Alphabet and English
Between the Lions
Made for 4-7 year olds, Between the Lions offers educationally sound reading instruction that combines phonics and whole language. Stories, songs, games, and resources for parents and teachers are available. Endorsed by the National Education Association.
NATO phonetic alphabet
The most commonly used phonetic alphabet today is the NATO phonetic alphabet. It is used daily by airline pilots and special operation forces - who commit it to memory - the NATO phonetic alphabet is useful to the rest of us too.
RIF Reading Planet
Write and illustrate your own stories, play reading games, express yourself through poetry - this site is a wonderful resource for younger children to explore reading and writing.
Art
Cartoonster
Cartoonster features a collection of fun and interactive tutorials which teach children and young people how to create their own animations! If you want to become a cartoon master and make your own animations, this is the place to go. Recommended by ALA.
The Incredible Art Department
The IAD is an award winning visual arts Web site for students, parents, and teachers. It includes art news, art lessons, art departments, art education and thousands of links.
Oriland University
Here kids can learn origami, the beautiful art of paper folding; get to know the benefits that origami brings, read lectures about origami and receive practical skills in origami.
Astronomy and Space
Earth and Moon Viewer
An earth map; you can see where it is day, or night, right now. You can view either a map of the Earth showing the day and night regions at this moment, or view the Earth from the Sun, the Moon, the night side of the Earth, above any location on the planet specified by latitude, longitude and altitude, from a satellite in Earth orbit, or above various cities around the globe.
NASA Kids
Games, art, stories, and activities for children presented by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASA also runs competitions for kids, for instance the latest NASA Space Pennant Design Challenge, won by Tapasya Das of Mount Laurel, N.J. flew on the space shuttle Endeavour's STS-118 mission during the summer break 2007.
Windows to the Universe
A site about earth and space science. Includes a lovely section on mythology. Also available in Spanish.
Chemistry and Physics
Periodic table of the elements
Maintained by the Los Alamos National Laboratory, this site provides basic information about chemical elements and the periodic table for elementary, middle, and high school students.
Chem 4 Kids
Basic chemistry information for kids (and others) including matter, elements, atoms, reactions, and describes different types of chemistry. Recommended by ALA. The site starts with this introduction to matter:
"So you're asking, what is chemistry?
Well... Here's our best definition. Chemistry is the study of MATTER and the changes that take place with that matter.
Don't ask us why that matters. It just does. A lot. Everything on Earth, everything in our solar system, everything in our galaxy, and everything in the universe is made up of matter. Matter is the name that scientists have given to everything that you can touch, or see, or feel, or smell. Go take a look! "
Strange Matter
Discover the secrets of everyday stuff; zoom into stuff, transform stuff, crush stuff, and improve stuff. Find out what cell phones are made of, look at aluminum atoms, and much more! If you are interested in what things are made of, this is the site for you! Recommended by ALA.
Environment
Cool Kids for a Cool Climate
Cool Kids for a Cool Climate explains the causes and dangerous consequences of global warming and other serious environmental problems. It also offers effective ways in which you can prevent our environment's deterioration. Unlike other environmental sites, "Cool Kids" is not boring - it's fun, colorful and youth-oriented!
Kid's Planet - Defenders of Wildlife
Information and activities relating to endangered animals; morph your face into an imperiled species, get your family to adopt an animal, play games online and learn how to defend the environment.
Government
Whitehouse for Kids
Learn about America's presidents, take a tour of the Whitehouse (video), learn the alphabet with Barney, take quizzes, play games, and read news for kids; lots to do at the Whitehouse site for kids.
Kids Page at FBI
The Kids' page at FBI is designed for children to learn more about the Federal Bureau of Investigation through age-appropriate games, tips, stories and interactives. Kids are introduced to the FBI working dogs and shown how FBI special agents and analysts investigate cases.
FEMA for Kids
The FEMA for Kids site teaches you how to be prepared for disasters and prevent disaster damage. You can also learn what causes disasters, play games, read stories and become a Disaster Action Kid. Herman the spokescrab walks kids through.
Hip For Change
The United States Mint H.I.P Pocket Change Web site was launched in 1999. H.I.P Pocket Change is a fun educational tool for students and teachers that generates interest in coins, the United States Mint, and U.S. history.
Kids Pages
The National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences teaches kids about environmental health topics by using games, songs, brainteasers, and jokes.
Games
Chess is fun
Want to learn how to play chess? Want to learn how to play a bit better? Chess is fun has some fairly easy "lessons." Those relatively new to chess should play though the introduction to chess and the section on chess strategy. From Princeton University by Jon Edwards -the 10th United States Correspondence Chess Champion
General Learning sites
Sesame Street
This site has kid's activities with friends from Sesame Street as teachers. Play games with Prairie Dawn, Elmo, and the Cookie Monster.
