History and Science for Kids

The tag line for this childen's encyclopedia site is: What Do You Want to Know Today? Isn't that great?

Kidipede - History and Science for Kids covers mainly history and science topics. Originally a learning project for university students, the site has been owned and published by Professor Karen Carr since 2000. The original emphasis of Kidipede was on ancient Greece and Rome, although it's been expanded to include sections on North America, China, India, West Asia, Egypt, Africa and Germany as well as on Islam and the Middle Ages.

It seems that middle school (grades 7-9) students--and up--would be able to make best use of the information provided on this site, although a parent could paraphrase and/or simplify for younger learners.

I randomly chose a page called Gunpowder in Ancient China, just to see how the information was presented. It's quite fascinating, actually, the first sentence being: "Like the idea of zero, gunpowder developed gradually over time." The word "zero" is linked to a page called Indian Mathematics where the invention of zero as a placeholder is explained.

You might get lost exploring Kidipede, but you'll come out knowing a lot more than when you went in!

Children in Victorian Britain

BBC's Primary History site has a section about children in Victorian Britain, including facts about chimney sweeps, children in factories and at schools. In addition to a short texts, there are captioned photos, a Time Capsule game and videos.

I'm not particularly impressed by the Teacher's Resources section (documents in PDF format), but they might be used as idea springboards from which to create something a bit more interesting than, say, coloring a picture.

The site is suitable for primary school children and also covers Ancient Greeks, Anglo-Saxons, Romans, Vikings and Children of World War II.

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Involved in Living History on People Speak at History.com

The website blurb says it best:

Using dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries and speeches of everyday Americans, THE PEOPLE SPEAK gives voice to those who spoke up for social change throughout U.S. history. THE PEOPLE SPEAK illustrates the relevance of these passionate historical moments to our society today and reminds us never to take liberty for granted.

Watch the videos on the site:

• Mutiny in George Washington's Army performed by Mike O'Malley
• The Declaration of Independence performed by Matt Damon
• Susan B. Anthony's Suffrage Trial performed by Christina Kirk and Josh Brolin
• J.W. Loguen's Letter to Sarah Logue performed by Benjamin Bratt

Getting the kids emotionally invested and involved in a story is one of the best ways to teach them anything -- and they're more likely to retain that information as opposed to data that's been drilled by rote, simply for the purpose of exam regurgitation.

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Mind Your Manners! A Victorian-Era History Game

You can choose from several games with various historical themes at Montreal's McCord Museum of Canadian History.

There are two games in the Mind Your Manners section: the first I tried was The Victorian Period and it is very well done, with a welcome dose of humor--watch the answer-lady roll her eyes!--along with the lovely-to-look-at costumes and interesting factoids. My 11 year old found the vocabulary a bit daunting, but the gist of most of the messages is clear. The Roaring Twenties is more pointedly directed at Canadian history (Prohibition and so on), but it's still fun to see what people wore and what polite society dictates were.

Watch the Birdie is a similar type of interactive game, but it's not about manners per se. In this one, you take on the role of a customer or an apprentice photographer in a Montreal-based photography studio around 1870. You get to learn about what people wore, when telephones were commonly used and how photography was developing as an industry and an art form.

Well done Canada!

PHOTO CREDIT: Julia Freeman-Woolpert, http://www.sxc.hu/photo/706638

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Pioneers - a kid-friendly explanation

If you need to know something about pioneers, ThinkQuest.org has a good section for you. Things like wagon trains and prairie schooners are explained, and daily life on the trail is also briefly looked at. As an example, there's a paragraph called What Types of Chores Did Children Do? that reads:

Children had lots of chores that included milking their cows, fetching water from a stream or a river that was nearby, helping their parents cook food, washing dishes, collecting buffalo chips or wood for the fire, shaking out dusty blankets and quilts, and hanging beef jerky to dry in the sun.

It's a simple overview explaining who the pioneers were and where they went, with two of the major trails covered. There are interesting facts like the dangers they faced (including how to safely cross rivers) and the toys they played with.

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The World of Cleopatra

Learning adventures really do take place at Cleopatra's Palace on Discovery.com's Education section. By clicking on the correct image, whether it's people or places (including recent underwater finds at Alexandria), this site provides students (of any age!) with a quick and painless review of a fascinating era in world history.

For a more in-depth look at the life of this last pharaoh of Egypt, the Cleopatra Study Guide at About.com is well done.

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