Children must learn to be Interested in the Whole World.

     Children will benefit from learning about as many things as possible ... from abacuses to zebras, and including agriculture, birds, cooking, dinosaurs, electricity, fish, geology, history, ---everything! (Including fun math, of course.)

Here are some things which have nothing to do with math --
but they'll interest kids

Dear Visitor,
     Like most parents, I always told my children to take an interest in as many different things as possible ---poetry and bird-watching and cooking and baseball and geography and history and rock-and-roll and astronomy and dance and .... everything.
     "There'll be a lot of stuff you won't like," I'd say. "But you won't find out what you like and what you don't unless you try."
     I say the same thing in the Introduction to our educational CD-ROM Solid Gold Gnarly Math. And to emphasize the point, I thought I'd add this page to our Web site, naming other good sites in as many different subjects as I could think of.
     So far, this is the result. But as time passes, I occasionally add new sites, if I think they may be of interest.

Sincerely, P.S. Clicking on any of these links will open a new browser window for you. Just close the new window when you've finished looking.
P.P.S. The site thinkquest.org points to a great many subjects from Art to History to Technology, some of which I've listed down below. You might have a look there to find topics I've failed to discuss.

Not Math

Wikipedia -- find any subject you like!
This Web encyclopedia must be used with care, for although it's written by an enormous number of experts, at times it accepts inaccurate entries. But it is an excellent resource, for most purposes. If you're using it, it's generally worthwhile to find the same subject on one of the Search Engines, and check that Wikipedia data agrees with other references. Nevertheless, all the subjects named below, and many, many others can be found here.
Farming (Agriculture)
What's it like to be a farmer? What problems to farmers have to solve? Here's a site where you can learn from folks who grow beef, diary cows, poultry, wheat, and even fish!
Airplanes
Here's a wonderful introduction explaining how airplanes work, and what it takes to fly them. You learn the parts of a plane, what makes them fly, what flight instruments look like and what they're for, how weather affects flying, and more. Most of the descriptions also list simple experiments you can carry out to see for yourself what's going on.
Animals
Tigers. The Tiger Information Center lets you ask any question you like about tigers. You will also have a chance to choose a countryside for a tiger to live, track a tiger poacher, search for an escaped tiger, and in general learn a great deal about this handsome beast.
See the world's greatest places, down below under geography, to learn about fifteen other animals including zebras and sled dogs.
Art
Want to see how an artist makes a painting? Alexei Antonov, was born in Russia and learned to paint there. His site tells you exactly what you need to paint a picture, and shows you how to do it, step by step. He also shows you many of his own pictures (you can download any of them, if you like), of people and things and places. You can subscribe to his free newsletter, too.
The Stars (Astronomy)
Two NASA sites, one for children under 14, and the other for older kids, give us what you might call the "big picture" of the universe. They discuss stars, galaxies, black holes, our sun and solar system, binary star systems, the Milky Way, and much more.
If you'd like to take a tour of the solar system, and learn the history, mythology, and current scientific view of all nine planets and of many, many moons, look into the nineplanets site. It contains a host of wonderful photos taken from satellites and other sources, and lists the (at present) unanswered questions about all these moons and planets. An excellent site for kids.
Ballet
Girls will definitely be interested, but maybe most young fellows will think that ballet is sissy stuff and not worth bothering with. Well, think again! This form of dance requires more muscles and more training than does baseball. Click the word "ballet" above and see for yourself. Learn what it takes to be a dancer, and find what the different steps and moves are like.
Biology
Biology is the study of living things. Here's a neat site especially good for younger kids -- it's called Cool Science for Kids. Another U.S. Government site gives a more general introduction, and may be of help to older kids. It's got information on ants, hummingbirds, and sharks, among other things.
But perhaps the best site I've found is called Biology for Kids. It has cool discussions of cells, plants, and animals, among other things, and neat slide shows to illustrate the points made.
Birds
Is there a bird you'd like to know about? Try Smithsonian' site. You can enter your bird's name, and learn all about him.
For a children's introduction to the subject, here's another link. It comes from the state of Texas.
What's everything made of? (Chemistry)
At www.chem4kids.com there's a beautifully illustrated introduction to elements, atoms, chemical reactions, and the use of math in chemistry. This is a wonderful place to learn how chemistry is everywhere....that is, that we and everything we see are all made of a very few chemical elements.
Computers
The machine you're using right now, with its keyboard and monitor and CD-ROM drive and other stuff, wasn't even imagined 100 years ago. And 50 years ago, when electronic computers were first in operation (they were big, slow machines that occupied whole rooms and had to be air-conditioned), we couldn't imagine a computer in every home. For a look at the history of these remarkable machines, there's no better place to go than to the Computer History Museum. The museum itself is located in Boston, but at their Web site you'll find a timeline showing how the whole almost-magic development took place. The site includes a search engine, so you can look up particular events, people, companies, and machines.
Man made computational helpers for himself long before the development of the modern computer. Here is a site with links to a bunch of non-modern calculators, including the abacus, (by far the oldest of these aids, still used in some parts of the world), the slide rule (which is what I used for calculation until the early 70's), the Monroe Calculator, and many others. For each of these there are pictures and brief descriptions of how they work.
Dinosaurs

