Sites to see
Looking for Web sites with educational value, or where children can play games this summer? We've rounded up a list of 37 sites that we've reviewed in the past two years. Check out a few - and if you go to the Learning page at www.csmonitor.com, we'll link you up to any of these sites.
COLLEGE
www.freeuniv.com
For students headed to college this fall, the Free University Project's Online Summer School helps you polish writing skills, build vocabularies, and improve grammar.
www.zdu.com
For $4.95 a month and the price of books, users can take all the courses they want on a range of topics from Ziff Davis University.
www.collegeclub.com
This site for college students offers a cornucopia of free communications features (like phone-access e-mail), forums, and discounts.
www.collegeview.com
High-schoolers can get advice on what type of school is best for them, scholarship information, and virtual tours of various colleges.
www.studentadvantage.com
Get help coping with college life - and save money while doing it.
www.finaid.com
An award-winning guide for untangling the college financial-aid puzzle.
www.youthvote2000.org
This site is aimed at attracting young voters to election polls this November.
PARENTS
www.asd.com
Need to find a school? The American School Directory provides a listing of more than 100,000 K-12 schools in the US.
www.home-ed-press.com
Thinking of homeschooling your child? Home Education Magazine's informational site on homeschooling features articles, a resource page, and an online newsletter.
www.summercamps.com
In-depth information on hundreds of camps - some of them offbeat, like surf or filmmaking camps.
www.learn2.com
This exhaustive site includes tips on everything from fixing your toilet to cracking a coconut or removing tree sap.
familyeducation.com
Need some pointers on how you can get involved in your child's education? Here you can find advice from education experts, news articles on parenting, online discussion groups, and other useful services.
www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown
The Children's Literature Web Guide helps parents navigate the ever-expanding world of children's literature.
RESEARCH
www.ajkids.com
Ask Jeeves for Kids is a kidfriendly Internet search engine.
www.ala.org/parentspage
The American Library Association lists 700-plus notable sites designed especially for parents and children.
www.libraryspot.com
A virtual reference desk - including encyclopedias, dictionaries, maps, phone books, and statistics - for students, educators, or anyone who likes to do research.
www.eduweb.com
Educational Web adventures that teach about a subject through an engaging history or game.
KIDS
www.funbrain.com
Full of interactive puzzles and games, as entertaining as they are educational.
www.crayola.com
Craft ideas, online art, a coloring book, and a wide selection of games and activities for kids and adults.
www.juggling.org
A one-stop site on the art of juggling for everyone from the complete novice to the seasoned juggling pro.
www.pbs.org/wgbh/woof
For dog owners and lovers alike, here are some tips on how to get Fido to come when he's called.
LANGUAGE
www.poetry.com
Sponsored by the International Library of Poetry, this site is big on poetry contests and "how to" information about getting poetry published. It lets budding poets put their poetry on the Net.
www.storiestogrowby.com
A medley of fairy tales from around the world add exotic flavor before the sandman comes.
www.grammarlady.com
Mary Bruder, affectionately known as the grammar lady, will give you the lowdown on everything from gerunds to intransitive verbs.
www.quinion.com/words
Michael Quinion explores the English language, and provides an enormous list of words and phrases that are in fairly regular use, but not yet in most dictionaries, such as ebonics or millennium bug.
www.bookadventure.org
Students in grades K-8 can win prizes for reading books.
www.travlang.com/languages
With more than 70 languages available, this site is a handy alternative to fumbling with foreign language tapes and flipping through dogeared dictionaries.
www.pbskids.org/lions
Designed to conincide with the new PBS daily children's show, "Between the Lions," this interactive site helps kids ages 4 to 7 learn to read.
www.tetra-fish.com
The virtual aquarium with colorful fish that, yes, actually swim around the screen, helps you to set up and take care of your own (real) aquarium.
SPECIAL INTERESTS
www.exploratorium.edu
San Francisco's "Exploratorium," a museum of science, art, and human perception, offers interactive exhibits with essays, photos, graphics, and other activities.
www.loc.gov
The Library of Congress's site features exhibits, original manuscripts, and lesson plans for teachers - not to mention the largest online card catalog in the world.
www.ed.gov/free
This is a clearinghouse of Web links to more than 35 federal agencies, where you can find K-12 educational material at places like NASA and the National Gallery of Art.
www.nga.gov
The National Gallery of Art's site lets viewers tour much of the museum's collection, presenting high-quality images of its art as well as information about various artists and artistic movements.
www.whitehouse.gov
The official site of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue offers virtual tours and frequently updated information on the president.
www.panda.org
The World Wild Fund for Nature's site is an excellent source for almost any kind of information about the environment.
www.gorp.com/default.htm
The Great Outdoor Recreation Pages site is stuffed like a mountain-bound backpack with nifty features, maps, and tidbits on national parks, camping, fishing, biking, and kayaking.
www.epals.com
Pal around with kids worldwide: The Epals classroom exchange connects more than a million students and teachers in 130 countries.
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