1. Computers & Kids
Volume 4, Issue 11
December 2007
(248) 608-6036
Children learn about body parts in Make homework fun by combining
preschool with songs like “Head and body parts and spelling with a
Shoulders”, “Ten Little Fingers”, and videogame-style fun at the Many
“Hokey Pokey”. But who teaches our Things site
children about more obscure body parts like www.manythings.org/cts/sc979.htm.
eyebrows, nostrils, wrists, and shins? That Although the site is designed for
usually falls to the parents and the learning students learning English as a second
can be a lot of fun! language, the tools make learning
spelling and words fun for any
If your child loves to sing, check out the elementary-aged learner.
songs about more intricate body parts at the
Everything Preschool site at Do you live with a future scientist
www.everythingpreschool.com/theme/bodyp or doctor? Keep his/her interest in
arts/songs.htm. anatomy going by visiting the
Smithsonian at
http://americanhistory.si.edu/anatom
If your children are more visual learners, Locate and print the above
draw their silhouettes or trace their bodies on y/bodyparts/nma03_bodyparts.html
Buckleitner Internet activities at
www.computerexplorers.com
a big piece of paper and let them fill in the to play the body parts game.
body parts with crayons, markers, or
Buckleitner Box
whatever other medium seems appropriate!
Learn more about silhouette art at Dear Parents,
www.everythingpreschool.com/themes/body
Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting some of the world's smartest
parts/art.htm. th
minds on children's interactive media, up close and in person, at the 7
Dust or Magic Institute. You can meet many of the same people by
Create an Alien together! Children will going to http://www.blip.tv (search on Dust or Magic), or find the links at
have a lot of fun taking what they know http://dustormagic.wikispaces.com/.
about body parts to the Internet where they
You'll find talks by Dr. Mitchel Resnick on creativity, and a wonderful
can click and drag to create their own
discussion of interface research by Dr. Erik Stromman, who has been
personalized aliens at the PBS Kids site at
working lately with Microsoft.
www.pbskids.org/arthur/games/alien/alien.ht
ml and at Lecky's Friends at One of the demonstrations that stole the show was Krista Marks, who
showed us www.kerpoof.com, an online creativity tool that is ideal for
http://tre.ngfl.gov.uk/uploads/materials/1636
younger children who are not quite ready for the challenge of Scratch or
0/leckysfriends.swf.
LEGO Mindstorms. It's like an electronic flannel board, only with smart
pieces of flannel, that resize themselves. Have a look yourself (it’s free),
What about body language? Learn how
but be warned, the creative process is addicting. In this month's
much your child knows about body language
LittleClickers, we look at eyeballs. This column might be particularly
by sitting in front of a mirror together and useful for children that wear glasses, or have worries about whether they
making faces. Ask your child to guess what need to get them.
emotion a certain facial expression is
Enjoy the issue!
conveying. Your child might surprise you!
Warren Buckleitner, PhD, Editor, Children's Technology Review