Learning for Kids

Arts

Love to draw, paint, play music, read, sing, and act in plays? Or, would you rather watch and listen to others? Either way, click below to enter great art sites and to get some project ideas for a rainy day.

If you were looking for the NetSmartz® programs sponsored by National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® and the Boys and Girls Club of America® click-here: netsmartzkids.org

Education NetSites for Information

Air Force Crossroads - Hope you came ready to have fun because this section has tons to offer both kids and teenagers alike. From sports to arts to video games, you will find hours worth of information and entertainment that will keep you coming back for more.

American Treasures of the Library of Congress - A guide to some of the "treasures" in the Library of Congress. Check out Thomas Jefferson's handwritten draft of the Declaration of Independence.

Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History and Culture On-Line Academy - The Academy features a series of people offering their expertise and sharing their insights on different subjects. Collectors, preservers, scholars, and educators conduct virtual lectures, workshops, and demonstrations for your enjoyment and education.

Archives of American Art - Spanning the centuries since the founding of America to the present day, the collections of the Archives of American Art comprise the largest source in the world of primary source documentation on the visual arts in America. You can access information through AAA's online catalog, finding aids and guides, and a committed reference staff. There is also a doing research section for additional assistance.

Art Interactive - Hirshhorn Museum - This art interactive will show you a few different types of sculpture in the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and encourage you to explore your own artistic expression by making a piece of art online.

Ask Joan of Art - Do you have a question about American art and don't know how to find the answer? Art information specialists at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, using print and electronic reference sources, will help you get started.

Bottle caps to Brushes - Cappy, the skateboarding giraffe is a cartoon character based on a bottle cap sculpture at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. He'll show you some of the other works of art in the museum's collection and suggest some fun activities.

Creating French Culture - This Library of Congress page gives an overview of French history through the eyes of the art and culture of the times.

Freer Gallery of Art - This museum offers a wide variety of programs designed to foster better understanding of Asian art and culture. The programs aim to reach all visitors, including children and adults with little to no experience with the arts of Asia.

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden - This site features the Smithsonian's museum of international modern and contemporary art.

National Gallery of Art - Choose a tour by school or medium and explore the National Gallery's collections of painting, sculpture, and graphic arts.

NGA Kids - Adventures with Art - Choose from a variety of activities or projects, enjoy an animated musical adventure, take a tour through the sculpture garden, and more.

Portrait for Kids - Follow the clues and help solve a make-believe mystery! Using your noggin and a special spyglass tool, you’ll uncover hidden layers of the painting and learn fascinating facts about the portrait along the way. Let the sleuthing begin!

Smithsonian for Kids - Explore the playful side of the Smithsonian Museums. There are highlights of different areas, a fun and games section and much, much more.

The Library of Congress Exhibitions - View the collections of the Library of Congress. From designs of famous architects to the history of the Wizard of Oz, there is something for everyone to enjoy.

Triumph of the Baroque - Explore Baroque architecture in Europe from 1600- 1750 with this National Gallery of Art exhibit. See what churches, chapels, palaces, and private homes of the period looked like.

Organization Sites

Art Games - This interactive site engages children in art activities that help them to learn about artists and the works of art in the collection of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York.

Corcoran Museum - Learn about this center for American art and check out the online exhibits too!

Creative Children - The International Child Art Foundation wants to help you be as creative, imaginative, innovative and artistic as you can be. ICAF has art programs, international children’s festivals, creativity workshops and conferences, interactive websites and educational exhibitions and publications.

Hands On Children's Museum - An interactive science, art and adventure museum for children ages 10 and under. Meet Casbah the camel, visit the pet parade and solve a maze.

Incredible Art Department - has tons of great art information! Take a peek in the Art Room and visit the Art Site of the Week.

Metropolitan Museum of Art - Just for Fun - The page for young people includes family guides, museum hunts, and art games. Features special sections on artists such as Winslow Homer. From discovering a dragon to guessing a detail, there's something fun for everyone to do and learn.

MOWA - Designed to teach you about the potential for art on the web. Check out one of the galleries or explore the kids' wing!

Restoring a Masterwork - Learn how museums conserve artwork and how they keep old paintings looking like new.

Seattle Art Museum - Learn Online - These sites from SAM have online art tours and interactive games, lesson plans and art activities, background information and discussion ideas, and glossaries, bibliographies, Net links, and more!

Professor Garfield - Where no two brains spark alike - is a place where kids who learn differently can create awesome stuff, play games, connect with other kids and discover new ways to succeed in school and in life.

The @rt Room - The @rt room is designed around the idea of "activity" centers that encourage kids to create, to learn and to explore new ideas, places and things on their own.

The Face of Russia - Learn about Russian history and culture through an interactive time line of Russian art. Site from PBS Online includes paintings, photographs, and Real Audio clips.

The Textile Museum - Learn about the history, collections, and purpose of textile arts.

NetMuseum - Check out this online exhibit of famous paintings, a complete index of artists, and a useful glossary!

Education Sites

African Art: Aesthetics and Meaning - Check out the exhibit's amazing masks, headdresses and wood carvings.

ArtsEdNet - Includes a variety of teaching and learning materials, including many art images, lesson plans and curriculum ideas.

Glossary for Medieval Art and Architecture - get definitions and illustrations of words like sarcophagus, atrium, and jamb. Hear their pronunciations too!

SmART Kids - University of Chicago's David & Alfred Smart Museum of Art, SmARTkids invites kids to experience art. You can tour a photographer's studio, interview the artist, and learn about becoming an artist.

Commercial Sites

Decopix - Check out tons of photos that show examples of art deco architecture and print. Includes an introduction to the movement and an FAQ.

The Imagination Factory - The Imagination Factory combines art with science and social studies to teach about recycling. Visitors learn how to make art using common, household trash as a source of free materials. Some of the activities include drawing, painting, sculpture, and collage.