Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids

Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids serves as the educational component of the Government Printing Office (GPO) Access, GPO's service to provide the official online version of legislative and regulatory information. This site provides print and online learning tools for K-12 students, parents, and teachers. These resources teach how our government works, the use of the primary source materials of GPO Access, and how one can use GPO Access to carry out their civic responsibilities. And, just as GPO Access provides locator services to U.S. Government sites, Ben's Guide provides a similar service to U.S. Government Web sites developed for kids.

Grades K-12

Altapedia Online

Once you get past the humongous horizontal ad on each page this site, there is a motherlode of geographical information. For each country A-to-Z, there is a profile detailing location, geography, climate, people, demographics, languages, religion, education, history, economy, and more. In addition, there are physical and political maps. These maps depict regions as well as countries. Great site to explore the world.

Bartleby.com

Sometimes we tend to get so involved in the great not-so-popular finds that we forget we have some really wonderful well-know resources and we believe Bartleby.com falls into that category. Bartleby features literature, reference and verse. Users can buy the books online, or download free e-books. In addition to the Bartleby Bookstore, the site features famous quotations, authors, Harvard Classics, and daily biographies, definitions, quotations and poems. Bartleby.com also features a very good online encyclopedia, dictionary and thesaurus. It really is a site to add to your favorites, that is, if its not already there.

National Women's Hall of Fame

The National Women's Hall of Fame features American women who have made significant national or global contributions in the fields of arts, athletics, business, education, government, the humanities, philanthropy, and science. I made my way to the list of inductees and just went down the list. Many of the names I've heard all of my life, and others I've never heard mentioned. What a learning experience. Wonderful, wonderful, absolutely wonderful!

The Nine Planets

Developed by Bill Arnett, The Nine Planets is an overview of the history, mythology, and current scientific knowledge of the planets, moons and other objects in our solar system. Each page features text and NASA's images. Some have sounds and movies and most provide references to additional related information. Arnett's The Nine Planets is a delightful multimedia tour of the solar system:one star, eight planets, and more.

Grades 6th thru 12th

HowStuffWorks

This site is what I would term "deep." HowStuffWorks features credible and easy-to-understand explanations of how the world actually works. Founded by North Carolina State University Professor Marshall Brain in 1998, the site has since grown to be an award-winning online resource for millions of people of all ages. From car engines to search engines, from cell phones to stem cells, and thousands of subjects in between, HowStuffWorks has it covered. In addition to comprehensive articles, helpful graphics and informative videos walk you through every topic clearly, simply and objectively. Its a wonderful place to get lost!

Grades 7-12+

Amazing Space

What a ride! Amazing Space provides a fun, interactive way to explore galaxies, black holes, comets, and other fascinating objects. Get to know our vast universe by exploring its planets, galaxies, comets, black holes, and more. Come and immerse yourself in the majestic beauty of the universe while gaining an education on the world's greatest discoveries. Get the hottest space news and homework help too.

Grades K thru 12

GameGoo

GameGoo features interactive educational games designed to develop early reading and language skills. The games are full of rich stories and characters to engage students in learning adventures. GameGoo is developed by Cognitive Concepts, a provider of language and literacy software, etc. This is an excellent site for practicing basic reading and language skills.

Grades Pre-K thru 3rd

Shelby County Schools' ESL Resource Page

Its not a pretty site, but it has more English as a Second Language (ESL)resources than any other site I've viewed.The Shelby County Schools' ESL Resource Page is a no frills resource for ESL students, parents, and educators. Developed by Dianne Dogan for Shelby County Schools, it is an educational portal linking to hundreds of websites on the World Wide Web. The linked sites have been reviewed and selected by K-12 educators. The presence of a link on this website does not represent an endorsement of the site by Shelby County Schools. Some of the links are broken, some are advertisement heavy, and some are really good. If you can bear the bright yellow and sift through the debris, there are jewels to be found for ESL students or anyone attempting to master the English language.

Pre-K thru 12+

Puzzle Pixies

Puzzle Pixies provides fun and educational games, puzzles and activities young people in kindergarten thru high school and probably most adults. The activities are rated by previous users, so you can see very quickly the most well-liked. Certainly a favorite of parents with younger kids will be the no mess painting area, Pixie Paint--provides online drawing, painting and colouring-in with Pixie Paint! Delightful site!

