Links & Online Resources

Here you'll find links to USA, geography, and history-related magazines, museums and historic sites, schools, and commercial sites with a tremendous variety of resources to explore.

• Ben's Guide to US Government for Kids
  Ben Franklin (one of America's first librarians, btw!) via the US Government Printing Office's webpage, gives children a fun and fantastic tour through American history and geography. Tons of great, age-appropriate (grades k-12) educational games, activities, downloads and history.
• Edsitement
  Lesson Plans and Activity Ideas from the NEH's Edsitement webpage. Some examples:
  • Music from Across America
    Explore, listen to and learn about the different music, instruments and musicians found in different regions of the country.
  • Born on a Mountaintop? Davy Crockett, Tall Tales and History
  • Dust Bowl Days
    This lesson plan draws upon the ballads of Woody Guthrie.
  • Mapping the Past
  • Quilts
    Several people at the roundtable brainstorming session mentioned quilts. Following are NEH's lesson plans on quilts:
    Family and Friendship in Quilts
    History in Quilts
• GoZone Park Fun Guide: On-line FUN in your national parks
  Rangers and scientists at each National Park have created on-line activities for fun and to help kids get to know the Parks a bit better.
• WebRangers
  The National Park Service's site for kids ages 6 and up.
• Postcards from America
  "Hitch a ride in our virtual backseat as we tour the 50 states in our RV and share this exciting journey through the window of an electronic postcard." Ken, a photographer and graphic designer, photographs and creates "Live-at-the-Scene" postcards, while Priscilla, a writer and former American history teacher, writes the accompanying captions, personal messages and trivia questions.