Digital Dozen

June! School's out, but the learning is just sizzlin'! When the kids are sunsoaked and waterlogged, bring them inside for a digital cooldown. These Digital Dozen Classics were picked with summer fun in mind.  

June 2004

1. Amazing space
   Grade(s): K - 12 ENC#: 010630
   Synopsis: Go wild in the Final Frontier! When it's too hot to be outside, cool off in the deep dark recesses of infinite space. Find out what the big deal is about black holes; make a batch of comets in your very own kitchen; or attend the Hubble Deep Field Academy and train to be a scientist--all from the air-conditioned comfort of your own desktop.
   (For more details, see ENC Record.)
   
   
2. Cornell lab of ornithology
   Grade(s): K - 12 ENC#: 029965
   Synopsis: Ah, the lazy days of summer: perfect for catching up with your feathered flighty friends! At this site, you can peek into the nests of owls and wrens and other bird families; use an online bird guide to identify that glorious bird you can't quite place; and participate in an investigation that will help scientists identify the cause of House Finch eye disease.
   (For more details, see ENC Record.)
   
   
3. Cosmic evolution: from big bang to humankind
   Grade(s): 6 - 12 ENC#: 026872
   Synopsis: It's a long way from the Big Bang to today, but if you spend enough time--seven epochs of time, or about 14 billion years, to be precise--you'll get there! Trace that family tree back to the beginning of known and surmised time through this site's impressive collection of movies, diagrams, animations, and educational activities that track the origin and evolution of all matter and energy.
   (For more details, see ENC Record.)
   
   
4. Cyberchase
   Featured in ENC Focus  
   Grade(s): 1 - 7 ENC#: 028324
   Synopsis: That band of fearless cybercrusaders we so admired in November of 2003 is still out there keeping the 'net safe for the rest of us. We especially like the games that abound at where an exciting new mathematical or science-spectacular adventure can be found every day. In a recent selection, you use your knowledge of positive and negative numbers to zap Hacker's dangerous virus pods.
   (For more details, see ENC Record.)
   
   
5. How everyday things are made
   Grade(s): 6 - Post-Sec. ENC#: 028066
   Synopsis: Planes, trains and automobiles--summer is the time for travel and the things that go, and there's never been a better time to figure out how those things get put together. How do airplanes get made? How does the candy we eat while flying on those airplanes get made? How do the Sprite bottles we drink from while eating candy on airplanes get made? Take an inside look at the manufacturing processes that produce many of the things we take for granted about everyday life in the 21st century.
   (For more details, see ENC Record.)
   
   
6. Mancala, v2.0
   Featured in ENC Focus  
   Grade(s): 5 - Post-Sec. ENC#: 004050
   Synopsis: One of the world's oldest games gets an electronic facelift! Come test your wits against a savvy computer and play a friendly--or not so friendly, depending upon what level you choose--game of Mancala, the age-old game of stones and strategies. If this deceptively simple game doesn't simply crank up your intellectual competitiveness, I don't know what will!
   (For more details, see ENC Record.)
   
   
7. Nick's mathematical puzzles
   Grade(s): 11 - Post-Sec. ENC#: 027660
   Synopsis: We've still never met Nick in person, but we surely do admire his web site. Pages and pages of puzzles just waiting to be tackled by enterprising mathematical minds! Come wrap your mind around the interestingly vexing situation of unobtuse triangles, the differentiation conundrum, or the case of the absent-minded professor's disappearing matches.
   (For more details, see ENC Record.)
   
   
8. Numbertime
   Featured in ENC Focus  
   Grade(s): Pre-K - 2 ENC#: 020665
   Synopsis: Sure, it's summer time, but it's always Number Time! Sing songs, play games, and enjoy the animagical adventures of everyone's favorite mathematical ant, Addem. What better way to pass the sultry summer hours than playing Test the Toad, where you can send a happy toad bouncing atop a line of children simply by adding or subtracting?
   (For more details, see ENC Record.)
   
   
9. Ology
   Grade(s): Pre-K - Post-Sec. ENC#: 017844
   Synopsis: We loved this site back in October of 2000, and guess what? We love it even more now! It's bigger, it's better, it's brilliant. It's a study of a lot of studies ("ologies"), such as archaeology, paleontology, and marine biology, not to mention genetics and astronomy and biodiversity. You can even do cool stuff like bake cosmic cookies or build a model of DNA.
   (For more details, see ENC Record.)
   
   
10. The virtual Smithsonian
    Grade(s): K - 12 ENC#: 028072
    Synopsis: The Smithsonian's been around for more than 150 years, and it's still as vital and enterprising today as it was when it was just a wee thing! Even if you can't make it to Washington, D.C., this summer, you can take a virtual tour through the Smithsonian's online exhibits. Come Explore, Remember, and Imagine through the three galleries and take advantage of the real-world science activities, the celebration of America's history, and the creative vision of future possibilities.
    (For more details, see ENC Record.)
    
    
11. Who dunnit?
    Grade(s): 6 - 9 ENC#: 019798
    Synopsis: Turn off all those CSI reruns and take your own byte out of crime! Discover how forensic scientists gather and evaluate crime scene evidence to solve some pretty sticky crimes. Once you've become an expert in these skills, you can audition at CBS for a spot on next season's crime drama--or you can try your hand at solving a criminal mystery.
    (For more details, see ENC Record.)
    
    
12. Who wants to win $1,000,000?: the science game
    Featured in ENC Focus  
    Grade(s): 5 - 12 ENC#: 018103
    Synopsis: I do, I do! Even if it's just pretend. The questions in this game are all math and science based and as you move up the pyramid of pretend riches, the questions get progressively more difficult. Challenge yourself and indulge in the fantasy of becoming a millionaire all at the same time!
    (For more details, see ENC Record.)