|
Cool Science and
Great Links!
The links below come from a
variety of non-commercial sources. I have also chosen not to include
sites that, while non-commercial, display banner advertising to help pay
for the site. If you have suggestions for links I ought to include,
please drop me a Sey-Mail.
Include the total link address, plus one or two sentences about what
makes this site wonderful. I also want to hear from you if you think the
links below ever provide misleading or wrong information. Should you
have any trouble accessing a site that's listed, email me at simon@seymoursimon.com and report the trouble you're having.
The Internet offers enormous resources to users; however, such
resources imply tremendous responsibility. Not everything you see is
accurate, reliable, truthful, or honest in motive. This is especially
important to understand with regard to gathering resources for children.
It's easy to look at printed words on the screen, take them at face
value, and assume that the information presented is fact. Unfortunately,
many websites that promise facts don't deliver them.
More than ever, you need to keep your mind open and submit everything
you come upon to your own scientific and intellectual inquiry. Question,
consider, research. The National Library Association has developed a
wonderful set of guidelines to help you assess the value and credibility
of information presented on websites. You can access this article,
"SELECTION CRITERIA: How to Tell if You Are Looking at a Great Web
Site," at http://www.ala.org/parentspage/greatsites/science.html
Research &
Updating Your Internet Skills
America Writes for Kids
http://usawrites4kids.drury.edu
You can search for information about authors and their books
alphabetically or by state.
Learning on the Web
http://teleeducation.nb.ca/lotw/
This free web-based course provides an excellent resource for
teachers who are interested in integrating Internet resources into their
classrooms. (site surveyed, 7/21/00)
Miss Rumphius Awards
http://web.syr.edu/~djleu/RTEACHER/rumphius.html
This is a site for educators to share information and links to
outstanding Internet resources for literacy and learning. The site also
includes information about the Miss Rumphius award, named for the
character in Barbara Cooney's Miss Rumphius. (site
surveyed, 7/21/00)
Research at Nueva School
http://ace.nueva.pvt.k12.ca.us/~debbie/library/research/research.html
Here's an outstanding research site designed specifically for
children (one of the few.) It helps kids understand "fair use"
of copyrighted materials, how to research creatively and think
dynamically, how to evaluate sites and their content. It also suggests
strategies and search engines to make Internet searches more productive. (site surveyed, 7/21/00)
General Science & Experiments
Exploratorium
www.exploratorium.edu
** multi-lingual
options include Spanish, French, and Italian
San Francisco's outstanding Exploratorium is host to this
educational site. Even folks who hate science are going to love this
place. The site is loaded with games, on and off-line activities, plus
dozens of links to other dynamic science sites. Learn how to build a
bridge out of newspapers that will actually support weight, peer into
the thinking brain via MRI technology, dissect a cow's eye, play
memory games, or dozens of other innovative, creative activities. If
you've got time for only one activity while online--take one of Bob
Miller's "Light Walks," then spend the rest of the day
mesmerized by light and shadows in ways you've never been before.
A special feature of this site includes directions on how to build
classroom or home versions of Exploratorium exhibits. (site
surveyed, 4/20/00)
Newton's Apple
http://www.askeric.org/Projects/Newton
Experiments and lesson plans here were designed to be used in
conjunction with the Newton's Apple television series; however,
virtually all stand alone as classroom or home experiments. (site
surveyed, 7/21/00)
Science Bob
http://www.sciencebob.com
This kid-friendly site starts out with an icon that warns
"Whatever you do, don't click here." Once you click (and
who can resist such temptation?) you get a message from Bob about
scientists and curiosity. There are a number of experiments on the
site, many of them for younger children. (site
surveyed, 7/21/00)
On this site's Ideas & Activities pages, you'll
find a number of experiments and activities to explore sound, mirages, wind, and
more. Be sure to check out The Thinking Fountain which offers a number of
wonderful experiments that are inexpensive to do.
The Thinking Fountain site offers a number of wonderful experiments
that are quite inexpensive to undertake. In "Noodle," for
instance, kids use spaghetti noodles and mini-marshmallows to create
weight-bearing structures. In "Shapewalk," children hunt for
basic shapes in the world around them, i.e., a round wheel, the
triangular base of a sawhorse, etc. (site
surveyed, 7/21/00)
Think Quest
http://www.thinkquest.org/library
This is a collection of student and educator created websites from
the Think Quest Contests, including many which focus on some aspect of
science. If you're looking for something in particular, you'll find
a search option on the introductory page. In The Sciences Explorer
site, for instance, students can play interactive games, tour an atom
from the inside, or email a science teacher with their science
questions. At The Shocking Truth About Electricity pages,
children learn the history and science of electricity, as well as its
uses.
Many of the featured sites offer non-English language versions. (site
surveyed, 7/21/00)
The Wright Center for Science Education at Tufts University
http://www.tufts.edu/as/wright_center/index.html
This site offers a number of creative classroom curricula and
activities which you can find under the "Features" section by
clicking "Teachers." Among the offerings are "How Who We
Are Biologically Affects Our Identity: The Deaf Experience";
"Marine Biology & the Arts: Sculpting the Artificial Coral
Reef"; "I Ask, I See, I Tell: The Process of Storytelling in
Science." All are available as PDF downloads. (site
surveyed, 7/21/00)
The Planets & Space
The Astronomy Cafe
http://www.theastronomycafe.net
Billing itself as "The website for the astronomically
disadvantaged," The Astronomy Cafe provides a number of good
reasons why you might want to work on your disadvantage. For instance,
if you've got a question about astronomy, chances are pretty good that
Dr. Sten Odenvald has already included it among the 3,000+ questions he's
already answered in the "Ask an Astronomer" section. This
section has category topics like "The Sun" and
"Comets" so you don't have to sift through the whole 3,000.
