SMILIES!

Right-click and choose "Save Picture As" then save the image to your own hard drive. Upload to an image hosting service like Photobucket or Image Shack or your own webhosting space. Please do not direct link to the images here. Thank you.

SMILIES!

Right-click and choose "Save Picture As" then save the image to your own hard drive. Upload to an image hosting service like Photobucket or Image Shack or your own webhosting space. Please do not direct link to the images here. Thank you.

What Pet is Right for You?

Teddy bears and Beanie Babies may be cute and cuddly, but they won't lick your face, play games with you or entertain you for hours on end. For that, only a real, live animal will do.

If you are responsible and able to provide a safe and loving home, perhaps you're ready to get a pet.

But what kind? To help you choose the right pet for you, we've produced the handy-dandy interactive KidsPost Pet-O-Matic. When you reach the end, you'll find the type of animal that best fits you and information on what it's like, how to care for it and how much it costs.

Of course, you need to ask your parents first. And the main question you'll have to answer is this: Are you ready for the work involved in taking another living being into your house? "So many people take on an animal without giving it any thought," says Debbie Duel, who works at the Washington Humane Society. "There needs to be a whole lot of family thought."

Click Here to Start the KidsPost Pet-O-Matic!

LINK TO THIS ARTICLE

WANTED: TEENAGERS' OPINIONS

A very interesting news article:

Media execs rocked by 15-year-old's blunt, blistering analysis

Teens don't use Twitter, nor do they read newspapers. They also hate advertisements, and they're really, really into free music.

Nope, those aren't the results of some bone-headed new survey; instead, they come straight from the keyboard of one Matthew Robson, a 15-year-old Morgan Stanley intern whose candid report on his friends' TV, music, and online habits set the media world on fire this week.

According to The Guardian, Robson's bosses at Morgan Stanley's European Media group were so impressed with the teen's report—"one of the clearest and most through-provoking insights we have seen," one Morgan Stanley exec said—that they promptly sent it out to their C-level clients.

The response, apparently, was immediate, with "dozens and dozens" of high-level clients "e-mailing and calling all day," the Guardian reports.

[...]

And so I challenge you, my teen readers (or those of you older than 13, anyway) to do what Robson did: write up a clear, concise, honest report on what you and your friends are watching, listening to, texting, and tweeting (or not, as the case may be). Send it right here (please be sure to include your first name, age, and your home town), and I'll include the best excerpts in a future post. Go ahead and let us have it, straight—the floor is yours.

LINK TO THIS ARTICLE

Gross Subject: Avoiding Motion Sickness

I was a Girl Scout Troop Leader, Junior Program Specialist, Outdoor Consultant and Camp Director for Girl Scouts over the course of about ten years and that gives me a bit of insight into travel with kids. But, even more than all that, when I was a kid, I was the car-sickiest kid you'd never want travelling in the back seat of your car. I KNOW this subject well.

Even though it's gross to talk about, if anything I've learned or picked up on the internet and can pass along here can spare one kid the misery of car sickness and spare adults the chore of cleaning up, then that's a good thing as Martha Stewart would say.

It's sometimes called "motion sickness" but that really doesn't tell the whole story. In most cases, it's not just motion that's the problem. The problem with backseat car travel and kids seems to be a disconnect between what the eyes are seeing and the inner ear is balancing with the result confusing the brain until car sickness is the result.

When you ride in the backseat, your view of the road is through the side backseat passenger windows unless you really want to get a sore neck trying to see around the adults in the front seat in order to look out the front window. Most kids are going to look out that side window.

The world whizzes by in a blur and your eyes are sending funny signals to your brain. The brain can't compensate fast enough because your inner ear (the Balance Center of your universe) is telling your brain its own story as in, "Hey! This car is moving, this body is moving and I have to adjust for it to stay balanced but what the heck, Brain, you're telling me the Eyes are seeing one thing when I'm actually feeling something quite different!"

Somewhere in this conversation, The Stomach pipes up, "Okay, you guys did it to me again and now I'm gonna PUKE!" And uuuuuurrrrpp, there she blows.

