Entry bubble Kids in the White House

By: Nancy | January 15, 2009 | Category: Home and Family

Just two streets from Gov Gab Headquarters, they're making a lot of preparations to welcome the new kids on the block.

By this time next week, Malia and Sasha Obama will have joined the exclusive list of kids who have called the White House "home." And while they won't be as little as John John and Caroline Kennedy, who danced at their daddy's feet in the Oval Office, or as mature as the college-bound Bush twins when they moved onto Pennsylvania Avenue, at seven and 10, the Obama girls are the perfect age for Kids.gov.

the Obama family

See, I'm figuring that among the bikes and stuffed animals that will be carted into the Executive Mansion over the next week, there will probably be a computer or two for the girls as well. And like every school kid, they'll have reports to write about art or astronauts, the 50 states or the environment and "going green." They'll definitely be curious about the news for kids that's coming right out of their new home. And they're going to want to take a break, kick back and play a few games.

Malia and Sasha may not be inheriting Amy Carter's tree house or Tad Lincoln's pet goats when they move into the Executive Mansion. But they will be the first "First Kids" who'll grow up online in the White House, learning about the country their dad leads, and the great stuff that the government has for them—and for every kid—online, from Kids.gov.

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Entry bubble Boy? Oh Boy!

By: Nancy | July 03, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

It's only fair.

Last week I talked about fun websites for girls that I found on Kids.gov and around the web. Since then, I've been hearing from moms and dads who are looking for safe and fun sites for their sons, too.

boys

I'm starting the hunt back at Kids.gov, where this month's featured government website for kids is the National Security Agency's CryptoKids. The site's fun characters and games help kids learn to create and crack secret codes. Little do they know that they're building their math, logic and language skills at the same time.

Girls get stereotyped as the ones who are big leisure readers. But boys can get just as lost in a good adventure or fantasy story. Filled with reviews of new and classic books for young readers, Kidsreads.com is a good place to discover inspiring and exciting stories that'll keep kids engaged for hours at a time.

Send your young explorer around the world on a single website: National Geographic Kids. Photos, stories, games and activities show kids the wonder of animals and the mysteries of far away lands.

Boys can learn about the traditions, practical skills and adventures of scouting with the Boy Scouts of America and with their official magazine, Boys' Life. For the scout or non-scout, the magazine's website is full of challenging games, experiments, hobbies and projects to build.

Do your kids have vivid imaginations? Let them exercise them on Poptropica, a virtual online world that lets kids age 6 to 15 safely create characters, travel and challenge each other in games.

If you remember growing up with Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers, chances are, you have kids who are just the right age to enjoy interacting with their favorite public television characters like Elmo and Arthur on PBS Kids. While they're there, you can take a look at PBS Parents the companion website for moms and dads with a section full of insight on the joyful challenge of raising boys.

Ok, the parents of daughters shared some favorite sites for girls last week. Parents and family members of boys, your turn. What web sites do your guys rush to when they go online?

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Entry bubble Take Your Kids to Work With Kids.gov

By: Nancy | April 24, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

If you're in an office today, you might notice some new faces around the place. Either you really are getting older and the interns are getting younger or your office is participating in Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. Originally created as Take Our Daughters to Work Day back in 1993 by the Ms. Foundation, girls and boys are both encouraged to head to work today with a parent or other significant adult in their lives. It's not just a free pass from a day at school though; it's a chance for kids to get exposed to workplace culture and to start thinking about career opportunities.

This got me wondering about what career-related links there were on Kids.gov. Turns out, there are a lot. Kids.gov is the government's official web portal for kids, with links to more than 1,200 family-friendly sites. The content is divided into two age groups for kids: K-5th grade and 6th-8th grade. Here's a taste of some of the fun, career-related stuff I found in each age group:
child dressed as doctor 

K - 5th Grade

Most elementary school kids I know love cats and dogs and horses. And that love could translate later into a career as a vet. The American Veterinary Medical Association's animated web site for kids explains the day to day work of a vet and the education that goes into getting a degree in veterinary medicine.

Outer space is always a fascination for kids, as they look at the stars and dream of being astronauts. But not all jobs related to space involve going into space. Using animated stories, NASA's Space Place web site introduces kids to space-related careers including engineering and mapping the stars as an astronomer.

6th - 8th Grade

Mystery...intrigue...maybe the life of an FBI agent who investigates spies is in your kid's future. With the games and quizzes on the FBI's Spy Page, middle schoolers can learn how the FBI uncovers spy tricks and deciphers code words.

Is your kid a good problem solver who loves taking thing apart to find out how they work? They may be perfect for a career as a mechanic. The Bureau of Labor Statistics' page on auto mechanics describes the education that goes into becoming a mechanic and their earning potential, whether they work for themselves, a service station or a car dealer.

If I'd had Kids.gov when I was a kid, I might not have gone around telling everybody that I was going to grow up to be a glockenspiel-playing ballerina/hairdresser. None of those things panned out, but that’s ok; being a blogging bureaucrat is a pretty good gig.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

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