Ten Websites Added to ALSC’s “Great Websites for Kids”

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) Great Websites for Kids (GWS) committee announced the inclusion of 10 additions to its compilation of exemplary websites for children on July 29. These online resources are geared to children from birth to age 14, and range in subjects as diverse as animals and dinosaurs; games and entertainment; history and science; art and music; and resources for teachers and parents.

Longtime SLJ reviewer and contributor John Peters co-chaired the 2013 GWS committee. In the ALSC announcement, Peters shares, “The committee sifted through dozens and dozens of recommended sites, looking for that elusive combination of reliable content and inspired presentation that Great Web Sites for Children have to display. We have some real ‘finds’ here, and I think that children (and their teachers and parents) who spend even a few minutes exploring them will be surprised and delighted.”

Also in the announcement, co-chair Kimberly Probert Grad, library information supervisor at Brooklyn (N.Y.) Public Library adds, “The newest additions to Great Web Sites for Kids feature a blend of fact and fun, including sites offering solid homework resources, current news for tweens in Spanish or English, STEM activities, engineering for girls, and the delightfully zany Captain Underpants. Two additional sites offer resources on Common Core Standards and Learning Disabilities.”

Newly evaluated and accepted sites are added by the committee three times a year. It also reviews all sites twice a year to guarantee that they are still relevant, appropriate, and accessible.

The newly added sites are:

B.J. Pinchbeck’s Homework Helper
Common Core – State Standards Initiative
Dav Pilkey’s Extra Crunchy Website-O-Fun
Engineer Girl
Howtosmile.org
National Center for Learning Disabilities
Start with a Book
Tween Tribune
Tween Tribune en Español
Wonderopolis

See also:
Joyce Valenza’s Picks from the Top 25 Websites for Teaching and Learning

Kiera Parrott’s Picks from the Best Apps for Teaching and Learning