It’s Thursday, October 29, 2020, and time for our Homeschool Resource: Social Sciences. I would like to ask you to check out the Recommended Websites: Sheppard Software – Geography Games and Tenement Museum.
Sheppard Software – Geography Games
Age Range: 4-18 (Grades PreK-12, with parental supervision) This ad-supported website is filled with an assortment of U.S. and World geography games that you can play to boost your knowledge of where places are located in the world.
When you get to the site, choose from links to places in the world including:
- Africa
- Asia
- Canada
- Europe
- Mexico
- United States
- and more!
The games are sorted by capitals, countries and landscapes and then by levels from beginner to expert and beyond.
We also want to draw your attention to a special section called Kid’s Corner – U.S.A. You’ll find a great selection of social science activities that include:
- USA Landmark Puzzles
- USA Government Games
- USA Cities and State Word Games
- USA Regions Games
- and more
You’ll want to bookmark this site to return often.
All of these activities are available for free on this ad-supported website. For those of you who would prefer to access the site without ads, you can get a family subscription for $36/year and enjoy the activities commercial free.
Recommended Website: Tenement Museum
Age Range: All (All grades; children with parental supervision) Step back in time and explore a historical New York’s Lower East Side tenement and discover life living in the 97 Orchard Street tenement during the 1800s and 1900s.
When arriving at the site, scroll down to read about the “people, objects, and traditions that shaped the fabric of everyday life in New York City tenements.” Some of the articles include:
- Why 97 Orchard Street?
- History by Numbers
- Fanny Rogarshevsky’s Toolbox
- Rosaria Baldizzi: A Complicated Path to Citizenship
- Precision and Spirit: Fighting for a Place in America
- And more
When you are done exploring, select the “Learn” tab from the top menu to find lesson plans, teacher resources, and more.
When you have finished visiting this website, hop on over to New York’s PBS station Thirteen Lower East Side Tenement Museum website for more insight into what the tenement on 97 Orchard Street might have looked like in 1870 and 1915 as well as learn some interesting history about some of the tenants. When arriving at the link, select from the following:
- Urban Log Cabin – Using the images of the tenement from 1870 or 1915, select a room to view what the apartment looked like during the time period and learn a little bit about the folks that lived there.
- Excavation – 97 Orchard Street was boarded up from 1935-1987. Learn what was found when it was opened again. Examine the 13 layers of wallpaper found on one wall and check out 10 objects found during renovation.
- Tenement VR – Take virtual tours of the Gumpertz Apartment (1870’s) and the Baldizzi Apartment (1935) as they might have appeared when the families were living in them. Don’t forget to learn about the families by clicking on the text links.
- History – Read a brief history of the tenement and tenement life as well as the changes required through time. Click on the images at the top to see actual pictures of tenement life in the 30’s and 40’s.
These websites provide an excellent opportunity to learn about immigration and tenement life in New York’s Lower East Side.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
