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Children Home Alone - This site is loaded with safety tips for Children when they are home alone. There is a comic kids can read, a safety check list and more!
Dogs Against Drugs - Yofee is a very special working dog. She's trained for search and rescue as well as disaster and drug work. She takes her person around to schools and community events to help teach kids about safety, smoking, and drug addiction. Meet her here, grab some of her coloring book pages, and learn about all kinds of safe practices. There is even a coloring book about safety around strange dogs, called "Does He Bite?" Go fetch it!
Down Syndrome - This site was created by kids to explain Down syndrome to other kids. One of the kids on the Web team has Down syndrome. You can read all about him at this page and also see a video of him in a wrestling competition. This resource explains that kids with Down syndrome are not so different after all. You'll also find out about the history of the syndrome as well as other facts. This resource does its job so well, it won the 1998 ThinkQuest Junior competition!
Eating Disorders Awareness and Prevention - Anorexia nervosa. Bulimia nervosa. We know the words, but do we know the warning signs? This site offers tips on how to help a friend you suspect has an eating disorder. It gives information and resources on self-esteem. One thing everyone can do is educate others about the seriousness of eating disorders. It is not "just a girl's problem." Find out more here.
Eye on Everything - How many pupils are in a teacher's class if she has 10 students? You might say "10," but really it's 20--if you mean "eye" pupils and not students! Learn all about eye anatomy, diseases, and ways to improve eyesight. Then check out interesting information about the eye, such as the fact that most people blink about every six seconds. This site was created by students for the ThinkQuest competition.
FDA Kids Home Page - The Food and Drug Administration is the government authority that makes sure our food supply is safe and drugs and medicines actually do what they claim to do. Learn about vaccines and how they work to protect us from disease. Check out articles on protecting your hearing at rock concerts, on eating disorders, and lots of other teen topics. Younger kids will enjoy the food safety coloring book.
Get It Straight - The Facts About Drugs - Written by kids, this straight talk describes "What's up with" all kinds of drugs, from anabolic steroids and over-the-counter medications to heroin and cocaine. Besides the solid information, there are suggested activities to extend the antidrug message into the community. For example, there are planning ideas for a drug-free dance or other neighborhood event.
Harcourt Health - Do you know how to dress for safety when you play football or speed down the street on your inline skates? If not, you can practice by dressing up an otter in the Grade 2 selection area. Just click and drag on the various pads and mouth guards and boxer shorts and sandals, and see if you can make the right choices. You can also look for the 13 hazards in the Disaster Kitchen, waiting for you in the Grade 3 section. Check Grade 5's Skeleton Shakedown to see how good you are at putting a skeleton back together, and in Grade 6 there's even more, including a tobacco and alcohol quiz.
Just Because We Have a DisAbility Doesn't Mean We Byte - Sometimes you can see a disability, such as cerebral palsy. But others are invisible--such as bulimia or ADD (attention deficit disorder). What's it like to be "different"? Try some of the simulations to find out how your life would be if you were differently-abled. This site was created by students for the ThinkQuest competition.
Kidd Safety - The Consumer Product Safety Commission wants you to try all of "Kidd" Safety's games. (He's a little cartoon goat. His name is Kidd. Get it?) Look for the dangerous situations around the house. Do you see one? Good--now click on it and play a concentration-style matching game. After that you can try a word search puzzle or try to skateboard to the park while picking up safety equipment and avoiding branches and squirrels. You have 90 seconds--GO!
Kidde Home Safety Foundation Internet Site - Take a look at the Java games at this new resource promoting fire safety. It's presented by a company that makes extinguishers and alarms of various types. Captain Kidde, a colorful superhero, teaches children about fire protection equipment, how to conduct fire safety checks and fire drills, and ways to save themselves and others in the event of a fire. We had fun creating blueprints of imaginary houses and dragging around various appliances, smoke alarms, and fire extinguishers until we figured we'd done a pretty good job. Captain Kidde evaluated our work, and luckily he agreed. There are various games for ages 5 to 13 and lots of information for parents, too. Teachers will find lesson plans designed for grades K-8 and safety tips on preventing fires and carbon monoxide poisoning. There are also home safety education tools for firefighters to use during communityhouses, in-school visits, and similar outreach activities. You'll find loads of links, too.
KidsHome - This part of the Internet is just for kids who have cancer, HIV, and other serious illnesses. Meet other kids who hate taking their medicine. Share some stories and poems: welcome to KidsHome.
LinkAge 2000 - How old does someone have to be before you consider her "old"? 80? 70? 60? Or maybe even 30? How much do you know about aging and senior citizens? This site gives you the opportunity to acquaint yourself with geriatrics--the medical study of old age. Why is this important to you, a young whippersnapper? First, because our population has so many older adults--largely due to better health care--and people are living longer. And second, you yourself will be old one day, and you might want to know what to expect. Check out this excellent site, which is international in scope, and teaches us to treasure our elders. This site was created by students for the ThinkQuest competition.