     Would you believe that some dinosaurs are still alive? And not in Jurassic Park, either. Look at this Cal Berkeley page to find out which dinosaurs are alive. You'll also find out who named them "dinosaurs", and about a famous feud (complete with spies and hijacked fossils and armed pirates) between two dinosaur-hunters here in the US.
     And of course the Public Broadcasting System has a neat site on the subject. It tells us what other things (plants and animals) were around when the dinosaurs lived, and explains why dinosaur bones and plant remains aren't found together.
     To see paintings of the beasts, look at dinosaur gallery. Here are pictures of more than 100 different dinosaur species. Each one can be enlarged, and the enlargement takes you to a site where you'll find out more about how they lived.
Fish
The biggest fish of all isn't a fish. It's a mammal called the whale, and here's a Web site that'll tell you all about them. As a bonus, it also gives you an introduction to sea lions, penguins, and squids. When you enter the site, click immediately on the "Kids page" and then on "Fishin' for facts", for all the details.
Where is it? (Geography)

     Everybody has his or her own idea of what are the world's greatest places. This site suggests one list of seven places, including the Amazon River, Greenland, and Tibet, and tells a bit about each of them. In a "Try activities" section it suggests a neat experiment you can do at home to illustrate how cold water affects the Gulf Stream, and tells how maps (which of course lie on a piece of paper and have only two dimensions) lie to us about the shape of the world (which of course is a sphere and has three dimensions).
      In addition, this site lets you "Jump into the wild" and learn about fifteen different animals--zebras, hippos, elephants, sled dogs, and chameleons, among others. There's a short movie that goes with each animal, too.
     Here's something your parents and grandparents would not have believed possible, when they were growing up. From this site you can view the earth (and the moon and the sun) from outer space. In particular, from some of the dozens of satellites that orbit our Earth. You can pick an area, or a particular city to look at. Or you can view the picture taken by a specific satellite. Since half the earth is always in the dark, there are many pictures where cities are nothing but masses of lights. And the views are all of them very recent---taken within an hour of the time you view them. This is a truly wonderful site.
What's under us? (Geology--the story of rocks)
If you study earthquakes you'll learn a lot about what's under our feet. To learn about the science of earthquakes, to see earthquake pictures, to learn about tsunami's (big waves caused by earthquakes), to find how science measures earthquakes, click here.
If you'd like an introduction to volcanoes. this is the place to go. You'll learn just what that are, what causes them, why and where they erupt, and why they grow. The site includes pictures of volcanoes from all over the world.
What happened? (History)

