This issue of KIDS, dated April 8, 1998, was written and produced by students of Nederland Elementary School in the Boulder Valley School District, located in Nederland, Colorado.

The KIDS Report is published with the support of the Internet Scout Project and the National Science Foundation.

World Kids Network/Critters Reviewed by Pat W.

This is a great place to get a lot of good information on all different kinds of animals. Select the link Critters on the homepage and it takes you to a Critters "Map." The map is the way you can choose what area you wish to explore. Choices include: Fish, Endangered Species, Prehistoric and Extinct Animals, Bugs, Mammals, Pets, Birds, Reptiles and Amphibians, Critter Questions, and an alphabetical listing. If you're having a problem finding the animals you want, there's a search option that will look for you.

I like the endangered species area. Though it has all my favorite animals, it doesn't have all the endangered species. The section on mammals has both wild and domestic mammals. It's fun because it has a lot of neat animals, including ones I have never heard of, like the ocelot, the lynx, and the ounce. Many of the links have good pictures. They take awhile to load, but are worth waiting for.
URL: http://worldkids.net/critters/

Sea World/Busch Gardens Animal Information Database Reviewed by Elizabeth J.

This site is about all the things you can find at Sea World and Busch Gardens. It has sections about penguins: Animal News, Shamu TV, Educational Programs: Educational Resources, J.J. the Gray Whale, careers in marine biology or working at Busch Gardens and Adventure Camps sponsored by Busch Gardens and Sea World. There is also information about the park. One of the special features is that the site is updated daily because it is used for educational purposes. It has a lot of links to other sites.

This site is very useful, factual, easy to use and access. It is for kids of all ages. Little babies can look at all of the animals and parents and teachers can enjoy it also.
URL: http://www.seaworld.org/

Alaskan Animals Reviewed by Ariel B.

This site shows a lot of facts about many well-known Alaskan mammals (moose, polar bears, killer whales, etc.) and the eagle. There is a lot of information about what they eat, how they adapt to their climate, where they live, and many other facts. There are good pictures to use for further study or to print to use in reports. There are links to many other sites that give even more information. There is no sound or video.

This is a site put up by a home-schooling family in Chugiak, Alaska. It's very, very nicely done! I recommend this page because it has lots of facts about Alaskan mammals. It is very useful for anybody in elementary school, especially when writing reports about Alaska or the animals that live there. It is easy to access and to go from this site to others.
URL: http://www.teelfamily.com/links/animals/animals.html

Sharks Reviewed by Max W.

This site has a lot of information on sharks. You can find out about at least fifty different kind of sharks. There are sections that give information on Shark Anatomy, Shark Diversity, Sharks Senses, and Experiments (For example, there is an experiment that demonstrates why sharks swim to stay afloat). Pages are all easy for kids to read and use, and they have cool pictures. There are lessons plans for teachers. One section is entitled The Ocean of Know Homepage, where you can find even more information on sharks.

I recommend this site for students in grades 2 and above. This page is good resource for reports.
URL: http://www.oceanofk.org/sharks/sharks.html

ZooNet Reviewed by Gabriel S.

ZooNet is the place to go if you want to know about zoos! They have several links that lead you to alphabetical lists of zoos in this country and in other cities in the world. The main sections are: World Zoo Index, Zoo Home Pages, Animal Links, Animal Pictures, USA Zoo Index, Zoo Links, and Endangered Species.

I like this site because it makes it easy to find the zoo you are looking for. My favorite link is the Gold Paw Sites. ZooNet selects a zoo or animal related site for the Gold Paw Award. The sites are chosen for good information and good pictures. The award is supposed to be given monthly, but the last award was November 1997. There are still a lot of good sites listed here.
URL: http://www.mindspring.com/~zoonet/

Frogland Reviewed by Brendan J.

This is a great site for frog lovers in grades 1-5. This site has games, educational information, and just plain fun. There is a lot of valuable information. If you're thinking about getting a pet frog, Your First Frog gives you several things to consider before you run to the nearest pet store. Pet Info tells you everything you ever wanted to know about your pet frog. Learn wacky but true froggy facts at Weird Facts. Select the Leaping Pad to hop to other frog sites. Other sections include What's New, Frog of the Month, Save Our Frogs, International Frogs, Frog Art Gallery, Teacher Corner, and more.

I'd say my favorite link is called Stupid Frog Jokes. It's filled with funny jokes like the Frog Prince jokes. There is so much here that you could spend a good hour looking all through Frogland!
URL: http://allaboutfrogs.org/
[Note: This URL has been updated to reflect a change in address. This is not the original URL reviewed.]

The Penguin Page Reviewed by Jessica H. and Colin R.

This site is about the different kinds of penguins. It has great pictures, a fact sheet on every type of penguin alive, and general information about penguins. The information is organized around six topics: General Information, Behavior, Reproduction, Relatives and Friends, Predators, and Fossils. Vivo Showcase presents 60-second videos of 13 different types of penguins (must have or download VivoActive Player, which is available on the site.) In addition the site offers a Miscellaneous Information section that answers FAQ'S, Additional Resources (books,articles,etc.), files for downloading (for Windows users), penguin humor (not very funny), and links to other related sites.

The Penguin Page is an excellent resource for projects. I (Colin) used it for information on my science fair project. If you like penguins, you should definitely check out this site!
URL: http://www.vni.net/~kwelch/penguins/

These Internet resources were evaluated on the basis of the Site Selection Guidelines that the students developed. Questions and comments can be sent to teacher Randy Sachter, rsachter@bvsd.k12.co.us

Copyright Susan Calcari and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 1994-1998. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of the KIDS Report provided the copyright notice and this paragraph is preserved on all copies. The Internet Scout Project provides information about the Internet to the US research and education community under a grant from the National Science Foundation, number NCR-9712163. The Government has certain rights in this material.

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Wisconsin - Madison or the National Science Foundation.