Children's Magazine Guide

With each issue, Children's Magazine Guide features a "Site 2 See"—a Web site review of a useful, educational, and fun site. While sites are carefully selected, it is understood that we do not take responsibility for the content of these Web sites, their accuracy, and their links.

Examples of previous reviews:

AAA Math
http://www.aaamath.com
A great resource for learning and practicing mathematics, this Web site has a wealth of interactive lessons. The site is organized by grade level and math topic, from addition and algebra to statistics and subtraction. When accessing a topic, students can Learn, Practice, Play, and Explore. Topics are searchable, and each topic invites students to give feedback. No registration is required to use this Web site. Highly recommended.

Access Excellence @ National Health Museum
http://www.accessexcellence.org
This educational Web site offers a wealth of information about topics related to life science, including biology and health. Visit, for instance, The Living Skeleton: A Tour of Human Bones and look at annotated x-rays of the human skeleton. Or delve into one of the interactive online science mysteries. There is a lot more to discover and explore at this Web site, so take a look! Includes teacher resources. Have a Web site suggestion? Email it to Kristina Sheppard at ksheppard@abc-clio.com, along with your name, city, and state, and we may include it in one of our forthcoming issues. It is of course understood that neither you nor we are responsible for Web site content and accuracy.

American Presidents: Life Portraits
http://www.americanpresidents.org
Originally designed as a companion site to C-SPAN’s 1999 television series American Presidents: Life Portraits, this Web site presents helpful overviews of each U.S. president, from George Washington to George W. Bush. Students can pick a president from the chronologically organized drop-down list or enter a search term. For each president, the site provides a portrait, life facts (personal and public service), presidential places (e.g., birthplace, gravesite), reference material (e.g., bibliography, inaugural address) and further links to primary sources. There are also a number of interesting facts about each president, as well as a section for teachers with activity and lesson plan suggestions.

Asia for Educators: East Asian Curriculum Project
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu
This interactive Web site brims with information about China, Japan, and other Asian nations. Featuring lesson plans, resource lists, and links, the site is primarily geared toward teachers and librarians but can also be used by students doing research for a paper or homework assignment. Special units include “The Mongols in World History,” “The Song Dynasty in China,” and “The Tale of Genji.” Organized by subject area, time period, and type of resource, the site is both visually appealing and user-friendly. You can find everything from culture to history in the form of primary sources, maps (coming soon), and multimedia.

BBC Schools: Learning Resources for Home and School
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/index.shtml
Though Great Britain’s school curricula are different from those in the United States, there’s something here for everyone. Organized by age group, this Web site offers a wealth of age-appropriate information, stories, and learning activities in subject areas ranging from math, science, and languages to history, geography, music, and more. There is also a link to BBC Learning, which opens up even more resources. An excellent Web site for students, teachers, and librarians everywhere.

Best of History Web Sites
http://www.besthistorysites.net
A goldmine for librarians, teachers and students, this useful site provides a gateway to a wide variety of history Web sites. Sites are organized into the following categories: prehistory, ancient/biblical, medieval, U.S. history, early modern European, 20th century, World War II, art history, general resources and maps. In addition, there are links to K-12 lesson plans, activities, multimedia and research resources.

Book Spot
http://www.bookspot.com
If you are looking for summer reading material, book lists, or a good read to take on vacation with you, this is the site to visit. You can find such lists as 100 Favorite Children’s Books, Paperbacks for Young Adults, Books on Current Events, Hungry Mind’s 100 Best, and more. You can also browse genres, book reviews, bestsellers, first chapters, and authors. Or visit the book discussion center and join a reading group. A wonderful resource for librarians, parents, and students.

Cool Cosmos
http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu
Enter the exciting world of astronomy! Geared toward K-12 students, this Web site teaches you all about astronomy—particularly infrared astronomy—through fun educational activities, including tutorials, games, and videos. Learn how infrared works and be sure to stop by the Infrared Zoo, where you can see normal and infrared images of animals side by side. Also find out about the Spitzer Space Telescope (you can even build a model of it) and see what the universe looks like through its eyes. Cool Cosmos is a project by the EPO group at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center and by the SIRTF Science Center, both located at the
California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Highly recommended.

