Mother Nature Online

If you're looking for engaging ways to teach kids about the food chain, overfishing, or just about any other environmental concern, check out Miss Maggie's Earth Adventures (www.missmaggie.org).

Designed for elementary educators and their students, this free site was created to teach children about environmental issues. It employs cartoon-like graphics, audio, games, and interactive stories on issues such as air pollution, coral-reef damage, and animal extinction.

One of the site's gems is its "animated missions," where children join a mission to airlift elephants from South Africa. The two-part series, "Herd of Elephants," is loosely based on the YEAR Operation Noah's Ark project, an effort to reintroduce wildlife to war-ravaged Angola. The Teacher's Lounge' offers lesson plans in PDF format. Children test their geometry skills by helping animated heroine Maggie rebuild her airplane. Educators can receive weekly activity packets by email in English or Spanish, which can be used for homework assignments and self-directed lessons.