"Art Tales: Telling Stories with Wildlife Art" is an interactive game for fourth- through sixth-grade students designed by the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The program will teach students about the art itself, as well as about life on America's frontier, animals and their habitats and how to create a museum exhibition of wildlife art. For example, in the game "Frontier Explorer," students take on the role of a frontier explorer with the task to explore and survey the West. The student is shown a series of photos of wildlife art and must choose several images to write about in his "journal," based on his observations and several questions that are prompted. The entries can be set to music provided by the site. The work can then be "published."
The Children's Museum in Indianapolis, Indiana offers several interactive online games for the aspiring paleontologist. In "What Happened to the Gorgasaur?", the student plays the role of an expert paleontologist charged with examining an exciting, new fossil discovery. As the student cleans the bones, she will make some interesting discoveries. She will need to examine the clues to draw conclusions and solve the mystery of what happened to the gorgasaur. This activity is appropriate for students in grades 3 through 5.
NASA provides this interactive game for young earth science students. In it, the student takes on the role of Droplet, a water molecule. The student must use computer keyboard commands (shift, control, space bar) to guide Droplet through a forest, a river, and out to sea where he's warmed by the sun and evaporated back to the clouds. Students will learn about the water cycle--from condensation to precipitation to evaporation, by navigating Droplet through his treacherous journey. Through it all, the student can make Droplet run, jump, climb and slide to avoid predators such as butterflies and sea creatures. The game offers several different levels based on the student's abilities.
Scholastic News offers the interactive game "If You Were President," which is appropriate for social studies students in fourth through sixth grade. The student must first choose her advisers, such as Will Treehugger and Thomas Teacher, and then select the items that will go into her budget, including health care, defense and education. Based on her choices, the student will then "meet the press" and answer several questions. After the press conference, newspaper stories will reveal how well the president has done.