|
|
|
TopClicks
->
Kidzone
->
Cool Stuff
->
Computer Stuff
A Warning for Parents and Kids - The Police Notebook - The Internet is a fun place to be. It is important, though, that you learn to use the Internet safely and wisely. What if someone asks for your phone number? What if someone asks for your password? What if you stumble into something that's "too old" for you? The University of Oklahoma Department of Public Safety gives loads of great tips on using the Internet in a good way.
Beginners' Central, a Users Guide to the Internet - We consider this an advanced beginner's site. While it covers all the basics on the Internet and Web, you'll find enough in-depth information to keep you reading (and rereading) for a while. Want to know how to make your own name and address "signature file" for your e-mail? Need to know just a little about Telnet and FTP? Want to print out the contents of a Web frame? What are e-mail attachments, and how do you send one? These are examples of some of the questions answered by this very nice site.
Computer Museum - Robots Gallery - If you were going to build your own robot to explore Mars, or maybe creep into a live volcano, or perhaps entertain humans at a party, what would you need to consider in your design? You'd need to figure out how it gets power, how it moves around, and of course, how it looks. This Shockwave simulation allows you to try out various choices in a robot lab and get feedback on your choices.
CyberNetiquette - You want to help your little sister learn about Internet safety rules? If she likes Disney characters, just take her to this site, pull up a chair, and settle back for a story. The stories do take a while to download, but they teach you what you need to know to stay safe. There are several stories currently available, as well as a list of Internet safety tips.
GO Network: Kids - When you're looking for, say, just a few extraordinary Web sites on collecting Beanies, Magic cards, or Pokemon, or are stuck and need game hints, or are desperately seeking help with your math assignment, try the GO Network to zoom in on the best stuff. Parents can be assured that GOGuardian--a filtering program--is running in the background until a parent chooses to turn it off.
Greatest Places Virtual Reality - All you'll need is QuickTime to explore 360-degree photos from Iguazu Falls in Brazil. Hope you're not afraid of heights. Hold onto the handrail! (For the squeamish, try the solid ground views of Greenland.)
IPL Youth Division: Do Spiders Live on the World Wide Web? - Take your baby sister to story time at the University of Michigan's Internet Public Library. This picture book dictionary will help her learn the difference between the mouse on your desk and the mouse in your barn. In case you were wondering, the one in the barn eats up all the corn, while the one on your desk eats up all your time.
Jumbo! The Download Network - Shareware? What's that? You can try out all kinds of shareware software before you buy it. Sometimes the shareware version will do everything that the full version will do. Jumbo also has lots of free programs for most computers and operating systems. It's easy to find what you want, since everything is classified by subject. The short descriptions will help you find that arcade game, er, math tutorial you want!
Kid's Domain Downloads - Families who drop in on this site will find it a severe test of the storage capacity of their hard drives. :-) A wealth of kids' software is available on the Internet, and this is the place to look. This extensive, fully annotated collection gives each program its own page, including age recommendations, program sizes, and shareware fees, if any. The page is divided between Mac and PC archives, and another section is devoted to online games.
Kidlink Irc - KIDLINK is one of the oldest kid-friendly sites on the Net. Internet relay chat (IRC) is a way for you to talk to kids all over the globe in real time. With IRC, when you type something, other kids can type right back! Some IRC channels areto everyone, and they are pretty wild. This one is just for kids, and you have to register before they will let you use it. It is carefully monitored. Don't pass by, give IRC a try.
Kidlink Network - You know the world's got some big problems: pollution, hunger, poverty. Why not talk to other kids and see if you can help solve some of them? Make new friends, and have some fun with kids from 129 different countries on the KIDCAFE discussions. Take a look at the KIDLINK mailing list page, and start e-mailing new friends. Show this to your teacher and parents, too. They'll find lots of good information about how to share a project with a class in another country. Many of the discussions are held in languages other than English, too!
KidsClick! Web Search - Browse almost 5,000 educational and fun Web sites in 15 different categories. All of them have been selected, categorized, and described by a team of librarians who know what kids want. How do they know? Because kids come into their libraries and ask for these types of things! There is a neat and fast search engine to get you where you want to go. You can search for sites by your reading level as well as the amount of graphics you care to load.
Kristy's Desktop Creations for Kids! - Free Windows wallpaper, animated cursors and icons designed for children. You'll find Blue's Clues, Thomas the Tank Engine, Rugrats and many more of your favorites.
Learning HTML for Kids - A Step-by-Step Tutorial - You might want to start with this tutorial to learn the basics of HTML and what you need to learn to make your Web pages look like you want them to look. The lessons here are clear, nicely presented, and fun to try.