Dr. Odenvald also gets high marks from me for including in his Q/A
section a set of wrong answers he's given to past
questions, and their correct answers.
One very cool part of this site is a collection of downloadable sound
clips of "natural radio" signals emitted by lightning storms,
the Northern lights, etc. (site
surveyed, 7/21/00)
NASA SITES
Life Sciences Data Archive of NASA
http://science.nasa.gov/
This is the Life Sciences Data Archive funded by the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and on this site you'll
find a broad range of helpful materials for adults as well as for
children. Not to be missed is the Photo Gallery of images related to
space flight. For background, you can read about missions past and
present and get a good overview of scientific research that has been
conducted throughout the history of the US space flight program, and
what's on tap for the future. Of particular interest to parents
and teachers is the "Just for Fun" section which includes
several games that focus on helping children understand how life in
space is different from life on earth.
Administrators of this site promise lesson plans in the future.
(site surveyed, 4/20/00)
NASA Educational Resources
http://kids.earth.nasa.gov
The NASA site warrants a couple of hours of aimless wandering because
its resources for teachers and students are vast. One particular
surprise is its Destination Earth Project that seeks to make exploring
our own planet as exciting as exploring outer space. For instance, kids
can learn how NASA assists in mapping the earth's diminishing ozone
layer, what air pressure is and why it maters, and why and how NASA is
helping to keep an eye on the ocean's fertility. (site
surveyed, 7/21/00)
Science at NASA
http://science.nasa.gov
This wonderful site is well stocked with an wonderful assortment of
heavenly information. Be sure to check out the "Thursday's
Classroom" feature that's designed to help teachers understand
NASA's latest science news and integrate it into their classrooms. And
if you don't seem to get enough E-Mail these days, you can sign up at
this site to receive periodic updates of NASA information through the
free E-Mail listserv. (site surveyed,
7/21/00)
Sky Watching at Earthsky
http://earthsky.com/Features/Skywatching
This site features a monthly guide to sky watching, organized by the
day. Each daily entry provides information and a sky chart for the most
prominent features visible in the night sky in the northern hemisphere,
as well as daily astronomical events of note. The site also provides
links to other outstanding science sites for educators. (site
surveyed, 7/21/00)
The Space Telescope Science Institute
http://www.stsci.edu/
This site includes an archive of spectacular space pictures created
by the Hubble Space Telescope, as well as those most recently
transmitted. It's a graphics intensive site, but well worth the
trouble, especially since it offers narrative text to explain the
pictures you're viewing. (site
surveyed, 7/21/00)
Climate, Seasons, & Weather
Curry School of Education
http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/curry/dept/cise/sci/resources/weather_links.html
Under the category "Resources and Projects in Science
Education," this site offers links to a number of excellent weather
related websites. This section of the Curry School page is marked as
being in progress, so we can hope more resources will be coming soon. (site
surveyed, 7/21/00)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency
http://www.noaa.gov/
This site offers information on a number of weather phenomena, plus
climate, coasts, fisheries, and much, much more. (site
surveyed, 7/21/00)
Geology
US Geological Survey Two Maps Pages
http://tapestry.wr.usgs.gov/two.html
Thanks to the handy folks at the USGS, you can now view two maps of
the US--a geological and a topographical--then merge them into one
fantastic map. The "Rock of Ages" section provides a time line
and extensive descriptions for each geological area linked to map
regions, and the "Boundaries" section overlays state
boundaries. Clicking on a state brings up a new map of the individual
state. The site also provides links to state Geological Surveys that can
provide maps with closer views of individual areas within each state.
Requires a Quicktime Movie Plugin that's available as a free
download. (site surveyed, 7/21/00)
Animals
Frog Watch
http://www.mp2-pwrc.usgs.gov/frogwatch/index.htm
Hey--everybody's got frogs! Now you can help the US Geologic Survey
keep track of the ones in your area by signing up to become a Frog Watch
Volunteer. Since the health of frogs is intimately tied to the health of
our planet, this project tracks population totals and breeding stats for
frogs across the US. The site invites families and classes to sign up to
observe frogs in their local wetlands, then submit their observations
which are added to the database the USGS maintains.
PS--toads count, too. (site
surveyed, 7/21/00)
Wild-eyed Alaska
http://www.hhmi.org/alaska
If a field trip to Alaska is beyond your budget, consider stopping by
Wild-eyed Alaska and taking a look at the birds. Thanks to the Pratt
Museum, video cameras have been installed in various bird feeding areas,
as well as underwater. See puffins, gulls, chicks and more through video
clips you can download. (site
surveyed, 7/21/00)
The Human Body
The National Library of Medicine
www.nlm.nih.gov/research/visible/visible_human.html
This site helps you access the over 9,000 collected images of the
internal human body drawn from CAT scans and other forms of imaging. (site
surveyed, 7/21/00)
The Environment
Audubon Online
http://audubon.org
There's much on the National Audubon website for adults and
children; however, its Education Kit (Spanish or English language
versions) is only available for purchase ($35 for 32 students.) Despite
that fact, on this site you'll find information about and links to
Audubon's "Take Action" projects and their "Bird
Conservations Initiatives" including the Watch List of threatened
and endangered species. This list is specialized by state. You can also
find out about the Christmas Bird Count and find out how to sign up.
NOTE: Both the Audubon Society and The Nature Conservancy
have local and state chapters online that provide information on
environmental initiatives close to your home. (site
surveyed, 7/21/00)
|
