PBS Kids is a website that includes a wide variety of games that children can play in addition to watching their favorite PBS shows. These games range from media literacy to science and engineering.
The site includes a wide range of learning activities that can be used in both single-computer classrooms and multi-unit computer labs. The site is also SMART(tm) Board-compatible and has multiple accessibility options for students with disabilities.
Dinosaur Tug-of-War
PBS kids games are a great way for kids to learn and have fun while they do it. There are a lot of games in the app, focusing on a variety of educational topics and featuring characters from popular shows like Sesame Street, Odd Squad, Curious George, and Dinosaur Train.
In this pbs kids math game, children use their skills to balance a tug-of-war rope. They need to estimate the size and weight of each dinosaur on each side of the rope so that they can balance it properly.
They also need to keep track of which dinosaurs are on each side of the rope so they can remove them as needed. The goal is to have each team evenly matched.
Once they have balanced the rope, children then choose an “Action Numbers” card that changes what they do next. Then they move their dinosaurs according to the number on the card. For example, if the number is 2,124 then they would move their dinosaurs two thousands spaces along the blue trail, one hundred space along the purple trail, and two tens spaces along the orange trail.
Odd Squad
PBS Kids has a new show this fall for kids 5-8 who love the weird, wacky world of math. It’s called Odd Squad and it follows two young agents who are on a mission to save the day using their math skills to solve every problem that comes their way.
In each episode, kids see agents Olive and Otto working to save the town from bizarre, unforeseen events that happen in their daily lives. The show is created by Tim McKeon and Adam Peltzman, who also worked on shows like Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends and Adventure Time.
Agent Otto (Filip Geljo, season 1): Introduced in the first episode, Otto is the newest member of Odd Squad and is a laid-back, friendly agent. Despite his lack of experience, Otto often uncovers the evidence needed to solve cases.
Other Odd Squad members include Agent Otis, who is introduced in the second season to fill the vacancy left by Otto’s departure in the end of season 1. He is a serious, socially-reserved agent who was once a villainous duck.
Motherboard
PBS kids math games feature characters from popular shows such as “Dinosaur Train,” “Thomas and Friends” and “Curious George.” These interactive mini-games are designed to entertain preschoolers while also teaching them about a variety of topics.
Cyberchase ™ is an Emmy Award-winning animated series that follows three curious kids as they protect Motherboard, the ruler of Cyberspace, from the dastardly villain Hacker and his blundering henchbots Buzz and Delete. With the help of their virtual tour guide Digit, Inez, Jackie, and Matt enlist their brain power to solve all sorts of wacky problems.
The website is easy to navigate and offers many learning activities. It’s a great tool for families to use in their classroom. But teachers will need to be very specific about what they want their students to play or let them explore the site at their own pace.