Kids

So much of my mothering life has been centered on helping children learn and understand.

Here are some recommended resources for space science sites for kids and the adults who help them learn.  I’ve also included links to resources, offers of help, sites, and books that may be helpful for both children and parents affected by cancer in the family.  The last is a site that I recommend wholeheartedly for supporting parents who are helping their children learn about the world, in all its facets.

Space Science Sites and Apps for kids:

• NASA’s Solar System Exploration site for kids;
• NASA Kids’ Page – for grades K-4, grades 5-8, grades 9-12, and, separately, for teachers;
• NASA Kids’ Club – featuring Buzz Lightyear and Elmo;
• NASA JPL Mars FunZone;
• NASA’s Mission: Science;
• NASA’s Educator Astronaut pages; and
• The Space Place for Grades 4-6, including coloring pages and other printables – also available as an app;

Space Science Sites and Apps for adults:

• NASA.gov and its official iPhone apps – that’s right.  APPS.  Android, iPhone, iPad, they’re all here;
• NASA’s Solar System Exploration site;
• Citizen Science Opportunities: Be a Martian and  Zooniverse;
• 365 Days of Astronomy podcasts, new each day;
• Astronomy Picture of the Day – also available via email, facebook, or as an app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch;
• Connect with NASA: An overview of NASA’s intersections with social media; and
• My Moon, run by the Lunar and Planetary Institute for 18-35 year olds.  That’s right.  For our generation.

Explaining Cancer to Children:

• Mothers With Cancer.org is a site written by and for parents fighting cancer and raising young children.  All posts have been indexed by timeline, diagnosis, treatment, side effects, and emotional impact on the woman writing, linked here for easy searching.  The other contact for this page is Stella, also blogging at I Can’t Complain Any More than Usual;
• Many organizations now exist to help women with cancer, from the very large organizations to smaller organizations offering help with household cleaning, child care, rides to chemo or radiation therapy, air travel to distant treatment centers, understanding and getting assistance with medical bills, finding a yoga practice for recovery, and scarves or soft crocheted hats created with loving hands. I’ve tried to list many of them here; and
• Books for kids and their parents to read together are tough to find but even tougher to search for, as a parent with cancer thinking about how to tell their children — or how to tell their children more.  I’ve assembled a list at Mothers With Cancer’s “for kids” tab.

Overall favorite educational site:

Teach Mama and the We Teach Groups, forums, newsletter, and printables are my favorite sites for everyday learning, run by the incredibly talented Amy Mascott with active participation by thousands of parents and teachers “shar[ing] the tools and resources… so that we can all learn, share, and grow as parents — and teachers — for our children.”  Rock on, Amy, and my best to all of you taking steps to add a little learning — reading, math, science, and curiosity — to a child’s day.