Surfing the Net with Kids: Online News

May 23, 1999

Dear Readers,

Welcome back. Reader reviews are a big success! Want to join the fun?
Crack open your bookmarks, and tell us about YOUR
favorite site. Due to reader demand, I’ve added two new topic
categories: For Parents and For Teachers.

This week’s newsletter is sponsored by:

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Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

If a newspaper is news printed on paper, then what do you call the news
you read online? News sites? News nets? Whatever you call them, several
readers asked me for them, so here are my favorite current event sites for
kids and their families.

Like "Surfing the Net with Kids?"


Recommend-It to a Friend!

Crayon.net

Despite its title, this resource is not just for kids, but for anyone who
wants to “CReAte Your Own Newspaper.” Start by entering a name and slogan
for your paper (The Barbara Times “Your News Your Way”) then choose your
news sources (such as USA Today or The New York Times), comic strips
(Rugrats or Peanuts anyone?), and additional snippets (This Day in History
and Merriam-Webster Word of the Day are two excellent choices.) Your paper
can be formatted as a single page, a framed page (my preference) or in two
windows. Click to save and view. Congratulations! You’re a newspaper
publisher.

Junior
Scholastic Online

Well designed and well written, this is my pick of the day for
middle-schoolers. Junior Scholastic Online combines original reporting
with a news quiz (ten challenging questions) an opinion poll (Should there
be a Children’s Day?), a geography game, a research helper, and links to
additional news sources. Elementary ages can find their own
grade-appropriate versions by choosing Scholastic News Online in the drop
down menu at the top of the page.

Newseum

Welcome to Newseum, the interactive museum of news. “What is the top news
event of the 20th Century? Men walk on the moon? U.S. women win the right
to vote? A surprise attack wrecks Pearl Harbor? Jackie Robinson
integrates baseball? The Beatles teach teens to rock? Leading American
journalists have voted. Now it’s your turn.” Cast your vote by choosing
VOTE (at the top of the screen) and then deciding whether to view the 100
events in chronological order, or organized by topic.

Time for Kids

Time for Kids is available in two versions — one for grades two and three,
another for four through six. In addition to fun stories (such as the
widespread popularity of Pokeman), Time for Kids also covers the tough
issues such the crisis in Kosovo — although not in as much detail as Junior
Scholastic Online. And don’t worry — unlike the related print edition,
which is not published during summer vacation, Time for Kids Online is
available year round.

Yak’s Corner

Yak’s Corner for elementary kids, created by the Detroit Free Press, is
part news magazine and part online playground. Yes, there are feature
stories here (such as a good coverage of Y2K, including but not limited to,
the year 2000 computer bug) but there are also fun activities such as
puzzles, Yak Yuks (these are jokes, get it?) and Yak crafts. My favorite
click is the never-ending collaborative story. Read the first twelve
paragraphs, and then submit one of your own. You’ll find it listed under
Yaktivities.

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(in association with Amazon.com)

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