TOP PICKS | 32 TOOLS
Resources for After-School Enrichment Programs and Clubs
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STEM and Coding Resources
Scratch
Opens the door to coding and creativity in any subject area
Bottom line: Scratch draws students of all types into coding and lays a foundation for future learning.
Grades: 1–12
Price: Free
littleBits Invent
Top-notch tool empowers kids to invent, build, and control wirelessly
Bottom line: Easy-to-use, versatile electronic invention set that works wirelessly with your hand-held device.
Grades: 2–8
Price: Free, Paid The app is free; the standard Gizmos & Gadgets Kit costs $199.95. Various other classroom kits are available.
Cozmo
A little robot with big personality brings code to life
Bottom line: From Cozmo's engaging personality to endless programming possibilities, this little robot will capture your heart and spark imagination.
Grades: 2–12
Price: Free, Paid Requires Cozmo robot, sold separately for $179.99.
SAM Edu
Wireless blocks promote design, engineering, and programming skills
Bottom line: With some perseverance, SAM is a great fit for PBL and STEAM, helping students learn programming skills through invention.
Grades: 2–12
Price: Free, Paid The app is free, but the SAM Labs kits, blocks, and accessories must be purchased. Kits cost $139-$599, blocks cost $31-$45, and accessories cost $17-$71.
Google CS First
Middle school CS platform offers stellar resources, organizing tools
Bottom line: If your middle school doesn't have a CS program or club, now you do!
Grades: 4–8
Price: Free
Construct 3
Ideal 2D game builder supports students to create, innovate
Bottom line: Limitless game options, reasonable cost, and extensive support make this programming environment perfect for an educational setting.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free to try, Paid There's a free edition to try. Educational licenses are $12.99 per month or $39.99 per year.
Arts and Storytelling Resources
Book Creator
Magically easy way to create and publish digital books and multimedia
Bottom line: This is a top-quality creation tool that lets students of many ages and abilities publish their own digital books.
Grades: 3–12
Price: Free, Paid Free version supports one library and 40 books. For $60 per year, this expands to three libraries with 60 books each. $120 per year supports 10 libraries with 100 books each.
NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program
Wildly engaging contest turns students into novelists in 30 days
Bottom line: A thoughtful adaptation of the famous and fun grown-up novel writing contest, NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program is brimming with advice and encouragement as well as classroom support.
Grades: 4–12
Price: Free
iMovie
Movie editor will satisfy beginner and intermediate creators
Bottom line: Despite some limitations with editing, it’s the perfect tool to get teachers and students started with digital video production.
Grades: 5–12
Price: Free
Adobe Photoshop Express
Top-notch photo editor helps perfect pics for creative projects
Bottom line: This is a powerful, free creation tool from the industry leader in photo editing.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free
Adobe Spark
Super-flexible design tool for crafting fab images, videos, and sites
Bottom line: This free, one-stop shop for creating sleek graphics, web stories, and animated videos is incredibly easy to use and challenges students to think critically about visual presentation.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free
Twine
Cool interactive story creator can both dazzle and baffle
Bottom line: Twine is a fascinating tool to build interactive stories, but the "function first" interface means it'll take patience and time.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free
Nature and Fitness Resources
GoNoodle
Brief bursts of physical exercise add classroom fun, build brain power
Bottom line: In a genre of its own, GoNoodle is a ready-to-go and classroom-friendly exercise program that challenges students to get moving.
Grades: Pre-K–8
Price: Free, Free to try, Paid GoNoodle is free. A GoNoodle Plus subscription provides additional features and games for $99 per year or $10 per month; GoNoodle Plus has a 30-day free trial.
Active Quest
Fun physical education lessons teach form, function, and teamwork
Bottom line: Students will gain confidence in their physical abilities, develop movement skills, and practice interpersonal skills while completing quests with classmates.
Grades: K–5
Price: Free, Paid Free teacher version; request a quote for student or administrator version, or a division license.
Sworkit Kids
Fun, customizable workout app helps kids get fit
Bottom line: This app will get kids moving, jumping, and bending to increase their overall fitness through exercise.
Grades: 2–8
Price: Free
Coach's Eye - Video Analysis
Robust video analysis for sports, science, fine arts performances
Bottom line: Cool video-analysis tool is great for the sports field and beyond, but prepare for an onslaught of hidden costs to access all features.
Grades: 2–12
Price: Paid The app is $4.99 each when purchasing one to 19 and $2.49 each for 20 or more.
Zooniverse
Real research powered by volunteers makes classroom content relevant
Bottom line: Engage in meaningful, relevant research with citizen scientists from around the world.
