Kids Internet Resources - Science

Here's Part III of a look at some of the best resources on the Web for kids to explore! Today's topic: Science. While we already covered a specific area in this subject (animals) in a previous post, these websites take a fun and informative look at the sciences as a whole:

Kids Know It
This website is a portal to information on a number of topics, but the sciences are especially well-represented. Check out the pages about the human body, dinosaurs, astronomy, and more.

NASA for Students
Find out everything you ever wanted to know about outer space, space travel, and our atmosphere. Click here to jump straight to information and activities geared for kids grades K-4, or here for grades 5-8.

'Ology
"ology" is a suffix that means, "the study of." The American Museum of Natural History has interesting information about all kinds of 'ologies - Archaeology, paleontology, zoology, and more!

Science Fair Project Resource Guide
Need help getting your science fair project together? Put together by the librarians at the Internet Public Library, this website will help you with everything from choosing your topic to conducting research to displaying your project. You can also use the Internet Public Library to help you find more information on your topic - it's a great source for finding information on the Web!

The Yuckiest Site on the Internet
This website has everything you ever wanted to know about the grossest stuff out there - acne, bugs, mold, and more. The best part? It's all true, and they'll show you exactly how all of this stuff works.

The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had

Dit is a young boy who often feels a bit overshadowed by his large family. So when he hears that his town's new postmaster has a son just his age, Dit is very excited to have a friend to spend time with. Unfortunately things don't turn out quite as expected - When the postmaster arrives Dit discovers that not only is the boy who was supposed to be his friend a girl named Emma, but the family is colored. And in 1917 in the deep South of Alabama, this is a huge deal.

But as Dit gets to know Emma, he begins to realize that even though things aren't turning out quite as he planned they can still be great. Emma isn't very good at fishing and hates the idea of Dit hunting, but she can tell a great story. And maybe she isn't used to getting dirty or playing baseball, but she's willing to try. It turns out that Emma is actually a great friend, and she and Dit become unlikely companions for the summer. But when school begins in the fall, the two of them encounter prejudice for their friendship as they are forced to attend different schools and are teased by other children who Dit had considered friends. Once, Dit would not have questioned what these people are doing and would have even joined right in. But now that the teasing involves him and his friend, he begins to appreciate what it means to treat his fellow man with respect no matter who they are. But racism in Moundville doesn't happen to just these two children, and Dit and Emma soon become involved in a bloody conflict between the town's sheriff and its black barber. Can the two of them see that justice is done despite the town's prejudices?

This is yet another great first novel by newcomer Kristin Levine. She has crafted a touching novel that deals not only with racism in a manner that is easily accessible to children, but also with what it means to be a friend in an even more general sense. The story is somewhat episodic in nature, but many of the individual episodes build off of each other as the novel progresses. Somewhat similar in style to Richard Peck's much beloved books (A Long Way from Chicago, A Year Down Yonder, etc.) The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had is an easy story to fall in to for anyone who enjoys historical fiction, tales of friendship, or multicultural tales. I'd definitely recommend this book to just about anyone - it'll find a place in your heart.

My one complaint as a librarian: The cover of this book isn't exactly kid-friendly. I have trouble imagining an 11-year-old being instantly drawn to it and I fear that the book will therefore be passed up, which is a shame considering the book's amazing quality. However, this is an easy one for me to booktalk and "sell" to kids, parents, and teachers vocally. Here's hoping that this extra effort will get the book into enough hands.

Overall Grade: A+

Into The Wild Nerd Yonder

High School sophomore Jessie finds herself torn between social cliques in the endearing Into the Wild Nerd Yonder by Julie Halpern. Her two (former) best friends have gone punk-rock, while Jessie still prefers to wear her homemade funky skirts. Then one of her friends stabs her in the back by hooking up with her long-time crush. Desperately in need of some better friends, Jessie begins chatting with acknowledged geek Dottie in study hall. The question becomes: If Jessie agrees to help make costumes for Dottie's Dungeons and Dragons group, will she herself also be labeled as a geek? And is that really such a bad thing?

This is a quick, somewhat fluffy read that really appealed to me because of the premise. Heck, I remember being in high school and doing everything I could to hide my own geekiness for fear of being labeled. But what I really enjoyed most about this book was the way that Jessie deals with her changing relationship with longtime-friends Bizza and Char - she knows that they're treating her badly and that she needs to do something about it, but she's also scared to branch out of her comfort zone. Her reactions to this situation are very realistic, making her easy to identify with. It was also kind of nice to see that even though Jessie becomes part of the D&D crowd she doesn't transform overnight - her priority remains her relationship with the other people in the group, not necessarily the game they play. This is a great story about being OK with yourself and with your own interests and finding respect among your peers.

Overall Grade: B+