Canku Ota
(Many Paths)
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SCIENCE
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS, pronounced "Triple-A-S") is the world's largest general science organization and publisher of the peer-reviewed journal Science. With more than 138,000 members and 275 affiliated societies, AAAS serves as an authoritative source for information on the latest developments in science and bridges gaps among scientists, policy-makers and the public to advance science and science education.
http://www.aaas.org/
Antarctic Food Pyramid
The students will learn the importance of the food chain's survival, to protect animals from extinction, through a song.
http://coe.west.asu.edu/explorer/seeds/team3/ANFOPY.htm
Astronomy for Kids
Every click is a winner at Rick Morris' Astronomy for Kids, where "grownups are welcome, too, as long as they promise to behave." I recommend starting with Beginner's Corner, for tips on learning the rhythm of the sky, and Sky Maps, for timely advice on what to look for in the sky this month. But don't miss the seven planet word searches in Puzzles, and for oodles of good stuff for school reports, visit Planets.
http://www.dustbunny.com/afk/
Bill Nye the Science Guy's Nye Labs Online
http://www.billnye.com/core.html?flashtarget=core.html&noflashtarget=noflash.html
Blizzard Attack!
Roger Evans, an Iowa Meterologist, has developed this activity for students in grades 7 to 12.
A teacher's guide is included.

http://weathereye.kgan.com/expert/blizzard/index.html
Building Big
Budding engineers and architects will flip over this interactive exploration of big bridges, big dams, big domes, big tunnels and skyscrapers (which, by definition, are all big.) Get virtual hands-on experience with the Labs (learn about forces and materials) and Challenges (design a structure.) Other great clicks are the searchable Wonders of the World data bank with a form for submitting your own local wonders, and the activities and experiments found in the Educators' Guide.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/
Center for Environmental Research
CSE brings together the talents and expertise of scientists, educators, independent scholars, business leaders, government agencies, non-profits, students, and community members to seek creative solutions to environmental problems. These challenges are addressed through initiatives that safeguard natural and cultural values and resources. By combining technical innovations with the knowledge, values, and practices of local communities, we generate long-term environmental solutions that enhance the lives of those they impact.
http://www.environment.nau.edu/
A Coastal Journey
Coastal Journey is a diary of scientific discovery written by a young teen, as she explores the rocky shores of Washington state
with her marine biologist father. She writes about the tides, the difficult living conditions they create, and five kinds of plants and animals that live in tide pools: algae, cnidarians, crustaceans, echinoderms, and mollusks.  The diary is nicely illustrated with photographs and drawings, but lacks a table of contents.
http://www.poulsbomsc.org/tutorial.htm
Composting for Kids
"Composting is fun! It's also easy. Let's learn about how we make compost and how we use it to grow beautiful gardens." Learning how to compost was one of the very first tasks I took on when we moved into our big-yard house. Not only is it satisfying to create our own nutritious mulch for the vegetables and flowers, but it is also ecologically and economically sound. Kids (and parents) can learn how in this simple slide presentation.
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/sustainable/slidesets/kidscompost/cover.html
Convert Me
Convert Me has "interactive calculators for many measurement systems both commonly used like metric and U.S. Avoirdupois and quite exotic like Ancient Greek and Roman." These calculators allow you to specify significant figures (which determines how much rounding is done), a feature not found on other sites. To use, first select the type of unit such as Weight and Mass, or Distance and Length. Enter the measurement you want to convert from (such as 1.5 pounds) and click Convert. You'll get the conversion in all available units, such as .68 kilograms, 18 Chinese taels and 53 old Russian lots.
http://www.convert-me.com/en/
Create Your Own Web Page
Creating pages for the World Wide Web takes a little practice, but once you get the hang of it, it's a lot of fun. The first step is to decide what you want to publish in your Web page.Maybe you want to publish a story you've written, or share reviews of books you've read, or create an electronic magazine related to one of your hobbies... Whatever you want to put in your Web page, the directions in this step-by-step guide will show you how to do it.