A Game A Day
Enjoy a new word game, word search, brainteaser, trivia game, anagram, cryptogram, crossword and more each weekday designed for print and online use to stimulate learning, problem solving and creative thinking. Challenge your general knowledge, vocabulary, spelling, memory, concentration, critical thinking and problem solving. For ages 9 - 99.
Brain Pop
Animated Educational Site for Kids (Grade 3 and up) -- Science, Social Studies, English, Math, Arts & Music, and Technology. Note: This site requires a subscription.
Brain Pop Jr.
Animated Educational Site for Younger Kids (K-3) -- Science, Social Studies, English, Math, Arts & Music, and Technology. Note: This site requires a subscription.
Fun Brain
Who ever thought learning math could be so much fun? Test your math skills with these fun and interesting games. Includes teacher and parenting resources.
Quiz Hub
This site is geared to elementary and middle students as a fun learning center that features free online interactive lessons, educational games, puzzles and quizzes. It includes parent and teacher resources.
Math
Everyday Mathematics
Online games for the Everyday Mathematics Program.
Math League Help Topics
This is a help resource for 4th through 8th grades. We have just redesigned and reformatted these pages to enable faster loading and display times, but some pages still load slowly. Different browsers display graphics differently, so some math symbols may not appear to line up perfectly in some sentences.
Math Dictionary for Kids
This site has an animated, interactive dictionary for students that explains over 500 common mathematical terms using simple language and visual examples.
National Library of Virtual Manipulatives
The NLVM has Interactive math tutorials and challenges including algebra, geometry, measurement, and probability, as well as lesson plans in Spanish and English.
Museums
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
This is one of the largest and finest art museums in the world. Its collections include more than two million works of art - several hundred thousand of which are on view at any given time - spanning more than 5,000 years of world culture, from prehistory to the present.
National Gallery of Art for Kids
Explore stories in art, take a post card tour of one of the galleries, get directions for art activities and projects, and more.
The Salem Witch Museum
Useful since kids study this area of history. "Haunted Happenings," a commercial part of Salem stuff, is very neat. Also great for Halloween.
Smithsonian Education
Whether you're planning a visit, have already visited and even if you've never been to the Smithsonian Museum, this site will have something of interest for you. Take a virtual tour, learn about science, natural history, aviation, dinosaurs, or whatever else interests you. There is something here for everyone.
The Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA
An online version of a hands-on museum in San Francisco that permits you to do your own cow's eye dissection or learn the science behind a home run; be sure to visit the "Learning Studio."
Music
Piano on the Net
This site has a complete set of piano lessons on the Web. Put a keyboard next to your keyboard and you're ready to go! With many links to other music sites, this is a great place for information about all things piano.
San Francisco Symphony for Kids
This site provides information about instruments, a music basics tutorial and a listing of family programs and activities at the San Francisco Symphony.
Science
Science Fair Resources and Sample Projects
Links to a variety of Web resources that you can use to help your child do a fun project for Palo Verde's Science Fair - by Leigh & Pandu.
The Yuckiest site on the Internet
Pimples, burps, farts, ear wax, dandruff, poop, gas and funnybones; let Wendell and Dora show you gross body sounds and yucky body parts, then visit the world of games and mad science. Part of Discovery Kids.
A science fair project Resource Guide
The Internet Public Library with links to exceptional resources about science fairs. Even if you have never attempted a science fair project, this site will walk you through every step of the way.
Technology and Internet
NetSmartz Kids Games
Learn about computers, viruses, online dangers, and the Internet, or just send a safe e-card. Site administered by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and Boys and Girls Clubs of America.
Kid Smart
Childnet Kidsmart is a practical Internet safety advice Web site for kids. It offers Safety Tips which helps children to stay safe and have fun when they use the Internet or mobile phone - whether at school or in the home.
Braille Bug
Learn all about this system of writing used by the blind through games, secret messages, a reading club and information about Louis Braille and Helen Keller.
The Tech Museum - San Jose
The Tech Museum of Innovation is a great place to engage kids (and others) in exploring technology and how it affects their lives. Find out about computers, satellites, DNA, robotics, lasers, and inspire the young to become innovators in the technologies of the future.
Zoos and Aquariums
Monterey Bay Aquarium, CA
The "E-Quarium" site gives you a look at how one of the newest and most elaborate aquariums in the country works, learn about the effects of El Niņo, and see how the sea otter population is being preserved.
National Zoo, Washington, D.C.
Solve jigsaw puzzles and crossword puzzles, take a virtual world tour, send an e-card, learn about animals and their names, even build your own sea lion - there's plenty to do on the National Zoo's Website.
San Diego Zoo - Kid territory
Meet the critters, discover the recipe for Queen Bee quesadillas, check out cool science experiments and learn animal jokes.