Mind over Matter - Produced by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, this site lets you follow research scientist Sara Bellum as she investigates the effect of drugs on the human body. Marijuana, opiates, inhalants, hallucinogens, nicotine, steroids, and stimulants are covered. Find out where the drug comes from, what it does to your brain and other parts of your body, and where you can find more info on the Net and in the library.
My 8 Rules for Safety - What are "Checking first," "Using the buddy system," and "Trusting your feelings"? These are three of the eight rules for safety developed by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. To stay safe, it's important to stay with friends when you are outside, to always tell your parents or caregiver where you are going, and to trust your feelings if you think something is wrong. This site is presented by Child Find Canada. You'll also find rules for older kids and how to keep safe on the Net.
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children - Some families are looking for their missing children. Check their photos. Have you seen any of these kids? Maybe you can help! This site lets you search by state, physical description, and other characteristics. If you have a Web page of your own, check the How You Can Help area. It will tell you how to put a link at your page that will show photos of recently missing kids to your Web site visitors, like the pictures on milk cartons. Another way you can help is to join the Poster Partners program. As soon as a child from your area is reported missing, you will receive an e-mail and a link to that child's photo poster information. You print it out and ask permission to put the poster up in a public place. You must also agree to retrieve the poster when the child is found.
National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information for Kids Only - Go to Be Smart, Don't Start, then Pick a Brain, any brain. You'll find out what effects marijuana, alcohol, inhalants, and tobacco have on brains. Does someone you know abuse drugs or alcohol? There's a section called How to Help Someone that will tell you what you can do. Wally Bear and the Know Gang offer word search puzzles, coloring books, and even information on Internet safety. Just say yes and visit this site.
Neuroscience for Kids - Explore the Nervous System - When you bite into a chocolate bar, how do you know it's delicious? How do you know to say "Ouch!" when you get stung by a mosquito? Little sensors, called neurons, are all over your body, and they carry messages to your brain through a system of nerves. Your brain then sorts everything out. This resource is crammed with great info about brains, your senses, spinal cords, and careers in neuroscience. Be aware, though, that many of these folks go to school for 20 years before they become neuroscientists!
New York State Department of Health - Communicable Disease Fact Sheets - Ahh-chooo! Nobody likes getting sick. Chicken pox, mumps, influenza (that's the long way to say the flu) are among the many illnesses you can catch. Sicknesses you catch are called communicable diseases, and you can learn about lots of these from this info provided by the New York State Department of Health. So, remember always to cover your face when you sneeze, wash your hands before you eat, and be health-smart!
Operation Lifesaver, Inc. - Trains are fascinating, but dangerous. Did you know that a big 150-car freight train traveling at 50 mph can take up to 1.5 miles to come to a complete stop? In the U.S. there are about 6,000 deaths and injuries per year involving trains and cars or pedestrians walking on the tracks. Most train accidents occur when the train is traveling 30 mph or slower. Even at 30 mph, the approximate stopping distance is 3,500 feet, or two-thirds of a mile! Operation Lifesaver educates adults and kids on trains and train safety. There are also coloring pages and suggested activities. Make tracks to visit here soon.
PBS Kids - Fun & Games - Techknow - One of the features found here is a ten-question quiz. "Get Your Web License Here" asks you what information is safe to give out online. You may know those answers by now, but how good are you at answering more technical questions, say, on the fine points of domain names? You can print out a certificate once you have passed the test. In the You Be the Judge section, visit Web sites that kids have rated as their favorites.
Preventing and Fighting Fires - Different types of materials produce different types of fires. Charcoal burns slowly, with an even glow. Other materials, such as coal and wood, produce a flame. A very rapid burning fire is created by gunpowder or dynamite, and the large amount of gases produced makes a violent explosion. Find out about fires and the various techniques used in fighting them at this site from World Book Encyclopedia. There is also an interesting section on great fires throughout history.
SafetyAlerts.com - "Comprehensive consumer product recall warnings, keep up to date on all kinds of safety issues from recalled toys and infant items, to food and drug recalls. Health and Safety News updated continously. Free email alert service available.
Seeing, Hearing and Smelling the World - Trying to make sense out of your senses? Visit this site, from the Howard Hughes Medical Center. Discover how we see color, why we have two ears, and the differences in brain scans as we see a word or hear it. Amazing!
SmileDoc.com - There is nothing better than a beautiful set of choppers. After all, how can you eat corn on the cob or bite into a big, juicy apple if your teeth aren't in tip-top shape? You can look over other questions to the dentist or ask your own. What's toothpaste made of? Should you pull out your loose tooth? What's the deal with that fluoride goop they put on your teeth? The answers are here.
Smokey Says - Who can prevent forest fires? Only you, of course! You need to know how to safely handle matches and fire, and Smokey Bear and his friends can help you learn how. Try the Shockwave games, and you won't get burned, even though this site is hot!
Test Your Reflexes - Do you think you would react faster if you saw a sign, or if you heard a sound? At this Web site you can test your guess.
