Search Engines for Students

When our kids ask us something that we don't have the answer to, it's easy to say "Google It".  However, depending upon the age of your child, that's not always the best response.  While internet search engines, such as Google, the king of them all, can offer a ton of information... sometimes that's not what our kids really need.

Instead, most kids (especially those 10 and under) need to learn - how to do effective internet research and they need to access websites that are appropriate for their age.  This is especially important when your kids are looking for graphic images.  As most parent know, sometimes a Google image search provides images that are so graphic that they should be rated "X".

If you are looking for a search engine that is custom-tailored for kids, I suggest you check out a website called Sweet Search.  This research tool only accesses websites that have been reviewed and approved by a team of librarians, teachers, and educational research experts.  I was surprised to discover that Sweet Search actually analyzes the contents of 35,000 plus websites during a typical search.

In addition to being a simple search engine, Sweet Search also provides other research assistance:

• SweetSearch Web Search Research Tutorial - which teaches students web research skills
• SweetSearch4Me - geared for elementary aged learners
• SweetSearch2Day - a daily assortment of interesting web content, ranging from "Today in History" to "Dilbert Cartoons"
• SweetSearch Biographies - thousands of biographies of people from all walks of life
• SweetSearch Social Studies - resources for using the web to do research specifically in the area of social studies.  Of special interest is the section on "Beyond the Headlines", which gives some really good tips on doing research with controversial resources like Wikipedia.

I think that SweetSearch is a great illustration of the expression "Good things come in small packages".  For such a tiny and unassuming website, this research tool has a lot to offer.