Issue 44 | December 2012

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SCIENCE

For a Periodic Table with a difference try this version from the University of Nottingham. The Periodic Table of Video has a short video about each element. The site also has films about other areas of chemistry, including The Molecular Videos, a new series featuring molecules and compounds. There's a non-YouTube version, should your school block the service.

Popular Science has partnered with Google to put online its entire PopSci Archives. Each issue appears just as it did at the original time of publication, complete with period advertisements. Search for keywords or plot how often terms appear throughout the magazine's 140 years in print.

What to see what effect an object from space would have if it hit Earth? Developed by Purdue University, Impact:Earth! lets you do just that. Choose all the conditions (size, angle, velocity, etc.), watch it happen and get data on the results of the impact. There's also extra information on famous craters.

Scitable is a free science library, learning tool and social network. From the Nature Publishing Group, it currently concentrates on genetics and cell biology. You can browse articles, contact experts or join discussions. Teachers can create an online classroom, with info, tools, reading lists, news, and even customised e-books.

For some great animations on a variety of scientific topics try Sumanas Animation Gallery. Choose from categories like chemistry, biology, molecular biology, biotechnology, statistics, and astronomy. They come with narration and can be played as a complete animation or step by step.

HISTORY

Experience the culture and history of Canada's native peoples at A Journey into Time Immemorial. Created by the Virtual Museum of Canada, you can select from a variety of locations and explore how life was lived. There are games, video and audio recordings, and a glossary, as well as educators' resources.

Footnotes to History provides an interesting overview of places that have been lost to history. It features The Atlas of Forgotten Nations, as well as links and other resources. Search by location or subject for information on ephemeral states, micronations, secessionist states, and every other kind of country you have probably never heard of.

Reproduce and illustrate famous battles using the excellent resources of Junior General. The site has a range of simulations, from Ancient Egypt to the Vietnam War – that can be played using paper or plastic soldiers, maps and counters, and matrix arguments.

The Google Cultural Institute is a fascinating collection of online resources on a variety of historical and cultural topics. From the Holocaust and Dead Sea Scrolls, to the life of Steve Biko and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Explore by partners, decades or project, or simply search and see what you find.

DIGITAL BOOKS

Frank Asch Books provides a range of materials on the author's work. Five of Frank's books are available in animated form. The kids' section includes ideas for games and information about the author, who's best known for his Moonbear picture books. There's also a teachers' section with lesson ideas

Inanimate Alice is a digital novel written to be read on screen. Set in a technology saturated near future, it tells the story of a girl called Alice and merges text with animation, videos, music and games to explore what it means to conduct your life online. The 'Teach with Alice' section has help for teachers.

FOOD AND HEALTH

How does a cucumber become a pickle? Enhance your understanding of the science behind food and cooking at Science of Cooking. Find out more about eggs, meat, seasoning, bread, and other foodstuffs, through this collection of activities, recipes, webcasts, quizzes, and more.

Find out how much sugar you're eating in food and drink with Sugarstacks. This site shows how many sugar cubes (four grams each) are in a particular product. For example, a can of Coca-Cola has 10 … but what about sauces, breakfast cereals, or snacks? Compare foods and find out where sugar is hiding.

School Food Trust is a UK charity that aims to promote healthy eating and improve food for children. The site contains a range of information, guidance and resources on balanced diets, cooking skills and food education.

EARLY LEARNING

Tvo Kids has lots of stuff for two categories of younger students – 'Ages 2 to 5' and 'Ages 11 and under'. There are videos, games, activities, printables, and even apps for your mobile devices. There's a separate website with relevant info for grown-ups.

UpToTen offers age-appropriate learning resources for kids aged up to 10! There are songs, stories, colouring, animated e-cards, and games, to name a few. There are 'Free', 'Premium' and 'School' sections. The site's also bilingual and available in French.

AROUND THE WORLD

Designed as a video travel guide, GeoBeats has hundreds of short videos on places around the globe that could easily have uses in the classroom. Visit a cheese shop in Paris or take a taxi tour of New Delhi. The videos provide snapshots of buildings, activities, historical places, and transport, as well as commercial, tourist and a whole host of locations.

From Oxfam Education, Mapping our World is an interactive whiteboard teaching tool for 8 to 14-year-olds. There are three separate lessons – which include teacher notes – that explore the relationship between maps and globes, and how different projections influence our perception of the world.

Choose from more than 7,000 pictures from all corners the world at Nations Illustrated. Browse the continental galleries, search for a specific image, check out what others like, or even share your own photos. There's also a fun feature to turn images into puzzles.