LIFE SKILLS

This page is one small part of Good Sites for Kids!

Here are sites that are designed to teach skills kids will need in the working world when they are adults. Another small but growing section of Good Sites!

A Girls World is a venerable (since 1996) online magazine/series of sites for girls! Everything from babysitting certification, celeb interviews, peer advice page, contests, poetry, an info page for pets and animals, pen pals, diaries, more. Set up especially for girls and for their futures. Everybody's happy to post this site here, wondering why it took us so long! We want to thank some Girls Inc. girls who like this site.

Activity TV  This truly excellent site has at least a couple of hundred good instructional videos on subjects like paper airplanes, science projects, magic, making jewelry, crafts, origami, juggling, cheerleading, cooking (!), and more! It also has Lego action videos and several good games! The videos are really world-class, with adult instruction, printable parts lists, and recipes. Projects on the videos can be accessed by skill levels, categories, most viewed, etc. You need to look at Activity TV!

Admongo from the US Federal Trade Commision, teaches advertising literacy to kids. "Welcome to Admongo where advertising is all around you. Online. Outside. On television. Who makes ads? How do they work? What do they want you to do? Here, you will explore, discover, and learn. Can you make it to the top? To get there, you'll answer: Who is responsible for the ad? What is the ad actually saying? What does the ad want me to do?" Thanks to Teri T. for this site.

American Sign Language Learning Aid Link goes to the program page. Download the program here. This is the Windows version, there are others. "A set of programs designed to help the beginner ASL student learn ASL. It is composed of two parts: ASLLA-Dictionary and ASLLA-Fingerspeller. ASLLA-Dict allows the student to look up English->ASL sign. ASLLA-Fspell allows the beginner to practice seeing fingerspelling." Thanks to Andy Uehara, who wrote these programs and is deaf, if that matters to you. Cool. A short manual and other info may be found inside the unzipped program folder. Found it on Sourceforge.

Anti-Phishing Phil "Play Anti-Phishing Phil And Learn How To Spot Phishing Attacks." Play a game that will teach you more about phishing. You'll have to catch worms with "good" urls and avoid phishing worms. A teacher fish shows Phil how to tell the difference. From Carnegie Mellon University. Thanks to Consumerist for the article that mentioned this game.

Brain Workshop "What if a simple mental exercise could improve your memory and intelligence? A recent study published in PNAS, an important scientific journal, shows that a particular memory task called Dual N-Back may actually improve working memory (short term memory) and fluid intelligence. This finding is important because fluid intelligence was previously thought to be unchangeable. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the dual n-back task also enhances focus and attention and may help improve the symptoms of ADHD/ADD. The game involves remembering a sequence of spoken letters and a sequence of positions of a square at the same time. Brain Workshop is a free open-source version of the Dual N-Back mental exercise. Easy download, easy install. Another SourceForge discovery.

Buffalo (Bison) Education from the InterTribal Bison Cooperative. From the original people of the bison comes this excellent educational resource. Learn the Traditional Uses of the Buffalo with a comprehensive printable .pdf chart. Learn why Buffalo Are Sacred. Learn buffalo facts and the Historical and Cultural Connection to the Buffalo. Find out about buffalo Meat & Nutrition. Play the Buffalo Brain Busters game.

Chess For Kids - from ThinkQuest. " Chess for Kids is a resource for chess players of all skill levels, from beginners to advanced tournament players. We provide tutorials to improve your strength, as well as chess puzzles to practice on and learn from."

ChessKid Lets kids play chess with kids around the world in a safe environment. Lots of chess info; sections for kids, parents, coaches; tutorials, more.

Cool School (yet another NEW URL!) From Curriki - a site you need to see! "Part computer game, part educational classroom tool, COOL SCHOOL: Where Peace Rules! is a whimsical interactive game where children, ages five to seven (grades K-2), journey to the fanciful world of Cool School, where everything -- from erasers to desks to books to basketballs -- are alive and full of personality. Here, in a vibrant and fun setting, children are taught invaluable social, communication, and problem-solving skills that promote conflict resolution through negotiation, compromise, cooperation, and reconciliation." Lots more at their web page. We played this and it was great. It's a BIG download.