The Department of Health and Human Services Kids Page - The Department of Health and Human Services includes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the National Institutes of Health, among other agencies. Their kids' page has a food safety coloring book as well as information about smoking and drug abuse. There are some bizarre things collected on this page of links, though. We're not sure what holiday and brain teaser links have to do with the subject.
The Hospital Tour - Nine-year-old Julia has discovered that hospitals can actually be fun! She and some of her friends will take you through the hospital and explain some of the scary parts of being sick. Once you understand what they are, you won't be scared any longer. For example, sometimes patients are fed liquids through a slender, flexible tube and needle stuck into their arms. That is called an IV, and although it might hurt a little at first, once it is in place the doctors and nurses can give medication through this tube. There are a lot of interesting pictures, and each has a great explanation about what is happening. Oh, and don't be scared when you meet up with Chris--he's just wearing a mask, gown, and gloves so he doesn't get any germs from the people around him.
The Otto Club - The California State Automobile Association has a terrific site to help very young kids learn about traffic safety. Visit Otto the car and his interactive town. Talk about street smarts--Otto is a real know-it-all! There is a full-featured animation and sound version or a lighter version for those who believe less is more. Sing along with the Seat Belt Song by pressing the radio buttons on Otto's dashboard. Play the traffic light game, and see if you can compare the two pictures and decide who's stopped for red, based on the signals YOU can see. There are little games on helmet safety and playground safety, too. Be sure to click on the question mark in each area, though, to find out what you can do in each section.
The Smoking Handbook - Written by eighth graders for other middle schoolers, this site examines the allure of smoking as well as the addictive qualities of nicotine. Even if you don't smoke, you should be aware of the dangers of secondhand or sidestream smoke. Want to help someone quit smoking? Various methods are outlined on this well-researched page, which also offers a useful set of links.
The Tooth Fairy - Some children believe that when they lose a tooth, it should be left under their pillows for the tooth fairy. She takes the tooth and may leave behind some coins. There is a lot about that gentle story at this Web site. You will also find quick tips on how to keep your teeth healthy and cavity-free. How often should you brush your teeth, and what's that gunky stuff called plaque? Learn how to floss, and remember: the only teeth you have to floss are the ones you want to keep!
U.S. Department of Agriculture for Kids - From this vantage point you can meet Smokey Bear, Woodsy Owl, Twig Walkingstick, Rus the Surfin' Squirrel, and S. K. Worm. You'll also learn about the History of U.S. Agriculture ), Facts About Agriculture, and a whole bushel of information about the food pyramid. Did you know there are really two nutritional pyramids? One is for young children and one is for Everyone Else. No, Twinkies are not on either one.
USFA Kids Homepage - The U.S. Fire Administration wants everyone to be safe from fire, including you. Every year, kids start over 100,000 fires--don't be one of them! This site explains smoke alarms, home fire safety, and escape plans. There is also a Parent-Teacher Lounge with lesson plans and more resources to help clear the smoke on fire safety.
VA Image Browser - Did you ever wonder what your body would look like with transparent skin? Did you ever wonder what your heart looks like while it's beating inside your chest? You don't have to wonder any longer! At this site, you can see images (including moving pictures) of these and many other parts of the human body.
Vince & Larry's Safety City - Larry and Vince are real dummies--crash test dummies, that is. They have been in over 10,000 car crashes over the years, in order to test car safety. What happens at the Car Testing Grounds? What's the correct way to wear a seat belt? Are air bags more trouble than they are worth? What's the best way to be safe around school buses? What's up with bicycle safety? Larry and Vince give you the answers. They also give you the questions in the Safety Challenge Trivia game--can you beat the current high score?
Welcome to CCAPS - The KidZone - If you're lost in the woods, what should you do? The Royal Canadian Mounted Police say you should "Hug a Tree!" Not only because the tree is your friend, but also because it will help you to remember to stay put and not wander around. Lost kids are easier to find that way. There's a Hug a Tree coloring and story book at this site, as well as a general safety coloring book. This site is also available in French.
Yo! It's Time for Braces! - It makes you wonder why no one has come up with this idea before: explain braces and other orthodontia from the perspective of a kid. The class members who created this site were finalists in the ThinkQuest Junior competition, and they do have a wonderful Web page. The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that kids get their "bite" checked when they are about seven or eight. No, that doesn't mean you bite the dentist! The dentist will look at the way your teeth interact with each other. It's possible that you might need to wear braces on your teeth in order to straighten them and improve your bite--millions of kids do. This site explains it all and follows one girl through her first few months of living with braces.
Your Gross and Cool Body - Everything you've ever wondered about the science of sweat, pimples, burps, ear wax, and unseemly bodily noises is here. There are even audio recordings of stuff like a stomach growling--but it's not the real thing, and you get to guess what they used to make the sounds. It's not really disgusting, but it is gross, so if you're over 13 or so, don't even think of visiting this site! Those that do will learn a lot about digestion, the circulatory system, and other things about the human body and its mysteries.
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