Air Force Crossroads | Teens & Youth

A. Pintura the Art Detective
Solve cases such as the Case of Grandpa's Painting. Become a master detective.
Amazing Kid's Contest
Provides information on how to enter their contests. Past contests have been in writing and drawing.
Apogee Photo Magazine
Has articles for the beginning to advanced photographer in this online magazine on photography.
Art Adventures
Has art resources for creative individuals from beginner to advanced. Select from create art; study art; or play art games.
Art History Resources on the Web
View or learn about art in prehistoric, ancient, Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque, 18th-Century, 19th century, 20th century, non-European, research resources, museums & galleries, or Prints & Photography. (younger teen)
Art Kids Rule
Learn about all types of art including the theatre, photography, dance, painting, sculpturing, filming, craft projects, and more.
Art Kids' Rule
Choose from arts & crafts, cartooning, photography, animation, painting, sculpture, and even dance.
Art Studio Chalkboard of Indianapolis
Is a "resource for artists and art students that focus on the technical fundamentals of perspective, shading, color and painting." (older ages)
Artcyclopedia
Search from over 6,000 artists; read through the top 30; look at art museums all over the world; or read the monthly features.
Harmony Central
Has industry news, as well as sections on guitar, bass, effects, software, recording, MIDI, keyboards, synths, drums, percussion, computer music and a bands page.
Inside Art: An Adventure in Art History
After being whisked away in a vortex you become trapped in a painting but you need to know what picture you are in and who is the artist.
Mark Kistler's Imagination Station
Click on the pictures for cool “drawing in 3-D” lessons! Print the step-by-step instructions, then draw, draw, draw! Enjoy!
MTV Online
Get the latest news, music, and show information. Chat with others or learn more about your favorite bands.
National Endowment for the Arts
Has links to many art forms; view the online exhibits; read interviews of the artists; or read about current art projects.
National Gallery of Art
View the exhibits in architecture, painting, sculpture, and decorative arts.
Origami
Create animals from paper with these step by step directions.
Our Earth as Art
Here you can view our planet through the beautiful images taken by the Landsat-7 satellite - and most recently, the Terra Satellite's Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER). Truly works of art!
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Tour the exhibits; learn what's happening; speak your mind; or play around in this online version of this famous museum.
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Online exhibits, special exhibits, and even Ask Joan of Ark anything you want to know about art.
Surrounded by Beauty
Native Americans are a highly spiritual people who create objects of extraordinary beauty that you can view at this site.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Explore the history and techniques behind a selection of Met objects. Learn about the artists and cultures behind the paintings.
The State Hermitage Museum
Take a virtual visit (uses hot media) through this museum in Russia as well as visit the virtual academy.
Web Exhibits
Discover pigments through the ages, causes of color, rediscover a painting's past and more.
World Myths and Legends in Art
Myths are stories that explain why the world is the way it is. All cultures have them. Throughout history, artists have been inspired by myths and legends and have given them visual form. This site combines art, mythology and the culture into one.
Young Composers
Hear others musical compositions; submit your own composition; join the discussion board; play music match-up; or take part in a chat session.

