 4 Teacher Rating 4
Earth-Now Publisher: Jet Propulsion Laboratory Enticing display of climate data updated regularly	Grades 6-12 Type App Price Free Platforms Android, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch Common Sense Rating 3 Teacher Rating Not Yet Rated
NASA Global Climate Change - Vital Signs of the Planet Visit Website: http://climate.nasa.gov Tons of climate change info from expert sources in one easy place	Grades 6-12 Type Website Price Free Common Sense Rating 4 Teacher Rating Not Yet Rated

Structure of Earth

MarcoPolo Ocean Publisher: MarcoPolo Learning Young explorers discover oceans through puzzles and free play	Grades Pre-K-K Type App Price $2.99 Platforms iPad Common Sense Rating 4 Teacher Rating 5
Google Earth Cool geographical exploration tool has endless classroom applications	Grades K-12 Type App Price Free Platforms Android, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch Common Sense Rating 4 Teacher Rating 4
PhET Interactive Simulations: Earth Science Visit Website: https://phet.colorado.edu Solid simulations are more illuminating than textbook diagrams	Grades 1-12 Type Website Price Free Common Sense Rating 4 Teacher Rating Not Yet Rated
Earth Primer Publisher: Chaim Gingold Earth comes alive with interactive textbook; some content lacks depth	Grades 3-6 Type App Price $9.99 Platforms iPad Common Sense Rating 3 Teacher Rating 4
Google Treks Visit Website: http://googletreks.org/index.html Cool tool uses maps to create fun projects, could use some updating	Grades 4-12 Type Website Price Free Common Sense Rating 3 Teacher Rating 4

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A Changing Planet

Earth's History

Focus on Climate

Structure of Earth

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