5 Fun Sites Where Fun and Learning Click
Facts for Parents & Teachers
CET and the Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County are proud to present these websites for the enjoyment of kids ages 9-12 in the Greater Cincinnati area.

Each of these websites includes an Educator's Guide containing activities and lesson ideas. (*Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to open the Educator's Guides.)

Download the 5 Fun Sites Fact Sheet

3d&i
http://www.3d-i.org
3d&i invites kids ages 9 to 12 to cultivate their own visual intelligence and taste, and to learn about a range of design fields. The site is divided into three areas: a do-it-yourself design workshop space; a research, portfolio, "treasure chest" area, where kids can explore the world of design and designers; and a discussion area, where users can talk to each other and debate design values and issues.

Download the 3D&i Fact Sheet

Plastic Fork Diaries
http://www.plasticforkdiaries.org
Plastic Fork Diaries poses the question: "Does what (and how) we eat affect who we are?" This Web site, designed for kids ages 9 to 12, presents an episodic tale of lunch and life at a fictional middle school, told through the journal entries and interactions of six students from diverse backgrounds. By exploring various locations on the site, both in the school and throughout the fictional community, visitors learn more about the six characters: their interests and secrets, their successes and disappointments, their families and their private lives, and how their lives are very much influenced by what they eat.

Download the Plastic Fork Diaries Fact Sheet

Backyard Jungle
http://www.backyardjungle.org
Backyard Jungle encourages kids to explore the natural world around them and share their findings online through maps, photos, drawings, and words. Each child is encouraged to create his or her own "backyard" on the site. A backyard can be any outdoor space, large or small: a neighborhood park, a pond, a small plot of grass. Kids return repeatedly to their backyard maps to add discoveries—plants, animals, and other wild things they find. Recording and sharing these discoveries promotes learning and exploration.

Download the Backyard Jungle Fact Sheet

Don't Buy It
http://pbskids.org/dontbuyit
In an age when kids are bombarded with thousands of advertising messages, Don't Buy It helps them think critically about the media. Using humor, games, and clever advertising parodies, Don't Buy It "sells" media literacy to kids ages 9 to 12, challenging them to question advertising, evaluate media, and become smart consumers.

Download the Don't Buy It Fact Sheet

It's My Life
http://pbskids.org/itsmylife
It's My Life is a safe yet fun online place where tweens can explore a wide variety of topics: from divorce to bullies; from fighting with friends to learning about the dangers of drugs, alcohol, and smoking; from depression and grief to dealing with a younger sibling. Kids can read stories, watch video clips of other kids talking about their feelings and experiences, play games, take quizzes, respond to polls, get advice from older teens and experts, and send in comments and questions. It's My Life also features interviews with celebrities about their own tween experiences.

Download the It's My Life Fact Sheet