Computer/Internet

Are Web Transactions Safe?
Find out what measures are taken to protect your information - SSL, password sniffer programs, public & private key encryption and more.
Chat Room Safety
Provides tips, advice, and real life stories about safely using chat rooms. From Chatdanger 'How to Keep Safe While Chatting Online'.
CNET: Web Building
Has how-tos libraries, references, and resources.
Every File Format in the World
Couldn't figure out where that file came from? Using this site, you can figure out at least what program created that file by looking up the extension on this site.
FOLDOC: Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing
Is just what it says. Can find any and all computer terms defined here. Multi-award winning site.
Free Site: Web Pages
Lists all hosts that provide free service for web pages. Be sure to look at the menu on the left for free everything else to make your site look great.
Instant Messenger Safety
Provides tips, advice, and real life stories about safely using Instant Messenger. From Chatdanger 'How to Keep Safe While Chatting Online'.
Mobile Phone Safety
Provides tips, advice, and real life stories about safely chatting on mobile phones, from Chatdanger 'How to Keep Safe While Chatting Online'.
NetSmartz
Play fun games and learn about internet safety
Online Game Safety
Provides tips, advice, and real life stories about safely playing online games. From Chatdanger 'How to Keep Safe While Chatting Online'.
PC Magazine
Find hardware reviews, industry news, downloads, and new products on the market.
Protecting Your Privacy
Privacy and safety go hand in hand and many of the same rules that help keep kids safe in cyberspace can also help to protect their privacy. Also includes information from the FTC. From Safeteens.com.
Safe Blogging Tips for Teens
Provides top safe blogging tips for teens, from BlogSafety.com.
So, You Want to Make a Web Page
Written by a professional web designer as a beginning tutorial for those who want to create their own web pages.
Students – What to do (How to fix your computer workstation)
Very often, both in school and at home, the computer workstation will not fit you properly. This site tells you what you can do to fix that.
Technology Tutorials Found on the Web
Lists websites of free tutorials for many different applications.
Teen Guide to Safe Blogging
Article on safe blogging for teens, from Safeteens.com
Teen Safety on the Information Highway
Article on teen safety on the Internet, from Safeteens.com.
TuCows Network
Has a huge selection of freeware, shareware, and demo versions to download. Beware this software doesn't come with instructions usually.
Vmyths
Learn about computer virus myths, hoaxes, urban legends, hysteria, and the implications if you believe in them.
Writing HTML: A Tutorial for Creating Web Pages
Written for those serious about learning web page design. Goes into the latest features one can add to their web page.
Yahoo! Geo Cities
Helps you build and host your web page free. One of the largest provider of free web pages.
ZD Net
Offers most anything you'd want about and for computers - free downloads, news on the latest viruses, repair tips, game previews, game hints, and much more.

Fun and Games

007 James Bond's Official Site
View movie clips, listen to the songs, see behind the scenes look at how they make the Bond movies, or download trailers.
Better Homes and Gardens
Ideas for decorating, remodeling, food & recipes, gardening, holidays, health and family crafts
Cyber Athlete Professional League
Attracts hundreds of pro gamers to its live tournaments and has quickly become the worldwide leader for professional gaming events. …Awards the tournament winners hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash prizes.
Game Genie
Has demos, cheats, forums, releases, and reviews of the latest games.
Game Winners
The largest home video and computer game help site on the web covering 39 systems from the classic consoles to today's current generation.
GameFAQs
Online guides, walkthroughs, hints, and cheats for various games and systems.
Gamespot
Read reviews and information on games for every system.
IGN.com
Large gaming site containing hardware and software information about PCs and home console systems.
MSN Gaming Room
Play a variety of games directly online from the Microsoft Network.
Namco
From the arcades to home consoles, Namco has developed some of the most popular entertainment software.
Nintendo of America
Nintendo's official website including news on upcoming games and events, online shopping, and product support.
Prom Night
Helps you organize and plan for that special event. Has tips for guys & gals to make the night a success.
Sega
Sega's online community based around the Dreamcast and it's library of games. Also includes an online store and customer service.
Square Soft
SquareEA are developers of some of the most popular gaming titles in history, such as their "Final Fantasy" series.
Weekly Reader
Games and Puzzles. All Games Sudoku Puzzle Game Word Search Crossword.

