www.4Kids.org - Week of December 12, 2004

Week of December 12, 2004

Odds and Ends

The options are endless when it comes to the items you can collect. Collections represent something unique about you. Smithsonian Education at http://smithsonianeducation
.org/students/idealabs/ amazing_collections.html offers great tips to help you start or maintain your own collection. The site also includes a sneak peek into the museum’s collection of rocks, minerals, stamps and coins. Smithsonian geologist Mike Wise will help you explore what being a geologist is all about. Also, check out Reel People for videos showcasing some of the objects people collect.

Nominate a cool Web site at http://www.4Kids.org/nominations/

Visit the Featured Web sites to find the answers.

Why is the inverted “Jenny” the most famous American stamp?

It was printed in Latin.
The price was not printed.
The plane is printed upside down.

What is the name of the first simple cipher system?

Puzzler
Caesar Cipher
Holograph

How many
Matis currently live in the rainforests of Brazil?

240
420
2,400

Cracking the Code

Solving puzzles and cracking codes is the name of the game at www.nsa.gov/kids. The National Security Agency and Central Security Service give you a look inside code cracking, its history and why it's important. You can see devices used by the United States to crack codes during war times throughout history. Codes and Ciphers teaches you how to read and write simple coding with practice activities for beginning, immediate and advanced levels. Finally, you can read short mystery stories with codes that you can crack to help solve the case.

Culture for Kids

National Geographic Kids has a world of coolness waiting for you at www.national geographic. com/ngkids/ 0409. Travel the world and locate endangered cultures and animals from places such as South America, Australia and Asia. Along the way, meet Paul Lee, an amazing rooster that can do a flip off his owner's head. Get Wild & Wacky before entering the school of magic by filling in words to a silly story. Last, you can help set a Guinness World Record by creating the world's longest line of footprints. Discover a world of culture at this great site.

What volunteer work are you doing this holiday season?

Speak Out Here!

Dear Amy: What is this Mozilla Firefox I keep hearing about? Should I use it? — Alex, Stillwater, Minn.

Dear Alex: Mozilla Firefox is a relatively new Web browser whose popularity is joining the ranks of Internet Explorer. It includes a built-in popup blocker, the ability to view more than one Web page in a single viewing window and a toolbar containing Google search. Best of all, it keeps your computer safe from spyware that can do serious damage. For more info on Mozilla Firefox, visit www.mozilla.org/products/firefox.

Dear Amy: How can I learn how to make a Web page? — Bob, Memphis, Tenn.

Dear Bob: The first step in learning how to make a Web page is to learn HTML, or HyperText Markup Language. HTML is the code that allows the text, images and objects on a Web page to appear in any browser that can read the World Wide Web. Compared to other programming languages, it is easy to learn. All you need to learn HTML is a simple word processing program, such as Notepad or WordPad. Check out Learning HTML for Kids at www.goodellgroup.com/tutorial for a getting started tutorial.

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