4Kids.org - Week of October 14, 2001

Week of October 14, 2001

Science Extravaganza

Fun games, balloon rides, ideas and inventions are waiting for you at the Lawrence Hall of Science Kids' Corner at www.lawrencehallofscience.org/kidsite. Start your adventures by checking out the Chem Mystery where you can learn how to tell the difference between acids and bases. Become an astronomer at the Star Clock section, and learn to locate and identify different constellations. The space racer game takes you out of this world to different planets in our solar system. When you are ready to switch gears, try your hand at the ancient Tower of Hanoi game. Then learn to identify whales by their unique calls. You'll be a junior scientist in no time if you complete all the activities at this site.

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

Visit the Featured Web sites to find the answers

What are three of the most common types of lip prints?

rectangular grooves, inverted grooves and diamond grooves
square grooves, branching grooves and short grooves
diamond grooves, branching grooves and rectangular grooves

What is the heaviest component of a traditional telescope?

viewing lense
primary mirror
secondary mirror

What percentage of bats carry rabies?

10%
5%
Less than 1%

The Final Frontier

Investigate the mysteries of the universe at NASA's Origins Web site found at http://eis.jpl.nasa.gov/ origins/whatis/whatis.html. Track NASA's space observation progress in the Missions section. The Technology section shows how telescopes have improved over four hundred years. And in the Astrobiology section, you can explore the theories about life beyond our planet. This site is far out. (This site is no longer available.)

Going Batty

Go bats at http://endangered.fws. gov/bats/bats.htm. This U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Web site will inform you about these much maligned mammals. Find out how bats developed their bad reputation and about their decreasing population. Finally, read about bat biology as well as lots of fun facts about what bats eat, when they sleep and how they are helpful to humans. (This site is no longer available.)

What do you like best about autumn?

Speak Out Here!

Dear Amy: How do I know that a site is safe for kids? -- Melissa, Xenia, Ohio

Dear Melissa: To ensure that a site is safe, consider where you found the link or URL. If you found it in a recent newspaper feature for kids such as 4Kids.org or if you used a search engine for kids such as www.askkids.com you can be pretty sure that the site is safe. If you ever have questions, though, ask an adult.

Also, check the Web site's privacy policy. If the site is safe for kids, the privacy policy should state that the Web site is COPPA compliant. COPPA is the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act that was passed by Congress in 1998. A site that follows COPPA guidelines will not ask for any personal identifying information from kids under 13 years old. If it does ask for personal information, it should also ask for your parent's permission to release that information.

You can learn more about COPPA laws at www.kidsprivacy.org Finally, our own Safe Surfing section at 4Kids.org/safesurf can teach you how to be safe online. Be sure to print out your very own Surftificate to show you are a safe surfer.

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