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Science
A Science Odyssey - Just visit this site. You will not be disappointed. Check out the Shockwave simulations in the You Try It section. In the Technology at Home area, you can scroll through the twentieth century and see what changes happen in the virtual home. Appliances appear and disappear, telephone equipment changes--what else will you notice? You can mouse over each item and see some facts about it: what it is, who invented it, and when it came into vogue or went out of style. Now try the other explorations: human evolution, radio transmission, probe the brain, atomic structure, and several more. When you get done with those, read the On the Edge comic books about various scientists and their discoveries. Did radio astronomer Jocelyn Bell really think she received a message from little green men in outer space? Find out here. Don't miss the hit game show That's My Theory! You can question the three contestants to see which one is the real Einstein, the real Freud, and the real ENIAC.
Agricultural Ideas for Science Fair Projects - What affects the speed of ripening fruit? What results can you expect from different fertilizers? Does seed size matter? These are only a few of the great science fair ideas for those interested in things that grow. Learn how to prepare a great science fair project with an agricultural theme.
Amusement Park Physics - The science of physics is what keeps you safe on an amusement park ride. Learn about the "forces behind the fun" on the carousel, the bumper cars, the free-fall rides, and more. You can also design your own roller coaster and have it rated for both safety and fun appeal.
ARS Science 4 Kids! - The Agriculture Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture wants to plant some information in your brain to see if it takes root. At this site you'll learn about aquaculture and how fish farmers raise bighead carp for market. You will also discover why some farmers have radar guns under their tractors and others rely on GPS satellite systems to help them find their bees. Click around on the illustration and see what you can pull up, or choose Contents and see a list of all the articles.
BBC - Science in Action - Try some great online activities and explore air, forces, light, microbes, and mixtures. In Mixtures, learn about the Bonneville salt flats, and then try mixing up some virtual "solutes and solvents" yourself in the Action Lab.
Bill Nye the Science Guy-Nye Labs Online - It's Bill Nye the Science Guy, and is he loaded with science goodies to show you! Check out Today's Demo or visit the U-Nye-Verse to see what's happening in Bill's world of science. Lots of experiments and lessons on things scientific can be found here--plenty of fodder for your next science fair project. TV listings are also available if you want to find out when he's on the tube. There is even a Real Audio section with all those goofy scientific songs from the show.
Biological Timing Online Science Experiment - Did you ever hear of a biological clock? That's what helps you go to sleep at night and wake up in the morning. At this site there's a fascinating article called The Mystery of Sleepy Adolescents. Do you have trouble waking up for school? You're not alone. These kids decided to investigate the whole problem. This is their Web page about biological clocks, circadian rhythms, and how plants and animals tell time.
Bioluminescent Bay -- Vieques Island - One of the natural wonders of the world is "Bio Bay,"home to the magical glowing waters. Actually, it's not much of a mystery: each gallon of bay water contains up to 720,000 nontoxic dinoflagellates. When they are disturbed--by a boat paddle, or a hand in the water--they emit a soft eerie blue light, like a firefly. People come from all over the world to witness this phenomenom. Unfortunately, the bay is threatened by pollution and other development. Find out how you can help!
BrainPop - Watch entertaining and educational animated cartoons that explain lots of scientific things, such as how your eyes work and how your sense of smell operates. There are other topics, too, such as the water cycle, electricity, and rainbows. Try some experiments with Bob, the Ex-lab Rat, or register (it's free) to ask questions of your own. The more activities and features you read, the more points you can get. Collect enough points, and you win a T-shirt and are entered in prize drawings.
Chem4Kids - Chem4Kids! The web site that teaches chemistry fundamentals to children and adults. From the basics to the advanced, this site tells all-- and it's fun too... I know you don't believe me, so check it out for yourself!
