Fun for Young Kids, British Style Gail Junion-Metz - 09/30/2009
This site was designed to enhance the BBC's children’s television programming, but kids don’t have to be familiar with any of the TV shows to have a blast discovering its hundreds of entertaining and educational online games, stories, and activities.
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Censorship Gail Junion-Metz - 09/23/2009
Next week is Banned Books Week and many of us will be spending time educating library patrons, staff, and parents about the ongoing efforts to limit what children and adults can read. Many of us will discuss the First Amendment and censorship of not only books, but also of other media.
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September 11th Memorial and Museum Gail Junion-Metz - 09/16/2009
Last Friday many of us paused to remember that harrowing day eight years ago when terrorists attacked the World Trade Center. A memorial and museum are being planned on the site, dedicated to the people who lost their lives that day.
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Pimp My Bookcart Gail Junion-Metz - 09/09/2009
For the past three years, Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum, creators of the library e-comic strip Unshelved,have held an online competition to see how creative folks can get when spiffing up a standard book cart. The deadline is October 31, so now’s the time to start designing your cart.
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Investigate Our World Gail Junion-Metz - 09/01/2009
This wonderful, interactive world atlas, created by National Geographic’s Map Division, will be an invaluable information resource for elementary age children, teens, teachers, and librarians.
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Back-to-School Resources: Sites to ease the transition for teachers, parents, and kids By Gail Junion-Metz - 09/01/2009
At the Intersection of School & Home—Parent Corner school.discoveryeducation.com/parents Some kids look forward to the start of school—others are less than thrilled about it. On this site designed to help parents encourage their children, start at the “MotivationStation” for articles on various issues from academic performance to fitting in at school.
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Site of the Month: First Day of School Icebreakers By Kathy Ishizuka - 09/01/2009
www.teachersfirst.com/firstday.cfm Ah, the first day of school. For students, educators, and parents alike, it’s a remarkable occasion, loaded with excitement, anticipation, and, yes, sometimes even a tear or two. To help get things off to a good start, the Web site TeachersFirst has created “First Day of School Icebreakers.
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Word Up! Gail Junion-Metz - 08/18/2009
It’s almost time for school! To help kids start to shift from summertime play to school-time learning (while still having a ton of fun) there’s no better Web site than WordGirl.
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Activity TV Gail Junion-Metz - 08/04/2009
It’s the end of the summer. Youngsters are searching for interesting stuff to do, especially when it’s too hot to play outside or when it’s rainy. And librarians are always looking for new crafts and activities for programs or for after story hour. The solution? The Activity TV Web site.
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Site of the Month: Library of Congress Teachers’ Page Kathy Ishizuka - 08/01/2009
www.loc.gov/teachers Most of us know the excitement that primary sources can bring to teaching. Photographs, maps, correspondence, and other original records that have survived from the past spark the imagination, and a staggering 13 million of these items have been digitized and made available online, thanks to the Library of Congress.
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Kids' CBC: Games Gail Junion-Metz - 07/28/2009
Summer vacation is heading into its second month and by now kids are anxious to find new things to do online, whether they’re sitting at a computer in your library or at home. Some of our neighbors to the north, at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, have put together a super set of online games for kids age 8 to 15 that will take care of the boredom blues.
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National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center Gail Junion-Metz - 07/14/2009
During the summer, older kids and teens generally have lots of free time. Some play sports from morning to night and others have summer jobs that limit their unstructured time, but those who “hang out” with nothing to do may end up involved in activities that parents and community members are concerned about. What are these negative activities, exactly? How widespread is youth violence? And what can libraries, community officials, and schools do about it?
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Liberty! The American Revolution Gail Junion-Metz - 07/07/2009
The late Paul Harvey’s radio program often featured a spot called “…And Now For the Rest of the Story.” Since we so recently celebrated Independence Day, why not encourage older kids and teens to discover the exciting “rest of the stories” of the Revolutionary War that led up to the ratification of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
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Summer Fun: Web Resources By Gail Junion-Metz - 07/01/2009
Exploratorium Sport Science www.exploratorium.edu/sport/index.html Here kids learn not only about baseball, cycling, surfing, and the like, but also the fascinating science behind each sport, from how bicycle gears work to how the angle of a baseball bat can determine a foul ball or a home run. Created by: The Exploratorium Museum, San Francisco, CA.
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Help Me Find a Book Gail Junion-Metz - 06/30/2009
Public libraries all over the country are kicking off their summer reading programs. This easy-to-use online search tool, created by Sylvan Learning, will help young patrons and the librarians who work with them discover great new titles.
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Talk to Your Kids...Before Everyone Else Does Gail Junion-Metz - 06/23/2009
Summer’s one of the best times for parents to communicate with their kids about important stuff. The problem often isn’t that parents don’t want to address topics like sex, drugs, violence, etc., it’s just that they don’t know what to say. This wonderful Web site, created by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Children Now, is designed especially for adults so that they won’t feel so lost during the big talk.
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Pure Creativity Part 2 Gail Junion-Metz - 06/15/2009
There aren’t any written instructions here, but figuring out what all the strange-looking icons do is part of the fun.
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Pure Creativity Gail Junion-Metz - 06/08/2009
Now that school’s out, kids are looking for Web sites that are just plain fun. This 2009 Webby Award-winning site—and homage to abstract painter Jackson Pollock—is perfect for the start of summer vacation.
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Site of the Month: Facebook Book Clubs By Debra Lau Whelan - 06/01/2009
bit.ly/42jjOe What better way to get kids talking about books than on one of their favorite pastimes—Facebook. A recent application on the social networking site, Book Clubs offers students a free and convenient place to share ideas about books, authors, and related interests. With it, Facebook members can create or join a reading group devoted to any category, region, interest, or author.
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