Lissa Explains It All - HTML Help for Kids - Lissa's a teen who was born to code HTML. She's gotten so many questions about her Web pages that she decided to put up some brief tutorials. Learn everything from basic tags to tricks like how you get that cool rippling lake effect on your graphics. You'll also see how changing color or graphics on mouseovers is done, and you can check out lots of resources for free graphics.
Media Awareness Network - The Three Little CyberPigs - The Three Little Cyberpigs have different adventures every time we visit this page, so there is no telling which adventure you'll see this time. Today though, it's the Second Adventure, called "Cybersense and Nonsense." It's all about chat room safety, and how you can't trust everything you read on the Internet. You can download it to your Win or Macintosh computer and play it as many times as you want to.
MOOSE Crossing Information - Would you like to build your own world with other kids from around the planet? Would you like to work on special projects with kids age 13 and under? Would you like to work on a computer at MIT, the foremost center of computer innovation? Do you own or have access to a Macintosh computer (or want to try a beta of a Win client)? If you answered "Yes" to these questions, then MOOSE Crossing is the place for you.
Nerds 2.0.1 - If you've ever wondered about the history of the Internet, this is a good site to visit. Just click on the Timeline section. You'll find out how the Internet went from "Networking the Nerds" to "Serving the Suits" to "Wiring the World." It's easy to read an entire multipage section once you figure out that the Next Page button is at the top of the text. The Next Section button is at the bottom. There's also a nice glossary as well as a Cast of Characters.
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.
Searchopolis.com - This is an extensive Education Resource Center for students, featuring a powerful filtered search engine, a directory of educational sites, reference tools, and other resources.
SuperPages : Yellow Pages - Search for a business phone number by category, name, or state. There are also "idea" pages with suggestions on whom to contact for back-to-school supplies, travel information, and lots more. One of the ideas is an expedition into your closet to have a "try-on day" to see what still fits before you shop for new school clothes. Maybe your little brother can fit into your old stuff now.
Surf Swell Island - Help Mickey and the gang with their adventures in Internet safety! Disney helps children vote all the baddies off the island. Children have fun while learning the importance of Internet safety.
Teen Safety on the Information Highway - If you cross a road unsafely you could be hurt. But that doesn't mean you should never cross a road. Once you learn to "look both ways" and stay aware, it becomes a safe, instinctive task. The same rules apply to using the Internet. Learn the turf, follow the rules, and know the dangers, and it, too, can become a safe, instinctive journey. This lively site shows the dangers and explains the rules to keep your Internet travels safe.
ThinkQuest - Would you like to win thousands of dollars in scholarship money? Do you have a great idea for a new Web resource? You might be a fabulous C++ programmer, but you can't write interesting English prose very well. Or maybe you're terrific at graphics but can't code. Maybe you're not a computer nut at all, but you really know how to research a topic. There is a place for all of you at ThinkQuest. First, you have to create a team to work on your project. Advertise your skills and your ideas at the Team Maker part of the site. Typically, teams are formed with two or three kids from all over the world; they have usually never met, and they usually come from schools or homeschools with widely varying levels of technology. You also need a coach or three, usually teachers or parents, but it could be someone else. You decide how to tackle the project, and then spend many months building your Web resource on the server space provided by ThinkQuest. You and your team members use chat rooms to discuss the project as well as e-mail and other forms of communication. Eventually the contest deadline rolls around, and your project is frozen in time so that the judges can take a look. If your site is chosen as a finalist, you and your team (and your coaches) are flown (all expenses paid) to the site of the finals. Your site is inspected by the finals judges. You and your team are interviewed, and at long last, winners are chosen and placements are made. The winning team members each get $25,000 scholarships, and many of the finalist teams who place lower get substantial scholarships as well. ThinkQuest gives away over $1 million in scholarship money EVERY YEAR. There are several contests: one for elementary grades, called ThinkQuest Junior, and the original one for older kids. There's also a new contest for teachers. At this site you can explore past winners' sites and get information about the latest ThinkQuest competition schedule.
Yahooligans! - Want a quick pointer to a valuable site to help with your homework? Got a few minutes to play an online game, but need to find one fast? The Yahooligans directory can save your day. It arranges terrific Internet sites into six subject categories, and it's easy to use. Even if you don't know what you want to find, you can try the Cool section, which suggests five of the Internet's greatest hits. Other awesome delights include Today in History (find out who shares your birthday); a selection of engaging Web cams (including live views of Loch Ness--see if you can spot Nessie, the famous sea monster); and tons of downloadable pictures, sounds, and video clips (Leonardo fans, check it out).
Zen and the Art of the Internet - Zen and the Art of the Internet is a booklet intended to introduce a user to the benefits and facilities available through the Internet.
|
|
