Dragon's Fire Academy

New pup at Seattle Aquarium

2012-01-26T11:26:00.001-08:00

The Story of Electronics

2012-01-24T11:47:00.000-08:00

Watch »

More Movies: The Story of Stuff Project
(Broke, Cap and Trade, Cosmetics, Stuff, Citizens United, Bottled Water)

BrainPOP: Bug Videos!

2012-01-23T16:45:00.000-08:00

Check out BrainPOP's new GameUp

2012-01-23T15:54:00.000-08:00

Play »
(Remember your old login?)

Snowflakes

2012-01-21T16:11:00.000-08:00

5 Cool things about snow

There are four classes of snowflake: dendrites, columns, needles, rimes

Dendrite snowflakes have 6 points
Column snowflakes have 6 sides, hexagonal
Needle snowflakes look like needles
Rimed snowflakes are coated with tiny frozen water droplets, from passing through super-cooled clouds

Types of Snowflake

Microscope Photos: Snowflake Photomicroscope Gallery
Game: Make-A-Flake
Learn more: Snow wiki

Joke: What do you get when you cross a Vampire with snow?
frostbite

Egyptian Games

2012-01-18T16:21:00.000-08:00

Mummy Maker

Hiero-generator

See also:

Small Business

2012-01-13T22:58:00.000-08:00

Learn about small business:

Learn about starting a small business with the Small Business Administration Teen Website.

Find out what Score does for business owners.

What does the Chamber of Commerce do?

Professional associations:

Worldwide Diver Association
Professional Divers Association
International Commercial Diving Association
International Marine Mammal Trainers Association
American Society of Mammologists
Society for Marine Mammology

Gymnastics

2012-01-13T22:38:00.000-08:00

Gymnastics is a sport requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance.

The word gymnastic comes from Greek gymnastikos "fond of athletic exercises" and gymnos "naked," because Greeks exercised and competed in the nude.

Types of gymnastics: artistic, rhythmic, trampolining & tumbling, aerobic, acrobatic.

Artistic gymnastics is the best known type of competitive gymnastics, typically including uneven bars, balance beam, floor exercise, and vault (women's events) and floor exercise, pommel horse, still rings, vault, parallel bars, and high bar (men's events).

Rhythmic gymnastics: Typically only women compete in rhythmic gymnastics, combining ballet, dance, and gymnastics with 5 routines using ball, ribbon, hoop, clubs, and rope. However, Japan has begun a men's version rhythmic gymnastics.

Olympics: USA Gymnastics.

Boys and girls gymnastics: Men and women compete in different gymnastic events.

Learn more at wikipedia: gymnastics.

Martin Luther King Jr Day - Jan 16

2012-01-13T08:50:00.000-08:00

Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was a nonviolent activist and leader in the Civil Rights Movement. King was famous for his "I Have A Dream" speech (1963) and he was the youngest person to receive a Nobel Peace Prize (1964). Get some coloring pages ⇒

Online Story Time

2012-01-13T08:45:00.000-08:00

Listen »

Namibia Africa

2012-01-07T13:05:00.000-08:00

Learn about Namibia

Elections and Voting

2012-01-04T08:52:00.001-08:00

ZOOMout the vote. Elections 101 by kids, for the people. This PBS website discusses why voting matters and how the process works.
The Democracy Project. A PBS website that asks "How does government affect me?" and invites kids to step inside the voting booth and be president for a day.
Ben's Guide to U.S. Government has a section on the election process.
Project VoteSmart has a section on elections, as well as Government 101 for students.
Congress for Kids has an introduction to elections and election day.
Try It Tuesday: Elections. A collection of resources from Quick Start Homeschool.

Read more at Suite101: Children's Websites About Elections and Voting

Moneyville

2011-12-30T19:48:00.000-08:00

Play Moneyville »

More money games:Planet Orange

Learn more about money:
Homeschool Money Learning
Online money games

Weinachtsmann and Rubezahl

2011-12-10T20:37:00.001-08:00

These are two Santa-like figures from German folklore.

On December 6, Saints Feast Day, children would leave their shoes on the doorstep and Weinachtsmann would fill the shoes with toys and gifts.

Rubezahl, the watcher of the woods, would watch over the children who entered the woods, keeping them from getting lost, and keeping them safe from harm. All year long he would make presents. At Christmas time, he would pack the presents into his sack and deliver them.