Hobbies

AARP
find your hobby....hobbies are a great way to relax after a hectic day
About.com - Photography
Photography articles, links to external sources, and general information about digital, black and white analog, lomo, and many other forms of photography
American Philatelic Society
International nonprofit society for stamp collectors.
American Radio Relay League
Tells you how to start this "hi-tech" hobby with lots of good advice.
Aviation Enthusiast Corner
Can find out when & where the closest air show is: visit museums on aviation; view photos of any kind of airplane; discover aviation records: or even listen to JFK's airport tower live. (younger teen)
Book Spot
Lists the best sellers, those that have won awards, reviews and even a list of online books you can read.
Discovery Channel Games & Interactive
A different one daily. (younger teen)
Filmmaking.com
A resource for film schools, moviemaking tips, and digital filmmaking
Food Network
Recipes & Cooking. Holidays & Parties. Quick & Easy. Healthy Eating, Cooking Italian
Ham Radio Online
Go to the "start here" section for all you need to know and how to get licensed.
Junior Philatelists (stamp collectors) of America
Is a "run by and for young stamp collectors, age 18 and under." (younger teen)
MakeStuff.com
You can make it yourself... craft projects, homemade remedies, recycling crafts, and more.
MakingTheFilm.com
Aims to educate and inspire would-be filmmakers. Includes the author's filmmaking diary, stills, and clips.
Martha Stewart - Food
Official site of Martha Stewart Living. Offers how-to advice and products for cooking and entertaining, home and garden, crafts, holidays, weddings, and children
Photo.net
Photographer community since 1993 offering photo sharing and critiques, photo galleries, film and digital photography equipment reviews, learning resources.
Plants and Youth: Designing and Building a Terrarium
Step by step instructions for creating your own terrarium.
Playing With Time
You will see time sped up and slowed down, and behold the beauty of change. Time will be in your hands to witness, replay, and even create. You never know... you might not look at things quite the same way again.
PopPhoto
Home of Popular Photography and American Photo magazines. Includes tests, reviews, buying guides, tips, galleries, forums, contests, and workshops.
Puzzle Maker
Create your own puzzles. Can select to make a maze, word search, criss cross puzzle, number blocks, math square, double puzzle, cryptograms, letter tiles, or fallen phrase.
The Garden Gate
use this site to find out about online publications; use plant databases; take a tour of some of the best gardens; or join a newsgroup.
USPS - Stamp Collecting
Look up words and terms associated with the collection and study of stamps
Yahoo's Picks: Coin Collecting
Scroll down to pick your own site from this list of sites for coin collecting.
YourHobby.com
This site is dedicated to your search for information concerning your hobby

Homework Help

A Plus Research & Writing Paper for High School & College Students
Follow the step by step directions and you too can get an A+ on your next paper.
Awesome Library
Organizes the web with 22,000 carefully reviewed resources, including the top 5 percent in education.
Biographical Dictionary
Can find information on 28,000 famous people. (younger teen)
Biography Maker
Learn how to write a really exciting biography. (younger teen)
BJ Pinchbeck’s Homework Helper
Links to every subject or class you can take.
Cell Alive
Learn cell development with animations, descriptions and video.
Electric Library's Encyclopedia
Use this online encyclopedia for your research papers or just for fun.
Encyclopedia.com
The Internet's premiere free encyclopedia, provides users with more than 57,000 frequently updated articles from the Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Each article is enhanced with links to newspaper and magazine articles as well as pictures and maps - all provided by eLibrary.
Guide to Grammar and Writing
Find all your grammar and writing questions answered here. Very thorough site with excellent resources.
Homework Central: Biographies
Lists of biographies about people in every walk of life.
Homework Spot
A homework information portal that should supply all your homework needs. It’s even separated into elementary, middle and high school sections.
How to Study.com
All the skills, tips and guidelines you need to work smarter not harder.
Info Please - Homework Center
Use the search box to find answers to your homework questions in their almanac, dictionary, encyclopedia, and biography database or go to these sections directly. For maps, go to the atlas or map library.
International Affairs.com
Provides links to maps, newspapers, magazines, governments, international organizations, economic data, demographic information, topic areas, research institutions, online journals, and general information on countries all over the world.
KidsClick
Find links to every subject. All links have a grade level assigned to it so you can find links that are appropriate for your grade.
Merriam-Webster's Word Central
Use the dictionary and thesaurus online then try out the cool new stuff, word game, lighter side of language, word of the day, or word for the wise.
Refdesk.com
Complete with news, sports, weather, radio online, national newspapers, TV news, major magazines, international news, specific newspaper columnists, acronyms, area codes, biographies, comics, encyclopedias, maps, thesaurus, statistics, stock quotes, unit converters, zip codes, and more.
Reference Desk
A virtual reference desk with information on anything you might need.
Science Fair Primer
High school participants at the local science fair compete for scholarships in some states as well as the opportunity to go to the regional and state science fairs.
Spark Notes
Online Study Guides. Provides over 100 study guides for the classics.
States and Capitals
Gives you important and not so important facts about each state.
The Academy of Achievement
Investigate those who have made history in the arts, business, public service, science and exploration, and sports as well as those who demonstrated courage, perseverance, or integrity. Video and audio of these history makers such as General Colin Powell, Edward Tiller (father of the atomic bomb), Dr. Ballard (discovered the Titanic), Denton A. Cooley (pioneer of the heart transplant), Alan Shepard (1st man in space), Chuck Yeager (broke the sound barrier), Hershel Walker, Willie Mays, George Lucas, and many, many more. (ages 9-11)
The National Atlas
Designed to provide a reliable summary of national scale geographical information.
The Research Paper
Provides a guide to writing a research paper.
The WWW Virtual Library
All subject areas and classes are covered at this site.
Time Capsule
Put in a date and you'll discover what happened on that date; what were the top songs, prices on merchandise; sports events; or academy award winners. (younger teen)