Kids who are sensitive to this sort of thing would be greatly helped by being allowed to ride in the front seat so their eyes are only seeing out the front window and if the front seat is not attainable, allow them to sit in the middle of the back seat and encourage them to look out the front window and avoid looking out those side windows. To keep their eyes front and center, make up games that can only be played by looking through the FRONT window at the distance ahead. What's seen out the side windows does not count.

Letting them sleep is also another possibly helpful idea because that shuts down the eye-brain-inner ear conflict. If you have more than one child in the car, this may not be possible. Also, their chin should not be allowed to slump down onto their neck as their head drops forward. If this happens, wake them up and/or tilt them over against an arm rest or an adjacent sibling. The head dropping and chin coming forward thing can restrict the intake of oxygen which can produce feelings of nausea almost immediately upon awakening and it may take some time to get over that sensation.

If you plan on car rides that last for more than an hour, build bathroom break time (i.e., activity and moving around time) into the trip even if nobody has to go to the potty. Make them go, anyway. Yes, that's what I said. Everybody has to take a turn at least trying to go. You'd be surprised how many really do have to go but just don't want to admit it. Mandated bathroom breaks on long car rides relieves kids of any embarrassment of having to ask for a break. Surprising how that works miracles.

We all dread those windy mountain roads when kids are in the back seat but did you know that altitude has as much to do with the problem as the winding turns? Lots of people unaccustomed to higher altitudes (and it can even be a difference as small as sea level to 3,000 feet) can feel a bit queasy as the car keeps climbing.

Even after the car's stopped, all your gear is unpacked, you're safely in your motel room or campsite... you or the kids can still get the urpies at the higher altitude and it's caused many times by dehydration. If one or more of your group starts with the vague complaints of headaches or upset tummies or "flu-like" feelings when you are in a high altitude zone, make sure that person has a glass of water and does not get too physically active for a while. When you are at altitudes higher than you're used to, remember to drink water at least every hour. Even at snow camp. Yep, even then.

Even though kids in a backseat are supposed to not look out a side window, I did find that being next to a window and letting my face get hit with a constant blast of fresh air did wonders to combat car sickness. I sure couldn't see out the front window if I was sitting behind my Mom in the front passenger seat but the air felt good. So you have to figure out what will help the most.

The old original chalky-white awful tasting Rolaids also did miraculous wonders to save me from the brink of barfing so many times I can't even remember how many times. Chewing Doublemint gum also helped, but not any other flavor. I think the act of chewing gum also did something to help relieve the inner ear problem.

My Grandma used to give me a peppermint (the round pink ones, not the white ones) for upset tummies and though they did relieve very mild nausea they would not have stopped a full-blown onset of barfarama if that was imminent. Rolaids could have, though. Stopped it dead in its tracks every time.

When I had to go whale-watching and knew I couldn't take Dramamine because it would put me to sleep on the boat, my Mom told me I could avoid sea-sickness by constantly eating while on the boat, even if it was only oranges and crackers. Sounds weird, huh? You eat to avoid getting seasick. You know what's even weirder? It worked! Some of my classmates were practically gagging and saying, "How can you eat???" but hey, it worked for me.

Years after that whale-watching trip, an R.N. told me that an empty stomach can actually cause nausea. I take care of my bedridden mother and she was complaining of an upset tummy one day when the nurse was there and I said I was afraid for my Mom to eat and the nurse suggested I give her something mild, but just something. She said the empty stomach was "more aware of itself" if that makes sense to you.

Breathing and air seemed to be great nausea-relievers and you're like, "D'oh. Of course you need to breathe." But, I'm talking about the slow drainage of fresh air from the back of a vehicle that the adults never notice and a lot of kids are unaware is part of the problem they are having. A window needs to be open somewhere. Even in cold weather. It's not enough for the front dashboard to have the fans on, kids in the back seat never get the full benefit of that but you should probably have the air conditioning on if it's very hot outside. The problem with using the air conditioning is that it uses up your gas faster and your car will overheat if you are going up an incline. So, you can't really use it then. Plus, it takes an awfully long time for kids in the backseat to feel ANYTHING from that air conditioner.

