Kid-Friendly Internet Directories

Email to a friend with a personal message

Barbara J. Feldman

Although often confused with search engines, today's featured sites are actually directories, because each and every entry is handpicked by a human, not an automated Web crawling computer program. Yes, their databases are considerably smaller than the huge search engines, but when you type in your keywords, and hit enter, you can be confident only appropriate family- friendly sites will be returned.

AOL @ School: Middle School Search

5 stars

AOL @ School divides their site recommendations into four grade levels: primary school (grades K-2), elementary (grades 3- 5), middle school (grades 6-8) and high school (grades 9 -12.) This directory is for middle schoolers. The others can be found by returning to Home (look for the link at the bottom of the page), following the appropriate grade link, then choosing Browse by Category. Note that the red at-sign icon next to a site listing means it is "educator approved."

Ask Jeeves for Kids

4 stars

Like its grownup counterpart, Ask Jeeves for Kids prides itself on answering natural language questions. No need to learn boolean or complicated search engine syntax here, simply ask Jeeves a question such as "Where is Peru?" But don't expect an answer quite yet. Next you'll need to choose from a list of questions that Jeeves knows the answers to. For example "Where can I find a map of Peru?" or "Where can I find the history of the country Peru?" If the resulting questions are not exactly what you wanted, you can modify them by selecting different fill-in-the-blank phrases from the drop-down boxes.

DMOZ for Kids and Teens

4 stars

"The Open Directory Project is the largest, most comprehensive human-edited directory of the Web. It is constructed and maintained by a vast, global community of volunteer editors." The volunteers responsible for the Kids and Teens section have reviewed and organized 23,790 sites into fourteen subcategories. Each site is briefly annotated and includes a recommended audience: kids, teens, or mature teens. Have a passion you want to share with the world? Find an appropriate DMOZ topic, and volunteer to be a section editor.

KidsClick! Web Search

4 stars

KidsClick! is a "web search for kids by librarians" created by the Ramapo Catskill Library System. In addition to the search box, 6300 recommended sites can be browsed by clicking around the fifteen general categories or 600 alphabetized topics. For a bit of librarian humor, click on the question at the bottom of the page "What does this page look like through a librarian's eyes?" Unfortunately, you'll need patience to enjoy this site. It is very slow at times.

Yahooligans!

5 stars

The first Internet directory for kids is still my favorite. Published by Yahoo!, each listing is placed in the searachable hierarchy under one of six main categories (such as Around the World, Arts & Entertainment or School Bell). Over the years, their extra features have grown by leaps and bounds. On the front page, you'll find E-Cards, Music, News, Joke of the Day and Yahooligans! Poll, just to name a few.