This is a guide to websites for kids in second or third grade and older. The emphasis is on websites that have some educational dimension to them, but all of the websites are engaging and fun as well. The guide aims to be selective rather than comprehensive, and restricts itself to websites that are freely accessible. We are always interested in hearing about other attractive sites for kids. If you have a recommendation, please send it to us (contact us) and we will add it to the guide if it seems appropriate. Thanks and enjoy! [last revised: 1 April 2009: about 100 sites listed]
Multiple Subjects
Digger and the GangMath, English, and Science "adventures" for kids from age 5 through age 11. From the BBC.
FunbrainA website sponsored by the publisher Pearson Educational. Includes math, reading, grammar games. Sudoku. Web books and comics. The large archive of materials can be sorted by age and grade level.
Free RiceAn anti-hunger website that donates rice for correct answers, in quizzes on subjects including art, chemistry, english vocabulary and grammar, foreign languages (French, German, Italian, Spanish), geography, and basic math. Some topics (e.g. English vocabulary) are challenging even for adults; others (e.g. math) are pitched more at the level of kids. (A brief story from NPR on the origin of this website is available here.)
Fact MonsterA site from Pearson Educational, featuring sections on the world, the United States, people, sports, science, math & money, word wise, etc.
Art and Architecture
General Art xxx Book Arts (incl. Book Plates) xxx Painting, Drawing, Photography xxx Paper Arts xxx Sculpture xxx
General Art
Cleveland Museum of Arts KidsIncludes sections on "Art" (art movements, art objects), Egyptomania, Arms & Armour, Cleveland History, and an interactive website called "The Attic" (which features sections on the Arts & Crafts Movement and on Ancient Egypt).
Getty GamesGames based on artworks: identifying details from artworks; memory games; finding differences between two images of artworks; jigsaw puzzles based on art. Sponsored by the Getty Museum.
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art HistoryPut together by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Heilbrunn Timeline (named for its chief funder) is "a chronological, geographical, and thematic exploration of the history of art from around the world, as illustrated especially by the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection. The Museum's curatorial, conservation, and education staff—the largest team of art experts anywhere in the world—research and write the Timeline, which is an invaluable reference and research tool for students, educators, scholars, and anyone interested in the study of art history and related subjects. First launched in 2000, the Timeline now extends from prehistory to the present day. It will continue to expand in scope and depth, and also reflect the most up-to-date scholarship."
Piaristenkirche (Vienna)An interactive photographic reconstruction of the interior of the Piarist Church in Vienna, with 360° of maneuverability around the interior and the ability to zoom in and out.
Book Exhibitions
Pop-Up and Movable Books: A Tour through Their HistoryAn online exhibition from the University of North Texas Libraries.
Children's Books of the Early Soviet EraAn online exhibition put together by McGill University Libraries.
Book Plates
My Home LibraryThis site includes a large selection of book plates, designed for kids by noted artists, and available for downloading. It also contains a discussion of the history of bookplates
Black and White BookplatesOne of many sites on the web with bookplates for downloading. This one includes eight nice black and white designs.
www.bookplates.comA commercial site for designing and ordering bookplates, but it offers some interesting graphic designs for bookplates.
Australian Bookplate SocietyA gallery of 60 selected bookplates from the Australian Bookplate Society.
Bookplates from the Thomas Murray CollectionA selection of 19th- and early-20th-century bookplates from Canada, in the Murray Collection at the University of British Columbia.
Bookplates-The Private Lives of BooksSome antique bookplates from the National Library of Scotland. Part of a website on "The Private Lives of Books" that discusses the anatomy of a book, bindings, and inscriptions, as well as bookplates.
An Overview of Principal Styles of Bookplates in Britain 1600-2000A brief, illustrated discussion of changing fashions in bookplates in Britain across four centuries, by the Bookplate Society.
"Bookplates" via Googlexxxxxx "Bookplate" via Googlexxxxxx "Exlibris" via GoogleResults from Google Images searches for "bookplates," for "bookplate," and for "exlibris," for browsing.
Painting, Drawing, Photography
Build Your Wild SelfA kids' site that allows you to build a wild animal image of yourself as some kind of mythical beast. Sponsored by the New York Zoos and Aquarium.
National Gallery of Art Kids' PageVarious interactive art projects, involving still life, abstract art, Dutch realism, primitivist art. Sponsored by the US National Gallery of Art.
Art et ToileA site based in Marseilles, France that focuses on contemporary artists. Not a kids' site, particularly, but interesting web design. (In French.)
Paper Arts
How to Make Paper SnowflakesWebpage giving step-by-step instructions on how to cut out six-pointed paper snowflakes, starting with a square sheet of paper.