Dance Mat Typing "Learn keyboard familiarity and finger positioning as you work your way through 12 different typing lessons. Animated characters and dances are triggered by your very own ten fingers." Four levels starting with new beginner. Another great BBC site.

ESL/TOEFL pages from the British Council and the BBC. Excellent source for plans and ideas for teaching English as a foreign/second/new language. Good source for grammar basics, too.

FaceChipz Ok, we haven't ever done a social networking site for kids before. They have a good reputation and they definitely fill a need. Here's an excerpt from their pitch: "FaceChipz.com has all the features of a real social network – but with one big difference: kids can ONLY communicate with others they’ve physically exchanged FaceChipz tokens with – NO strangers allowed! No one can arbitrarily contact them. No one can search for them. It’s the social network they collect, but doesn’t collect them." We understand that the Chipz are now available at Toys R Us.

Game On! The Ultimate Wellness Challenge How to build an around the year program to educate kids in nutrition, health and physical education before, during, and after school. Includes ideas, activities, and how to set up challenges for kids. This is from Action for Healthy Kids of Skokie, Illinois, USA. Their mission statement and program layout explains it all in detail. We need this sort of site. Thanks for another one, Shelly.

Gardening - Classroom Projects from Kids Gardening. Here are 26 gardening projects for school kids, with lesson layouts and notes. Nice for cross-curriculum springtime activities.

Gardening - Thematic Explorations Library from Kids Gardening. Here are 26 thematic units, most with Lessons & Activities and Resources sections. There is a lot of good resources and planning material in here.

H.I.P. Pocket Change is the US Mint's kid site. Very lively, features games, fun online activities, and cartoons, all of which is to teach children about coins and coinage.

Hands On Banking presents basic money management in an easy to use format.  Customized for four age groups from 4th & 5th grade, 6th-8th grade, teens, and adults. From Wells Fargo, requires Flash.

Happy Healthy Songs from Sesame Street. "Listen to these great songs about eating healthy foods and keeping your body fit." Five songs (with lyrics) to reinforce the idea of eating healthy.

Hillbilly Housewife has weekly menus, inexpensive recipes, planners, and advice for people on a budget. "The focus here is on low-cost, home-cooking from scratch. The recipes are all tested in a real kitchen. The ingredients are affordable and readily available in most areas. " This is timeless advice for people on a budget, and it's free.

inch/mm Conversion Chart from Maryland Metrics. Handy chart compares inch fractions and decimals with their metric equivalents. The site also explains how to convert, and features a fast interactive conversion calculator. This is from an industrial supply firm in Maryland, where people use these tables in a real life business environment.

Interactive Bills from US Bureau of Engraving & Printing. "The interactive bills provide an animated tutorial of the security and design features of the new $5, $10, $20 and $50 bills." Interesting. Flash and non-Flash versions.

It's My Life from PBS Kids. Practical advice for adolescents. Sections on Friends, Family, School, Friends, Emotions, and Money. Advice, games, voting, videos, too. Kinda like Miss O but for boys, too.Thanks for yet another one, Shelly.

Kids Bank Kid-friendly site that teaches kids about money (US$), interest, loans, borrowing, checking and savings accounts, even Electronic Funds Transfer.  Quizzes and activities, too. A good online introduction to money and banking for kids. From Sovereign Bank.

Kids Memory section of KidsKnowIt.. Here are some activities designed to help train the memory.