ChemWeb 2000 - One-stop high school chemistry, this way! Acids and bases, balancing equations, gas laws--it's all here. There are also several multimedia movies of various chemistry experiments. For example, what is that gel-like absorbent material used in diapers? What's elephant toothpaste? Check the handy calculators to convert a gram to a mole and back, or to help you with your titrations. And don't miss the mad-lib! This site was created by students for the ThinkQuest competition.
Discovery Online - You'd expect to find background articles on many of the Discovery Channel's programs here, and you'd be right. There are stories and pictures from shows on history, nature, science, and people. And there's more: links to the Learning Channel and Animal Planet programming and a way to search the archives of past fascinating stories! A new area is DiscoveryKids, which highlights features of particular interest to kids.
Do Science! - This page offers "things to do while waiting for the food to come" in a restaurant, but Net-mom suggests you try these at home because some involve a possible mess if done the wrong way. You'll find lots of annoying things you can do with straws, how to make a lava lamp (sort of), and plenty of fodder for science fair magic.
Earth and Sky - is a daily radio feature about science, heard on 950 stations around the world. The topics range from deep-ocean vents to the farthest-flung star nurseries in deep space. It also answers intriguing listener questions, some of which have been collected on this Web site. Why is the sky blue? Are soap bubbles round in weightless conditions? Why do leaves change color in the fall? Earth and Sky knows!
EcoKids Online - It's never too early to teach your kids about the environment. This site uses games, friendly graphics, quizzes, and clubs, all in a treehouse format. A definite success in its effort to make learning fun, it's computer time you can feel good about.
Energy Quest - Energy Education from the California Energy Commission - What was Ben Franklin's energy-saving invention? Join Ben in a word game to find out the answer. He also has other games, crafts, and even a Declaration of (Energy) Independence. This site has activities and games about different kinds of energy, from wind to solar and nuclear to hydroelectric. Find out who got "Devoured by the Dark." This site is a must for the energy efficient.
Exploratorium: ExploraNet - Do you know what makes a fruit fly grow legs out of its head? How would you like to take a "light walk" and explore the world of shadows? The Exploratorium, in San Francisco, California, is a huge hands-on science laboratory for kids of all ages. Discover the many interesting wonders that they have ported to the Web!
Explore Science - People learn in different ways--some people like to hear explanations, other people like to read them. Still others like to physically interact with a problem, and this page is for those folks (and anyone else who wants to have fun!). We hope you have Shockwave because most of these little science demonstrations require that plug-in. Examine physics, mechanics, waves, optics, and much more. If you do nothing else, try the six-sided snowflake designer.
Explorezone.com: Earth, Space, and Weather News and Reference - If it's about science and it's in the news, you can find a story about it here. A recent visit taught us that there's an "e-Nose" in our future (a portable nose to sniff out the ripest fruit) and provided an article about a frozen sea on a moon of Saturn. Want to quickly find news on recent earthquakes, weather happenings, or even the latest from the Hubble Space Telescope? Try this site. It even has sky events for tonight.
Extreme Science - This one is all about scientific extremes: the highest and lowest elevation on Earth, the biggest mountain, the deepest cave, the greatest earthquake, and--well, you get the idea. Don't forget to check the Creature World section for the largest snake, deadliest creature, and more records from those that creep, swim, walk, and fly. You can also meet cool scientists, take some online adventures, and explore many fun science links.
Forensic Files - APASE, the Association for the Promotion and Advancement of Science Education, invites you to become an internet Supersleuth! You are about to set out on a mystery adventure. Travel the world and solve a mystery with the help of Newton Beagle.
Home Experiments - What do you mean there's nothing to do. Why, with Mom or Dad and a few simple household ingredients, you could bend water, collapse an aluminum can, float soap bubbles in an aquarium full of carbon dioxide, or even remove tarnish from silver! Is it magic? No, just chemistry, physics, or both. There are also links to even more home experiments to try.