Geography
Geography Games"Geospy" and other geography games at National Geographic Kids.
TravelPod's Traveler IQ ChallengeAn interactive map game that tests your knowledge of geography for the globe and for particular regions of the globe. The challenge rewards quick thinking as well as accurate knowledge of geography. Warning: addictive.
History
(British) History for Kids"History for Kids" website from the BBC.
History (BBC website)A rich collection of materials about various periods and events in history, from the BBC. Includes a sophisticated interactive timeline of British history.
Animated Historical MapsA series of animated maps, with accompanying narration, illustrating various periods of European and American history, e.g., "History of Europe between the Two World Wars 1918-1942." Most of these are only available through purchase, but one map from each of the seven series is available free online.
America's Story from America's LibraryAmerican history for kids, from the Library of Congress.
Odyssey OnlineA site devoted to ancient civilizations sponsored by the Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University, the Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester, and the Dallas Museum of Art. It includes modules on the Near East, Egypt, Greece, Rome, Africa, and the Ancient Americas. The recently revised website on Greece is particularly spectacular. The one of the Ancient Americas is also pretty jazzed up. The others rely on static webpages: they are rich resources in their own right, but are less entertaining than the two sections that have been worked up as more dramatic presentations.
Making the Modern WorldAn interactive website on "stories about the lives we've made," focused on the history of science and innovation, sponsored by the Science Museum (UK).
TimeSearchA search engine that allows you to search the web through timelines, finding events, etc. that occurred on a particular date. Produced in the UK by Bamber Gascoigne and Ian Henghes.
Social Studies
Ben's Guide to the US Government for KidsA US government site, using "Ben Franklin" as a kids' guide to the US government. Includes a useful page listing US Government Web Sites for Kids & Students. [This last is also listed separately, below, under "Guides to Kids' Sites."]
World Almanac for KidsWebsite companion to the book by the same title. Includes selected chapters from the book, games, quizzes, and puzzles.
Project for Excellence in JournalismWebsite sponsored by the Pew Research Center. Not directed at kids, but useful for older kids.
Economic Activity around the GlobeAn animated graphic representation of geographically-based economic data, produced by the G-Econ Project, directed by William Nordhaus at Yale University. This representation of "what the world looks like to an economist" is based on 1990 data: vertical bars measure economic activity.
Language and Literature
Kids' Place English (grades K-5)Language-oriented website from Houghton Mifflin. "Grammar Blast" features quizzes for grades 2 through 5; another section offers "Bright Ideas for Writing" (oriented toward different genres of writing: opinion, instructions, personal narrative, persuasive essay, story, description, compare-contrast essay).
Word WisePart of the Fact Monster website listed under "Multiple Subjects": features sections on grammar and spelling, mythology, languages, and books.
Mix UpsUnscramble words to complete a quotation from a well-known individual. These word puzzles are grouped as "easy," "challenging," and "insane."
Drop QuotesA game that is a kind of a cross between word scramble and guessing a quotation. Words continue over from the end of a line, unless there is a black space at the start of the next line.
Skillwise: WordsA BBC site with rich resources on grammar, spelling, reading, writing, listening, and vocabulary.
The Literacy WebA rich portal of resources about literacy, for preschool through twelfth grade (and adult education), hosted by the University of Connecticut. You can sort resources by grade level. Includes guides to web resources for kids, pedagogical materials for integrating literacy strategies into the classroom, and current research on literacy and literacy teaching. Not itself a website designed for kids, but includes many links to material for kids.
The Writer's AlmanacHosted by Garrison Keillor (and American Public Media), this website features a poem each day and information about writers whose birthday happens to fall on the given day.
The Poets.org Listening BoothOffers over 300 audio clips of poems being read aloud (usually by the author him- or herself). Part of the website of the Academy of American Poets.
Music and Dance
New York Philharmonic KidzoneA range of activities involving a game room, musicians' lounge, composers' gallery, instrument laboratory, etc.
SFS Kids Fun With MusicA great site for kids, with an introduction to musical notation; to the instruments of an orchestra; and a "music lab" in which one can learn about--and experiment with--tempo, rhythm, pitch, harmony, and where one can perform and compose tunes.
Make Your Own Music gameSelect "musicians" and combine them in different ways to make your own recording--which you can email to a friend, if you like. From TVO (TV Ontario).
Pop It! dance classesPop It! is a kids' dance show on TVO (TV Ontario): this website breaks down the moves featured on the show.
Math
Cyberchase GamesMath games based on the PBS show, Cyberchase. "U Fix It" involves measuring and building. There are about 47 other games as well!
