There are various online subscription websites with suitable content for early years settings. Such sites require a regular, annual subscription to access their premium content. Sometimes the content is also available on CD-Rom - a good idea, as graphics can be slow to load online, and it is also an insurance against those times when the internet is 'down'.
If you decide to subscribe to a website you need to check the number of activities suitable for nursery-aged children, the regularity of updates and addition of new content, the price and the availability of CD-Roms.
Subscription sites usually offer activities for all age groups, so to make the cost worthwhile, you might like to consider reviewing content with other teachers, if you are in a maintained setting. Opt for any free trial period to make sure the service is what you expect.
The Big Bus www.thebigbus.com
This is an extremely professional service containing collections of high-quality content for children aged three to 11 years old. Subjects covered include literacy, numeracy, science, history and ICT.
Content is available online, the price reflecting the number of children in the setting. For nurseries the cost is 90 per annum, with an additional 20 to receive the termly content on CD-Rom - a very reasonable deal.
New content is provided for subscribers every term, enabling members to build up an expanding library of activities. More than 20 activities for the nursery include Mouse Moves (can be tailored to develop mouse movement or mouse clicks), dressing Bo Bear, shapes and counting activities. All the activities use well-drawn animations and sound.
It is also possible to buy CD- Roms of specific nursery content which may be more appropriate for nurseries or infant schools that would not use the complete range of content. However, site licence costs make the subscription service attractive.
Spark Island www.sparkisland.com
This also offers content for children aged three to 11, providing an easy way to integrate ICT into English, maths and science. There are three locations, each developed for specific age groups to ensure that children are always working at the correct ability level.
It is also possible for practitioners to access activities through a curriculum index. Three- to five-year-olds can go inside the wizard's castle, tour Farmer Rumtum's farm and visit the zoo. Fifteen different pre-school activities include counting, sorting, nursery rhymes, letter recognition and directions. However, some of these are uninspiring, repetitive and boring. Subscription for a nursery is 99 per annum and then a sliding scale, again based on numbers in the school.
Activities available on the Spark Island website are available in CD-Rom format, accompanied by their associated teaching suggestions and printable resources. But at 46.99 for a single user copy it is again more cost-effective to subscribe to the site.
www.atschool.co.uk
This website provides a different approach to subscription content. As well as providing online activities there are also links to various websites, all topic-based. This makes it easy for children, teachers and parents to explore the worldwide web and make the most of its rich source of nursery and primary level educational material.
Useful for ages four to 13 years, @school has been carefully designed to give children and educators the confidence to use the internet as part of their education in an absorbing, fun way.
Content is broken down into age categories, with a good pre-school selection of topics such as animals, transport, stories, houses and counting. From each topic there is a comprehensive choice of links and interactive activities on the internet.
A year's subscription to @school represents good value if you are looking for one-stop access to thousands of National Curriculum-vetted links and activities. A sliding scale of prices operates: 75 per annum for schools or nurseries with less than 75 pupils up to 200 per annum for 150 or more pupils.
There is also a clip-art and images section and a play area so children can explore other areas of the internet, including fun sites and online games.
@school has been developed with the inexperienced internet user in mind. So even if you have never logged on in your life, @school will assist you in helping children to use the internet at school or in the home.
April Jones is a director of Computer Kids