HyperChemistry on the Web - Do you think early humans knew anything about chemistry? Even fire--the simple process of fuel, air, and spark called combustion--is considered a chemical reaction. Learn about the history of chemistry from those early times right up to the Nobel Prize winners of the twentieth century. There's a nice section on chemical experiments you can try at home (with an adult). Visit the Periodic Table to learn about the history of each element as well as its physical properties. This site was created by students for the ThinkQuest competition.
Internet Webseum of Holography - Lasers can do some pretty amazing things. Did you know they are used to make interesting 3-D pictures that allow you to "look inside" and see around objects? That's called holography. Although lasers are needed to make a hologram, you don't need a laser to view one. You can view laser shows and holograms right here if you have the right plug-in. If you don't, there are links to get you the free software, so don't worry. Think it's all too complicated? Not at the Holo-kids area, which you can reach by clicking on Kids Page. Learn how to make a shoe-box hologram using those inexpensive laser pointers.
Liftoff to Space Exploration - How big is the universe? How is clean air produced on the International Space Station? Can we make Mars a more comfortable planet for humans to live on? Learn the answers to these questions and more, plus use J-Track, and other tracking programs to find out where the Space Station and other spacecraft and satellites are right now.
Maine Solar House - This is Bill Lord's solar house. He built this house in southern Maine, on a property specially chosen for the project. Everything was planned with the goal of constructing a house that would make the most out of solar energy. Descriptions and diagrams show how he uses heat from the sun to warm the house and produce his own electricity. He even sells electricity to the power company when he has a surplus!
Microbe Zoo - Dirtland - Did you know that you have a fabulous microbe zoo running wild in your yard, in your food, even on your clothes? Microbes are so small, you can't see them without a microscope, but they affect your life daily, in a big way. Zoom in on the invisible world of these small creatures and learn how they interact with the larger world around them. And don't forget to thank them for that last chocolate bar you ate or root beer you drank--they helped make it!
Minnetonka Science Center - Ooey, Gooey Recipes for the Classroom - If you want to make your own slime, gak, play dough, sparkly paint--or any other messy stuff that's too much fun, you should check the recipes here. If you try the Singing Cake, let us know how it tunes out.
Newton's Apple - This insanely great science program covers everything from earthquakes to garlic, from the Hubble Space Telescope to the redwoods. We wish they listed the programs by topic so that all the astronomy topics, for example, were together. Maybe they will, if they read this. You'll love the Science Try-it section, where you can learn to make your own barometer and have fun with a Mobius strip.
NOVA Online - NOVA revolves around a simple premise: the world of science is exciting! For NOVA viewers, science means adventure and exploration - because from ants to aliens, this weekly documentary series probes the far reaches of earth, sea and stars. NOVA proves that science is neither secret lore nor sacred ritual but rather, at its heart, a lifelong journey of discovery.
Ocean98 Victor the Vector - Victor the Vector is searching for his mother. Seems they caught different ocean currents, and he's traveling the seas to find her again. If you hitch a ride with Victor, you'll learn all about the great currents of the world and maybe a little bit about geography, too.
Oceans and Coastal Protection: Kids' Page - This page from the Environmental Protection Agency houses a whole tidal pool of interesting links for you to pick up and ponder. Get out your crayons for the Louisiana Coastal Coloring Book, splash into the Center for Marine Conservation Wading Pool for some really fun games, and dive into the Non-point Source Kids' Page to help out Darby Duck and the Aquatic Crusaders. All of the above is just skimming the surface!
OMSI Science Whatzit! - You name the topic, the Oregon Museum of Science has the info. Is there wood so dense it won't float? Why is Earth round? How many stars are out there? How do fireflies light up? If you have a question, see if it's been answered at this site. If not, go ahead and ask it here.
