As autumn rolls in, we've been stocking our web pantry (a.k.a., the Directory) with great sites to help you out this season. Here’s a selection of the freshest choice sites: Best-selling author James Patterson has put together a site where he offers recommendations for kids' books, sorted by age group. It's a wonderful resource for teachers, librarians, and for parents of kids heading back to school. You can browse book lists by type, read and listen to author interviews, and view lesson plans. Now that "Reading Rainbow" is no more, this is just the kind of site we need! We're already looking forward to Halloween. The California Science Center must be, too. Their latest exhibition, "Goose Bumps! The Science of Fear," is traveling all over the country, and has a great interactive online exhibit to get you in the mood -- or at least explain the mood. Explore how fear works in the brain, in the wild, and in the media -- and find out how to deal with it. Fall is a season for cooking. But when you're ready to take a break and eat out, you may want more than "just" a restaurant review. Dishola allows users to review specific menu items at local eateries, and upload photos of their meals. For those who are trying to live green (a good idea in any season), Project Label provides "nutritional labels" for companies, revealing their social and environmental impact based on public info and user input. Suggested Sites... Read, Kiddo, Read! - the world of kids' books, according to James Patterson. Goose Bumps! The Science of Fear - online and traveling exhibit explains why our hearts race, our knees shake, and our bodies sweat when we're scared. Dishola - reviews for individual menu items at local eateries. Project Label - company "nutrition" labels rate impact on the planet, community, and workers.

Directory categories: Children’s Literature, The Brain, Restaurant Reviews, Green Product Reviews

Archived under: Authors, Autumn, Books, Children, Children´s Literature, Consumer Advocacy, Eating, Education, Food and Drink, Green Living, Green Products, Museums, Parenting, Psychology, Reading, Restaurants, Science, Society and Culture, Yahoo! Directory

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On their way back to pencils, books, and teachers' dirty looks (Photo by D Sharon Pruitt) It's that time again. If you're a parent, a teacher, or a kid, you're probably very aware that "Back to School" time is here. As autumn blows in, we turn our attention to shopping, lesson planning, and lunch packing. As you reflect on the past few weeks for your obligatory "What I Did on My Summer Vacation"essay, we've got some good news. Our Education specialist has been hard at work scoping out the best resources on the web to help with your preparations. For teachers, the Directory lists plenty of sites offering ideas for back-to-school lesson plans, classroom-management strategies, and tips for new teachers. Parents will find sources for school supplies in the Directory, and learn how to provide support for their school-aged kids, including quelling first-day jitters. Kids can get homework help, tools for learning, and even start researching colleges. On day one, the year’s curriculum won’t be of the highest concern to everyone. Parents will likely be agonizing about what to pack in kids' lunches. And the kids, of course, will have "more important" things on their minds. Suggested Sites... TeacherVision Back to School Headquarters - advice, lesson plans, printables, activities, and many resources for teachers. Classroom Management 101 - tips and rules from Education World for new and experienced teachers. Class Set-Up Tool - virtual layout from Scholastic lets teachers plan classroom layouts and make seating charts. Tools for Student Success - U.S. Department of Education resources for parents. School on Yahoo! Shine - Posts tagged "school" on Shine from Yahoo!

Directory categories: Education, Teaching, Lesson Plans, Parenting, Educating Your Child

Archived under: Autumn, Books, Children, Education, Kids, Parenting, School, Teachers, Teaching, Yahoo! Directory

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Mrs. O - The flurry of interest in her arms has waned, but a number of people are following Michelle Obama's fashion choices. This blog provides a satisfying fix for those interested in knowing what Mrs. O is up to and who she’s wearing. (In First Lady Michelle Obama) Billy the Kid Territory - This weekend you might not be able to make it to the Billy the Kid Pageant in New Mexico, but the state's tourism department has put together a great website for any American history buffs who want to follow a self-guided journey following the outlaw's travels. (In Billy the Kid) Coach Cal - Fans of the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team should check out the official site of new coach John Calipari for behind the scenes tweets and blog posts. Soon you'll be able to get weekly voice messages from him sent to your phone. (In University of Kentucky Men’s Basketball) The Many Faces of Henry Gibson - Ashton Kutcher may have a Twitter following, but hey, he's not the only actor online. Septuagenarian Henry Gibson has a new site, reminding us that he's done a lot since "Laugh-In." (In Actors) AAA Seniors - Fatality rates for drivers over 85 are much higher than for teens. The Auto Club is addressing this problem by providing tips, expert advice, and resources to help us understand how aging affects driving. (In Driving) Vertical Dance - Some pole dancers dream of making it big by running away with Cirque du Soleil. Others have Olympic ambitions. The Vertical Dance site features classes and videos, with a petition to the International Olympic Committee to get pole fitness recognized as a competitive sport. (In Gymnastics)

Directory categories: Barack Obama Administration, The Old West, Men;s College Basketball, Seniors, Cirque du Soleil

Archived under: Actors, American History, Apparel, Basketball, Blogs, Celebrities, Circus Arts, Clothing and Accessories, College Basketball, College Sports, Driving, Entertainment, Fashion, First Ladies, Gunslingers, Old West, Olympics, Safety, Seniors, Sports, Yahoo! Directory

