Homeschooling families must use various resources to ensure that their children experience the richest educational experience possible. The Internet is the greatest tool ever invented for finding information to be added to homeschool curriculums, and most of it is free. Countless learning aids and activities can be found online and these materials can benefit children, entertain them, and not cost parents a cent. There are resources available for all ages online but for small children who are just starting to grasp formal academic concepts few websites offer as much fun, education, and uniqueness as SesameStreet.org.
Like its television predecessor, SesameStreet.org is dedicated to entertaining and educating children. The website offers many interactive videos and games that are perfect for small children. It is colorful, engaging, and easy to navigate. Upon entering the website, a user is greeted by the visuals of the famous Sesame Street characters, such as Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch so children will feel instantly at home with the content.
There are many “Videos” featured on the website and some even run in a “Playlist” order related to a certain theme (such as the word “splatter” or a certain kind of food like bananas). All the videos are in high quality so the show is as clear as it is on a TV screen. The segments are taken from the content on the televised program, so fans will not be disappointed with the plot lines and humor in the video clips.
For a more interactive experience, there are several games on the Sesame Street website. Upon clicking the “Game” tab, website visitors will have the opportunity to play alongside their favorite Sesame Street characters and most of these games have some sort of educational merit built within them. For example, “Jumping Rhymes” teaches basic lessons about how to rhyme words. “Snuffy’s Safari” offers players the chance to look for animals via a virtual platform. When an animal is keyed in on, Snuffy explains to the player what the animal is and gives some basic facts about the creature. “Count Hats with Elmo and Zoe” teaches basic counting lessons in a fun and entertaining way. These are just three of the dozens of games available on the website. Each and every game has educational value, is fun, and is definitely worth taking a look at.
The “Muppets” section of the Sesame Street website offers viewers a chance to learn more about their favorite characters. Upon clicking on the “Muppet” tab one is brought to a catalog of photos. When a particular photo is clicked on, information is displayed about that particular character. This gives fans of the show an opportunity to get to know more about nearly every character, from the famous staples of the show to the background characters that are less known.
The Sesame Street website also offers segments for adults. The “My Street” tab allows one to set up a free account on the website in order to save their favorite games and videos and even make playlists. Although there is no need to join the website in order to access its features, it is wise to join if one wishes to save their games and videos for easier access. Additionally, there is a recipe section that teaches adults great recipes to make for children, and most of the meals children can help prepare if they want to. SesameStreet.org also gives adults access to the Sesame Street App store and the merchandise store as well as information about live Sesame Street shows that might be coming to their area in the near future. For these reasons, the website is as interesting for the adults as it is for the children.
One of the most innovative aspects of Sesame Street is the fact that each segment on the show is written in order to be appealing to both adults and children. Although children take away actual educational lessons from the show, there are few adults who will not wholeheartedly enjoy the often hilarious content presented in the videos. SesameStreet.org makes a successful effort to be as appealing as the televised program and so the website is fun for parents and children to look though together. In fact, it’s easy to spend several hours on the website exploring all the amusing material.
I give SesameStreet.org a 5/5 star rating and strongly suggest that everyone with small children visit the website and enjoy themselves: http://www.sesamestreet.org/
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