K thru-12+

Christine Harris: Fun for Kids

I have a couple of rules I usually play by--no advertising sites, and always link to the homepage. But this site is really, really good. So I am breaking the rules. Christine Harris writes books. The Christine Harris homepage is chock full of photos of those books and her pretty face, but it takes some of us quite a bit of time to load. They're probably pretty good books, but I haven't read any of them. What caught my eye was the Fun for Kids area and the Weblinks page. The Fun for Kids area has competitions, jokes, stories, and a wonderful page called Spy Girl. The Weblinks page features several really good websites. I was just tickled to no end by this site. Absolutely delightful.

English Online Writer's Window

Writers' Window is a site for school aged (ages 5-18) writers to publish their writing. Categories include short stories, poetry, research papers, and television, book and movie reviews. There are also continuous stories. This site is one more avenue for young people to practice their writing skills. It is an opportunity to critique and receive critique from their peers. It is a well monitored site with rules designed to focus on writing as well as to facilitate safety and the learning experience.

Grades K thru 12

Zigwhat!

Zigawhat!--What is it? A web site for learning, connecting, growing, coping, and fun for young people with disabilities and their peers. This site provides resources connecting young people with information on their living with their challenges as well as opportunities to interact with other young people living with similar challenges. Zigawhat is maintained by the folks at the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities.

Future State

Future State provides insight into function of the the U.S. Department of State. Its a good starting point to explore career oppportunities in politics and civil service. Although most of the site is geared toward parents, educators and students in gradelevels 7 thru K-12+, there is an area dedidcated to K-6 grade students. It is a no frills site, but the content is very clear, concise and informational.

SuperThinkers

Thinking is a process where we have to create new connections, look for meaning behind the facts and analyze in order to understand. These are the goals of SuperThinkers! This flash-driven website features a set of original games and interactive mysteries designed to foster literacy and problem-solving. It's a friendly, fun place to use logic and reasoning to solve problems. It is often helpful to have a team of thinkers collaborating. The creators encourage students to work together and talk aloud about their hypotheses, ideas and questions. Created by children's book author Peter H. Reynolds and his creative team at Emmy Award-winning FableVision. The site primarily targets learners in grades 5 through 8, but provides fun for learners at all levels.

Grades 5 thru 8+

Figure This!

Figure This! demonstrates challenging middle school mathematics and emphasizes the importance of high-quality math education for all students. This site provides interesting mathematical challenges that middle-school students can do at home with their families. Although the site targets middle school students, it can certainly be used with younger students who are strong in math as well as high school students. Its a site that you have to play around with for a few moments to figure out the ins and outs. But after the initial learning curve, its a wonderful resource. Warning! The colors are a waker upper. Funding for the project was provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Education.

English Online Writer's Window

"Practice makes perfect" and Writers' Window provides lots of practice for young writers. Writers' Window is a site for school aged young writers (aged from 5 to 18) to publish their writing. Writer's Window will publish all writing that complies with their guidelines. Categories include short stories, poetry, research papers, plays, and television, book and movie reviews. There are also continuous stories that young writers can add to. And, what better motivation than to see your work showcased on the web? Grades K thru 12

HubbleSite

What's out there, where did it come from, and what does it mean? HubbleSite is the place to keep on the top of the latest findings to these questions about the universe. Although site centers around the Hubble Telescope it provides so much more information about our universe. It is not only informative but the images are spectacular. This is the site of all sites for those interested in astronomy and space. HubbleSite is produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute's Office of Public Outreach.

Smithsonian Institutution Online

In 1826, James Smithson, a British scientist, drew up his last will and testament, naming his nephew as beneficiary. Smithson stipulated that, should the nephew die without heirs (as he would in 1835), the estate should go to the United States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men. Thanks to Smithson we have this wonderful national resource. Visiting the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. remains as one of the most breathtaking ventures in my lifetime and I have traveled extensively. Today, looking at the wonderful online resources, although not as delightful as being there, is still an exciting and enlightening experience. The website designed for ease in finding resources for everyone with gateways, such as, the student section and frequently asked questions about the Smithsonian with links to resources on subjects from Art to Zoology.