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The Fire Arts Festival's amazing Fire Snail Photo by Lilah of UrbanSardines Remember when your parents told you, "Don't play with fire?" It's a good thing some kids didn't listen. The tradition of creating art with fire is timeless and, frankly, a hell of a lot of fun. I was lucky enough to visit The Crucible's Fire Arts Festival this year in Oakland to see for myself -- and in the process burned a few hairs off of my arm. The Fire Arts Festival is a carnival of performance and industrial art fueled by creativity and a lot of flame. I walked through a small dust storm in the parking lot on my way to the festival, where a line of fiery workshops awaited me. The educational experience makes sense, because the event is actually a fundraiser for The Crucible, an organization that offers classes in blacksmithing, ceramics, fire performance, foundry, and other classes where you simply make cool stuff. I watched be-goggled folks blow glass, hammer hot molten metal, and chip away at huge slabs of stone. I even learned how to make a flashlight out of two clothespins, an LED, and a watch battery. But the real draw of the festival is the fire art, and these artists take fire seriously. I watched the "Fire Vortex," where men in silver flameproof suits create a spectacular whirl of flame into the sky. People lined up to fire shots -- literally -- at the Flamethrower Shooting Gallery (but you better sign a waiver form first). Everywhere you looked, high octane flames shot through the air, hot enough to warm your cheeks from many feet away. Many of the acts at the festival -- such as "The Hand of Man" (a giant hydraulic human hand controlled by a glove), and the "Life Size Mouse Trap" (an amusing Rube Goldberg-esque kinetic sculpture) -- have also made appearances at Burning Man and MakerFaire, The Fire Arts Festival runs until this Saturday, but if you aren't lucky enough to make it to Oakland, check out the many categories in the Yahoo! Directory about fire-inspired art Start with blacksmithing, ceramics, metal sculpture, glass art, or explore other pyrotechnic fun. Suggested Sites... The Crucible - "non-profit collaboration of art, industry, and community." The Fire Vortex - watch a video of the amazing Fire Vortex. The Hand of Man Robot - read about the 25-foot arm that can crush a car.

Directory categories: Fire Performance, Burning Man, Pyrotechnics, Fire Protection

Archived under: Arts, Burning Man, California, Celebrations, Ceramics, Charity, Contemporary Art, Counterculture, Crafts, Creativity, Entertainment, Events, Festivals, Fire, In Character, Rube Goldberg, Sculpture, Society and Culture, Tourist Attractions, Yahoo! Directory

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"All aboard!" The "MUNI Diaries" logo Muni Diaries – whether you live in San Francisco and ride its slow and human-stained MUNI buses and trains or not, you can still be amused, shocked, and/or disgusted by these fascinating tales of the publicly-transported in all their tired, smelly, and crammed-together glory. Populated largely by user-submitted content, the "Muni Diaries" blog shows public transportation for what it is: a strange social experiment, a fecund human Petri dish where the rich and poor, the young and old, and the healthy and sick cram together with all the nudity, violence, vomit, and sexual indiscretion that keeps the riding citizens endlessly entertained -- and always coming back for more. SticK – because quitting smoking, saving money, or exercising regularly is hard, StickK.com has devised a web-based method to help you keep the achievement of your goals on track. If you set a goal and do not achieve it, StickK.com will charge your credit card accordingly and send the money to a designated recipient. I Do Now I Don’t – these pre-owned wedding and engagement ring auction sites are becoming quite a burgeoning little industry. Every time I see a new one, I think, “Oh, that’s kinda funny,” until I start looking at the pictures of the rings and thinking about the stories of heartbreak that many of them hold, and then it just starts to seem sad. "I Do Now I Don't" also sells wedding dresses, which makes sense because teardrops can usually be washed right out of most fabrics. Airfare Watchdog – a new take on the airfare-deal-finding website, "Airfare Watchdog" provides you a list of surprisingly-inexpensive flights to and from various destinations with limitations on travel dates and times. If you’re just looking to get out of town and you’re flexible on your dates (or even your destination), a quick browse through their daily list of fares might be of interest. Cat Workout – sites like this really make me want to lose my job and hang around my house all day coming up with funny things to blog. "Cat Workout" helps users see the real value in having a cat: you can save money on exercise equipment! Having a cute little kitty in my arms while I’m doing “European squats” would not only provide me with soft and fuzzy joy, but would also provide the resistance that I need to maximize the effectiveness of my workouts. Suggested Sites... Muni Diaries - SF Muni adventure blog with stories, news, videos, and commentary about the bus-tastic San Francisco Municipal Railway. Get Muni news and submit your own Muni adventures, photos, videos, and stories. SticK - enables users to form commitment contracts to help them achieve their personal goals. These goals may be to lose weight, run a marathon, exercise regularly, quit smoking, or a personalized goal. Cat Workout - work out with these cat workout videos. Exercises include leg lifts, European squats, biceps training, and more. Airfare Watchdog - alerts consumers to fare reductions, airline discounts, and other unusually low airfares from a wide variety of sources. I Do Now I Don't - buy and sell pre-owned wedding rings, engagement rings, jewelry, and wedding dresses.

Directory categories: San Francisco Municipal Railway (MUNI), Personal Growth, Airfare Consolidators, Cats, Online Jewelry Auctions

Archived under: Air Travel, Animals, Auctions, Blogs, California, Cats, Cities, Commuting, Diets, Exercise, In Character, Internet, Motivation, Recycling, San Francisco, Shopping, Smoking, Trains, Transportation, Travel, Weddings, Yahoo! Directory

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