Midwinter Winter Solstice

2011-12-10T12:16:00.001-08:00

Winter Solstice happens when the axial tilt of the Earth's polar hemisphere is farthest from the Sun. Winter Solstice happens on the shortest day and longest night of the year. This year, in the Northern Hemisphere, it will happen on December 22, 2011 (June 22 in the Southern Hemisphere). The night of Winter Solstice is sometimes called Midwinter. Midwinter is the longest night of the year.

After Midwinter, the nights become shorter, the days longer. Many cultures celebrate the rebirth of the year, more sun light, more food, more life. Ancient people may have celebrated the solstice they had survived the coldest darkest part of winter.

Pomeranians!

2011-12-10T12:16:00.000-08:00

Watch »

Did you know that Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel with a Pom by his side? Or that the Pomeranian is one of only three canines to survive the Titanic?

Design a house

2011-12-09T09:09:00.000-08:00

Go to Homestyler »

Go to architectstudio3D »

Pedestrian Safety Awareness

2011-12-09T08:01:00.001-08:00

Go »

Otter Dress Up

2011-12-08T13:10:00.001-08:00

Go »

Blue Man: Make Your Own Art

2011-12-08T12:59:00.001-08:00

Make your own art »

Tate Kids Art Games

2011-12-08T12:48:00.001-08:00

See more art games »

Evergreens and Christmas Trees

2011-12-08T11:57:00.000-08:00

Homeschool Science: Evergreens and Christmas Trees
Check out how to draw evergreen trees.
Read a story about evergreens.

Recycle Creatively

2011-12-07T21:34:00.001-08:00

Recycle Creatively »

Website updates

2011-12-04T11:22:00.001-08:00

Maia's website: Watch a seal birth »

Ilana's website: Play Geo-Mysteries »

CBeebies Advent Calendar

2011-12-03T10:49:00.001-08:00

Go »

Mut, Ba, & Ka

2011-11-26T15:29:00.001-08:00

Mut means "mother" in ancient Egyptian language. Mut is a mother goddess depicted as a woman with the crowns of Egypt on her head. She is associated with the waters from which everything is born. Mut is also known as Eye of Ra. The hieroglyph for Mut is a white vulture. The ancient Egyptians believed vultures were very maternal creatures.

The ancient Egyptians believed that the human soul was made up of 5 parts:

Ren (name),
ba (personality),
ka (life force),
sheut (shadow), and
lb (heart).

Learn more about the Egyptian soul

Mogwai and Gremlins

2011-11-25T18:23:00.001-08:00

Gizmo is a Mogwai. Mogwai can be translated from Mandarin and Cantonese Chinese as meaning monster or demon. In Gremlins, the mogwai is a cute little animal who likes to sing.

There are three rules: (1) no bright light, (2) don't get him wet, and (3) never feed him after midnight, no matter how much he begs. Bright light hurts him, and sunlight can kill him. If he gets wet, he pops out more mogwais. If fed after midnight, a mogwai will spin a cocoon and undergo metamorphosis, turning into a wicked, troublemaking gremlin.

Many people think that gremlins come from old myths, like leprechauns and pixies, but the gremlin was actually coined by the British Royal Air Force in the early 1900s. The word gremlin first appeared in print in a poem published in 1929 in the journal Aeroplane. Gremlin was used during WWII to explain the inexplicable mechanical problems that would happen while an aircraft was in flight. British author Roald Dahl, who served his military service in the Royal Air Force and was familiar with the concept of the gremlin, published a children's book that he called The Gremlins (1943). In it, he named the male gremlins widgets and the female gremlins fifinellas. In Gremlins the movie, the little furry creatures are called mogwai.

Learn to draw a mogwai:

Storytelling

2011-11-16T16:23:00.001-08:00

National Youth Storytelling Showcase
(Maia: Watch these!)

Kids' Storytelling Club

Interactive Science Simulations

2011-11-04T10:31:00.000-07:00

Play Science Sims »

Webcam Games

2011-10-30T16:27:00.000-07:00

CBeebies Webcam Games

Green Balloon Club Bug Trail - Use a mouse or webcam to learn about the natural world.
Get Squiggling! Squiggle Cam - Use a bright red, blue, or green object as "magic wand" to draw with your webcam.
Rastamouse Dance Party - Use your webcam or mouse to dance along with Rastamouse and the Easy Crew.
Something Special Out and About - Use your webcam or microphone to pop balloons and other fun activities.

CBBC Webcam Games

Get the Look - Horrible historical makeovers.
CBBC Webcame Games directory.

ABC Kids Webcam Games

In the Night Garden

More Webcam Games

Tate Kids Airbrush - Paint with your whole body using your webcam.

Girl Scouts Speak Out!