Grades 5 thru 12+

The World's Greatest Places

Pack a lunch, take a seat in front of a computer, and travel abroad to Madagascar, Greenland, Tibet, Namib, Okavanga, Iquazu, or the Amazon. Don't let your budget or time limitations stop you from seeing the the world's greatest locations. The World's Greatest Places enables you to take an online trip to seven of the most geographically diverse places on Earth. At first glance its not a fancy site, but with a few mouse clicks the world opens up to you.

Grades Pre-K thru 12+

AAA Math

Aside from the advertising, which is really pretty light, I really like this site. AAA Math features a comprehensive set of interactive arithmetic lessons. Unlimited practice is available on each topic which allows thorough mastery of the concepts. A wide range of lessons enables learning or review to occur at each individual's current level. Immediate feedback (simply the right answer)prevents practicing and learning incorrect methods, which is a common result of traditional homework and worksheets. Practice can continue as long as desired in a non-threatening format which helps build self-esteem and confidence. This is a really good tool for building a solid math foundation.

Kindergarten thru 8th Grade

HistoryNet.com

You can lose yourself for hours in the wealth of resources at HistoryNet.com. The HistoryNet.com is brought to you by the Weider History Group, the world's largest publisher of history magazines. If you are interested in history you are bound on this website to find something to pique your interest. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 1,200 articles originally published in our various magazines. We generally don't recommend sites that require registration to get to the really good stuff or sites that have a lot of advertising. But this is an instance where the juice is definitely worth the squeeze. Once you register there is so much information and you can get loads of information without purchasing one thing--no pop-ups either. The Daily Quiz alone is worth the minute it takes to register, but the site features history quizzes, news, photos and so much more for those interested in history.

Number2.com

Number2.com offers students access to comprehensive free online test preparation courses for the SAT, ACT, and GRE. The company was founded by professors and graduate students who wanted to make high quality test preparation universally accessible. In 2002 Number2.com was acquired by Xap Corporation. Xap Corporation’s comprehensive Mentor education and career websites efficiently guide students through the college and career preparation process. But more than just offering student-friendly college search tools and easy online applications, Xap delivers useful professional tools for high school counselors, post-secondary admissions officers, and partners to effectively level the playing field for prospective students and their families. Xap shares Number2.com's mission of making higher education more accessible to students of all backgrounds.

Extreme Science

Are you a science lover? Does trivia interest you? If you answered "yes" to one or both of those questions, then you'll enjoy Extreme Science. The site features the biggest, baddest, and the best in the world of science extremes, and explanations of why each is the most extreme example of its kind. You'll find world records in natural science, including earth science and the plant and animal kingdom. You'll also find a collection of science and technology information and resources available on the Internet, including resources for students working on science fair projects and teachers needing content for science lessons. Fun site!

My Hero

What better subject to write about than one's hero. My Hero's mission is to enlighten and inspire people of all ages with hero stories from around the world. The website hosts thousands of stories of remarkable individuals written by children and adults alike. These stories serve to remind us that we all have the potential to overcome great obstacles and achieve our dreams by following in the footsteps of our heroes. While sharing the great stories of their heroes, young and old alike can develop their writing skills. Explore the thoughts of others by searching for your hero. Wonderful resource!

Grades 2-4

MuseumStuff.com

From time to time, we have featured an online museum that has caught our eye. Some museum websites are so-so, some are middle-of-the-road,and some are awesome. Let's say, for instance, the Smithsonian Institution--now that's one impressive online museum. And, its really something to see if you should find yourself in the Washington D.C. area--and its all free (online and at the door). But the Smithsonian isn't the only wonderful online museum. MuseumStuff.com is the gateway to all of them. The site has a page linking to websites that feature a virtual component. At your fingertips is the ability to explore thousands of online museums worldwide and locate the brick and mortar museums that are in your area or your travels. Excellent resource!

TryScience

TryScience.org is your gateway to experience the excitement of contemporary science and technology through on and offline interactivity with science and technology centers worldwide. In other words, its a place where science is exciting, and it's for everyone! Investigate, discover, and try science yourself. There is so much science on this website; there's earth science, biology, chemistry, social sciences, space science, technology and engineering and believe it or not--there's more. And, the website features activities for all ages.

Kid's Place Brain Teasers

How do we make math fun? That's a math question that we have been tackling for years. But the Brain Teasers page of Kid's Place does just that--it generates a little fun while challenging the brain. The site asks weekly age-appropriate math questions for grades 3-4, 5-6, and 7-8. The site also features a Wacky Web Tales for grades 3 and above, and a Current Event page with links to other kid-friendly current event sites. Cool place to visit.