And NO SMOKING when kids are in the car! If you need that cigarette, pull over and take a cigarette break outside the car while the kids get out and stretch their legs.

Plain club soda is a good nausea reliever. I was a waitress for a while and many times adults and kids would have a tummy upset while the rest of their hungry group would order food (and they couldn't). I'd bring them a glass of club soda and some saltine crackers and they always felt better afterwards.

Speaking of crackers, plain unsalted matzo crackers are fantastic for upset tummies but there's a trick to it. They come in a box and one large matzo cracker looks like a huge king-sized saltine cracker (but without the salt). The trick is to take the teeniest tiniest nibble you can possibly bite with your two front teeth and chew it as slowly as you possibly can and let it just absorb into your mouth rather than swallowing a chunk of food and then take your next teeny tiny nibble and repeat. Again and again and concentrate on the act of nibbling then absorbing then slowly letting each morsel just melt.

The concentration involved takes your mind (or your child's mind) off the focus on the upset tummy and by the time the entire huge cracker is absorbed, the nausea is usually gone or greatly relieved. I suspect this will not work with regular saltines since part of the magic here involves the blandness of the matzo.

There are now acupressure wristlets or bracelets that can be worn to relieve motion sickness and reports are good on their success rate. There are numerous brands and companies involved in the manufacture and sale of these items and even though I am not advocating one over another, I will give you a short list of some places where you can find them online (and there's lots more):
Biobands
Travel-Eze Bands
Sea Band Motion Sickness Wrist Bands For Kids
Psi Bands® Drug-Free Wrist Bands for the Relief of Nausea
NO-QWEEZ™ Motion Sickness Wrist Bands

These motion sickness acupressure bands are also reported effective for pregnancy-caused nausea and the nausea you might feel after having anaesthesia for surgery.

Avoid having your child be involved in any activity while inside a car that makes the child have to look downward in their lap (such as reading or playing handheld games or watching a small DVD player). Do not keep your child's focus INSIDE the car and all of those things I just mentioned will do exactly that. Play "I Spy" games or the alphabet game or any other game that brings your child's attention to the world outside that FRONT dashboard window.

As much as possible, help your child's brain orient to the OUTSIDE. Fresh air blasting in, eyes out the front, chatter about what you'll be doing once the car stops... anything to relieve the feeling of being stuck in a car. And remember... lots of pit stops and activity breaks.

Okay, so I have to tell at least one barfing horror story. When I was a Girl Scout Troop Leader, I allowed my carload of girls to have something to drink just before getting into the car and yes, with the assumption that we would not be driving straight home, that there would be at least one potty stop along the way.

The girls fell alseep, every one of them and I thought, hey it's lonely but this is fantastic because I'll just get them home sooner (unless someone woke up and that would mean the potty break).

We did get back to our own neighborhood after about a 90-minute drive and I gently woke up each girl as we pulled up in front of her house, making sure she got inside okay. The girls were considerate enough to not wake each other up as each one left so each girl was sleeping almost right up to her own doorstep.

Then I pull up before the last girl's house whose Mom was one of my best friends. I gently woke this girl up who'd been sleeping completely bent forward and leaned over for the entire ride (yes, her seat belt was on the whole time).

As we walked up to her front door she mumbled, "I don't feel so good..." and the very moment her Mom opened the front door, she barfed all over her Mom, the front door, the porch, and her Mom was screaming, "Get her to the bushes!" and I was tugging this poor little thing over to her Mom's plants to let her finish the job right there in her own front yard.

It seems the slight carbonation in the fizzy drink she had before getting in my car had nowhere to go once she fell asleep leaning forward and compressing her stomach. So, the very moment she was upright again, that carbonation had just been waiting for its opportunity to set itself free... all over Mom's rose bushes.

And before she actually made it inside her house, she said to her Mom, "Don't worry, I don't feel sick. I'm fine." It was just the compressed carbonation but I never dreamed of that scenario and it just didn't sink into my brain it was going to be a problem for that child.