Grades: 2–12
Price: Free
GooseChase EDU
Digital scavenger hunts provide dynamic, fresh learning experiences
Bottom line: Students and teachers will enjoy the powerful learning of a modern scavenger hunt.
Grades: 3–12
Price: Free, Paid Free version supports 1 live game and 5 teams. Plus version is $49 per year and supports unlimited live games, 10 teams, and 40 participants per game. Premium version is $199 per year and supports 40 teams and 200 participants per game and has email and phone support.
PlantSnap Plant Identification
Snap pics to (maybe) identify flowers and plants
Bottom line: If teachers help students learn how to evaluate the plant matches provided, this could be an excellent nature reference source.
Grades: 4–12
Price: Paid $3.99
Project Noah
Engaging online community for relevant, hands-on science fieldwork
Bottom line: Project Noah is a free and easy way to take part in biodiversity research with the support of a knowledgeable and global community.
Grades: 4–12
Price: Free
Geocaching
Leave and locate hidden packages in a real-world treasure hunt
Bottom line: Kids learn problem-solving, teamwork, and mapping skills, but the site doesn’t provide instruction or explanations for most of those topics; educators will have to fill in the gaps.
Grades: 7–12
Price: Free, Paid Basic membership is free. A premium subscription costs $2.50 a month and gives users extra options, such as downloading multiple geocaches at once.
Games and Play Resources
Magnus Kingdom of Chess
Gentle chess puzzle game ideal for young newbies
Bottom line: For kids who are new to chess but want to learn how to play, this fun intro to the game provides a well-done tutorial combined with a light overarching storyline.
Grades: 1–8
Price: Paid $7.99
Discovery Tour by Assassin's Creed: Ancient Egypt
Popular game's education mode offers stunning view of ancient world
Bottom line: This game is an absorbing experience that offers students a unique, living and breathing view of ancient Egyptian art, life, and culture.
Grades: 3–12
Price: $19.99 on its own, or free with base game Discovery Tour is included with a purchase of Assassin's Creed Origins, or can be bought separately for $19.99.
Minecraft
Spiraling sandbox of adventure and creation gets kids to dig deep
Bottom line: An irresistible and seemingly limitless incubator for 21st-century skills that, with a little guidance, can chart new courses for learning.
Grades: 3–12
Price: Paid $26.95 for desktop, $19.99 for consoles (except Wii U at $29.99)
LearnToMod
Effective springboard to coding for dedicated Minecraft fans
Bottom line: For students who already know and love Minecraft, this is a valuable way to hook students into coding.
Grades: 5–12
Price: Free, Paid LearnToMod is free for teachers; $29.99 per year for everyone else.
Sid Meier’s Civilization VI
Best entry in classic strategy series might not be best for classrooms
Bottom line: As with all games in this series, Civilization VI is a great learning experience with the right support, but older, cheaper versions may be more practical for classrooms.
Grades: 7–12
Price: $59.99
Kerbal Space Program
Design and launch a rocket into space in realistic astrophysics sim
Bottom line: This accurate rocket sim encourages trial-and-error learning and makes for great (and often explosive) physics and engineering experiments.
Grades: 9–12
Price: Free to try, Paid $39.99, free demo
Homework and Test Prep Resources
CK-12
Super STEM resource with highly accessible content
Bottom line: Making STEM content accessible to kids with different learning styles, CK-12 could be the key to mastery for some students.
Grades: K–12
Price: Free
Khan Academy
Missions boost learning with balance of focus, freedom to explore
Bottom line: A solid resource for Common Core math instruction as well as foundational knowledge in a number of other subjects.
Grades: K–12
Price: Free
ExploreLearning Gizmos
Vast array of science and math simulations impresses
Bottom line: This powerful and extensive set of math and science tools puts the learning in students' hands.
Grades: 3–12
Price: Free to try, Paid Free accounts allow access to a rotating collection of free Gizmos, as well as a preview of all Gizmos for up to five minutes a day. School and district licenses available; pricing available upon request.
NoRedInk
Useful supplement for ELA has expanded beyond grammar to writing
Bottom line: The easy assigning and tracking features for teachers -- matched with the interest-based questions and feedback for students -- make this a useful tool to grind through grammar and writing practice.
Grades: 3–12
Price: Free, Paid The site is free to use. NoRedInk also offers a Premium adaptive curriculum for grades 5-12. Contact for pricing.
Albert
Flexible, interactive test-prep practice for high school and beyond
Bottom line: A variety of question types and on-the-spot analytics help teachers individualize test-prep practice.
Grades: 9–12
Price: Free to try, Paid $11-$59 per subject for individuals; $325-$500 for classrooms with 40-100 students; $1,250-$1,750 plus $5 per seat for schools.