http://www.smplanet.com/webpage/webpage.html
CyberSleuth Kids: Units of Measurement Worksheets
These twenty-three printable worksheets for elementary ages provide practice for converting units of length (mostly) and units of weight (just a few.) The worksheets are not labeled, so you will need to click on each image to see what it covers. Topics include millimeters to centimeters, inches to feet, feet to yards, ounces to pounds, and vice versa. To print the pages without headers and footers, remove them in your browser's Page Setup dialog.
http://cybersleuth-kids.com/sleuth/Math/Math_Worksheets/Units_of_Measurement/
Damien's Skyscraper Page
Damien is a Australian skyscraper enthusiast, and an excellent illustrator. Visit his site to marvel at his skyscraper renderings, which you'll find listed under Contents. Must clicks include Larger and More Detailed Diagrams of Skyscrapers (Parts One, Two, Three and Four), Diagrams of Buildings (which click through to fact sheets with photos), and Diagram Comparing Tall Buildings to Other Tall Structures. Okay, so the titles aren't that catchy, but the detail in his work is awesome.
http://members.iinet.net.au/~paulkoh/
Dewey to the Rescue
All you ever wanted to know about organizing "information on any topic under the sun" is right at your fingertips. This multimedia tour, done in Flash, allows the user to sit back and enjoy the show.
http://www.oclc.org/dewey/about/ddctour/index.htm
Earth and Sky: Skywatching
Ever wish you had an experienced astronomer standing by your side to guide you to the nightly show? Now you do. Meet Deborah Byrd, Skywatching columnist. "Each day's segment is designed to guide your eye to something you can see that night, or the next morning before dawn. It might be a constellation, a star, or a planet. Or it might be a celestial event, such as an eclipse." In addition to this feature, teachers and lower-elementary kids have their own sections, accessible from the lunar menu at the top of each page.
http://www.earthsky.com/Features/Skywatching/
EdHelper: Measurement Worksheets
Despite the title, this EdHelper page is not just worksheets, but a collection of puzzles, word stories, charts and lesson plans, all related to units of measurement. English length, weight, capacity, time and temperature are covered on this table of contents. Metric units are covered on a separate page (look for the Also Visit link.) Some of the worksheet links only provide a single printable worksheet, while others allow you to generate an unlimited number of handouts and answer keys. Although paying members get even more worksheets, there is enough free content to earn a five-star rating.
http://www.edhelper.com/measurement.htm
Enchanted Learning: The Intertidal Zone
The colorful Enchanted Learning site for elementary ages features a nice illustration of the four intertidal zones: from the spray zone (which is usually dry) to the low tide zone (which is almost always wet.)  But the best clicks are the twenty printable, color-able animal printouts arranged in alphabetic order from anemone to zooplankton. There are related sections on Tides (follow the hyperlink in the opening text), Walruses, and Biomes.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/intertidal/intertidal.shtml
EPA: Drinking Water Kids Stuff
The EPA offers a combination of online lessons, games, and three printable curriculum guides for grades K through 12. Make "Games and Online Activities" your first stop, where (despite the title) you'll find educational, illustrated articles on the water cycle, water treatment, conservation tips, water trivia and two word games. For fun projects for home, scout troop, or classroom (such as "Build Your Own Water Cycle" and "Build Your Own Watershed.") visit "Classroom Activities & Experiments."
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/kids/
Eurek Alert
EurekAlert! is produced by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), with technical support provided by Stanford University. Corporate and other sponsors have contributed funding for the development of EurekAlert!, a comprehensive Web site about the latest research advances in science, medicine, health, and technology.
http://www.eurekalert.org/
FamilyFun: Gardening Projects
These six fun craft projects take gardening one step further. For example, craft number two is a sock mouse for your cat with catnip you've grown yourself. My favorite is a practical joke done with a pickle. "The object here is to astound your friends with a little horticultural sleight of hand. They'll be in a pickle wondering how you managed to squeeze that great big vegetable through that skinny little bottleneck." Click through to page six to learn more.
http://familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts/season/feature/famf59gardening/
Garbage
This Annenberg Project presentation will help students realize how much waste actually accumulates on Earth from daily living. They'll learn, for example, that they create four pounds of garbage every day! This Annenberg Project presentation helps students to conceptualize how much waste is accumulated on the Earth from daily living. Looking at solid waste, this site helps motivate participants to make a difference on the Earth by changing our wasteful habits.