Grades 3rd thru 8th

Geology.com

What is Geology? Geology.com answers that question and many, many more. This is a great reference site for geology and earth science. It features current events, maps, articles, dictionaries, career exploration tools, etc. What does Geology have to do with Home Owner's Insurance? What are Blood Diamonds? Where are the highest points in the United States? If these questions pique your interest, then you'll love this site.

bugbios

Its summertime and this is a great place to explore our summer companions. Bugbios definitely hits its mark when aims to help you really see insects for the miniature marvels they represent and to understand how intertwined our cultures have become with these alien creatures. This is definitely not the site for bugaphobics. Its a close-up, down and dirty, look a fly straight in the eye kind of experience. Great bugs!

Summer Camps for Children with Disabilities: 2007

We found this resource a couple of years ago after a father wrote inquiring if we knew of a summer camp for a child with autism. We didn't. We were able to find Summer Camps for Children with Disabilities. A publication of the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities, this 4-page guide links to directories and listings of summer camps--some of the directories are free, some not. Half of these resources identify camps specifically intended for children who have disabilities. The other half are simply directories listing camp opportunities available to all children. Your community is also likely to have summer camps or recreational opportunities available. The guide is updated annually.

getsmarter.org

Getsmarter.org gives students, parents and teachers a free, fun and private way to compare science and math skills to students worldwide. Students can warm up first with math and science practice quizzes. Correct answers are available--with hints and some fun! You might also learn some geography along the way. When you're ready, try The REAL Challenge! When you finish, you can see your results compared to those of all the students around the world who answered the same questions in 1995-99 as part of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). If you're one of the best in the world, we'll put you on The Top Ten. You can also go back to any test answer and learn more from the detailed explanations and links to other great web sites. Sponsored by the National Association of Manufacturers and the U.S. Department of Commerce. Visit GetTech.org to explore exciting high-tech careers in math, science, and technology.

FactMonster.com

When we ran across FactMonster.com from Information Please, our response was simply "Wow!" Its a great resource for young people. The site features an expanding atlas, a homework center , games and quizzes, age and gender-appropriate blogs and more. The site is geared toward 6-14 year olds but truly has something for every age group.

LiveScience.com

LiveScience.com is one of those sites that has a little something wonderful for everyone--especially, science buffs. The site focuses on the innovative and intriguing in science and technology. LiveScience.com covers news, views and scientific inquiry from an original, provocative point of view. The site looks at new discoveries, intellectual adventures and the idiosyncrasies of the world that surrounds us. This colorful site is loaded with "Cool Stuff," such as, The Sciece Top 10s, Trivia & Quizzes, a Video Collection and more. Although this Imaginova site features an eCommerce website, the advertising is not intrusive.

JetStream--An Online School for Weather

JetStream is a free online resource providing insight into the many weather occurences, such as, tornadoes, thunderstorms, hurricanes and more. Each major area is accompanied by a set of review questions. JetStream is designed for the web only, however, compressed files containing each section of JetStream are provided. Users can download any section or the entire website. The site also features an excellent glossary and a comprehensive list of acronyms. The site is sponsored by the National Weather Service, Southern Region Headquarters.

Lightening Bug

This is a no nonsense website for aspiring writers. If you are serious about writing Lightning Bug is a great site; if you're not, its best to skip this one. Lightning Bug was conceived to help young adults engage with story writing. The designers contend that understanding how to write a good story is an extremely effective way to express a point of view. The site has been written with a focus on fostering inspiration, finding voice, developing structure and encouraging an interest in writing. The site is intended to be a writing companion, a resource to draw on as you craft a narrative. It is intended to be useful to confident literate young writers, and to those less sure of their writing abilities. In early 2007, Firefly was added to the site, a short story writing challenge to help young adults start writing regularly. Its not a fancy site, but it is a very, very good resource for anyone who aspires to be a writer.