Plants and Our Environment - If you don't know a sepal from a cotyledon, this is the place for you! Learn all about plants at this site, which was one of the finalists in the 1998 ThinkQuest Junior competition. The handy A- to- Z glossary reveals that the cotyledon is the hard outer case of the seed, which holds the embryo (baby part of the plant) and gives it a food supply, whereas the sepals are the outer green parts of the base of the flower. Sepals protect the flower bud before it. The entire process of growth is explained, and the site includes lots of great graphics.
Powers of Ten - Here's a napping picnic-goer, oblivious to the fact that we're going to use him to explain the powers of ten. What's that? Well, we're going to take one photo of him from ten meters above. Then we'll take another picture from 100 meters up. Hold on, we're going up to 1,000 meters or one kilometer (hey, look, it's Chicago!) and after that, 10 kilometers. We'll just keep going upwards and outwards, past the Sun, past the Milky Way, to the farthest reaches of our knowledge, at a distance of about 10 yottometers (or about 1 billion light years). But that's nothing. Just as easily, we can zoom back in by tens. Zip right back past the sleeping man, focus on his skin pores-steady-one millimeter, then 100 micrometers closer (Eeew, a microbe!), and on and on into capillaries, DNA strands, molecules, electrons, the nucleus, finally ending up with the quarks inside a proton. It doesn't matter how many times we jump out to space, or crawl inside his arm, the man stays asleep. Must have had a very heavy meal.
Rainforest Alliance - Keep up with current news about the rain forest and those who are trying to save it at the "Rainforest Alliance" level of this site. Below is the URL for the kids' section, where you can learn about all kinds of frogs, make rain forest crafts, print out coloring pages, and find out where to get more information on everything from leaf cutter ants to medicinal plants.
Reeko's Mad Scientist Lab - It sure is dusty here in Reeko's basement science lab. Better put on this lab coat to keep your clothes clean, and this pair of goggles might not be a bad idea, either. Fun educational experiments in astronomy, chemistry, physics, and earth science may be found here if you look around a bit. In the archives, you can examine the experiments by level of difficulty or by category. Reeko has a fun sense of humor, too. Consider the description for Rocket Powered Pennies: "Ok, so maybe the term rocket powered is taking it a little too far. But we still get to propel an object. All we need for this simple experiment is an empty soda bottle and a penny (unless you are getting your Mad Scientist supplies from Dad, in which case--ask for a quarter)."
Science Behind a Home Run - Time to grab a bag of peanuts, crank up the radio or TV, and listen to the sweet sound of the baseball bat against the ball as another one flies out of the park. Did you ever wonder how a person holding a narrow wooden bat could hit a baseball so hard that it could fly several hundred feet? It happens every day all across the country during the baseball season, and now you can read how physics and forces make it all happen. Remember the magic words "viscosity" and "density," take a gulp of fresh air, and read on.
Science Experiments for Kids - Would you like to demonstrate the iso- and thixo-trophic properties of certain emulsions? Or would you just like to play with SLIME, the greatest polymer of them all? That's only one of the experiments you can try at this gooey site that also explains paper airplanes, Cartesian divers, air pressure, and more.
Secrets@Sea - Assume the role of a spunky detective as you investigate strange whale behavior around Alanamorris Strait. Could it have something to do with those toxic waste barrels? Where did you put your bus schedule--it's time to ace the case! This wonderful adventure game from the Vancouver Aquarium will keep you busy for a long time as you examine your field guide, collect creature cards, and examine your notes. Can you crack the code and save the whales?
Sky Watch - Discovery Channel School - Astronomy observing tips, discussions, folklore, links, printable star charts and classroom resources on monthly celestial events. All on Discovery Channel School.
Soap Bubbles - Have you ever noticed that bubbles are always round, no matter what shape the wand you blow through is? Is that because your breath is shaped like a circle as it comes out of your lips? No. A bubble is round because of physical forces you can learn about here. You'll also learn that when a bubble looks gray or black, it is about to pop. Why does it lose its pretty colors? Find out here, and don't miss the Internet Resources section for more good, clean fun.