Cyberschoolbus! United Nations - Global Teaching and Learning Project
http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus
Available in six languages, the United Nations (UN) Cyberschoolbus Web site offers a wealth of quality information about UN member countries. You can view and compare country data, including statistics related to population, the economy, health, technology, and the environment. You can look at each country’s profile individually (including a map), read up on such topics as peace, poverty, human rights, and hunger, or watch informative videos, e.g., “The Year in Review 2004.” You can learn more about the UN and its many projects, test your knowledge with one of the quizzes, view an international student art gallery, and more. In short, this site provides a goldmine of information and insights that can be used for reports, school projects, and the social studies curriculum. Highly recommended.

Energy Kid’s Page
http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids
Who discovered electricity? What is renewable energy? This Web site by the U.S. Energy Information Administration is just for students. It provides helpful information about different sources of energy and shows who uses energy. It explains the science behind energy and educates students about ways to conserve energy. The site also details the history of energy, along with famous people, and features some fun games, activities, classroom resources (for students and teachers), a glossary, and links for further exploration. Highly recommended.

EPA: Climate Change: Kids Site
http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/index.html
What is the difference between climate and weather? What is climate change and how does it impact us? Learn more about Earth’s climate at this Web site by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, including the greenhouse effect and global warming, the water cycle, and the carbon cycle. Test your knowledge with one of the quizzes and find out how scientists study past and present weather and atmospheric conditions. The site also features some fun games, videos, and materials for teachers. Last but not least, find out how you can make a difference. Highly recommended.

Fact Monster
http://factmonster.com
Since it was launched several years ago, FactMonster.com has been nationally recognized for its reference resources and learning activities. Designed for the elementary grades, this site provides hours of fun and exploration. From earthquakes, mythology, and mathematical formulas to biographies, world news, and tongue twisters—this Web site has something for everyone!

FE Kids
http://fekids.com/kln
This site can keep you busy for hours—with quizzes, sports information, and current events, as well as an extensive homework resource center which includes an ecyclopedia, almanac, atlas, and tips on how to write a research paper.

FirstGov for Kids
http://www.kids.gov
This portal site offers a host of links to Federal Web sites just for children. It provides hours of fun and exploration in subject categories such as Fighting Crime, Geography, History, Homework, Science and Math, Space, and more. For librarians teaching information literacy skills, there is a challenging “Web Treasure Hunt” quiz with questions that can only be answered by using this site.

GirlsHealth.gov
http://www.4girls.gov
Sponsored by the National Women’s Health Information Center (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services), this Web site is designed for girls ages 10 to 16. It provides health information and advice about issues ranging from fitness, nutrition, and self-esteem to bullying, relationships, and more. The site is fully searchable and contains separate sections for parents and caregivers and for educators. It is endorsed by New Moon magazine. A helpful Web site.

Google News
http://news.google.com
You’re probably familiar with Google, but have you tried Google News? This beta site searches 4,500 news sources worldwide and is updated continuously. Headlines are selected entirely by computer algorithms, without human intervention. You can view news by category (Top Stories, World, U.S., Business, Sci/Tech, Sports, Entertainment, and Health) or do a search, e.g., for Mount Saint Helens, which brings up 30+ recent news stories related to the subject. You can also use Google News to compare how different news agencies report on the same topic. In addition, you can create News Alerts, enabling you to receive via email the latest news on your chosen topic. Highly recommended.

Kidfish
http://www.kidfish.bc.ca
Spring is coming! This Canadian Web site for students in grades 5 to 7 provides a wealth of information about the environment, lakes, rivers, fishes, aquatic fish food, fly fishing, and stewardship. There is even a tutorial about basic fly tying and a feature by members of the Carrier First Nation in central British Columbia, who share their knowledge about fish and the role fish has played in their culture. The site also comes with teacher support materials, including lesson plans. Highly recommended.

Languages of the World: Brought to You by the National Virtual
Translation Center
http://www.nvtc.gov/lotw
Which language is spoken in Austria? Which country has the largest Spanish-speaking population?—Want to learn more? By way of U.S. Senate Resolution 28, the year 2005 has been designated as the Year of Languages! At this Web site you can learn all about different language families, take a language trip around the globe, or take one of the monthly quizzes to test your knowledge about countries, cultures, and their languages. You can also explore why it’s important to learn a foreign language and how it might help you later in life. A great Web site for students, teachers, librarians, and parents.

The Library of Congress: American Memory
http://memory.loc.gov
Have you ever wanted to see some really old baseball cards or take a look at an old railroad map from the state in which you live? American Memory, a project by the Library of Congress, provides a gateway to a vast number of resources that document American history, growth, and thinking, including documents, speeches, sound recordings, photographs, films, maps, music, and more. You can search by keyword, browse the collections by broad topic (from Advertising to Women’s History), or browse an A-Z list of all collections by title. There’s also a link to teacher resources. And if you have a question, you can ask a librarian. An invaluable resource.

