LET'S PLAY BALL It's almost Spring, and kids across the country are heading outside to play sports-basketball, soccer and baseball. While some of us play with our friends for fun in backyards, empty fields and parks around our homes, others play organized ball like Little League. At www.littleleague.org you can find out everything you ever wanted to know about Little League Baseball and Softball. They have facts about the history of the league, information about special equipment and, of course, a breakdown of the Little League World Series. Take a tour of the Little League Museum and see the famous Little League players in the Hall of Excellence. So slide into Little League; it's sure to be a home run. (Disclaimer: This site now contains advertisements.)
Get the Lead Out Whether you're working on your math at school or sketching cartoons for fun, the pencil is your helper and a friend you can count on every day. The Pencil Pages pay tribute to your favorite writing tool, and let you find out more about this often overlooked school supply. Did you know that a typical pencil can draw a line that is 35 miles long? Or that pencils can write in zero gravity, upside down and underwater? From ancient Rome to the present, the pencil has been a vital communications tool. By clicking on a pencil, you'll learn about pencil history, production or famous pencil users. You'll even learn how different pencils can be. Ready to become a pencil pal? Doodle your way to www.pencils.com.
THE MAGIC OF WORDS - STORYTELLING Looking for something fun to do? Tonight, why not turn off the TV and curl up with a good story from the World Wide Web. The Realist Wonder Society is full of fairy tales, amazing illustrations, and stories for children of all ages that will keep you coming back for chapter after chapter. At www.wondersociety.com you can follow the adventures of child heroes, read the classics from Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm, or enter the next generation of fairy tales, like the love fable of "The Mole and the Owl" and the futuristic fables of "Stanislaw Lem." Take a break from reading to check out the scripts for animated movie projects and send the author your ideas. Or stroll through the art gallery, where you'll see the work of famous illustrators of children's books and comics! (This site is no longer available.)
This 4Kids Detective game has expired. To play the current Kid Quest Challenge, go to 4Kids.org/kidquest.
1. When was Little League Baseball founded?
Dear Rachel: Believe me, I don't know all the answers. But I've learned to ask other people. Some of my friends and I started a computer club in our school. Our teacher said we should start the club because we want to learn about computers rather than start a computer club because we already know a lot about them. Everybody, including our principal, started asking us how to do things that we didn't know. The fun part was to find out the answers. Last year we even helped set up our school's network.
Dear Amy: I have a friend who is moving back to Japan. We are going to be key-pals. What kinds of things can I send to her on the Internet? --Alice, Milpitas, CA
Dear Alice: Wow, it's really awesome that you will be able to stay in touch with your friend. What you can send to her depends on what your Internet Service Provider (ISP) allows its customers to do. Ask your ISP if it allows e-mail with attachments. If so, you could attach a picture, a recipe or even a small digitized sound file to your regular e-mail message. Another way is to put your pictures, sounds and even movie files on a Web site that your key-pal can see, hear or download. If she had a Web site, too, she could post stuff about everything she is doing back home in Japan.