Farmingdale Youth Services Department

Could you be the next Ana DuVernay or Steven Spielberg? A new, free app gives kids the tools to try their hands at directing. Toontastic 3D enables children to create their own animated movies. "We call it our movie studio in a box," says Andy Russell, a product manager at Google who helped develop the app. " The goal is to empower kids with the types of tools that Hollywood directors have to tell any kind of story". The story could take the form of a movie, a school report, or even a music video. Unlike other online tools that focus on the technical aspects of film making, Toontastic 3D puts the emphasis on storytelling. In this app, users can choose from three story arcs: short stories, geared toward younger children; classic stories, or epic tales; and science reports, which take students through the steps of conducting a science experiment. Student creators can choose from eight different setting in Toontastic 3D or can draw their own. Students then ch...

Best STEM Books is a joint project of the   American Society for Engineering Education , the  International Technology and Engineering Educators Association , the  National Science Teachers Association , the  Society of Elementary Presidential Awardees , and the Children’s Book Council. This list of 31 books aims to provide recommendations to educators, librarians, parents, and guardians for the best children's books with STEM content. Featured Titles A Global Warming Primer by Jeffrey Bennett AGES   11-16   A thought-provoking question and answer format summary of the most . . . more Ada Byron Lovelace & the Thinking Machine by Laurie Wallmark ILLUSTRATED BY:   April Chu   AGES   4-8   Long before the computer age, Ada Lovelace developed the code . . . more Ada Lovelace, Poet of Science: The First Computer Programmer by Diane Stanley ILLUSTRATED BY:   Jessie Hartland   ...

Whether you’re looking for the perfect stocking stuffer for your budding bookworm or a gift that will teach your kids about their cultural roots, look no further than these holiday-themed books. Here are 10 books that celebrate diverse Latino families and their rich holiday traditions. A Piñata In A Pine Tree, by Pat Mora In this Latino twist on “The Twelve Days of Christmas” a little girl recounts the gifts her amiga gave to her, including doce angelitos celebrando (twelve angels rejoicing) and a piñata in a pine tree. The book includes both English and Spanish phrases, and features a handy glossary and pronunciation guide.  ‘Twas Nochebuena, by Roseanne Greenfield Thong ‘Twas the night before Christmas and the jovial Latino family in this book is stirring up hot chocolate and decorating the house in preparation for a traditional Latino celebration known as Nochebuena .  Merry Navidad, by Alma Flor Ada ...

The following apps and websites on ancient history help present  old information through a new lens, and may just pique students' interest in an ancient culture or civilization. WEBSITES: Ancient History Encyclopedia www.ancient.eu Free Grades 7 and up The AHE cites itself as a small nonprofit dedicated to providing high-quality history content to enthusiasts, teachers, and students for free. Students can explore topics using a time line, a geographical search, and natural language searches. The site is well designed and organized and contains information in many formats-videos, photos, maps, and text. news.nationalgeographic.com/ancient-world Free Grades 6 and up Part of the greater National Geographic site, AWN is of the quality one would expect for NatGeo.  Highlighting contemporary news concerning discoveries about the ancient world and ancient artifacts, this site connects current events with ancient history.  Some recent examples include the...

How is Kiddle designed specifically for kids? 1) Safe search: sites appearing in Kiddle search results satisfy family friendly requirements, as they filter sites with explicit or deceptive content. 2) Kids-oriented results: the boxes below illustrate how Kiddle returns results for each query (in the order shown): Safe sites and pages written specifically for kids. Handpicked and checked by Kiddle editors. Typically, results 1-3.   Safe, trusted sites that are not written specifically for kids, but have content written in a simple way, easy for kids to understand. Handpicked and checked by Kiddle editors. Typically, results 4-7.   Safe, famous sites that are written for adults, providing expert content, but are harder for kids to understand. Filtered by Google safe search. Typically, results 8 onwards. 2) Big thumbnails: most Kiddle search results are illustrated with big thumbnails, which makes it easier to scan the results, differentiate between them...

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) today announced that The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art is among the 30 finalists for the 2016 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. The National Medal is the nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries for service to the community. For 22 years, the award has celebrated institutions that demonstrate extraordinary and innovative approaches to public service to make a difference for individuals, families, and communities. This will mark the second year that The Carle has been recognized with this honor.

The Mathematical Sciences Research Institute and the Children's Book Council have announced the 2016 Mathical list. Mathical: Books for Kids from Tots to Teens recognizes outstanding math-related fiction and nonfiction for young readers and inspires children of all ages to cultivate a love of mathematics in the world around them. The selection panel featured mathematicians, teachers, librarians, early childhood experts, and others. Together they evaluated books of all kinds, from picture books and novels to narrative nonfiction, that foster an enjoyment of math — with an emphasis on literary quality; substantial and/or inspirational math content; and a clear, accurate, and inviting approach to mathematics. The Mathical list is divided into four school-grade categories. Below are the 2016 winners and honorees. Pre-K: 8: An Animal Alphabet , written and illustrated by Elisha Cooper Grades K-2: Max’s Math , by Kate Banks (author) and Boris Kulikov (illustrator) Grades ...