     Egypt's history is a fascinating subject. Starting around 3000 BC the Egyptians built things (like the pyramids) and made things (like jewelry) that we find remarkable even today. Here is a beautiful Web site that displays much of ancient Egypt's civilization by showing you through an Egyptian Museum. It has neat pictures from the museum, and it also offers several tours -- one takes you to the Sphinx, another on a cruise along the Nile River, and still another shows you Saqqara, the first of the pyramids. And you can read some grody love poems, and see pictures of Egypt taken from space.
     What was America like in the 1700's? Click on 'America' and you'll read old newspapers (filled with ads selling bearskins, short cloaks, rugs, stockings and with news of ship sailings and store openings), find out about many "Firsts" (the first copper penny, first political cartoon, first annual almanac), read about and see portraits of Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, Patrick Henry, Benedict Arnold and many others, learn how many copies of a daily paper were printed, and read the autobiographies of Ben Franklin and Daniel Boone.
     Back in Feudal times there were all sorts of local rulers in what is now France, and England, and Germany. And they generally lived in castles, and (according to the legends, anyway) were surrounded and protected by Knights. Click here to find out how to become a knight, and learn what took place in jousts and tournaments. This site has neat pictures, and includes a section on how women and girls spent their time in those days.
Bugs (Insects)
Here's a page to get you started on bugs. The Wonderful World of Insects has a brief introduction to the subject, and then a description of the biggest and smallest insects. Would you believe there are about 500,000 species of beetles?
Adventurous reading (Literature)

     A wonderful English author, who lived in England 200 years after Shakespeare, wrote some very funny books about ordinary people. She is Jane Austen, and her funniest and most famous book is "Pride and Prejudice". At her site you can read that book in a way which makes it easy to get acquainted with the characters and to learn about the customs and laws of the time. In those days, for example, things were difficult for the ladies. Elizabeth, the heroine of "Pride and Prejudice" has four sisters and no brothers, and since her father had no male heir, when he died his house and fortune would go to a cousin. She and her sisters and mother would have to get along as best they could.
     The book is set in a time (about 1800) very different from ours. But people are people, and prejudiced Elizabeth along with her proud beau Darcy could both of them be around today.
     There are many children's books which I love, and many more which I dislike. Undoubtedly, my preference for older books comes from my being old. But for proper bedtime stories, you'll be treated well here. If you do noting else, read the beautifully-illustrated "Alice in Wonderland". Lear's short poem "The Owl and the Pussycat" is likewise present, and we are assured that "Peter Pan" and "Wind in the Willows" will be along in good time. There are other stories about friendly monsters, and bears, and dragons, that are not quite of the quality of Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear, but are nevertheless charming.
Music
To learn how to read music, and how a composer takes a tune out of her or his mind and puts it on paper, I urge you to visit this music site. Here you'll find a very clear introduction to the subject that starts out assuming we know nothing at all about reading music, and takes us step by step through a series of lessons. You'll also be able to learn about and hear different musical instruments, and leave music questions on a message board.
Why does it work? (Physics)
Physics is the science that aims at explaining the world around us. Gravity, light, magnetism, heat, and relativity are some of the things physicists study. Here's a site called Physics Tutorial which introduces you to some parts of physics, including heat, light, electricity, and motion. The same site also includes a fascinating multimedia physics studio!
Poems
The best way to learn something about poetry is to read some poems. Here you'll find life stories of a few famous poets (including Longfellow, Eugene Field, Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Ogden Nash, and Edgar Allen Poe). There are one or two poems for each poet. Eugene Field wrote poems just for kids, and Ogden Nash wrote many, many funny poems. So if you like the samples you see here, you can look in your local library for poetry books for the authors you choose.
Sailing--water and air
Sailboats are both fun to use and interesting to learn about. I haven't yet found a site which gives a good introduction to sailing, but this one tells how a couple sailed north from Seattle to the Charlotte Islands, off the West coast of Canada. It's a long story with many maps & photos. Perhaps youngsters will find it boring, but you might give it a try!
Making Shapes (Sculpture)
One of the most famous and talented sculptors of all time was Leonardo da Vinci. He was also a painter (perhaps you've heard of his painting Mona Lisa), an inventor (would you believe the helicopter?) an engineer, and a scientist. A most interesting man.
Ships

