Science: Kids

Links from the Association for Library Service to Children

Smithsonian Institution -- Kids

Encyclopedia Smithsonian from the Smithsonian Institute

National Geographic Kids

Discovery Education Science Reference Desk

Kids.gov

Science Kids

CoolScience.org
 

Science News for Students

Science articles from DOGO News for Young Minds

Science Buddies blogs
 

You Try It

Encyclopedia Smithsonian
Links to over 200 games and activities on a wide range of science topics.

PBS Kids - Science Games

Science Buddies
Activities for all ages for a wide range of science topics

Science Games for Kids

The Science of Baseball

Scholastic
Games for kids age 3-7

Engineering games from PBS

Physics-based Games Online

Map Games for Kids
 

As Whitney Houston sang, "Children are our future."  The future of humankind and the earth and its inhabitants will be in the hands of the children, who will one day be the stewards of the planet and its variety of life forms.  As science is such a pervasive force in every aspect of our lives, the more we educate our children in all fields of science, the better off they will be, we will be, and the planet will be.  It will be up to them to take care of the planet, and it is now up to adults to teach them.

1) Start with an overview for your topic.  For example, you can start with an encyclopedia such as Credo Reference or Gale Virtual Reference Library (see list of BPL resources below) to get a basic idea of what your topic is all about.

2) Once you have a general idea of what your topic is about, you can narrow your topic down by subcategory, such as "Marsupials" under "Mammals."

3) Search for more information on your topic, using databases available through the Boston Public Library website (see below) to find fact sheets, articles, and other sources of information.  A good place to start is the Science in Context database which includes reference resources, experiments, magazine articles, news articles, maps, and videos.

Different types of information that you can look for include:

• Overview -- General description of a topic
• Statistics -- Collection of quantitative data
• Evidence -- A visible sign of something which demonstrates that it exists or is true
• Guides -- "How-to" instructions or an outline of how to do something
• News Articles -- Article from a newspaper or other news source; good source of current and local information and can be considered a primary source
• Journal Articles -- Article from a magazine or academic journal
• Multimedia -- Videos, photographs, audio resources

For more information on researching a topic, see http://www.kyvl.org/kids/homebase.html  from the Kentucky Virtual Library.

Search Techniques:

• Wildcard searches: Use an asterisk (*) to take the place of letters in a search.  For example, if you are looking for information on children, use a wildcard search by putting an * at the end of the term.  For example: child* gets child, children, and childhood as well as Childs (as in Julia Childs, the chef and author)
• Phrase searching: To find an exact phrase, use quotation marks.  Example: "Red Sox” or “St. Patrick’s Day”
• Use the word “and” in your search to make sure that both words you are looking for appear in the same webpage.  For example, if you are looking for information on the history of the Irish in Boston, type history and Irish and Boston.

Science Fair Project ideas from Education.com
Browse by grade and subject. 

Science Kids
Includes ideas and help by topic.

Science Fair Extravaganza from the Illinois Institute of Technology
Provides display tips, presentation tips, and scientific writing tips.  Lists projects by difficulty.

Internet Public Library -- Science Fair Resources
Provides tips and tools to help you with your science fair project from start to finish.

Successful Science Fair Projects 
Guideline for successful science fair projects from the University of Washington's Neuroscience for Kids website.

"How to do a Science Fair Project" from NASA
Videos from NASA demonstrating how to do a science fair project.

Science Fair Central
Guide to get you started and help you choose a topic.

Audubon Society -- Just for Kids
Enjoy games and activities about birds and other animals.  Includes a live barn owl and a live hummingbird camera.

Ask-a-Biologist site from Arizona State University
Includes research and reference resources for homework help. Includes biology games, pictures, and stories.

Kids' Corner from Franklin Park Zoo
Learn about wildlife conservation around New England and what you can do. 

KidsBiology.com
Provides an online "biology textbook," an animal database, and information about human biology. 

Nature Games from PBS Kids
Provides access to interactive online games dealing with nature.

Let's Go Outside! from U.S. Department of Fish & Wildlife
Gives ideas on activities you can do outside.

