The Best of ClickSchooling!® History and Geography

By Diane Flynn Keith

ClickSchooling is a free e-newsletter that provides a daily review of an educational website that parents and teachers can use to help children and students learn every subject imaginable. Diane Flynn Keith has been publishing ClickSchooling since 2000.

Here are some of the best History and Geography websites she has featured in ClickSchooling that you can use to give your kids a world-class education.

Note: ClickSchooling makes every effort to recommend websites that have content that is appropriate for general audiences. Because websites change, parents and teachers are STRONGLY CAUTIONED to preview the sites for suitable content, and then explore the sites TOGETHER with their children or students.

ClickSchooling History and Geography

Ancient Egypt Webquest
Elementary and middle school students accept a Quest to travel back in time to Ancient Egypt (circa 1250 B.C.). The student accepts a mission to find clues that will allow him or her to find the burial mask of King Tut that contains a secret message on the inside. The student uses a hieroglyphics decoder to decipher the message. During the course of these missions history students learn about ancient Egyptian daily life, Egyptian mummies, Egyptian Hieroglyphics, King Tut, Egyptian games, and Archeology. You will also find lesson plans on the history of Egypt, unit studies on Ancient Egypt and even ideas for having an ancient Egyptian party!

BBC online History
Play over 25 interactive, multi-media games while you learn about history! The games include:

• Victorian & Tudor Costumes -- dress mannequins in historical Victorian and Tudor costumes!
• Color In Cathedrals -- Restore a cathedral to its original splendor by coloring in the intricate designs and details using your computer mouse.
• Britain's Rocky Past -- See an animated timeline of Earth's geologic history.
• Battle of Hastings & Battle of Waterloo Games -- Choose a side, and then develop a strategy to fight and win the battle, while learning about the real history of these wars.
• Walk Through Time -- Take a trip back in time and visit a Roman street, Viking house, Tudor street, Victorian street, or a 1950's living room!

This site presents a terrific way to learn about history without drudgery. Don't foget to take the Virtual Tours through history here too. It may springboard your kids to want to learn even more. If so, there are links to many other sites of historical reference.

50States.com
Look up any one of the 50 United States and find everything you ever wanted to know about it including the state capital, state bird, flower, tree, nickname, song, flag, etc. You can explore other categories like: Famous People, History of the State, State Parks, Geography (including highest point, lowest point, maps, etc.), State License Plates, Museums, Gravesites, and more! A great way to get instant information about any state you choose to study or explore.

The Electric Ben Franklin
You won't find a more complete or fun website on the subject of Benjamin Franklin! From a history timeline of Franklin's life with notable historic events and achievements, to his entire autobiography online, to a complete account of his famous kite experiment -- this site has it all. Take a virtual tour of Franklin's print shop and post office. Explore Philadelphia and Franklin's old haunts. Read his wise and wonderful sayings, right out of the pages of history. Do experiments at home and play interactive games that help to explain the concepts of Franklin's many discoveries. This is a wonderful unit study online that will appeal to the whole family -- don't miss it!

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
At this site you will discover all seven ancient world wonders, read about their history, and view artists illustrations. Click on a Geographic Map that shows you where they were located in relation to one another. Then click on "Other Wonders" and discover more ancient wonders, along with Modern and Natural wonders too. Just viewing the wonders may inspire students of all ages to want to learn more about history.

Dancing Presidents
Want to have a short, fun history lesson? Go to this site, wait a few minutes for the entire page to load (you will hear music) and then begin scrolling down --you will see each and every president dancing to the tune, and you can read a poem that includes a fact about each one. The whole thing takes just 5 minutes or so to look at -- but the kids will really enjoy it and learn a little along the way.

National Geographic Online Kids
Links to all kinds of geography games, activities, and resources for kids.

Cultural Events & History Reenactments:
Cultural Festivals take place throughout the U.S.
Living History Days and History Reenactments - many museums and historical societies sponsor events such as Pioneer Days, Victorian Days, and Civil War Reenactments.

If you find a dead link, please notify us by sending an email to ClickSchooling@Homefires.com.