In the hundred years after Columbus discovered America, Spanish Galleons sailed across the Atlantic, exploring and often returning filled with gold. The site Life on a Spanish Galleon tells us of those times. It's not a large site, but it tells something about how sailors spent their lives, and takes us both above and below decks.
The movie "Titanic" attracted a lot of attention, but if you'd like more detail about the ship here's the Web site for you. Here there are deck plans, passenger lists with pictures and detailed biographies, crew lists, and songs sung on the ship. There's even an animation of the sinking itself.
Snakes and Other Reptiles
We have a family of snakes in our back yard here in the middle of Santa Fe, New Mexico. They've been here since we moved in, almost 20 years ago. Every couple of years they reproduce, and we have a few baby snakes, which in due time grow up and have children of their own. We enjoy them because, among other things, they seem to eat grasshoppers.
You'll learn about our common snakes on this reptile site, and you'll find out something about rattlesnakes, turtles, crocodiles and frogs.
Noise (Sound)
To find out how the ear works, to learn about the physics of sound and the uses of sound, check out The Soundry. It even has a laboratory where you can run some experiments.
Robots
How would you like to build a working robot? There's a kit that's been around a long time, and for around $45 you can buy the kit along with a book that teaches a lot of basic engineering. The robot's name is Stikito, and it looks a bit like a scrawny spider.
Space
No one can teach us more about outer Space than NASA. They designed this site especially for kids, and it contains so many good things that it's not practical to list them all. For example, it tells us about the International Space Station, the Shuttle, and Apollo. There are also great photos of the Sun, the planets, and the Moon.
Sports
     At this sports site you will be able to learn a bit about baseball, cycling, skateboarding, and ice hockey. The hockey section will tell you there's more than one kind of ice! And under Baseball you'll be able to read about and see pictures of some of the heroes and heroines of the sport, including Babe Ruth and the first woman umpire. You'll also be able to try different batting strategies against different pitchers to find just how far you can hit a baseball. And you'll see a video or Ricky Henderson explaining the effect of the wind on a ball after it's hit.
      Soccer is the most popular sport in almost every country except the United States. But the recent spectacular success of our Women's soccer team, and the enthusiasm which today's young people show for the game is changing all that.
     The Web site soccerclinics.com aims to help players and coaches at all levels of ability and age, both male and female, improve their games. It also serves as a very neat way for newcomers...kids, parents, and fans... to learn what a good player does, and how he does it. There are several sections, the most important being a skills directory and a list of drills for those skills. The skills included are passing, ball control, shooting, dribbling, heading, and goalkeeping. For each of these there are subtopics. Under heading, for example, are attacking headers, defensive headers, diving headers, and flick-on headers. For each of these there is a picture and a detailed description of what how to do it.
Actors and actresses (Theater)
We all see movies pretty often. But long before there were movies, there were actors and actresses and theaters. No movie screens, though. The players were actually present, and you watched them do their thing.
Of course, there still is that kind of theater in all major cities and many small cities in the US. To learn something about the history of this fascinating art, click here. You'll take a tour through the history of theater, and will learn all sorts of theater stuff.
Trains
To learn something about one of the world's most famous trains, have a look at the Trans-Siberian Railroad. You'll find a map and photos, and a diary of some folks who took a trip across Russia.

     I hope you spend some time discovering neat subjects other than Math, by visiting some of the sites named on this page. In view of what I said about raising my own kids, maybe you won't be surprised to learn that our CD-ROM Solid Gold Gnarly Math shows some famous paintings, outlines some history, and quotes some pieces from Shakespeare, in addition to teaching the six different mathematical disciplines--Algebra, Geometry, Trig, Probability, Numbers, and Topology. Click the Paypal button below on the left, and you can be learning math and looking at Rembrandt with your computer in the next week!

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