Social Studies/Geography - Online Activities

Adventure Learning Foundation
http://www.questconnect.org 
This site takes students and teachers on real and virtual expeditions around the world. Through a collection of original pictures and journal excerpts, visitors can accompany travelers exploring the natural environment, culture, and peoples of different continents. Past expeditions include Alaska and Yukon, Baja California, American Southwest, and Southern Africa. Each expedition is accompanied by a mixture of information, links, and classroom activities.

Africa
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/
This website was created to support the series of PBS shows on Africa. There is something for all levels of students. For younger children, go to Africa for Kids. Learn about the daily lifeof students in four African nations, play a virtual thumb piano, or figure out how the hero of a Swahili folktale can accomplish his mission. Teacher tools has four units on Africa. Photography teachers can use the Photoscope area to get students talking about the impact of photographs. For those who think they already know it all, take the Africa Challenge.

A Journey to a New Land
http://www.sfu.museum/journey/
This multi-level educational resource represents a series of reusable learning objects, thus maximizing its educational potential. Based on a spiral curriculum approach, the site targets multiple learning styles as well as cognitive, affective and other domains to present complex current research in a public forum. There are stunning visuals, engaging games, interactive timelines and video interviews with leading scientists, all accessible by a large variety of viewers.

Amazon Interactive
http://www.eduweb.com/amazon.html
Explore the geography of the Ecuadorian Amazon through online games and activities. Learn about the rainforest and the Quichua people who call it home. Discover the ways in which the Quichua live off the land. Then try your hand at running a community-based ecotourism project along the Río Napo.

American Mile Markers
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/features/onTheRoad/home/index.shtml
Cross the entire United States, mile by tedious mile, from the comfort of your home and personal computer. Follow Matt as he drives and takes a picture at each mile from the Statue of Liberty to the Golden Gate Bridge. Students may Email a picture postcard using any of Matt's photos or use them as writing motivators. The onscreen "grease-pen-on-a-map" trail of his journey will spark many geography-related and even math-related (scale, distance) activities.

Animated Atlas: Growth of a Nation
http://www.animatedatlas.com/movie.html  
A ten minute narrated movie, divided into smaller segments, which depicts the geographic history of the United States from the beginning of the nation to fifty states. Geographic elements are interactive, as is the timeline. It will take sixty seconds to load with a 56K modem. A teachers' guide is located at http://www.animatedatlas.com/teachersguide.html

Arthur: Connect the World
http://pbskids.org/arthur/games/connectworld/connectworld.html
Play "Connect the World," a card matching game, with Buster Baxter to learn about different countries and cultures. Learn to recognize the flags, foods, favorite sports, and arts of places around the world. This easy-to-read site with audio reinforcement and colorful graphics makes for an excellent activity to use with English language learners.

Be WorldWise
http://www.beworldwise.org/
Travel the seas virtually aboard a Tall Ship on a 19 month, 22 country voyage. On board, you will learn about the two teachers who signed on for the journey and their fellow crew members. Although the journey began in November of 2000, there are 12 months left to follow, so join in and track their progress. Classroom activities and lessons on Exploring the Oceans and Environmental Investigations.

Burarra Gathering
http://burarra.questacon.edu.au/home.html
On the Burarra Gathering website, students learn about life in Arnhem Land, Australia with their Aboriginal hosts Danaja and his grandfather, Wala Wala. On your visit, you will hear the aboriginal language, use a trap to catch a fish, and help Wala Wala make a fire from sticks to cook it. You will also identify Australian animal tracks, catch a crab, and use a rudder to steer a boat using stars to navigate.

Cram Web
http://www.cramweb.com/
At this site students can use games to practice Geography and Math skills.

Da Vinci Code - Visit the Places
http://www.panoramas.dk/da-vinci-code/
Personalize the thrill of the "Da Vinci Code" by visiting the historic spots (via full screen 360 degree panoramas) made even more famous by the movie. Examine two of da Vinci's most famous paintings:"The Last Supper"and "Mona Lisa"; go inside the Louvre Pyramid, and view the legendary Rosslyn Chapel as well as other important locations in the tale.