So, I guess there are certain foods and drinks that are not good for travel or just before we go on the road. And the tummy should not be squished in and the child must be in a normal relaxed posture and not all the way bent over at an awkward angle. Live and learn.

MAD LIBS!

I love this game because it's so goofy and you never know how it's going to end up until you're actually done with it. Very young kids will need help understanding parts of speech. CLICK HERE TO PLAY!

Playing Bride Dress-Up and Other Online Dress-Up Games

CLICK HERE to go to the wedding dress-up page. There are other dress-up games there, too, like Pirate Girl and School and dress-ups based on celebrities popular with teens and pre-teens.

In addition to the dress-up games, they have other free online games like Makeover Games and Hair Games and more.

Some themes are more for teenagers but the games are very simplistic and the actual playing of them is geared for even young kids. It's kind of like the old Colorforms, only online.

Oh yeah, see that picture up there? That's the wedding gown I designed.

Webcams Are Fun!

I love checking out all kinds of stuff on webcams from all over the place. Try these, I think you'll enjoy them. If a webcam looks dark, it's either night time where the camera is or the webcam only operates during certain hours.

If you mouse over a link (before actually clicking it), you will see a preview of what the webcam might look like. HELPFUL HINT: HOLD YOUR MOUSE CURSOR ON THE LEFT-MOST SIDE OF THE HYPERLINKED TEXT AND THAT WILL GIVE THE PREVIEW PICTURE MORE ROOM (easier for you to see the whole thing). Enjoy!

SECURITY WARNING FOR KIDS AND PARENTS: I picked these webcam views myself so I know they are all family-friendly. However, if your young person wants to go searching out even more webcams to look at, you need to know the search results could lead to content that is not family-friendly or, even if not X-rated itself, might still have links on its page that could lead to content that you would not want your young person to have to deal with so maybe an adult (somebody over 18) should be in charge of webcam searches. Just a thought.

How Good Are You at Trivia?

Oh boy, there's a whole lot of resources for trivia on the internet. Mostly, they're family-friendly places even if some of the questions are tough (yes, even for adults -- ha ha, we're not naturally smart just because we're old... we have to work at it!).

I found some pretty good links for kid's trivia if you want to have a look (meanwhile, Parents, here are some guidelines for online kid's trivia that you might want to take a look at.):

Kid's Music Trivia from Squidoo (see ALL Squidoo Kid's Trivia HERE)

The Kids Only Quiz - No Adults Allowed! (hey, I'm just telling you what it says.)

Kids Related Trivia & Useless Facts (Kermit the Frog is left-handed. Did you know that? I didn't know that).

Trivia & Quizzes (WOW!!!!!!! There's a lot of STUFF listed here. Tons of links!)

Presidential Trivia for Kids

Trivia Questions for Kids (printables in .pdf format - includes Harry Potter trivia and nursery rhyme trivia and more)

Weird and Scary Nonfiction Trivia Books for Kids (I love weird stuff! EXAMPLES FROM THESE BOOKS: Do you know you have as many hairs on your body as a gorilla – and possibly more? Are you aware that most of the dust in your house is actually made of your dead skin? And did it ever occur to you that your nose can smell in stereo?)

Big Brain from Activity TV - nice-looking website, more stuff besides trivia, too.

Mount Rushmore Presidential Trivia

Kids' Valentine Trivia

Trivia Time (very fun website!)

Trivia Games About Kid's Books

Kids Konnect Trivia

NASA Trivia Quiz About Eating in Outer Space

Kids Quiz Jar - Free Kids Trivia Questions

Trivia and Useless Facts About Animals - did you know a donkey will sink in quicksand but a mule won't?

Trivia Games from Thinks.com

Animated Films Trivia from MSN Gamezone (free, online)

Michael Jackson Trivia from MSN Gamezone (free, online)

90's Trivia from Candystand (this game is set up in a fun way but, I think some of the questions are really for teens and adults)

BBC Trivia Machine - wow, this looks like great fun!