Kids Running "is a site about kids running for kids of all ages. Inspire your kids to embrace fitness, physical activity and exercise...Hello and welcome to KidsRunning.Com. It won't take you more than a few moments of browsing the site, to see that we are building a Web site devoted to promoting the sport of running for kids so that they can enjoy the benefits of a fit and healthy lifestyle both at school and home. We integrate academics when we can. It seems that both learning and running are more fun for kids when they are combined."  Owned and operated by working teachers. Isn't staying fit a life skill?

LearnEnglish Kids "LearnEnglish Kids is for children who are learning English. Find games, songs, stories and lots of activities - and learn English too." Games, printables, online songs, stories to read, more. There's also a good section for Teachers of English as a Second Language with lesson suggestions using this site.

Learning Strategies: Maximizing Your Academic Experience from Dartmouth. Evidently to help their new undergrads learn how to study, Timeless techniques well presented here. "The following pages provide a variety of suggestions and resources for maximizing your academic experience. View an on-line video, read about helpful strategies, or download a handout."

McGruff.org Crime prevention for kids, starring McGruff the Crime Dog. Designed to help teach children how to protect themselves from bullies, vandalism, pedophiles, etc. Stories, advice, videos, 35 games like Shrink the Cyberbully and Adults You Can Trust.

Miss O and Friends "By girls...for girls."  Advice, discussions, interviews, activities, music, videos, "personality quizzes", and much more for tween and young teen girls. There's a lot in this site, the more you explore, the more you find!

Moonbase Alpha "A 3-D Immersive NASA Exploration Game. Step into the role of an explorer in a futuristic lunar settlement...Moonbase Alpha is the first of two commercial-quality NASA games developed in partnership with commercial game developers." Looks great!

teaching children what to watch out for online with fun, interactive games and activities. Fun safe internet links for kids to Learn about Wizzywigs, Webville outlaws, and internet safety rules.

Social Skills for Elementary Students Laura Candler's advice on teaching social skills to elementary kids basically walks you through the steps of teaching these skills. Well worth trying.

Social Skills for Middle School Students Yes, the site you have dreamed about really exists. With four main sections and several sub-sections, this site offers lesson plans, activities, role playing, whatever it takes to instill social skills through practice! We did up a set of questions to go with "American Table Manners" and had middle-schoolers engaged!  You need to use this site!

Stepducks "Sometimes you just need to talk to someone!" This is a site full of resources for step-families. It has practical advice, links to other support sites, activities and references for: Stepfamily Support, Family and Parenting, Marriage Support, Divorce Support, Single Parents, etc. Meet the Stepducks has some typical stepkid characters, what they are like, how they act. "You'll Swear You Know These Kids!!" Good luck, stepfamilies. You are not alone, we are not alone.

Stop Bullying Now!"Welcome to the Stop Bullying Now! Campaign. You can learn all about bullying and what you can do to stop it. Take a look around and you’ll find games and cartoon Webisodes that help you Take a Stand. Lend a Hand. Stop Bullying Now!" Great material with sections for kids and adults.

Study Guides and Strategies (Tons of them!) We wish we could copy some quotes about these guys so we needn't try to describe this site - there is just SO MUCH going on! How to study, how to listen, how to meet challenges, managing time, how to learn (!), how to think, memorize, manage projects, how to write well, vocabulary, how to take a test, math science, etc! This site has it all! You really must look at it!

TypingWeb "is an online typing tutor for enhancing typing and keyboarding skills. You can learn to type and practise typing for free on its typing tutor program...Typingweb has lessons for all levels: Beginner Course, Intermediate Course, Advanced Course and Speciality Course. You can also get special exercises to work with your problem keys. Typingweb.com supports several international keyboard layouts." Good practice site.

Webwise Computer Tutor from the BBC. " Welcome to Computer Tutor. I'll show you how to use a mouse, keyboard and computer screen." We know an awful lot of elementary age girls who are becoming addicted to this excellent, patient, interactive, kid-friendly site, and we're glad they showed it to us! Kids really do learn a lot about how to work a computer. The BBC does it again.

Woof! My life skill is getting some of that ice cream!

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