Change MakerYou are given an amount of sale and an amount paid: your job is to figure out the correct change that is due.
Math Challenge (Elementary School)An archive of math challenges for elementary school students. Hosted by the White House Kids website.
Coolmath4kidsMath games, lessons, and quizzes on various math topics.
Tumbletown Tales gameA variety of math-based games, such as "Coin Combo," "Mathletics," and "Triangle Alley." From TVO (TV Ontario).
Jim Loy's Mathematics PageOne a large number of subject pages put up by Jim Loy. The math page covers arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus and pre-calculus, number theory, fractals & chaos, and other topics. Each topic progresses from relatively simple material to more complex material. There are numerous practice problems as well. And a large number of links to other math resources on the web (not necessarily directed at kids). Jim Loy's page is not specifically designed for kids, either, but some at least of the material is accessible enough.
Go FigureAn math game, with different skill levels, focusing on basic arithmetical operations.
Math PlaygroundA site featuring math games, word problems, logical puzzles, and math videos.
IXLA site devoted to math practice questions, for pre-K through grade 5.
Skillwise: NumbersA BBC site on math, dealing with whole numbers; measures, shape and space; fractions, decimals and percentages; and handling data.
Science and Technology
Science News for KidsSponsored by Science News: Magazine of the Society for Science & the Public. The regular biweekly magazine is also interesting, though not directed at kids.
Optical IllusionsA fascinating collection of graphic demonstrations of optical illusions and visual phenomena, by Michael Bach of Freiburg University. Includes discussion of the science behind the visuals.
Exploratorium, the Museum of Science, Art and Human PerceptionA rich website, with loads of content: too much to enumerate here. You'll just have to explore it on your own.
Astronomy Picture of the DayA NASA webpage that, each day, features "a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe . . . along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer."
Star Child: A Learning Center for Young AstronomersA website for kids to learn about the solar system and the universe; hosted by NASA.
Stanford SOLAR CenterWebsite devoted to the study of the sun, "providing solar on-line activity resources for the joy or solar science exploration." Based at Stanford University.
Cool Science for Curious KidsA biology-oriented website with five modules. Developed by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Neuroscience for KidsFor kids who want to learn about the nervous system. Site created by Eric Chudler, at the Univ. of Washington.
Golf Tee-Off gameLearn about angles and force as you play mini-golf on this TVO (TV Ontario) game.
PicoCricketsA kit you can buy from Pico (the Playful Invention Company): it consists of the Cricket, a tiny, programmable computer and various ancillary items: motor, motor board, sound box, colored lights, display, resistance sensor, sound sensor, light sensor, touch sensor, etc. "You can plug lights, motors, sensors, and other devices into a PicoCricket, then program them to interact, and communicate." (Okay, admittedly, this is not really a web-based resource, but it does have a companion website. And, admittedly, it is not free--far from it--but a commercial product that costs $250 for the basic kit and more for additional parts and products. But since it was news to me, it seemed worth noting here in case others might find it interesting as well.)
PIE: Playfully Inventing & Exploring with Digital & Other StuffAn NSF-funded initiative to help kids engage in hands-on projects building various kinds of creative projects making use of the "Crickets" technology (see previous). This takes one out of the web world and back into the face-to-face world!
The Universe AdventureAn introduction to cosmology, produced by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. For somewhat older kids.
The Particle Adventure: The Fundamentals of Matter and ForceAn "interactive tour of quarks, neutrinos, antimatter, extra dimensions, dark matter, accelerators and particle detectors." Produced by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. For somewhat older kids.
The ABC's of Nuclear ScienceA website from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: it is designed for somewhat older kids.
Physics Central: Learn How Your World WorksA website from the American Physical Society (APS). For older kids.
Center for Science & Engineering Education: Resources for Teachers and StudentsAbout a dozen or more web-based resources for teachers and students about various aspects of science. Produced by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Physical Review FocusA journal from the American Physical Society, in which "selections from Physical Review and Physical Review Letters [are] explained for students and researchers in all fields of physics." Also includes links to the original research papers that the reports are based on. For a "lay" audience, rather than for kids.
Computers and the Internet
Get Your Web LicenseA PBS Kids site, designed to teach kids useful "rules of the road" for operating on the internet, especially how to be safe and smart in using the web.
Using the WebA Houghton Mifflin website designed to introduce kids to using the web to find information.
Internet TutorialsA more sophisticated guide to learning about the internet and about internet research. By Laura Cohen, emerita faculty at SUNY, Albany.
Dance Mat TypingLearn typing (keyboarding) skills online. From the BBC.
