A student-administration collaboration to honor our civil rights movement leaders.
5th grade students make critical editing and production choices — choosing and mixing images with content provided by our All School leadership team, to promote and deepen the student connection to our community event on Unity.
The Office of Food and Nutrition Services wants to provide you with the best food service program possible. You may also translate the survey by clicking on the dropdown in the top right corner of the page.
Atlas Obscura also published the bestselling Explorers Guide for the World’s Most Adventurous Kid which has lots of unique spots around the world to look up on Google Maps.
Narrated Virtual Tours are a video experience guided by experts. They can help kids learn how to use the tools on their own.
Virtual Tours Homepage let’s kids go right to the exhibits to explore and open information tabs and interactive features; Check out the Mastodon!
Follow up your tour with a list of subjects to search for more (videos, photos, info) about online.
A nice mix of 3D simulations, documentary and 360 degree videos of space exploration, space stations, astronaut training, and more — all from this one conveniently curated page.
Try Searching for “Virtual Reality (VR) + _____” and see what you get… I searched “VR Space Walk” and found this: BBC’s Virtual Reality Space Walk!
Monterey Bay Aquarium Live cams (10am-10pm EST)
San Diego Zoo Live Animal Cams
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC has a kids map that they can explore and open up exhibits to explore.
The Louvre (the worlds largest museum in Paris, France) has a Kids Virtual Tour with embedded videos linked to pictures of artwork
Google Earth (online or App) Designed for exploration and detailed viewing of the Earth’s surface.
Provides a 3D representation of Earth with high-resolution satellite and aerial imagery.
Explore any place you’ve ever heard of, or use a book you are reading, a story you’ve heard, or a guide like Atlas Obscura (above) to pick spots to explore!
3D Imagery: Offers 3D views of terrain, buildings, and landmarks.
Historical Imagery: Allows users to view changes over time with historical satellite imagery.
Voyager: Provides guided tours and stories about various locations, created by scientists, documentarians, and other experts.
KML Support: Allows users to create and view custom maps and data visualizations using KML (Keyhole Markup Language) files.
Street View: Similar to Google Maps, but integrated with the 3D Earth view.
Measurements: Provides tools to measure distances and areas.
Start at the Great Wall of China (search: Great Wall of China)
Zoom in/out, try 3D to get a side angle, use the Street View person to stand on and move through the wall. Look for links on the map to other people’s photos and videos. Then, search for somewhere else (like New York City) to take a flight from the Great Wall, to space, then down to NYC!
*Google Maps (similar experience to Google Earth with more navigation info, and its easier to load on your devices. Better for navigation and getting around, but still fun for tours if Earth isn’t working!
Virtual field trips provide a way for kids a way to follow their curiosity to visit landmarks, museums, art galleries, science exhibits, and more — ANY TIME ANYWHERE.
Use locations from favorite books
Check out landmarks that you have heard of
Visit pre-set tours from museums, art galleries, or other trip hosts
Explore a tool like Google Maps or Google Earth using street view and 3D features
Virtual Reality Interactive Videos (usually with 360 degree cameras): let you control what a tour guide’s camera is showing you
Virtual Tour Websites: allow you to control how you move inside a space with controls and look 360 degrees around in the spaces and interact with information
Interactive Maps with embedded photos, videos and information with 3D features, and ‘Street View’ that allows you to explore freely around previously captured 360 photos
Live cameras! Always on, real time cameras usually showing nature or animals.
Experiential videos — nonfiction videos, guided by experts that narrate and move you through an experience, often telling stories or sharing info as you go.
There are definitely things we can do, and ways we can approach media use with our kids that will help keep them informed, and safe online. However, we live in a world where people are connected to internet-connected devices 24/7. This comes with amazing benefits, but like everything else: too much of a good thing can be unhealthy, and there are precautions we take to keep our kids safe.
Along with setting up protection on our computers, tablets, gaming systems, etc. (which is compared to using seatbelts in a car), families need to teach, and model for kids, healthy habits, and create boundaries around their digital lives. This is part of being ‘media literate’ — able to navigate the digital world with their minds on, to use it for fun, and learning in healthy ways.
And finally, there is nothing better than keeping communication open with your kids about what they are doing online, participating with them when you can, and talking about the issues that come up.
Who made it and why? (Are they trying to persuade me? Sell something? Keep me watching/playing/interacting?)
How are they trying to get my attention? (Is it good for me to follow along?)
What points of view are being shown? (Are they positive? Kind? Mean?)
What, and who is left out of the message? (Could there be more information that I didn’t see? Are they only telling one persons side of the story?)
How might different people feel about the message or see it differently than me?
Apps, websites, games, social media platforms, companies and organizations compete for our attention to promote themselves, products, services, or ideas. With our attention they can sell data about us to companies that will advertise to us. They can sell stock in their companies based on our being there to sell to.
Apps are learning about us based on the information we provide them in order to serve us up the content that a) they think will keep us spending time on their app, 2) they think we want…
“If it bleeds it leads” — negative stories get more attention and viewers than positive or neutral information. So, much of what we are served up by algorithms is negative, in an attempt to excite us and keep us on their apps.
