4Kids.org - Week of December 2, 2001

Week of December 2, 2001

The Mark Twain House

The Mark Twain House, an architectural oddity that belonged to one of America's most beloved writers, is open to you at www.marktwainhouse.org. This monumental site features a virtual tour of Twain's Hartford, Conn., home, complete with quotes from Twain biographers and the man himself. The tour takes you everywhere, from the entrance hall to the billiard room to the master bedroom where you'll find, as Twain put it, "the most comfortable bedstead that ever was." Milestones in Twain's life at Hartford are spread across a timeline in the History section. In the Just for Kids section, you can try to find all of the names of Twain's cats in a word search. What Twain once said about the city of Hartford is true about this Web site: "You do not know what beauty is if you have not been here."

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

Visit the Featured Web sites to find the answers

Which family crest appears on Twain's Scottish overmantel?

Twain
Mitchell-Innes
Ayton

What does Raphael use in his paintings to give the illusion of depth?

perspective
Cubism
various shades of blue

What are the three basic parts of smart investing?

savings, rate of return and power of compounding
spending, fast selling and slow consumption
allocation, index funds and analysis

A. Pintura: Art Detective

A magnifying glass and detective hat will fit like a glove at www.eduweb.com/pintura when you take on the Case of Grandpa's Painting as A. Pintura: Art Detective. Miss Featherduster needs your help in identifying the artist of her grandfather's mystery painting. Compare and contrast works from famous artists such as Picasso and Van Gogh to identify similar styles, colors and subjects. Then solve the case, detective

Money Matters

Forget Wall Street. Invest Smart at http://stocksquest.thinkquest.org/ 10326 is the place to go for up-and-coming stockbrokers. You will be given 100,000 fantasy dollars to invest. Get down to basics in the Investment Basics section for general rules and investment advice. Then follow the lessons and read real-life examples of teen investors. Get rich quick at this spectacular stock site. (This site is no longer available.)

What does the saying "Don't judge a book by its cover" mean to you?

Speak Out Here!

Personalize Your Presents

Whether or not you celebrate the holidays in December does not change the importance of making time to express your feelings of love and appreciation for the people in your life. You ought to show your appreciation of others throughout the year, but the holidays are an extra-special time to tell others how important they are to you.

You don't have to buy your best friend the newest Sugar Ray CD, a Beatles poster and fuzzy slippers to tell her you care. Making something yourself will let her know she's special to you. Create a collage of pictures of the two of you and mount it in a frame that you decorate yourself. It will remind her every day of your friendship.

For your parents, you can write a poem or letter expressing your love and appreciation for them and all that they do for you. As you write, you will realize how much you really do need them in your life.

In giving your gifts, you give a piece of yourself as an everlasting example of the importance that someone has in your life. Visit Hands On Crafts for Kids at www.crafts4kids.com/ projects.htm for more great ideas.

-- Amy

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