2011-10-28T13:26:00.000-07:00

Create a Public Service Announcement (PSA) »

Earthquakes, Geology, and Geophysics

2011-10-21T10:37:00.000-07:00

Learn about geology and earthquakes »

Porquoi Stories

2011-10-19T16:52:00.000-07:00

Find out how the leopard got his spots, how the alphabet was made... »

No Stank You

2011-10-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

Learn More »

UnHealthy Eating

2011-10-19T12:47:00.000-07:00

Learn more »

When Friends Fight

2011-10-16T18:30:00.000-07:00

When Friends Fight »

and try these interactive stories.

Beat the Bully game

2011-10-16T18:18:00.000-07:00

Beat the Bully »

Peace Corps Kids Challenge

2011-10-16T18:14:00.000-07:00

Help Wanzuzu villagers make their home a better place.

Bullying

2011-10-15T18:51:00.000-07:00

Stop Bullying

Kids Care: Volunteering & Community Service

2011-10-09T17:51:00.000-07:00

Learn »

Girl Scout Games

2011-10-05T22:21:00.000-07:00

Play Girl Scout Games »

Theodosia Throckmorton

2011-09-25T19:44:00.000-07:00

Theodosia Throckmorton - Official Website: Read about Theodosia's life as an Egyptologist in Edwardian London, England.

Insect Jokes

2011-09-14T10:15:00.000-07:00

Check out Insect Jokes on Ilana's Website and Ant Jokes here.

Ancient Egypt Mummy Jokes

2011-09-13T21:36:00.000-07:00

I can never figure out which part is the diaper.

How did brave Egyptians write?
In hero-glyphics.

Where do mummies go for a swim?
To the Dead Sea.

Why was the mummy so tense?
Because he was all wound up.

What is a mummy's favorite type of music?
Wrap.

How do mummies hide?
They wear masking tape.

Why did the mummy call the doctor?
Because he was coffin.

Do mummies enjoy being mummies?
Of corpse!

September 11 - Patriot Day

2011-09-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

Watch the 9/11 BraindPOP video »

Winter & Dolphin Tale the Movie

2011-08-31T10:42:00.000-07:00

Learn more about Dolphin Tale the movie and Winter the dolphin:

Play a Winter dolphin game.

Art Drawing Websites

2011-08-27T11:46:00.000-07:00

Sketchfu - sketch

ToonDoo - make comics

WhyReef

2011-08-24T09:52:00.000-07:00

Grab your scuba gear and explore the underwater world of coral reefs! Learn the signs of a healthy reef and find out what can make it sick. Swim with the different creatures that live in and around a coral reef and play WhyReef’s food web game to find out who eats who on a reef. Be sure to dive into WhyReef at different times of the day...you never know when a great white shark or a giant sea turtle might swim by! Get started now!   

Learn about whales at The Whale Museum

2011-08-18T14:53:00.000-07:00

An online course from The Whale Museum.

Learn about the Southern Resident Whales.

Great Britain, UK, England, Scottland, Ireland, Wales

2011-08-05T11:30:00.001-07:00

Define the territories.

William Stanley - Shakespeare?

2011-08-05T10:55:00.001-07:00


William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby

Rogues Vagabonds and Sturdy Beggars - William Stanley

Harmonica

2011-08-02T19:53:00.000-07:00

Ten-hole diatonic harmonica: First 4 holes play chords, with lower notes on the left.

Train song: BLOW BLOW, DRAW DRAW on the first four holes to make the chug chug sound of a train. Then DRAW DRAW on holes 3, 4, 5 to make the train whistle.

Further study:
Harmonica for Kids - Songs
Harmonica Lessons

Horrible Histories Terrible Treasures

2011-07-29T09:47:00.000-07:00

Play »

Dolphin Jokes and Draw a Dolphin

2011-07-27T08:38:00.000-07:00

Learn to draw this dolphin

What do you call a doll that swims in the water?
A dol-phin

How do a group of dolphins make a decision?
Flipp-er coin.

Why are dolphins smarter than humans?
It takes them only 3 hours to train a man to stand beside the pool and feed them fish.

Does a dolphin ever do anything by accident?
No, they do everything on porpoise.

What did Cinderella Dolphin wear to the ball?
Glass flippers.

A few extra non-dolphin jokes:

What's the smallest city?
Electri-city

Patient says: Doctor, Doctor! I think I'm an electric eel.
Doctor says: That's shocking.

What do you get when you cross an electric eel and a sponge?
A shock absorber.