D.C. Flyby
http://birdseye.octo.dc.gov/main.html
This Web site is a great way to get a Bird's Eye Tour of Washington, D.C from your computer! Use the red arrows to move the screen up and down or from side to side. There is a mini map in the bottom corner showing where you are. To explore the sites click on the blue icons or the buildings. Those will bring up a pop up window full of information about the location you’ve clicked on and what goes on there.

Discovering Antarctica
http://www.discoveringantarctica.org.uk/
This truly well-done website, by the U.K.'s Royal Geographical Society, provides an excellent look at the frozen, windswept continent of Antarctica. Extremely student-oriented, it includes many colorful videos, photos, and interactive activities that will enhance students' understanding of this last great wilderness. It also includes an extensive "Teachers' Notes" section to help create lessons incorporating the site's features.

Enchanted Learning Geography
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/geography/
This great Web site helps younger students begin exploring the continents of the world. Print-outs, activities, crafts, quizzes, games, and facts for each continent can be found here.

Everest 50
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/everest/index.html
Travel with National Geographic to the top of the world. This is an excellent, exciting site about Everest. There are so many interesting aspects. Take a Virtual Climb that employs actual footage. View Everest and the surrounding mountains from the peak. Travel with renowned photographers to Tibet. Also for all those "Into Thin Air" readers, here are interviews with some of the survivors. Be sure to click on "Everest Expedition to Uncover Its True Height" for a panoramic view. Many more interesting articles and lesson plans for K-12 are here.

Explore London
http://www.explore-london.co.uk/index.html
Explore this interactive photographic tour of the city of London. Easy navigation allows you to find panoramic views of almost all of the major places in the city.

Explore Madagascar
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/madagascar/explore/ Comprehensive overview of Madagascar. Explore the organisms, habitats and geography of the island nation. Plenty of pictures as well as 360 degree panoramic views make it worth investigating. Includes classroom resources.

Explorers
http://www.mce.k12tn.net/explorers/explorers_start.htm
This site provides an excellent way to learn about the explorers. The esays, written by students, offer profiles of most of the great explorers of the past. Click on the name of any explorer to access a brief biography and summary of explorations. In addition to the profiles, their are suggested activities and online quizzes.

Exploring 20th Century London
http://www.20thcenturylondon.org.uk/index.php
Eleven London organisations have brought together their 20th century collections offering a unique insight into London's recent past. Explore thousands of online objects and hundreds of facinating information pages about every decade and corner of Greater London. You can also Play the Monthly Quiz and click on Tales of London to discover what it was like living as a child in 20th century London.

Flag Tag
http://www.cyberschoolbus.un.org/flagtag/frm_ft_start.asp
Do you know lots of flags? Flag Tag is a game where you match the flag to the country. Test your flag knowledge!

Geography 4Kids
http://www.geography4kids.com/
"If you are looking for physical geography or earth science basics, stay on this site. It's not just for geography for kids, it's for everyone. This site has an introduction to the earth sciences that includes topics on the Earth's structure, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere (for a start)."

Geography Action! (National Geographic)
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geographyaction/  
Geography Action! is an annual conservation and awareness program designed to educate and excite people about natural, cultural, and historic treasures. Each year, they will present a different topic related to conservation and the environment. The Geography Action! program features: a) Kids Take Action!, an activity-based conservation awareness program ; b) Geography Awareness Week, a series of events to celebrate conservation; c) Lesson Plans; d) Games; and e) Photo Galleries. Topics so far include: Biodiversity, Conservation, Habitats, Population, Rivers, U.S. Public Lands.

Geography Challenge
http://www.mentalfloss.com/geographyzone/
The Geography Challenge is from a magazine called Mental Floss. It has a series of good map games that are for more advanced geography students.

Geography Games
http://www.quia.com/pages/all.html
This page has tons of Geography Games created by Brad Bowerman of Lakeland School District in Pennsylvania. These games will be challenging for middle school and high school students.

