Kids Drawing Programs

This is a great resource for kids. I particularly enjoyed the choices for the drawing programs for a range of ages.

Let us know if you experiment with these.

KIT Tropical Museum in Amsterdam

KIT mural listening, originally uploaded by Colby.

The KIT (Konnicklijke Instituut de Tropen) Tropical Museum in Amsterdam has a unique directive for bringing world culture into the lives of Dutch children. They do it in a research grounded, highly creative, interactive and experiental exhibition that requires the full participation of the children involved.

Yesterday, Jonathan Marks and I had the pleasure and opportunity (adults are not generally permitted to interfere) to sneak a peak into one of the children's performance experiences. The KIT children's team has invested 2 years in research, set and costume design, to bring the world of Iranian culture into a scenario where children learn about the depth of the culture through music, food, costumes, stories and art.

A visit to the museum is a must if you're in Amsterdam. They're also having an exhibition on Evil for adults.

Afrikids Project

A contact on Ecademy says this group, Afrikids, is worth looking up. Based in London, but I like the style of their website. They are focussed and I like their slogan..bringing big smiles to little kids.

Spaghetti Book Club - Reviews by Kids for Kids

The Spaghetti Book Club has kids reviewing and sharing what they read.
-- Titles
-- Reviewers
-- Authors
-- School Groups - Started in USA, it also includes 12 other countries so far.
-- ClubHouse - They can start "conferences" here and hold online discussions. Looks like this is done within a school class. Nice for kids to learn about one another through sharing their interest in books.
-- Literacy Links - not yet up and running, but I expect that to lead to partnerships for them.
-- About
" During the program, students:
* read books
* engage in book talks
* discuss the elements of a book review
* read and discuss reviews from the Spaghetti Book Club web site
* write group reviews to practice writing summaries,
opinions and recommendations
* work on their own reviews
* read their reviews for feedback from their peers
* publish their reviews on the Spaghetti Book Club website
The Spaghetti Book Club helps students develop critical reading and writing skills by providing them with a meaningful context in which they learn how to think critically about the books they read; engage in reflective dialogue with teachers and peers; express their opinions and reactions in conversation and writing; and write for an intended audience. At the end of the project, it is quite a thrill for the students to see their work published on the web! "

If you're interested in knowing more, contact Julie Rosemarin, the Founder and Executive Director: staff@spaghettibookclub.org