Lots of Games

2011-07-27T08:14:00.001-07:00

At Sheppard Software Games, you'll find science games, geography games, animal games, math games, art games, word games...

(I also put a panda button in your favorites section.)

Dragon Rider - Cornelia Funke

2011-07-26T13:32:00.000-07:00

Cornelia Funke Fans Website - Check out the website for fans of Cornelia Funke's books, like Dragon Rider and Igraine the Brave.

BrainPOP Free Movies

2011-07-26T07:27:00.001-07:00

Watch free movies at BrainPOP. Learn about cameras, mars, Shakespeare, the Civil War, the International Space Station, digital animation, animals, U.S. symbols, and more...

and Play BrainPOP Games!

Balloons and Static Electricity

2011-07-24T08:03:00.001-07:00

Play Bloons Super Monkey

2011-07-24T07:56:00.001-07:00

Play »

Balloons

2011-07-24T07:53:00.000-07:00

Happy humpback playing in Puget Sound

2011-07-22T18:29:00.000-07:00

See the video: Raw: Happy humpback playing in Puget Sound

Hubble telescope discovered new moon around Pluto

2011-07-20T17:13:00.001-07:00

Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have discovered a fourth moon orbiting the icy dwarf planet Pluto. The small new moon has an estimated diameter of 8 to 21 miles. Read more...

Tarot - The Sun

2011-07-20T12:29:00.000-07:00

This card reminds me of Kalea. The Sun card represents energy and strength, action and vibration, life and joy, innocence and purity of childhood, intuition and wisdom.

Remember the HowStuffWorks tv show?

2011-07-20T09:46:00.001-07:00

You can learn about how a lot of things work. Check out the HowStuffWorks website.

Find out:

Gothic Period and Style

2011-07-18T15:22:00.001-07:00

The Early Gothic period spanned 1200 to 1350 AD. The Late Gothic period spanned 1350 to 1450. We've learned about Gothic dress and style through statues, carvings, rubbings, and manuscripts. The characters in Shakespeare's plays wore Gothic costumes. Read more about Gothic costumes.

Gothic Period Clothing Fit the Body

2011-07-18T15:15:00.001-07:00

Medieval and Renaissance clothing from the Gothic period in Western Europe carefully fit the body and display the wearer's form to its best advantage. The more wealth and status a person had, the better tended to be the fit of their clothing. Read more at Anachronista.net.

Learn Spanish with WordPlay

2011-07-15T08:37:00.001-07:00

maiawyn and ilanawyn,
You can log in and learn some Spanish with WordPlay.

New Enzoology Website

2011-07-14T21:52:00.001-07:00

Check out the new Enzoology website, Exploration Nation.

Kuromi

2011-07-11T19:36:00.001-07:00

New mouse species discovered in Brazil

2011-07-06T15:16:00.000-07:00

New mouse species discovered in Brazil

Watch Scratch Video Tutorials

2011-06-16T11:29:00.000-07:00

Video Tutorials - Scratch Programming for Kids

Ride the Ducks History - Amphibious Landing Craft

2011-05-21T20:29:00.000-07:00

Ride the Ducks of Seattle – Fun and unique tours of scenic Seattle!

Grammaropolis Game

2011-05-07T08:56:00.001-07:00

Play »

Here's Your Plasti-Socks

2011-03-22T12:40:00.000-07:00

Check em out »

Leapworld

2011-03-19T11:23:00.001-07:00

Play »

An Awesome Book

2011-03-19T11:23:00.000-07:00

Scroll sideways to read An Awesome Book!.

BioKIDS - North American Bullfrog

2011-03-13T10:51:00.000-07:00

Bullfrogs: What do they look like? Where do they live? What kind of habitat do they need?
Find out: BioKIDS - Kids' Inquiry of Diverse Species, Rana catesbeiana

FunBrain - Change Maker

2011-03-12T17:23:00.000-08:00

Get as much money in your piggy bank as possible, by figuring out the correct change.

Money Math!! - Change Maker Game

New Art 3D Drawing Program

2011-03-04T11:54:00.000-08:00

This is a new art subscription (nonmembers find out how to get it for 60% off).

Library Kids' Page

2011-02-27T09:42:00.000-08:00

On the Kids' Library Page, you can watch BookFlix and listen to Tumblebooks with your library card number as the login.

Bullfrogs

2011-02-22T09:14:00.000-08:00

Tadpoles eat algae, root stems, and decayed matter. Bullfrogs instinctively eat only moving (alive) food (crawfish, worms, flying insects), so pet owners have to train the young frogs to eat inert pellets.