Inner Learning Online

Study the anatomy of the human body. Inner Learning Online is fun, interactive, and an ideal reference site for students or those who want to know more about the human body. The site provides a closer look at systems, such as, skeletal, muscular, nervous, cardiovascular, reproductive and more. Each topic has animations, 100’s of graphics, and thousands of descriptive links.
Grades 9 thru 12+

Helping Children Succeed in School

The average child spends about 1,000 hours per year in school. So, helping children enjoy learning and being successful in school is an important goal for parents, other family members, and schools. It takes the home and the school working together to successfully educate a child. Helping Children Succeed in School is a program written by University of Illinois Extension educators that gives successful strategies for parents and caregivers to help their children succeed in school.

GetSmarter.org

Free, animated, interactive site for elementary, middle & high school students – privately assess math & science skills, compare performance with students worldwide, and access hints, tutorials & links to improve performance. The site also includes GetSmarter, a tool for exploring careers in math, science and technology. Tips for parents available!

Grades 3rd thru 12th

National Youth Violence Resource Center

The events of the last few days have brought to the forefront of many of our minds the safety and protection of our young people. The National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center website was designed to serve as a user-friendly, single point of access to Federal information on youth violence. Developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other Federal partners, the Resource Center provides current information developed by Federal agencies or with Federal support pertaining to youth violence. A gateway for professionals, parents, youth and other interested individuals, the Resource Center offers the latest tools to facilitate discussion with our youth, to resolve conflicts nonviolently, to stop bullying, to prevent teen suicide, and to end violence committed by and against young people. Resources include fact sheets, best practices documents, funding and conference announcements, statistics, research bulletins, surveillance reports, and profiles of promising programs. The site also provides contact information to communicate with a specialist in the area of youth safety.

Earth Observatory

Are you a science buff? Then you have to take a look at this website. It doesn't matter if you love to delve into the details or just look at our beautiful earth, the Earth Observatory is worth a visit. The articles are excellent and the imagery is delightful. The purpose of NASA’s Earth Observatory is to provide a freely-accessible publication on the Internet where the public can obtain new satellite imagery and scientific information about our home planet. The focus is on Earth’s climate and environmental change.

Campus Tours: Virtual College Tours

CampusTours.com provides virtual college tours of over 850 colleges and universities. Although not a substitute for an actual campus visit, CampusTours presents an online alternative to the college view book, and is one of the most popular online college guides with students. Used in conjunction with the College Exporation Exercise at YouthPlay.org, these tours can be an eye-opening experience for young people contemplating college.

Ology

Ology means the "study of." The American Museum of Natural History presents Ology-an interactive website where you can explore the many "ologies" such as arachnology (the study of spiders) or volcanology (the study of volcanoes). The site map provides a quick overveiw of the scope of this colorful website. Put on your thinking cap before visiting this site.

Pre-K thru 12+

Who Wants to Win $1,000,000?

The Who Wants to Win $1,000,000? educational game is just plain old fun. You can spend hours in front of your computer with your kids playing this game. Test your knowledge of math and science as you work your way to the million dollar level! The questions you will answer are real. Unfortunately, the money, is not. Again, the money is not real! Curious of how other players are doing? Wondering if your high score is still a high score? Take a look at the list of previous winners and high scores.

Grades 5 thru12

Occupational Outlook Handbook 2006-2007

Have you ever wondered about the diffence in pay for a veternarian and physician? The Occupational Outlook Handbook is a nationally recognized source of career information, designed to provide valuable assistance to individuals--young and old-- making decisions about their future work lives. Revised every two years, the Handbook describes what workers do on the job, working conditions, the training and education needed, earnings, and expected job prospects in a wide range of occupations. Its the perfect starting place for those undertaking serious career exploration. This free resource is compiled by the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics.

ThinkQuest Library

Its been awhile since we have run across a powerhouse like this one. The ThinkQuest Library consists of over 6,ooo websites created by from around the world. The ThinkQuest competition inspires students ages 9-19 to think, connect, create, and share. Students work in teams to build innovative and educational websites to share with the world. The website is a showcase of the talent of our young people.

National Gallery of Art

The National Gallery of Art has something for all ages!! Join Lizzy and Gordon on a musical art adventure and examine the work of several artists through activities and projects in the NGAkids section; take an online tour and explore painting, sculpture, decorative arts, or graphic arts collections; or visit the education section and find out about educational programs, internships and fellowships. At a time when school art programs are on the cutting board, the virtual exhibitions and online tours at this site are a godsend.
Grades Pre-K thru 12+