It can be so frustrating when you go to a trusted, reliable source on the internet, maybe to a page you have bookmarked, and it’s gone. It can be gone for many reasons. In most cases, we may never know why. Regardless, you have to spend your valuable time finding a substitute resource that probably isn’t going to be nearly as good.
As we get ready to launch Locket by Games & Learning, we are on the lookout for resources to highlight and gaps we can fill. This week, we address a gap in tools that help educators and parents have important conversations about the history of immigration in the United States.
Several years ago, we linked to an interactive tool that covered the topic of immigration, with a virtual tour of Ellis Island. Unfortunately, seemingly overnight, the tool was no longer available. Over the past 6 weeks, the number of people reaching out to us grew from a handful to a few hundred.
As one educator told us, “I was using it yesterday and today it’s just gone. I can’t find it anymore. Please help.”
The Locket by Games & Learning team has been helping these educators discover other resources that might fill the gap. We look for games and tools that are evidence-based, play-tested, kid-safe, and ad-free. These immigration-related educational resources are currently available and free to access for both educators and families:
- Mission U.S. includes City of Immigrants – a game about the immigrant experience in 1907, produced by WNET Thirteen and Electric Funstuff. It also includes a curriculum guide found here: https://www.mission-us.org/teach/city-of-immigrants/teach-this-mission/curriculum-overview/
- Ellis Island Education – an expedition series and virtual learning resource from the National Park Service
- Ellis Island | New York: A Documentary Film – a documentary film and related educator resources from PBS Learning Media
These tools and many others have been supported by federal funding that is currently at risk, including U.S. Department of Education grants, National Park Service programs, and investments in public media.
What are you looking for to support your kids, or to support conversations you want to have as a family? Get in touch with your ideas, and we will continue to share what we find. Together, we can create a community that makes it easy to find the resources that help kids learn and grow.