"Adventures in Chemistry"
Includes experiments, games, activities,  and "The Secret Science of Stuff."

Chemistry for Teens from USA.gov
Provides links to resources for homework help and games of interest to high school students.

Rader's Chem4Kids
Learn about atoms, chemical reactions, and biochemistry.

"What's that stuff?"
Gives the chemical make-up of everyday objects and products.

Element games from Jefferson Lab
Links to games helping you learn about elements and math.  Includes matching and other games.
 

Fear Of Physics
Interactive activities and videos that teach and explain aspects of physics.

Institute of Physics
Includes a database of physics websites ranked by age. The site also provides interactive features about physics in everyday life.

Kenny Felder's Math and Physics Help
Collection of papers that explain various concepts in math and physics.

Physics for Kids
Includes facts, experiments, games, images, and videos.
 

How Stuff Works
Explains simply how many common appliances, machines, and technologies work.

EngineerGirl
Site is designed to encourage girls to enter the field of engineering.

Inventive Kids
Includes news, information about young inventors, and a "How to invent!" feature.

EdHeads
Contains activities to show how simple machines work. 

Strange Matter
Learn what things are made of through games, experiments, videos, and more.

"Building Big"
Introduces children to engineering and how to build buildings through hands-on activities.
 

Our Planet and Our Environment for Kids
Provides links to websites with information and games related to earth sciences.

Earth and Moon Viewer
Shows real-time images of the earth in day or night regions.

Geology for Kids
Learn about rocks and other geology topics through activities.

OneGeology -- Kids
Information about rocks, earthquakes, volcanos, fossils, and other topics can be found here.  Includes access to geological maps.

National Geographic Kids Atlases
Interactive maps for kids. 

My Wonderful World -- Geography
Geographical information from National Geographic.

KidsGeo.com
Geography for kids

NASA Kids' Club
Includes online games that will help you learn about being an astronaut, spaceships, the planets, and more.

StarChild from NASA
Contains information on the solar system, the universe, astronauts, and space travel.  Includes videos.

Astronomy for Kids
Learn about civilian space travel and how to observe the sky and about.  Includes news and games. 

Planets for Kids
Learn about the planets, stars, moons, and other space objects.  Includes articles and coloring pages.

"Make a Star Finder" from NASA
Learn to find the constellations. Download and print the Star Finder for this month.
 

Tree House Weather Kids
Learn about seasons, temperature, air pressure, clouds, and moisture.

Weather Wiz Kids
Learn about different kinds of weather. Includes games, stories, and experiments.

Playtime for Kids! from the National Weather Service
Includes information about different kinds of weather.  Includes safety tips, games, and coloring books.

Weather for Kids! from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
Provides links to other kids pages involving weather information, activities, and more.

Weather for Kids from the Kids Network
Links to information about different weather phenomena.  Includes weather cams.
 

A Student's Guide to Global Climate Change (Environmental Protection Agency)
Learn the basics of global climate change as well as how to be a part of the solution through games and activities.  

NASA Kids : NASA’s Eyes on the Earth
Includes games to learn about climate change and its effects on animals, plants, oceans, and weather.  Includes videos and tips for what you can do to help.

Children of the Earth United
Learn about the environment and how to protect it.  Find out about kids' nature programs in your area.

Welcome to the Web!
Learn how to use the Web.

Scratch
You can program your own interactive stories, games, and animations — and share your creations in the online community.

Learn Code
Learn to write computer code with tutorials and practice exercises.

App Inventor
Learn to program mobile apps for android. Offers tutorials with step-by-step directions, and an on-line book.|

NetSmartzKids
Includes games to help you learn about internet safety and computer viruses.
 

National Science Foundation Scrub Club
Fight Influenza Enzo, Bac(teria) and other germs. Features webisodes, games, downloads and more.

"How the Body Works"
See how different parts of the body work together.
http://kidshealth.org/kid/htbw/

Human Biology from kidsbiology.com

Inner Body Online
Features interactive views of the human body.

Neuroscience for Kids
Explore the nervous system, using experiments, activities, and games to learn about the brain.