Interesting and Entertaining Internet Sites for Kids
Del Siegle
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT 06269

The Internet breaks the barrier of time and distance.  Museums and libraries are open 24 hours per day in the convenience of our homes and offices.  Mentors and experts are just a mouse click away.  The Internet provides a special opportunity for gifted young people to research their passions and share ideas with others.

Searching the Web

The best place to start on the Internet is with a search engine. A number of search engines are designed specifically for young people. Yahooligans (http://www.yahooligans.com) offers a great search engine for kids.  Like other search engines, kids can search by categories as well as by their own phrases.  In addition to the search engine, they can participate in chess and other games in the games sections.

KidsClick (http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/KidsClick!) is a web search engine for kids designed by librarians.  Students can search by topics or categories and have access to the information that is relevant to them.  For example if they type in experiments, the return listing includes sites that are written for kids (e.g., experiments with bubbles, science fair projects to explore).

Sites for Inquiring Minds

Gifted students are full of questions and sites that provide the answers abound on the Internet. How Stuff Works (http://www.howstuffworks.com) shows children how things work in the world around them.  For example, it explains how the engine in a car works, what gears do, and what makes the inside of a refrigerator cold.

Ask Jeeves for Kids (http://www.ajkids.com) provides a variety of information for inquiring minds. Beside the question section, there is a section for “bored kids” and a “Magical Wizardry Tour.”

Mad Scientists Network (http://www.madsci.org) is designed for inquisitive minds.  Ask-A-Scientist includes an online archive of questions and answers, and a place to ask a question. The MAD Labs section has information about having fun with science. The MadSci Library lists science sites and resources on the WWW. This includes links to other Ask-A-Scientist sites, and information about careers in science.

Sharing Ideas with Others

The Internet is a great platform for children to share ideas with each other. Children's Express (http://www.cenews.org) gives a voice to children around the world.  The site is designed by children and the monthly topics and comments are posted for all to read.

Kidlink (http://www.kidlink.org) involves youth through the age 15 in a global dialog. This work is supported by 38 public mailing lists for conferencing, a private network providing a chat room, and volunteer teachers and parents living throughout the world.

UNICEF Voices of Youth (http://www.unicef.org/voy) lets young adults voice their concerns and share ideas about important world issues. Topics of discussion include solutions and actions on child rights, children in war, child labor, and children and urbanization. The learning place provides activities and problems for kids to solve.

Curiocity's FreeZone (http://www.freezone.com) is the computer companion to the Curiocity series of books.  This site is designed for ages 10 to 16, and features interesting articles and activities, bulletin boards, chat rooms and an electronic pen pal database where kids can write to new friends around the world. Trained adults keep an eye on all the chat rooms and will expel anyone for inappropriate language.  Pen pal profiles and bulletin board messages are also screened by the monitors before they are posted for kids to read. And youngsters can become "Junior Reporters," adding their own material to the site.

Interactive Sites

Many sites feature interactive entertainment and educational.  A plethora of activities are available at FunBrain (http://www.funbrain.com).  Among the activities that students can explore is a weekly quiz of current event items customized for various age groups. The site is filled with interactive games for children.

Bonus (http://www.bonus.com) is a must see site filled with activities for children of all ages.  The material on the site ranges from an easy lesson that describes how to create perspective drawing to a game where a sheep dog tries to herd sheep around the screen.

Interesting Finds

There are also fun sites to visit that were created by kids. One of the most popular is B.J. Homework Helper (http://www.bjpinchbeck.com).  B.J. is 13 years old who lives in New Brighton, Pennsylvania. He’s created one of the most popular sites on the Internet for kids. Whether you’re looking for help with homework or research information, B.J. probably has it.

Dinosaurs are a popular topic with children. Russ's Lairs's (http://www.isgs.uiuc.edu/dinos) page contains graphics and a myriad of information on the prehistoric creatures. Kids will find information on everything from dinosaur eggs to the location of dig sites that they can visit.

The reference desk at Northwestern University (http://www.nwu.edu/world/desk-reference.html) has links to online dictionaries, thesaurus, and other desk reference tools that older children will find useful.

Individuals who are interested in photography can visit Exposure (http://www.88.com/exposure/lowrez_i.htm).  This site was created to explain the concepts of modern photography.  Beginners and more advanced photographers alike should find something of interest.

Let the First Family Pets, Socks and Buddy, conduct a tour of the White House (http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/kids/html/home.html).  Kids can learn about the history of the White House, kids who lived in the White House, famous pets of the White House, and a lot more.