Kids, parents and teachers will find something for everyone at www.kids.gov. This U.S. government sponsored treasure chest is packed with educational resources, tools, and information targeted for students and educators from kindergarten through middle school. The site provides a safe avenue to access online information for homework and research papers, links to educational games, and just about anything else kids might be interested in knowing, learning, or doing.
The Internet plays an increasing role in our children’s daily lives at home, at the library, and in the classroom. Finding safe, quality Internet portals for children in grades K thru 8 can be a challenge for parents and teachers. The World Wide Web is an incredible information resource, but it can also be a pretty scary place for kids and youth to surf indiscriminately.
That means parents and teachers need to find, and direct kids to, trustworthy sites that offer multiple options for safe exploration and study. The Kids.gov website not only meets that need, it also provides an engaging, informative, and fun site kids will keep coming to time and again, even if they don’t have an assignment or project that’s due.
When I visited the featured site of the month was the CIA’s World Factbook. This encyclopedia is a great place to find information about countries all over the world and, according to the website, it is one of the most accessed U.S. government publications. Those CIA spooks also have a site just for kids. Cool games include code breaking, aerial analysis, and more. I suspect some of us adults might want to take a peek and spend time there too. I know I’ll be back.
Educators will find numerous links to information and lesson plans designed for classroom use. For example, the Department of Justice offers a lesson guide for cyberethics and web safety for elementary and middle school students. Parents will also find useful ideas for ways to keep their kids safer while surfing the web.
Another helpful feature of www.kids.gov is that resources and information get categorized according to grade levels and then subject categories. Elementary age kids get directed to resources appropriate for their age and skills. Middle School students can explore more advanced subjects in more depth.
Overall, students, parents and teachers will find this site a welcome resource. These are our tax dollars at work. Take time to check it out with your kids today.
http://www.kids.gov/
https://www.cia.gov/kids-page/index.html
http://www.cybercrime.gov/rules/lessonplan1.htm
