FamiliesConnect: Tech Tips

Search Engine Guides for Kids

The Wide World Web is an open and vast array of information. Most of us search topics of interest by using a search engine such as Google, Yahoo, Alta Vista, Excite, etc. However, experts tell us that single search engines search only 20 -22% of the Web. Many times we get hits that have nothing to do with our quest. It makes more sense to access directories, which organize websites for us into broader subject categories. When we access a broader category we may make our search more specific, or we may find topics in a way that our search terms did not find them.

One place to go to help us access pertinent and safe information for kids of all ages is the Searchability Web site. Searchability is billed as "the best places to search - search tips that work." This site gives us "guides that children and teenagers can use to find specialized engines relating to their interests and school subjects" without having to sift through sites that are not pertinent. Don't let this description fool you. This is a great place to go for all people of all ages.

The directories included not only organize sites into topics, but also link all types of general reference tools such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, pictures, thesauruses, biographies, and maps. A sidebar lists links to all types of guides to search engines as well as searching tips, such as using Boolean Operators. The sites listed are annotated and reviewed.

The guides found on this site are:

• Ivy's Search Engine Resources for Kids

  This contains 80 search engines, organized by type.

• Little-Red-Schoolhouse Library - Specialty Search Engines

  Over 300 sites and search engines divided into 56 subject categories. Zeeksearch has both search engines for children and teenagers, as well as those that can be used by all age groups.

• TekMom Search Tools for Students

  This is an easy-to-use specialized search engine that contains 26 chosen search engines that are organized into 9 subject categories.

• Kids Search Tools

  17 search engines in 4 subject categories are especially useful for children.

• The Search Page

  This is a directory of over 200 search engines and other sites organized into 40 categories.

• Zeeksearch

  Organized into 9 subject areas this specialized search engine accesses search engines useful to older elementary, junior high, and high school students.

At times in searching the Internet, one may find a "tangled web." Guides to directories sometimes make more sense. Give them a try!