A popular book right now called The Anxiety Generation is saying that the rise in teenage mental health issues is due to the rise of smart phone use by teens (9hrs a day), and all of the factors listed above. They recommend not giving kids smartphones until high school, no social media until age 16, and monitoring access to the internet, and giving kids more freedom in the real world.
Below are some hot topics and recommendations for us to discuss, followed by resources to help you get set up and keep thinking:
Balance time on devices with in-person activities: Not all screen time is equal. Some learning apps are good, homework can be on the computer, research, and even positive gaming and entertainment. Pay attention to what they are doing online, and no more than 1-2 hours per day for recreational use, with additional time allowed for educational purposes.
Age-Appropriate Content: Ensuring that all content, including games, videos, and websites, is age-appropriate and suitable for their developmental stage.
Supervised Internet Browsing, and use Safe Search Tools: Encouraging supervised internet browsing, especially for younger children, and using child-friendly search engines and filters to block inappropriate content.
Gaming Guidelines: Allowing gaming in moderation, with time limits and restrictions on violent or mature content. Encourage outdoor play and other non-screen activities as well.
Device-Free Zones: Designating certain areas of the home, such as the dinner table or bedrooms, as device-free zones to promote family interaction and better sleep hygiene.
Parental Controls: Utilizing parental control tools and settings on devices and apps to monitor usage, set time limits, and block inappropriate content.
Open Communication: Maintaining open communication with your child about their online activities, encouraging them to ask questions and report any concerning or uncomfortable experiences.
Modeling Behavior: Modeling healthy digital habits yourself, such as limiting your own screen time, engaging in offline activities, and prioritizing face-to-face interactions.
COMMON SENSE MEDIA: (Overview of parental controls, protecting devices from sexual content, how to talk to young kids about online sexual content)
PODCAST CONVERSATION ABOUT GAMING, LIMITS AND BENEFITS
Apple, iPad and iPhone Parental Controls
Below are some ideas about what we are protecting kids from, and ways that we can create safer digital environments and raise kids to have a healthy relationship to media.
Below are online math resources shared by Rhys Daunic, Executive Director of The Media Spot, a media literacy organization that works with PS 51 students and staff on media storytelling projects in the curriculum and to build community.
Below are online math resources shared by Rhys Daunic, Executive Director of The Media Spot, a media literacy organization that works with PS 51 students and staff on media storytelling projects in the curriculum and to build community.
Help kids find where they need practice — teachers can guide you with what to search for or practice, OR take titles from workbook (like ‘Adding with arrays’
Kids can do activities without logging in
Logging in will track their progress and make suggestions
Help, feedback and solutions are there!
Videos demonstrate everything right along with the skills.
Online – quick game-like feedback, with built-in help (example: see how they solved things after you answer)
NOT just for math, but all subjects
More academic than some other games, but fun, and with video characters
NO ads!
Free App for Apple and Android
Games are free (with limits)
Like online worksheets with built in help videos
Free online practice sheets (with limits)
Paid version ($10/month) gets you video support and tracking of progress.
Below are links to long-standing fun games where kids practice math skills. There are MANY more out there, but here are some that have been used in schools for years.
Grouped by math skills (search for skills)
Ads on website. Not in app
Paid & free version (to log in and remove ads/track progress)
Free account. (With ads)
Create playlists
Search by Skill
Free
The following are links to math games you can play at home without the computer.
Obstacle course (movement game)
Number jump (movement game)
Games with deck of cards or dice (see Break the Ice!)
28 math card games (see top it!)
When you do these activities, you practice thinking logically and solving problems, which are also important for math. So, even though it’s not exactly math, it helps you get better at thinking like a mathematician!
When you do these activities, you practice thinking logically and solving problems, which are also important for math. So, even though it’s not exactly math, it helps you get better at thinking like a mathematician!
FREE Code.org helps you learn how to make computer programs by solving puzzles and doing activities. It’s like learning a new language for talking to computers!
When you do these activities, you practice thinking logically and solving problems, which are also important for math. So, even though it’s not exactly math, it helps you get better at thinking like a mathematician!
FREE Game design and animation. Watch this intro video.
Tynker offers interactive coding lessons and activities designed specifically for kids. It covers various programming concepts through engaging puzzles, games, and projects.
teach kids to be media literate when on apps and websites: to be aware of their online environment
“Free” sometimes means you will have to see ads along with the games; Ads can be frustrating to deal with; talk with kids about what’s on the page: “what’s math, and what is not?”
Sometimes signing up for a free account will give more access to games: Try things out. If something is really helping and kids love it, consider creating an account. Or Google “free version of”…
with accounts: Use @nycstudent.net accounts and use the ”sign in with Google” they will block sites that are not private, and help protect your kids personal info
teach students to be mindful of the positive and negative value of ‘active screen time’ — take breaks, be with them at the start if you can when they are trying something new; talk to them about what they are learning from the game or activity.