How Things Work

Amazing Earth Games: Disasters You Can Play at Home
Play Crumble California (earthquakes), Unleash a Super Storm (hurricane), or Destroy Life on Earth (meteors).
Amazon Interactive
Plan and manage a locally-controlled ecotourism project (Grades 6-8)
Ambiguous Illusions
Find 20+ great optical illusions and how they are created.
Amusement Park Physics
Create your own amusement park rides - a roller coaster, carousel, bumper cars, free fall, and pendulum ride. Plan it carefully--it has to pass a safety inspection.
Atmospheric Optics
Light playing on water drops, dust or ice crystals in the atmosphere produce a host of visual spectacles - rainbows, halos, glories, coronas and many more. Find out where to see them and how they form.
Build Your Own Avalanche Interactive Game
Change the slope, snowfall, tree density, and skier size till you create the perfect conditions for an avalanche to occur. Be sure to go to "Today at the Mountain" or previous episodes to find out more about avalanches.
Car Buying Tips
Provides all the tips and advise you'll need to buy that car of yours. Has information on lemons, scams, leasing, financing, insurance, DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) sites, and much more.
Conservation Investigation: Seahorses
You are a reporter for an international newspaper assigned to investigate the sea horse situation. You can travel to the Philippines and see seahorses and their habitat, interview local people, scientists, fishermen, traders, medicine users, and do library research for documents and statistics.
Homework Help's Multimedia Interactive Lessons
Dissect a frog, throw the particles of an atom around, play reflections with a mirror and object, or choose from other interactive units.
How Stuff Works
Series of articles that explore the workings of electronics, computers etc...
How Things Work - Lasers
Learn how lasers work
Hurricane & Storm Tracking for the Atlantic & Pacific Oceans
Learn about the latest storms or about typhoons, hurricanes, and tropical storms in general.
In Search of the Ways of the Knowing Trail
You make the decisions in this interactive adventure through the jungles of Ituri.
In the wild
Brookfield Zoo's scientists know what is like to discover fascinating facts about animals and their environments. Now they want you to go with them Into the Wild.
Kelley Blue Book
Find out how much that used or new car should be worth. Has sections on used vehicles, motorcycles, new car previews, new car prices, buying & selling, and even a title history report of that car you're looking at.
Marine Reserves: Where do you fit in?
Your mission is: To protect, maintain, restore and enhance living marine resources through new management strategies that encompass an ecosystem perspective and promote collaboration between competing interests. A simulated adventure.
Motor Cities
Has a mission to have at least one picture of every vehicle that has ever been produced in the history of this planet.
Odyssey
Has live webcams all over the world, ask an internationally known scientist (they change monthly) a question, read the latest articles on what is going on in our world, or find an article that interests you.
Project Sol
Welcome to the world of solar electricity. where energy from the sun can power the computer you're using.
Spot the UFO Interactive Game
Look at actual photos of reported UFOs and try to find the one true UFO. Be sure to click on Alien Invasion Week for more information on UFOs and aliens.
Star Party
Place your cursor over any part of the sky to find out about that area of space. Has information on black holes, Ets, reading the sky, deep space, and seeing stars.
The Weather Channel
Look for weather conditions anywhere in the world. Offers weather information as it relates to skiing conditions, holidays, travel, driving, golf, events, and more.
Trading Around the World
Play this game to experience the challenges and excitement of international trade. See if you can get the best price for the goods you sell and the biggest bargains for the goods you buy. Watch how the global economy is doing: the prices you'll be able to get and the deals you can make depend on how healthy the global economy is.
United States Geological Survey: Earthquake Information
Provides information on the latest earthquakes around the world, and even has a link to possible science fair projects.
Washington, DC National Zoo
Visit the animals of the Washington National Zoo via live cams.
Weather Online
Has weather forecasts for anywhere in the U.S., current conditions anywhere in the world, and links to anything weather related.
You Control the World Interactive Game
Tamper with the earth by changing its rotation, atmosphere, axis tilt, and temperature and see what happens to our world. Be sure to go to "Peel the planet", timeline, dispatches, earth essays, dig deeper, or the earth cams to find out more about our planet.