GeoNet
http://www.eduplace.com/geonet/
This is an online geography game. Students may choose between two levels - Easy and Hard. To begin a game you first choose a country or region. The questions for that game session will be based on the country or region you chose. You can play the game over and over, choosing the same region or a different region for each game. If you become a GeoAdvisor, GeoExpert, or GeoChampion, you get a certificate which you can print or save.

GeoSpy
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geospy/  
Practice your geography skills with the interactive game. 

Global Online Adventure Learning Site
http://www.goals.com/Index.htm
This is a terrific site for teachers interested in taking their students on virtual journeys. Each location allows students to view graphics and read about an area. They can then e-mail the explorers with comments and questions. The Classroom link provides lesson plans and activities.

Hector at the Eiffel Tower
http://www.tour-eiffel.fr/teiffel/uk/ludique/espace_enfant/index.html
Play six interactive games about the Eiffel Tower and learn interesting facts about the tower along the way, such as its height and number of visitors.

In Search of the Ways of Knowing Trail
http://www.brookfieldzoo.org/pagegen/wok/index_f4.html
Students trek through the Congo’s Ituri Forest to discover the secrets of the Ways of Knowing Trail on the educational website In Search of the Ways of Knowing Trail. While traveling from the airstrip to the village of Epulu, your jeep breaks down. Luckily there are four teens with you who are familiar with the Congo. As you run into obstacles on the way, they will give you tips about surviving in the forest. The advice they give is different based on their life experiences. Kenge is a Mbuti hunter’s son. Terese’s mother researches the forest. Tausi’s family farms near the forest. Geoff’s parents are forest rangers.

In the Footsteps of Marco Polo
http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/Marco/index.html
Journey with Marco Polo across the Asian continent to the court of Kublai Khan. Use the online Image Explorer to view and compare artwork from the many regions he visited. Listen to his own words describing those places.

Journey into Amazonia
http://www.pbs.org/journeyintoamazonia/
Journey into Amazonia features the swollen rivers, flooded forests, and dense canopy of the vast rain forest recognized as one of Earth's natural wonders. The site is divided into 3 episodes that correspond to the PBS broadcasts: 1) Waterworlds, features the churning waters of the world's mightiest river; 2) Land Reborn, reveals a new world teeming with predators; 3) Episode 3: The Big Top, the luxuriant mantle of the world's greatest rainforest. Also includes an interactive game.

Journey to a New Land
http://www.sfu.museum/journey/
"People first arrived in the Americas at least 12,000 years ago. The timing of their arrival and the route by which they travelled are not known. Did they follow an inland ice-free corridor route from Siberia to the unglaciated regions south of the ice sheets? Or did they take a coastal route, travelling by boat down the Pacific Coast? Did people arrive during the ice age, or not until after the glaciers receded? This site explores these and other questions, and looks at some of the evidence and ideas that have been proposed to resolve them." The site is divided into five levels - Primary, Elementary, Middle School, Secondary and Post-Secondary.

Kids Geography
http://www.kidsgeo.com/geography-for-kids/index.php
The Earth is a complex and fascinating world. Come explore it with the KidsKnowIt Network. Everything from the surface of the Earth, to the atmosphere. Play geography games, and practice geography skills.

Kids National Geographic
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/
Lots of activities, games, stories, photos. and much more for kids to enjoy. Visit the sections on Animals and People & Places for great information.

King Tutankhamun: Unraveling the Mysteries
http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/tut/mysteries/index.html
This media-rich site from National Geographic offers the opportunity to examine the body of King Tut and explore the markings inside his tomb. Timed with the traveling exhibit to several U.S. museums in 2005-2006, this virtual musuem uses CT scan technology 360 degree views, and interactive options. Online visitors will find this virtual museum most fascinating.