http://www.learner.org/exhibits/garbage/intro.html
Get Tech
The GetTech program is a response to growing concern that too few young people understand how studying math, science and technology in junior high school can lead to rewarding careers.
www.gettech.org
Global Forest Awesome
Global Forest Awesome is a fun, engaging look at tree biology for elementary and middle school students. The site menu is a graphic of the tree of knowledge that allows students to visually identify topics of interest. The School section offers self-contained lessons and quizzes, while the Fun Science link offers facts and "gruesomes" that change daily (yes they really are gruesome!) and a Tie Dye Flower experiment. Links on Weather, a Library of information, a Photo Gallery and a Teacher page round out this site.
http://www.gfawesome.org/
How Stuff Works
How Stuff Works Express is a division of How Stuff Works, a media and e-learning company. We make science and technology entertaining and understandable, resulting in greater student interest and enhanced performance.
http://express.howstuffworks.com/
Imaginary Lines
Imaginary Lines was founded by former astronaut Sally Ride - America's first woman in space - to provide support for all the girls who are, or might become, interested in science, math and technology.
http://www.imaginarylinesinc.com/index.shtml
Imagine the Universe
This site is dedicated to a discussion about our Universe... what we know about it, how it is evolving, and the kinds of objects and phenomena it contains. Just as importantly, we also discuss how scientists know what they know, what mysteries remain, and how they might one day find the answers to these questions. This site is intended primarily for ages 14 and up.
http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/homepage.html
KidsGardening.com
Built by the National Gardening Association for both families and teachers, KidsGardening.com is my pick of the day. It offers great primers (see Parent's Primer and School Greenhouse Guide), searchable articles and FAQs, curriculum, and a free monthly newsletter titled KidsGarden E-mail News. For e-cards and beautiful floral wallpaper, jump over to sister site Garden.org (you'll find a link at the bottom of any page) and look for "Free Stuff" in the left-hand column.
http://www.kidsgardening.com/
Jack Horkheimer: Star Gazer
"Confused about the cosmos? Can't tell a planet from a star? Then give us just five minutes and we'll show you what they are." Star Gazer is a syndicated PBS radio show, and this site contains twelve months of video archives in RealPlayer format. Because of the illustrations, viewing the archives is even better than listening to Jack Horkheimer on radio. Click through the December episodes to learn about the best times to see Mercury, Saturn and Venus this holiday season.
http://www.starhustler.com/JHSG_DNLD.html
KCTS Learning Quest:  Popcorn Science!
Tom Charouhas' classroom at Rose Hill Junior High in Redmond, Washington was filmed testing the "popability" of bargain brand and gourmet popcorn.  Do the kernels of Brand A or Brand B pop more efficiently?   Efficiency was measured by calculating the percent of  unpopped kernels, and by comparing pre-pop and post-pop mass.  In addition to watching the Real Audio video clip, you can pick up printable lab packets, hypotheses worksheets, and grading rubrics.
http://www.kcts.org/learns/cooperative/newsletter/02_12.asp#LOM
KidZone The Water Cycle
Evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection: this terrific single-page explains it all for lower-elementary students. Best clicks are the five printable activity sheets, available in both color or color-it-yourself black-and-white. The first printable illustrates the entire cycle, and each individual process has its own sheet. You'll find them at the very bottom of the page. For more "Super Simple Science," explore the topics in the horizontal menu at the top of the page.
http://www.kidzone.ws/water/
Life in a Massachusetts Tide Pool
Kim Armaral wrote this tide pool study as part of her Masters in Professional Writing thesis.  It features nine tidal creatures including arthropods, barnacles and sea cucumbers and a page explaining tides.  Best creature clicks are the short movies that illustrate mysteries such as  how a barnacle eats or how a sea star moves.  The adventurous will enjoy the activities, which include a recipe for seaweed pudding (this yucky sounding treat is actually a common ingredient in ice cream, salad dressing and toothpaste) and instructions on drying and pressing seaweed.