The Soundry - This site uses wonderful interactive demonstrations to demonstrate how we hear what we hear. Start off with the structure of the ear, move into physics and the characteristics of a sound wave, and learn about the history of recorded sound. Don't miss the applets in the Sound Lab. Create a sound "scene" or movie using only sounds arranged in a particular order. Listen to a few of the samples, such as "Tarzan Has an Accident." You'll get the idea. Other applets include the Doppler effect, harmonics, waves, and beats. In fact, no one could beat this site. The 1998 ThinkQuest Grand Prize winner was created by kids!
Thinking Fountain! - From A to Z, you're going to find a lot of wonderful ideas and information at the Thinking Fountain. Allow us to demonstrate! A --Read about Anansi the Spider, and then find out how to make your own sliding spider toy. G --Golf-O-Rama, a book about miniature golf, complete with everything you need but the ball and the putter, and a story about some kids who made their own mini-mini golf course. N --Noodle-ing around: learn to build a structure out of spaghetti. (Don't believe it? The secret is in the mini-marshmallows). Z --Zoo Machines: invent a machine to take care of all those animals. Keep going; you're sure to find lots more activities and ideas, galleries to show your work, books you can use, and surprises inspired by the Thinking Fountain.
U.S. EPA Explorers Club - Do you know what the EPA is? It's a governmental entity (how's that for a big word!) called the Environmental Protection Agency, and it makes sure everyone works to keep the air, land, and water safe and pure. We headed to the recycling section and found a lot of neat things about how we can reuse and recycle materials. There are a lot of other sites on this page that can help you understand the environment and our impact on it. This place is guaranteed to make you more aware of your surroundings so you and others can grow up in an environment that is safe for everyone.
Volcano Expedition - Come explore the volcanos of Costa Rica. You'll find lots of information, photos, movies and information in this close up look of volcanic activity. Spectacular photos throughout the site and daily journals from the research team really make this site spectacular to see.
Volcano World - How do you become a volcanologist? Just ask Mr. Spock for lessons, of course! Well, not quite. Look at this site to find out what becoming a volcanologist is all about and what courses you'll need to take. Oh yeah, there's also the BEST information here about volcanoes, including lessons and activities for teachers and students. You can also subscribe to e-mail updates about currently erupting volcanoes.
With These Hands - These stories look at four farm families who are stewards of the land, touching the lives of those around them. they are neighbors, parishoners, teachers, and friends in the Michigan communities of the Old Mission and Leelanau peninsulas. They are the roots of a place where nature crafted a climate so unusual as to make it almost unique in the world. Their farms ease our eyes along northern Michigan's backroads: the cherry blossoms, rolls of hay, nodding heads of rye. These stories take a look at what else these farmers achieve along the way.
World of Chemistry - The Chemical Institute of Canada and the Halifax West High School have teamed up to present 15 different experiments you can try at home or in school. For example, how do chemists test substances to find out what they are made of? Try the Unknown Powder experiment--you'll need an adult to help you set it up, so you don't already know which powder is which! (Hint: The secrets behind all the experiments are in the Teacher's Notes sections, which are in the Investigation areas.) This site is available in English and French.
YES Mag - Canada's science magazine for kids has an electronic version. It includes book and software reviews, in-depth articles, and science news and projects. We particularly liked the How Does That Work? section, where we learned lots about telescopes, cameras, submarines, and other inventions.
You Can with Beakman and Jax - Put on your thinking cap and visit this site. Discover the answers to important questions, like "What are fingernails made of?" and "Why do I hear weird sounds at night?" There are some neat animations, too. For example, check out "How the Internet Works."
Yucky.com - The self-proclaimed "yuckiest site on the Internet" has an obvious appeal to mischievous kids. But even the "Extra Slimy" Flash version offers well-presented, entertainingly designed information about scientific topics -- albeit gross ones like roaches and human bodily functions.
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