Lore of the Land
http://www.loreoftheland.com.au/
"Reconciling spirit and place in Australia's story." Lore of the Land (created by a partnership of native and non-native Australians) seeks an "understanding of how non-indigenous Australians are connected to their country." But it also serves as a great introduction to the land for students of all ages. Don't miss the immigrant stories found under Cultural Experiences (click Experiences first), the interactive map (look in Land Issues), and the photo slide show (choose Understanding, then Reflection.)

Map Guessing Game
http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/usaquiz.html
Test your geography skills with this map quiz. Choose from eleven different maps. (Takes a long time to load.)

Mayan Kids
http://www.mayankids.com/mkintro.htm
This is a site designed for grade school students that provides information and illustrations about the Mayan culture. It includes a clickable map with information on Mayan ruins, games, clipart, coloring pages, a timeline, and more.

My Beautiful America
http://oldbluewebdesigns.com/mybeautifulamerica.htm
This is a beautiful site containing landscape pictures from all fifty states. It is just a site to sit and watch, but I thought it worth sharing here.

National Geographic: Antarctica
http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/places/continents/continent_antarctica.html
"This highest, driest, and coldest continent was referred to in the 17th century as Terra Australis Incognita - unknown southern land. Although the continent is still largely a mystery, what is known is that Antarctica's delicate ecosystem is in danger." Learn more with four National Geographic virtual exhibits, and the Xpeditions printable Antarctica map. Don't miss the fun CritterCam, where you explore a virtual Antarctica from the vantage of a leopard seal.

National Geographic Education Guide
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/education/
The National Geographic Education Guide is a wide-ranging resource for any educator who teaches some aspect of social studies, geography or science. The site has a well-designed search interface that enables teachers to located resources by subject area, resource type or grade. The site contains sections on maps and geography, online adventures, lesson plans, a teacher community, and a teacher store.

National Geographic GeoBee
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee/
"Test your geography smarts right here online. Each day we'll post ten questions from the National Geographic Bee. Some of them are real stumpers, but it's okay if you miss a few—you can play as often as you like. Come back everyday for a brand new quiz and another chance to beat the Bee!"

National Geographic Geography Games
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/Games/GeographyGames/
Geography Awareness Week is November 15-21. Test your geography skills with the online games Brainteasers, Quiz Your Noodle, Crittercam, and GeoSpy.

National Geographic Kids
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/kids/index.html  
An online, interactive magazine (e-zine) for elementary students. Look for the Kids Magazine, the Explorer Classroom Magazine, games, activities, crafts, experiments, and homework help. The same high quality you'd expect from National Geographic but packaged for kids.

National Geographic Xpeditions
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/

National Geographic Xpeditions Activities
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/activities/
Xpeditions activities offer younger and older Xpeditioners the opportunity to use geography to complete a variety of missions. Parents, teachers, and friends can lend a hand. Xpeditioners are encouraged to use the "X-tras"—maps, games, stories, Web sites, and interactive features—to complete the tasks and to visit related annexes in Xpedition Hall once their mission is through.

New York State for Kids
http://www.iloveny.com/kids/index.asp
Students can learn about the state of New York by exploring State Facts, Puzzles & Games, History of New York State, and an online Coloring Book.

Old Faithful Geyser Live!
http://www.nps.gov/yell/photosmultimedia/yellowstonelive.htm
Yellowstone is famous for its 200 geysers, and Old Faithful is the most famous of all. Although it is neither the largest nor most regular, it's popular because it erupts more frequently than the other big Yellowstone geysers. This full-motion, live-streaming webcam is located near Old Faithful Geyser and brings online visitors views of several other geysers in the area.

PBS: Yellowstone: America's Sacred Wilderness
http://www.pbs.org/edens/yellowstone/
Eloquent prose, fabulous photographs, amazing 3-D tours and three marvelous Webquests (for students in grades four through six) make this a great site. Start your adventure with the virtual panoramic tours of Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower Fall and Old Faithful. Other great clicks are Reflections on Yellowstone (a look the land and the threats closing in on it) and Featured Creatures (bears, wolves, elk and bison). Yellowstone became the first US National Park in March of 1872.