CIA World Exploration Trivia Game (very nice)

GeoNet (really fun online game!)

World Capitals Trivia

Quizlet - trivia quizzes for 8th grade and older

Fun with Kaleidoscopes

THE KALEIDOSCOPE PAINTER

This is one of my favorite places to goof off while online. The JAVA Applet allows you to move your mouse around to "paint" a kaleidoscope. You can change brush size, too. The above image was made by me using their "Dynabrush" option which changes brush size automatically and constantly as you paint. I've used this applet to make images for web graphics or at least, tiles and textures that are then used to create other images. Here are some more variations (resized to be much smaller than their original size so they don't take up too much space here):

When you combine them all together in an animation "timeline," this is what you get:

You are welcome to save any of these images to your own computer and use them on your own webpage or blog or email, but kids need to tell their parents FIRST before they download (save) ANYTHING to their computer.

There are even more ways to have fun with kaleidoscopes besides this applet. To make your own kaleidoscope, GO HERE. To have fun with FREE online kaleidoscope coloring pages, GO HERE.

Here are a collection of online resources for kaleidoscopes:

And here are some great books and other fun with kaleidoscopes... Kids, remember, these places are selling something and you need to show this to your Mom and Dad. Don't try to buy anything online all by yourself.

Have fun with this interactive kaleidoscope! Just move your mouse cursor over it and see it change:

The Hubble Site

FROM THE WEBSITE:

Since the earliest days of astronomy, since the time of Galileo, astronomers have shared a single goal — to see more, see farther, see deeper.

The Hubble Space Telescope's launch in 1990 sped humanity to one of its greatest advances in that journey. Hubble is a telescope that orbits Earth. Its position above the atmosphere, which distorts and blocks the light that reaches our planet, gives it a view of the universe that typically far surpasses that of ground-based telescopes.

Hubble is one of NASA's most successful and long-lasting science missions. It has beamed hundreds of thousands of images back to Earth, shedding light on many of the great mysteries of astronomy. Its gaze has helped determine the age of the universe, the identity of quasars, and the existence of dark energy.

The Hubble Site is such a massive resource, I could spend days and days there and never run out of things to see and do and learn. I love this website! You will, too.

The number one fascinating thing (for me) about this website are the incredible picture galleries that show our solar system, planets, nebulae and more. It is always amazing to look at these photographs of what's out there in space. It really is a magical universe. Be sure to click on the top link above the main picture - the link says, "Picture Album."

If you want to make your own model of the Hubble Space Telescope, you can do it because this webpage shows you step-by-step how to build it. What a great idea for a science fair project!

There's a special section here for teachers and a reference desk that everyone can use. Kids, you'll find some homework help here but the WHOLE website is fun and packed with great stuff that I know will help you in school.

Try the Glossary to brush up on your outer space vocabulary. Do you know what an "Accelerating Universe" is? What's the difference between a blue star and a brown dwarf? Exactly what is radiation, anyway? Think you're an expert on outer space? Go ahead. Take a peek.

Plan on spending a whole lot of time here because you can really get into this stuff. This place is 100% NOT boring. It is F-U-N.

And here's a fun list of books about the subjects of the Hubble Space Telescope and outer space. Remember, a book list is also a list of things to buy and kids need their parents' permission and help to do anything like that. I'm making book lists because I think parents and teachers appreciate that sort of stuff.

Ice Cream!

Do you like ice cream? Millions and millions of people all around the world love ice cream. Ice cream was probably first made in China by combining fruit with ice and then found its way to Europe. King Tang (A.D. 618-97) of Shang, China was known to have combined fruit and ice and milk to make an iced cream product.

As far back as 345 B.C., after Alexander the Great conquered Egypt, he ordered that fifteen huge trenches be dug in the ground and filled with ice imported from a far distance just so he could have his favorite iced fruit dessert. 2,000 years later, that favorite dessert is still served up pretty much the same way and we call it a snow cone.

The Roman emperor Nero (A.D. 37-68) was an ice cream lover.

