Schoolhouse Rock on YouTube - times tables made fun

I remember the Schoolhouse Rock videos from my childhood (in the US) and am now happy to replay them to my own children as an excellent way of practising our times tables at home in a fun and musical way.

Starting with "Elementary my dear" for the two times table:




Introducing the two times table using a Noah's Ark analogy (without too much emphasis on the Bible story!). I like the way the song challenges the children by demonstrating MUCH larger calculations and how easy it is to break up the numbers.

If you like this, explore the other Schoolhouse Rock number/times table videos:
My Hero, Zero (0)
Three is the magic number (3)
The Four Legged Zoo (4)
Ready of Not, Here I Come (5)
Got Six (6)
Lucky Seven Sampson (7)
Figure Eight (8)
Naughty Number Nine (9)

ABC Wildlife (iPad application)

ABC Wildlife on the iPad by Peapod labs

The iPad is a great device for kids; because of their developing motor skills, the larger size interface and screen is perfect for them.

This week I let the kids loose on a new game called ABC Wildlife. There is an extremely easy, pleasing interface linking together a range of flickr images and YouTube videos of various animals. Their is a strong focus on choosing the initial letter for the animal, and there seem to be around 4 or more animals for each letter of the alphabet (apart from those tricky letters at the end!)

I am always concerned about letting my children loose on YouTube, but these videos have been specially selected for suitability, and there are no links at the end of the film to tempt them off into related (and unrelated!) material I haven't censored.

It's currently £1.79 from the UK app store, which may seem a lot for a collection of flickr images and YouTube videos, but I believe the interface and focus on spelling makes it a very compelling choice for children learning earl reading.

My 6 year old heartily recommends the elephant video...enjoy!

The Gruffalo

http://www.gruffalo.com

The official Gruffalo website has some excellent interactive games and downloadable activities for little ones. You need a reasonable computer to run the flash games.

The game pictured above allows you to click on the animals and get various audio responses and animations - perfect for ages 3 or 4. Then there are some literacy games like the Witch on the Broom for slightly older kids.

Alphablocks

Alphablocks - literacy games and videos from CBeebies

This is the website that supports the tv programme (currently airing immediately after Bob the Builder). The programme supports the phonics work at school, so ideal for reception children (ages 4/5) but the games are all 'anagram-style' and are enjoyed by children in years 2 and 3 (up to age 7).

For younger children just learning their letters or less familiar with a mouse, the games can be controlled by an adult, and each feature one of the 3 minute video segments (as aired on tv) which kids all seem to enjoy.

The 'magic e' is a particular favourite in this house (he puts on a black cloak and mask when he becomes the silent e).