http://www.umassd.edu/Public/People/Kamaral/thesis/tidepools.html
Lissa Explains it All
Hi! Welcome to Lissa Explains it All, a colorful and fun approach to learning HTML especially for kids (and the young at heart).
http://www.lissaexplains.com/intro.shtml
Lunar Eclipse Computer
You can obtain the circumstances of recent and upcoming lunar eclipses for any location by following these simple steps:
http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/LunarEclipse.html
Lunar Eclipses for Beginners
What is an eclipse of the Moon? What causes eclipses and why? How often do eclipses happen and when is the next eclipse of the Moon? You'll learn the answers to these questions and more in MrEclipse's primer on lunar eclipses.
http://www.mreclipse.com/Special/LEprimer.html
National Air and Space Museum
To enter the virtual exhibits at the National Air and Space Museum, hover your mouse over Exhibitions to select either Current, Past or Web Only. Best clicks for classroom and home are the activities (some online, others offline) peppered throughout the online exhibits such as Is Air Really There (from How Things Fly) and Cyber-Center (found in Exploring the Planets.) Another exciting gallery (that is still being built) is a collection of 3-D virtual reality photographs of 335 aircraft and spacecraft. To visit, click on QuickTime Virtual Reality Project from the home page.
http://www.nasm.si.edu/
NASA Student Involvement Program
This national competition is your opportunity to join in NASA's exploration of the universe, from the most distant stars to the earth beneath your feet. Join the adventure!
http://www.nsip.net/
Ohio Corn: Kids CORNer
Don't let the plain looking entrance fool you, there is plenty here for elementary-age students to learn about corn production and corn products.  Each of the three activity groups (too bad they don't have better titles) is divided into four pages of learning, experiments and multiple-choice quizzes.   Don't miss the microwave recipe for creating biodegradable plastic from corn starch and corn oil.  You'll find it in Activities Group 3: Become an Environmental Scientist.  The teacher guides include a glossary and answer keys.
http://www.ohiocorn.org/kids/
Planet Pals
You will be able to use this site to assist in teaching your children about the universe, it's natural resources, and it's issues! Not only will we give you informative reading for lessons, but projects your children can work on. Use our pages to encourage dialog or inspire your lesson plans! Have the children visit our interactive pages, contribute ideas and take advantage of the FREE activities, PRINT and PLAY projects and FREE creativity contests. We would like to help you encourage your children to think about their world and how they can make it better, and mainly inspire them to take action.

http://www.planetpals.com/
The Sally Ride Science Club
Sally Ride created the Club for girls who like science, math and technology. It is open to upper elementary and middle school girls across the country, and actively encourages membership from diverse groups of girls.
http://www.imaginarylinesinc.com/srsc.shtml
Science Master
ScienceMaster provides news, information, links, columns, and homework help in all major areas of science.
http://www.ScienceMaster.com
Science Online
It's a complete research environment that provides access to the full text of Science's print version and to additional online-only enhancements, lets you search within Science and across a multitude of scientific journals, keeps you informed of new content and developments via e-mail alerts, and helps you manage your citations.
http://www.scienceonline.org/
Skyscrapers.com
Take a whirlwind skyscraper tour by clicking on the World Map. Each country has a detailed entry, with high-rises and photo galleries organized by city. Another fun section is found under Diagrams. Select one of a dozen big cities to view an illustration graphing its skyscrapers. Each building links through to its very own page with scads of stats and even more photos. The depth and quality of this skyscraper database make Skyscrapers.com my pick of the day.
http://www.skyscrapers.com/
Skyscraper Wars
Part of the PBS kids' site Learning Adventures in Citizenship, Skyscraper Wars tells the story of the battle of the buildings that occurred in New York in the twenties, concluding with the history of the Empire State Building. The Empire State Building was finished on May 1, 1931, and held the title as the world's tallest building until 1973, when the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center (the tallest of which reached 1368 feet) were dedicated.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/newyork/laic/episode5/topic5/e5_topic5.html
SkyView - The Internet's Virtual Telescope
SkyView is a Virtual Observatory on the Net generating images of any part of the sky at wavelengths in all regimes from Radio to Gamma-Ray.