The Open Door Website
http://saburchill.com
Designed for teachers and students in grades 4-12, this award-winning Web site pulls together a host of useful information in the subject areas biology, chemistry, electronics, history, physics, and technology. Students are invited to use the materials provided on this site in their research papers and are encouraged to make use of the study guide to help them expand their research, write a bibliography, and evaluate Web sites. Highly recommended.

Oracle: Think Quest
http://www.thinkquest.org
Made possible by the Oracle Education Foundation, Think Quest challenges students and teachers to create the best educational Web sites on the Internet. The Web sites can be entered into an international competition and Think Quest will host the winning sites for free. Visit some of these winning sites and learn about such topics as cybercrime (first place winner, Oct. ’04), natural disasters (best of category: natural disasters, Oct. ’03), and crocodilians (first place winner, Apr. ’04). Click on “Library” and explore some of the 5,500+ sites featured here. Browse by subject category or search for a topic of interest. A highly recommended resource.

PBS: American Experience
The Presidents
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/presidents/index.html
This companion site to American Experience’s television special “The Presidents,” which airs on PBS, lets you explore the careers and legacies of forty-two U.S. presidents (not including George W. Bush). Each presidential profile includes a presidential portrait, an overview of the presidency, major events that occurred during the presidency, the president’s domestic policy, foreign affairs, and presidential politics. Many presidential profiles also feature expanded content, including links to bibliographies and additional resources, such as links to Web sites, teacher’s guides, and primary sources. Highly recommended.

Science Buddies
http://www.sciencebuddies.org
Need help finding a science project or getting started with an idea? This site can help. It offers a wide variety of project ideas and resource suggestions. Just click on Science Project Ideas to see a list of general subject areas—from aerodynamics to zoology. Each project shows you a difficulty level and provides information about the time required to complete the project, prerequisites, materials, cost, and possible safety issues. There is an introduction to the project, a list of terms and questions, a bibliography, a materials list, how-to information, and occasional photographs and illustrations. If you’re still unsure what interests you or you need help narrowing your topic down or pinpointing research resources, try the Topic Selection Wizard. The site also outlines the scientific method, tells you about variables and hypotheses, shows you how to display your results in graphs and charts, gives you ideas about showcasing your project at a science fair, and more. Unlike other science project Web sites, this site is not a commercial site, i.e., it doesn’t sell project kits. Ready to get started? If you find success, and you surely will, check out the list of top science competitions. Highly recommended.

SFS Kids: Fun with Music
http://www.sfskids.org
This is a go-to Web site when it comes to learning about music and having fun with it! The San Francisco Symphony (SFS) shows you what you need to know. Visit the Music Lab, where you can learn about all aspects of music, from tempo, rhythm, and pitch to harmony, symbols, and more. The different sections are interactive and provide listening examples or have you play your own tune. Also take a look at Instruments of the Orchestra, which shows you the instrument families, an orchestra seating chart, and provides images and information for each instrument. Highly recommended.

Social Studies for Kids
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com
A great place to search for information or subjects ranging from history and geography to current events, religion, archeology, and more.

USGS: Exploring Caves
http://interactive2.usgs.gov/learningweb/teachers/explorecaves_america.htm
Do you have caves in your state? How many are there and what types of caves are they? Find out by visiting the U.S. Geological Survey’s “Exploring Caves” Web site. This Web site is designed for grades K-3 and features a wealth of information about caves in the United States, cave types, cave animals, and cave care. There are also project ideas, homework help, and research resources for students. Young explorers can learn more about careers in science or look up information on special topics, such as earthquakes, fire, maps and images, and water. There are some fun and educational online games as well. And teachers will find lesson plans, activity ideas, and educational materials. Highly recommended.

World Almanac for Kids Online
http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com/index.html
What are the world’s fastest animals? With which famous historical figures do you share your birthday? Who invented the zipper? Find the answers to these and other questions at World Almanac for Kids Online, a companion site to the World Almanac for Kids. The Web site offers a wide variety of information—from animals, the environment, and historical birthdays to nations, presidents, sports, and more. You can also enter contests, play games, solve crossword puzzles, or test your knowledge with one of the online quizzes. And if you can’t find the answer to your question(s), simply ask the editors. Though this companion site is not searchable, it is a highly useful, valuable research resource.