Linguist

Animated Chinese Characters
Learn how to write in Chinese. Animated drawings of the Chinese word help you learn how to form the Chinese characters or alphabet.
Art Tales
Create a story, write a wildlife guide, or curate a museum exhibit, add excitement with music and then publish on the National Museum of Wildlife Art’s website.
Fodor's Living Language
Learn French, German, Italian, or Spanish with audio files to see and hear the words. Provides words and phrases that will be useful at the airport, finding your way, finding accommodations, socializing, dining, personal services, health care, on the road, communications, sightseeing, shopping, leisure, entertainment, and general information.
Foreign Languages for Travelers
Select the language you speak and then the language you'd like to learn.
French Assistant
Read about another teenager's experience in France and how he learned the language.
French Language Course
Learn French with this 10+ lesson course with audio included.
German for Beginners
Learn German from this multi-award winning site written by a German instructor. Has audio files and links to German newspapers, radio online, TV, literature, culture, films on the net, fun stuff, study abroad opportunities, and much more.
Japanese-Online Lesson Index
Teaches the language by introducing a dialog between different characters. Not for some beginners. Audio used.
Languages
Opens to Spanish but has a left side menu with Latin, Italian, German, Chinese, Russian, Polish, Croatian, and Albanian. Links to courses, grammar, listening, speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary, workbooks, quizzes, tests, games, cultural materials, music, quotes, proverbs, jokes, and more (varies slightly for each language). Can even hear the Simpson's in another language.
Learn Chinese: Audio Tutorial of Survival Chinese
Provides commonly used, functional words and phrases in greeting others, shopping, dining, traveling, time, weather, holidays, and what & how.
Learn Japanese Online
Has a great explanation of the two Japanese alphabets as well as 9 lessons in Japanese.
Learn Spanish: A Free Online Tutorial
Pick from 71 lessons and still adding lessons. Be sure to go to the "oral exercises" to hear the words being spoken.
Learning Chinese
Find links to anything and everything Chinese - introduction to Chinese, learning pronunciation, learning conversations, characters, grammar, reading materials, Chinese radio, Chinese TV, online dictionaries, testing your Chinese, and much more.
On-Line Dictionaries
Has a dictionary in every language I know plus many I've never heard of. Many have audio as well.
On-Line Grammars
"Includes all types of grammars: reference grammars, language lessons, and historical grammars …" Has every language you could possibly want.
Teachionary: A Way to Quickly Learn Basic Vocabulary
Learn Spanish, Japanese, German, Quebec French, Russian, Farsi, Cantonese, or Tamil. Choose any word on the menu to hear words related to that topic spoken in language of your choice.
World Myths and Legends in Art
Myths are stories that explain why the world is the way it is. All cultures have them. Throughout history, artists have been inspired by myths and legends and have given them visual form. This site combines art, mythology and the culture into one.