Ice cream has been around the USA since the early origins of our country. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson as well as Dolly Madison and other famous Americans served it to guests. New York City is home to America's very first ice cream parlor which opened in 1776 (the year America declared its independence!).

When ice started being mixed with salt in the production of ice cream, that provided a major breakthrough in ice cream technology. The hand-cranked feezer came along in the 1800's with more than one person applying for a patent, claiming they were first to invent it.

When mechanical refrigeration was invented, the ice cream shop or soda fountain parlor was born. 31 Flavors Ice Cream, anyone?

The first ice cream cones that you could hold in your hand and walk around with were first served at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. Chocolate-covered ice cream (also known as Eskimo Pies) was created in 1920 by Chris Nelson who owned an ice cream shop in Iowa and noticed that one of his customers was having a hard time choosing between an ice cream sandwich and a chocolate bar.

Find out even more information about ice cream here (not very young kid-oriented, exactly, but it is a great resource for older kids and parents and teachers).

Americans annually consume about 6 gallons of ice cream per person -- that's roughly 19,200 calories. What flavor of ice cream is YOUR favorite? How many other people say it's their favorite, too? Here is one top ten list made by news channel, CNN:

1. Vanilla (29%)
2. Chocolate (8.9%)
3. Butter Pecan (5.3%)
4. Strawberry (5.3%)
5. Neopolitan (4.2%)
6. Chocolate Chip (3.9%)
7. French Vanilla (3.8%)
8. Cookies n' Cream (3.6%)
9. Fudge Ripple (2.6%)
10. Praline (2.7%)

The Top 10 Ice Cream Consuming Countries in the World are:

1. United States
2. New Zealand
3. Denmark
4. Australia
5. Belgium / Luxembourg
6. Sweden
7. Canada
8. Norway
9. Ireland
10. Switzerland

If you and your family enjoy making your own ice cream, you can find some good recipes here, here, here, and here.

Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Website has a special fun section for kids. SAFETY WARNING FOR KIDS AND PARENTS: Even though I'm sure this is a safe website, it does offer downloads of fun stuff so, kids, you must tell your parents FIRST that you want to download something before you actually do it. That same advice goes for the following webpages that offer lots of fun activities all having to do with ice cream:



If you like to make your own webpages or you like to have fun email stationery or you need pictures of ice cream for any reason, you are welcome to use any of these images and backgrounds:


And here's a fun list of books about the subject of ice cream. Some are stories and some are recipes and other things. I think there's something here for every age level so check out the whole list. Remember, a book list is also a list of things to buy and kids need their parents' permission and help to do anything like that. I'm making book lists because I think parents and teachers appreciate that sort of stuff.

Waterfall Puzzles!

If you like waterfalls, you're going to have a lot of fun with these waterfall puzzles from National Geographic. You choose jigsaw or slider and if you pick jigsaw, you get to pick how many pieces are in the puzzle. There are four different beautiful waterfall pictures. CHECK IT OUT.

Rare Views of the Statue of Liberty

Photographed from a rare vantage point, several of the Statue of Liberty's 25 observation windows look out over New York Harbor in an undated picture. Visitor access to the Statue of Liberty's crown reopens on the Fourth of July for the first time since 9/11. (Full story: "Statue of Liberty Facts: July 4th Reopening and More.") SEE THE PICTURE SLIDESHOW HERE

Alabama

The State Flag

Alabama

The State Seal

State Bird Yellowhammer	State Tree Longleaf Pine	State Flower Camellia
State Fruit Blackberry	State Butterfly Tiger Swallowtail	State Gem Blue Quartz

Alabama is the 22nd State (admitted to the United States of America on December 14, 1819).

The word Alabama is believed to have originated from the Choctaw language and was later adopted by the Alabama tribe as their name. The word comes from the Choctaw words alba (meaning "plants" or "weeds") and amo (meaning "to cut", "to trim", or "to gather"). It may refer to the clearing of land for the purpose of planting crops or to the collection of medicinal plants by medicine men.

Where is Alabama located? It is in the southern region of the United States.

What other States does Alabama touch? ANSWER: Mississippi (West), Georgia (East), Tennessee (North), and Florida (South).