Seven Wonders of the World
http://www.cleveleys.co.uk/wonders/sevenwondersoftheworld.htm
Take a virtual tour of the seven wonders of the world and and learn about The Temple of Artemis, The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, The Great Pyramid, The Lighthouse of Alexandria plus three others.

State Web Games
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/web_games.htm
This site contains web games that are a wonderful way to learn about our fifty states. Students learn state capitals, abbreviations, and locations. The games provide clues that include over 500 important and engaging facts.

Test Your Geography Knowledge
http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/
Choose a quiz by clicking on an area of the map. Then answer the questions correctly to build up your score. Good practice for students studying Geography.

Test Your Geography Knowledge
http://www.pibmug.com/files/map_test.swf
It's time for your U.S. Geography Test! You must drag and drop all 48 states in the time allotted to be promoted to the 4th grade! This would be great practice for students.

Traveler IQ Challenge
http://www.travelpod.com/traveler-iq
This site has another series of timed geography challenge games for older students.

United Nations Cyberschoolbus
http://www.un.org/pubs/cyberschoolbus/  
View information about member nations, take a virtual tour, explore issues of human rights relating to children or take quizzes and play games to help you learn about the countries of the world. Interactive and well designed for school-age children.

Visual Sketch: The World Along the Way
http://www.nikon.com/about/feelnikon/visual-sketch/main.htm
Stuck inside on a cold winter's day? Why not virtually venture across the largest land mass in world? Through photos and commentary, Japanese photographer Yoshiaki Kitas documents how people's lives and surroundings vary by climate and elevation across Eurasia and Africa.

Westward, Ho
http://www.cyberbee.com/wwho/
Westward Ho is now taking registrations. The wagon train leaves in January, so pack your wagon and start heading to Independence, MO, the starting point for the journey. If you want your class to participate in this trip, go to the site and register.

Where Is That?
http://www.funbrain.com/where/index.html
Where is That? is a challenging Internet geography game that allows players to choose among five skill levels. Players also select an area of the world they want to test themselves in. You can even play a two person version of the game. It's loads of fun for everyone from map beginners to geography wizards!

WHT: World Heritage Tour
http://www.world-heritage-tour.org/info.html
World Heritage Tour is dedicated to preserving the heritage of people all over the world through multimedia and to bringing awareness to countries at the benefit of tourism. The WHTour is creating a documentary and educational image bank of printable panographies and online virtual tours for all sites registered as World Heritage by the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). Panographies are complete virtual views made from 28 images stitched together, so you can look up and down, turn around, and see the locations just as though you were standing there in person, looking around. At the top of the page you'll see three links: World Heritage List, WH Map, and WHTour Info. Click the Map link to see dots representing areas that they have covered. Click a dot to visit a site! Be sure you have lots of time to explore!

Wild Ireland
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/ireland/map.html
From the PBS (Public Broadcasting System) program "Nature" comes this interactive site allowing users to explore a map of Ireland's wilderness and wildlife. The map shows items of particular geologic and biologic interest. Clicking on each brings up a slideshow of that natural environment.

World in the Balance (PBS)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/worldbalance/
World in the Balance, the companion Web site to NOVA's Earth Day special, features educational resources on population and the environment. Produced by TV station WGBH Boston, World in the Balance provides interactive population maps, classroom role plays, and activities including a population growth calculation, a global trends quiz, and a demographic matching game. The site also offers articles, expert interviews, and recommended links and books. Drawing from moving personal stories in India, Japan, Kenya, and China, World in the Balance gives visitors a deeper understanding of the massive baby boom in developing nations, the plunging birth rates in industrialized countries, and the impact these trends will have on the global environment.

Your Mission: The Last Mission
http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/activity/the_last_mission/
Your students are charged with finding a location for the last California Mission, and work as a team to research the geography, native peoples, and natural resources of the region. This can be a great alternative to the traditional “mission model.” Teachers can also use the hotlist of resources to supplement the fourth grade curriculum.