Sophie and I decided to do a Kids Search public service announcement for all the eager researchers and readers out there who might not know about this tremendous resource.
Kids Search is a database of magazine articles, encyclopedia entries, and images.
If you’re looking for information about simple machines, dinosaurs, or even candy, you’re sure to find it at Kids Search! Actually, if you’re trying to look for information on just about anything, start with Kids Search, for magazine articles and encyclopedia entries.
Upper Elementary students are currently studying simple machines. We decided to use simple machines as an example.
Sophie went to Kids Search, and typed “simple machines” into the search bar.
Sophie: When I typed “simple machines” in the search bar, I saw all the different articles on simple machines. I chose How Do Simple Machines Work? from Weekly Reader (12/1/06; Vol.76, Issue12).
To see the article, I clicked PDF. PDF is the full color, scanned version of the article from the magazine.
Rebecca: So, when you choose PDF, it actually looks like the real magazine article. Sometimes you only have the option of HTML-Full Text; that will give you the article in writing, but you won’t see any pictures. I prefer PDF when I have the choice.
Sophie: The article shows pictures of, and describes, a wheel and axle, a wedge, a pulley, a screw, an inclined plane, and a lever.
Rebecca: It also shows pictures of each: like the base of a light bulb is a screw--I like that illustration, it helps me to visualize different simple machines in real life.
How can students use Kids Search generally?
Sophie: I think it can be useful because you can find an article about mostly anything on the topic you’re trying to look up.
Rebecca: I think so too. Basically any study unit can be supplemented with Kids Search--science, math, history, current events.
One thing I like about Kids Search, is that you can start reading something because you're looking for specific information, and then you might find something related that piques your interest. For example, at the bottom of this article is a little extra piece, about Mary Lou Hedberg and her successful experiment with simple machines.
Sophie: Yeah, Mary Lou Hedberg is a kid who won an award for proving that using paddles with flat blades was not the fastest way to paddle through water! She figured out that the fastest way to get through water is a spoon shaped blade with bent handles. A paddle is a kind of lever; I never knew that!
You can use Kids Search at school or at home--wherever you have a computer.
Why watch tv when you can read magazine articles all night long?!?!
You can get to Ebsco Kids Search by going to our library homepage, scrolling down to Online Resources, and selecting Ebsco databases.
If you want to try Kids Search for school or for fun, email Rebecca for our username and password!
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