Create a Webquest for your students using any subject you are currently studying. If, for example, you are studying the planets, find five Web sites that have age-appropriate information about the planets. Bookmark these sites and then create 5 to 10 multiple choice questions that students can find the answers to on the Websites. Show your students how to use the bookmarks and navigate on the sites. You can also direct them to print out coloring sheets or complete other online activities or games. You may wish to let students work in pairs so that they can help each other.
You can also find pre-made Webquests to send your students on. The references contain listings of pre-made Webquests that you can adapt for your students.
Your first graders may be surprised to learn that on any given day the weather can be very different around the world. Have students pick four countries, each from a different hemisphere. Show them how to look up the weather online. Divide students into four groups and assign each group one of the four countries. Each day a different student from the group should look up and record the weather in their group's country. Have each group make a poster showing a week's worth of weather. Then have the class compare the weather from all of the posters. Alternatively, show them how to make a simple online poster using presentation software. Set up a template for the first-graders to use so they only have to learn how to put in simple images and weather numbers.
You can also show students how to look up weather forecasts. Have them copy down the weather predictions for your city or town for the next 10 days. Then have them compare each day's weather prediction to what the weather actually is.
Set up a classroom iTunes account or bookmark several pages that will play music appropriate for first graders. Each day let one child select a song that can be played during a transition or clean-up time.
Introduce your first graders to the concept of music genres by picking music from a specific genre and playing it at the beginning of the day while you take attendance or perform other beginning-of-the-day duties. When possible, find age-appropriate music videos online and show the videos that go with the genres of the song. This will be easy for rock and pop genres, but can also be possible for bluegrass, classical, Latin and blues.
Send your students on a shopping trip as an early math lesson. Show students how to find sites like Amazon or Overstock. Give them a list of items to find and have them record the prices. You can also give them a certain amount of money as a budget and have them make a list of things they would buy with that money. For students who have difficulty with writing, show them how to cut and paste into a word processing or spreadsheet program. The shopping site should have pictures that will help them find things. Tell them to ignore any numbers after the "period" or decimal point.