Bullfrogs are sensitive to movement. They are usually looking up trying to catch flying insects.

When tadpoles metamorphose into frogs, they absorb their tails which go to form lungs, tongue, eyes, and other body parts. The cartilage forms into bones for their legs and feet.

Bill Steed of Croaker College in Emeryville, California has taught bullfrogs to perform diving feats, push-ups, and riding electric tricycles. His frogs have preformed at carnivals throughout the United States.

DragonflyTV

2011-02-16T13:51:00.000-08:00

Check out DragonflyTV for cool science experiments.

Pi

2011-02-15T11:57:00.000-08:00

π (sometimes written as "pi") is a special number representing the ratio (relationship) of any circle's circumference (distance around) to its diameter (distance across). π is approximately equal to 3.14159265 but the real decimal version of π contains at least 5 trillion digits.

Nez Perce Animals

2011-02-10T11:37:00.000-08:00

Nez Perce Animals
Picture Dictionary

Groundhog Day

2011-02-02T10:50:00.000-08:00

We don't have groundhogs here, but we have the groundhog cousins hoary marmot and yellow-bellied marmot.

This year, Feb 2011: We've got sun this morning, so the marmots can probably see their shadows today. Groundhog's Day lore says we'll have a long winter, late spring. However, the official Groundhog's Day website says the opposite. No buds on the trees yet, so hmm?

Here's a Groundhog Game.

Last year, Feb 2010: If groundhogs lived in our area, they would not have seen their shadows here today. Folk wisdom says we'll have an early spring, then. In fact, we have already seen flowering trees begin to bloom.

More about groundhogs and marmots: Groundhog also known as woodchuck, ground squirrel, marmot, land beaver, and whistle pig. A rodent common in central and northeastern US. In the West, found only in Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, and northern Washington. Curved spine, short tail. Two coats of fur give frosted appearance. Strong head bones can survive blows to the head. Primarily herbivorous, but also eat grubs, grasshoppers, insects, snails and other small animals. Burrows up to 45 feet of tunnels, 5 feet under ground. Swim and climb.

Further study:
Groundhog wiki
Groundhog.org
Groundhog Day wiki
Groundhog Crossing Viedos

Cartwheel

2011-01-29T13:00:00.001-08:00

Weird 'n' Wild

2011-01-27T20:18:00.001-08:00

Check out the Weird 'n' Wild Creatures website.

Check out the BirdCam videos

2011-01-21T10:08:00.000-08:00

Wildlife Videos taken with WINGSCAPES BirdCams
This is the company that makes our PlantCam.

Asparagus Ferns

2011-01-19T17:23:00.000-08:00

Asparagus ferns aren't really ferns. They just look like them. They're actually part of the Lily family. They bloom pink flowers and red berries in the fall. They can grow to 6 feet in the wild, or 2-3 feet indoors.

Heartland

2011-01-19T16:52:00.001-08:00

Visit »

Love Cupid & Snails

2011-01-11T18:20:00.000-08:00

Cupid and Psyche,
a painting by
Gérard François Pascal Simon
1798

The Story of Cupid
The people loved the princess Psyche so much that they forgot to worship the goddess Venus. Venus got so jealous of Psyche that she ordered her son Cupid to make the princess fall in love with the ugliest and poorest man on earth. When Cupid saw Psyche, he felt so overcome with her beauty that he dropped an arrow on his own foot and fell in love with her himself.

In Roman mythology, Cupid (Greek: Eros) is the god of love and beauty, son of Mars (Greek: Ares), god of war, and Venus (Greek: Aphrodite), goddess of love.

Cupid is described with wings, a bow, and a quiver of arrows.

Love Darts
Some snails and slugs shoot "love darts" at one another as a part of mating. Professor Ronald Chase of McGill University in Montreal commented about the garden snail Helix aspersa:

"I believe the myth of Cupid and his arrows has its basis in this snail species, which is native to Greece . . . The Greeks probably knew about this behavior because they were pretty good naturalists and observers."

Learn more: Snails and Slugs: Love Darts

SmART Kids

2011-01-11T16:45:00.000-08:00

Play Art Detective. Visit the galleries. Follow the clues. Learn about viewing art at a museum. Go »

Nautiluses and Cephalopods

2011-01-11T11:31:00.000-08:00

Nautilus means "sailor" in Greek. Nautiluses are members of the cephalopod family, along with other animals with prominent heads and tentacles (like giant squid). Cephalopods are mollusks. Nautiluses are the only living cephalopods with shells.

See more pictures »

Read more about Nautilus »