Alphabet Fun

Barbara J. Feldman

A isn't just for apple anymore. It's asteroid, aurora, and airplane too! Learning your ABC's on the Internet is loads of fun, because you can travel around the world as you explore from A to Z. And for those who already know their ABC's, I recommend the Retail Alphabet Game. How many companies can you identify by a single letter from their logo?

Bembo's Zoo

5 stars

"A is for antelope, B is for Bison, C is for crab. " An amazing typographic adventure awaits you at Bembo's Zoo, as you watch each letter of the alphabet transform into a wild animal right before your eyes and ears. This Flash animation for all ages is based on the book of the same name, by graphic artist Roberto de Vicq de Cumptich. Don't miss it!

Learning Planet: Alphabet Action

4 stars

Point and click on each letter of the alphabet to hear its name, and see a corresponding animated word. Many letters have additional pictures (C is for car and cat) available by clicking on the small blue plus. For five more alphabet and counting games, select Activities from the yellow horizontal menu, then choose Preschool- K. These free games are a teaser for the Learning Planet subscription service; games which are not clickable are available only to paying subscribers.

Literacy Center

5 stars

The Literacy Center uses a modified Montessori approach to teaching reading, with a selection of four alphabet exercises, and five more for numbers, colors, and shapes. After choosing between upper and lower-case, you can click through the alphabet to see and hear each letter. Clicking on the yellow and green triangles will toggle you in and out of two different interactive activities. Although the navigation scheme isn't at all self-explanatory, the activities themselves are first rate.

Little Explorers

5 stars

What a fun way to surf the Net! Each letter of Little Explorers' dictionary has dozens of illustrated entries, most of them linked to additional sites. Explore Africa, acid rain, astronomy and more. As you roam onto the Net, the Little Explorers' alphabet frame remains at the top of your screen, so you can return at any time. The dictionary is also available in English/Spanish, English/French , English/German, English/Italian , English/Portugese and English/Japanese.

Sesame Street Print and Play

4 stars

When you're living on Sesame Street, B is for Bert and C is for Cookie Monster. Each letter of this Sesame Street alphabet is linked to a black-and-white picture to be printed (these are not interactive) and colored with crayons. Scrolling down the page, you'll find dozens more, including printable coloring activities with numbers, shapes and all your favorite Sesame Street characters.