Learning on the Sly

I spent a fair amount of time this week working on my Online Activities page.  The kids at my school aren't allowed to play computer games, but there are some really, really good learning activities online that I think students should be allowed to do.  Besides, we don't really have a playground for the younger students to use after lunch, so they flock to the lab to "play" games.  The reason I spent so much time working on the page this week is that several students had suggested new activities, so I wanted to look at them and then update my page.

One of the new activities was suggested by a colleague.  It's the game page from the US Supreme Court.  I know.  It sounds like a major yawn, but the 6th grade is crazy about these games.  They are fun and very educational, although I suspect some of the kids like to be able to go home to their lawyer parents and correct them. :)

Another new addition to the page is a library of physics activities.  Physics Games has dozens of activities that are fun, and teach the principles of physics at the same time.  Some of the older middle-schoolers love these activities, not realizing the great lessons they are learning about the physics of a trebuchet!

Finally, this set of activities comes from one of my Twitterpeeps, samorra. Edheads has several beautifully designed games that teach all sorts of lessons:  learn how to resurface a hip and learn human anatomy, help the state police investigate a serious car accident and learn all about the physics of high speed crashes, or, build a cell phone and learn all about where the materials used come from and their impact on the environment. 

I love the internet!