Typeonline.co.ukFree online touch typing course in five lessons. No cartoon characters; just instructions, practice exercises, and self-tests.
MrKent's Typing Tutor IIA nice website for practicing touch typing, once you've learned the basics of keying.
Core Computer Skills Self-Assessment ToolsAn MIT site for assessing basic proficiency with operating systems, Word, Excel, database software (Filemaker, BrioQuery). Just a series of checklists, but helpful as a way of clarifying what you do and don't know about some basic software.
Basic Computer Skills Self-AssessmentMiami University website consisting of questions about using the internet, email, Word, and operating systems. You can submit your answers and they are automatically scored for you.
Basic ProgrammingA game at Math Playground, which allows you to create simple programs to draw geometrical figures online.
Game MakerGame Maker is a free, downloadable software package for making your own computer games, without needing to know how to program. It relies, instead, on drag-and-drop actions and comes stocked with freeware images and sounds to help get started. The software also includes a built-in programming language, to use when one is more experienced. Game Maker was used in an after-school class on designing computer games at Cornell University.
ScratchDeveloped by the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab, Scratch is a simple programming language "designed to help young people (ages 8 and up) develop 21st century learning skills." Scratch "makes it easy to create your own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art--and share your creations on the web." You download the program (for Mac OSX or Windows), create your Scratch project, and then upload it onto the Scratch website (or onto some other website or onto a CD or flash disk, if you like). You can create your own project from scratch (excuse the pun), or "remix" (modify) someone else's Scratch project. There are over 275,000 Scratch projects available created by almost 44,000 contributors. To take full advantage of the Scratch website, you need to sign up for an account as a registered user.
Puzzles and Games
Learning Games for KidsA website with lots of different games of various kinds: logic games, math games, memory games, word games, keyboarding games, geography games, etc. Some of the games can be quite challenging: for example, "Mouse Trap" and "Tanagrams" in logic games.
Code Makers and BreakersWebsite for coding and decoding messages to send to your friends over email, from the New York Public Library.
SudokuDaily sudoku puzzle, from the Washington Post.
Fastball Reaction TimesTest your ability to react quickly enough to hit a fastball pitched at 90-miles-per-hour. From the Exploratorium, the museum of science, art and human perception.
Panda PuzzlerVarious panda jigsaw puzzles: you can pick the picture to work with and the number of pieces in the puzzle (from 6 to 96). From National Geographic Kids. (There are also lots of other games and quizzes at this site: the section on geography games is listed above, under Geography.)
Games at the US MintTwenty-one different games at this kids' site, hosted by the US Mint. There are question games ("Break the Bank"); jigsaw puzzles ("Golden Dollar Puzzle"); hit the target games ("Dollar Dive"); and drawing games ("Making Change")--amongst others.
The Brain GameWho has the biggest brain? Asks you questions in four areas: logic or analytic reasoning; quantitative computation; memory; and visual processing. And then "computes" the size of your brain based on how well you do in the different tasks. Fun and challenging, despite the slightly eugenic inflection to the whole conceit. (Need to sign up on Facebook, if you aren't already signed up, to play.)
Digging for AnswersQuizzes on a variety of subjects, geared to information available at the Smithsonian Institution websites.
Playground at SeussvilleA nice collection of games based on the Dr Seuss books and characters. Site produced by Random House.
Games at Children's BBCSome 78 different games. Some are typical video games: shooting at targets (e.g. "Pinky & Perky: Power Pig"). Others are quite different.
NASA Kids' ClubGames at various skill levels for kids. Hosted by NASA.
TVO Kids' GamesOver one hundred games for kids, involving various topics and skills, including music, math, language arts, science, and so on. A few of these games have been listed individually under the appropriate topic, but there are many games here that remain to be explored. From TVO (TV Ontario).
Miscellaneous
CIA Kids' PageYes, the CIA has a kids page! Parents beware.
Guides to Kids' Sites
Great Web Sites for KidsLinks selected by the American Library Association's division of Library Service to Children. A very rich resource.
US Government Web Sites for Kids & StudentsA rich list of US government agencies' websites for kids, in areas such as transportation, science, history, health and safety, government and law, geography, foreign affairs, environment, education, defense and national security, crime and justice, computers and internet, communities and people, careers, business and money, arts and recreation, agriculture, and animals.
Kidsites.comThe enumeration of educational sites produces a curious list of subsections (animals, art, dinosaurs, history, math, music, science, space). But each subsection contains many references to potentially interesting sites for kids.
Kids' Stuff: Refdesk.comA sometimes indiscriminate listing of sites oriented towards kids. But it contains links to many valuable sites.