There’s a lot of garbage out there. Many websites for kids are filled with advertisements, and are sponsored by companies that want to sell you something. There is nothing wrong with that, but sometimes you want to find an activity for your kids that may be fun for them, will open their minds to a new subject, and may actually teach them something.
Then you’ve come to the right place. In this reoccurring blog I plan to showcase the best non-profit, educational, and government websites dedicated to entertaining and informing kids. Some of these sites are truly wonderful and many are unfairly overlooked. Hey, you can actually learn about something on the Internet!
This very nice looking website has all kinds of learning activities for kids relating to the U.S. and our outdoor environment. There are videos and animations, interactive activities and maps.
A really great section of this website is USGS KIDS, featuring Zot the Frog. It has coloring pages and games and is focused on grade school kids.
Another stand-out section of this site is Geology of National Parks in 3D that displays eye-popping 3D images and photographic tours of U.S. Park geology and natural history.
U.S. Department of Agriculture - USDA for Kids
Who knew? The Department of Agriculture has a site that presents their different services with activities for youth. There are many services to explore and they have Smokey the Bear!
One section that is out of the ordinary is Animal Improvement Programs Laboratory (AIPL) Kid's Corner. This is described as an educational resource where children can learn about cows, and the dairy industry through games and puzzles.
The Beetle Busters Freeze & Collect Game deals with the Asian Long-horned beetle. Kids earn points by freezing them.
MyPlate Blast-off Game is a fun learning experience where kids try to use food and physical activity to fuel a rocket.
Forest Service This is a pretty site featuring our natural forests with lots of things to do for the kiddies.
Junior Forest Rangers Become a Junior Forest Ranger and help to find new ways to enjoy the natural wonders of our nation.
Nature Watch Learn about the wonders of nature on this fun site.
FS NATURE LIVE This is a series of webcasts, webinars and online resources about many topics. A few that caught my eye were about Monarch Butterflies and another about Bees and pollination.
Web Rangers This is the National Park Service's site for kids of all ages. Sign up online and take part in some great activities. I recently signed up my son and we are having fun!
Sesame Street National Park Videos There are some nice videos here that have Elmo and other characters from Sesame Street presenting our National Parks.
This site is incredible! It is filled with distinctive sections that may entertain you as much as your children. There are many areas to explore so I will only feature a few of my favorites.
Shutterbugs A game exhibiting our national zoos.
Smithsonian Postal Museum Like stamps? This is a site about our postal service, stamps and their history.
Expedition Insects An eBook all about insects.
Digging for Answers An amusing interactive game about paleontology, geology and archeology.
Interactive Dinosaur Tour This is an entertaining virtual museum with dinosaur fossils.
Prehistoric Climate Change See how scientists use fossils of leaves and flora to uncover clues to climate change
The Disaster Detector This game uses a fictitious island to teach kids on how we prepare for disasters and how we help disaster areas.
All these sites have to be experienced in order to see how wonderful they are. I hope you enjoy them. In the meantime, if you come across a website that you think I should feature leave a comment below!