Alabama is unofficially nicknamed the Yellowhammer State, which is also the name of the state bird. Alabama's official Mascot and State butterfly is the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. Alabama is also known as the "Heart of Dixie". The State tree is the Longleaf Pine, the State flower is the Camellia. Alabama's State fruit is the blackberry.

The State song is, "Alabama." Alabama's State Motto is, "We Dare Maintain Our Rights."

A complete list of Alabama symbols and emblems can be found here.

The capital of Alabama is Montgomery, and the largest city by population is Birmingham. The largest city by total land area is Huntsville. The oldest European settler (French) founded city is Mobile (1702). The people who were already living in the area that became Alabama when European settlers arrived were the Alabama (Alibamu), Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, Koasati, and Mobile.

Alabama's main industries today are aerospace, agriculture, education, health care, banking, automobile manufacturing, mineral extraction, steel production and fabrication. The U.S. Space & Rocket Center/U.S. Space Camp is located in Huntsville. Alabama's early industry was heavily based on agriculture (growing cotton, for example) and depended on slavery. All the slaves were freed by 1865. One hundred years later, the Selma to Montgomery marches were three marches in 1965 that marked the political and emotional peak of the American civil rights movement.

In 1861 Alabama declared its secession from the Union and joined the Confederate States of America. While few battles were fought in the state, Alabama contributed about 120,000 soldiers to the Civil War. Following Reconstruction, Alabama was restored to the Union in 1868.

Summers in Alabama are among the hottest in the United States and southern Alabama reports more thunderstorms than any part of the U.S. Winters are generally mild.

Famous people from Alabama include Hank Aaron, Tallulah Bankhead, Charles Barkley, Hugo L. Black, Paul W. (Bear) Bryant, Jimmy Buffett, Bo Bice, George Washington Carver, Nat King Cole, Courteney Cox Arquette, Zelda Fitzgerald, William C. Handy, Taylor Hicks, Bo Jackson, Kate Jackson, Helen Keller, Coretta Scott King, Harper Lee, Joe Louis, Willie Mays, Jim Nabors, Randy Owen, Jesse Owens, Satchel Paige, Rosa Parks, Wilson Pickett, Condoleezza Rice, Lionel Richie, Bart Starr, Ruben Studdard, George Wallace, Booker T. Washington, and Hank Williams.

If you are planning to visit Alabama, a good place to start looking for information would be Alabama's official tourism website. The Encyclopedia of Alabama is also a very large resource for information on the State.

Other fun things to do and interesting things to learn about Alabama can be found at these places:

EnchantedLearning.com has many resources and fun activities (including printables) on the State of Alabama. Fun for kids and a fantastic resource for parents and teachers.

Science Fair Central

I used to have a hard time with science fairs and mostly, it was because I never liked any of the ideas I came up with or, if I had "kind of" a good idea, I never really knew how to put the whole thing together. This website put on by Discovery Education takes you through all the steps and even has a great guide for parents!

The website takes students through three major steps: 1.) Getting Started; 2.) Science Fair Projects and; 3.) Science Fair Presentations. If you read through these three steps, you'll be sure to improve your own science project and maybe even end up the star of the show. I especially liked the picture in the Science Fair Presentations that showed the three-sided backing and labelled each essential part of it so you can follow their explanations about what makes a great presentation.

This website is definitely worth a visit.

Paper Toys

Wow. Here's a website with all kinds of paper models you can cut out and make. We're not just talking your simple little airplanes here. Want to make a paper model of Bill Gates' house? They got that. How about a Mississippi Riverboat or a school bus or the White House or even the Taj Mahal? THEY GOT IT. You just have to see this place and check out ALL their models. The best part is, it's FREE.

A boy from Israel sent in to the Paper Toys website this photo of the models he's made... so far.

SAFETY AND HELP WARNING: Very young children may need assistance in using scissors and cutting things out as well as putting things together. They can color and draw on the models and with an adult's help, feel proud of their accomplishment. Older kids to teens and adults will have a lot of fun here.