http://skyview.gsfc.nasa.gov/
Snowtastic Snow
Hi! Welcome to Snowtastic Snow. In our site you will find a lot of different information about snow and ice. You can also go to our game page for puzzles, mazes, and even quizzes! We hope you enjoy our site.
http://tqjunior.thinkquest.org/3876/
Space Kids
Find out all you wanted to know about space and more at this cool site
http://www.spacekids.com/
Technology Buzzwords
A computer dictionary for all ages
http://www.tekmom.com/buzzwords/index.html
The Thinking Fountain
...a great source for science activities and related resources; accessible by topic, cluster, and type; add your own to make the database grow!
http://www.sci.mus.mn.us/sln/tf/nav/thinkingfountain.html
Tide predictions from around the globe.
The best time to view the many creatures that live along a rocky shore is during low tide, when pools of water and animals become trapped in the rocks.  When climbing along the tide pools, take care not to harm any of the residents. And if you pick something up, return it gently where you found it.  To find the tide schedule for your area, check your newspaper or try Tides Info.
http://www.tides.info/
USGS Water Cycle: Follow a Drip
The U.S.Geological Survey follows a water drip from ocean to cloud and back down again in this site for middle and high-school students. Their beautiful hydrologic (water) cycle diagram is available in English, Spanish, and a bigger version just for printing. Additional water science topics can be found under the rainbow; just click on a cloud! The glossary of water science terms, however, isn't on the rainbow menu. You'll find its link in the lower right-hand corner of each page.
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/followdrip.html
Webmonkey
Hello and welcome to Webmonkey, the site that's been teaching people how to build websites of their own since 1996. If you're fixing to create your very first website, then you're in the right spot. (Not sure what you want? Before you dive in, perhaps you'd prefer to get your feet wet with a tour of our site.) OK, ready? Set?
http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/
Web Building 101
Have all those other HTML tutorials got you down? Starting to think you'll never understand the mumbo-jumbo of HTML tags? Convinced writing web pages is too technical? Think you have to be a programmer? Never fear, we're here to help! Just give us a few minutes, and we'll show you the step-by-step basics to get you started on writing Web pages and understanding the basics of the Internet.
http://www.hitbox.com/cgi-bin/page.cgi?website101/wsb101_intro
Web Site Criteria
The Web is a lot like a flea market: there's a vast selection of sites to choose from but not a lot of order to it. Some sites are offered by reputable "dealers" and some from individuals who want to show off their personal favorite items. Sometimes it's hard to tell what's a hidden treasure, what's worth taking a look at, and what's a waste of time.
http://www.ala.org/parentspage/greatsites/criteria.html
World Trade Center History
The twin towers of the World Trade Center were more than just buildings. They were proof of New York's belief in itself. Built at a time when New York's future was cloudy, the towers restored confidence and stopped the decline of lower Manhattan. Brash, glitzy, and grand, they quickly became symbols of New York. But the idea wasn't universally liked. Critics argued that the skyscrapers would ruin New York's skyline and strain city services. With support from David Rockefeller (chairman of Chase Manhattan bank) and his brother Nelson (governor of New York) the project was approved and construction began in 1965.
http://www.factmonster.com/spot/wtc1.html
Yes I Can!
YES I Can! Science is a database of teacher resources, classroom activities, and lesson plans that support the Pan-Canadian K-12 Science Curriculum. It is hosted by the Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences at York University and supported by Industry Canada's Schoolnet.
http://www.yesican.yorku.ca/home/index.html
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  Canku Ota is a free, bi-weekly, online Newsletter celebrating Native America, its traditions and accomplishments . We do not provide subscriber or visitor names to anyone. Some articles presented in Canku Ota may contain copyright material. We have received appropriate permissions for republishing any articles. Material appearing here is distributed without profit or monetary gain to those who have expressed an interest. This is in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 Fair Use doctrine of international copyright law. Please read our privacy policy.  
 
Canku Ota is a copyright © 2000, 2001 of Vicki Lockard and Paul Barry.
 
The "Canku Ota - A Newsletter Celebrating Native America" web site and its design is the
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