Earthquakes for Kids

Earthquakes for Kids is a website from the USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) that offers lots of earthquake-related information, links, and activities. The home page features 16 different clickable icons, including Latest Quakes, Puzzles and Games, Become an Earthquake Scientist, and more. Some of these, like the Earthquake ABC, are kid-friendly, while others just connect you to the USGS's regular site or other grown-up science resources. Students can watch animations of geological changes that create earthquakes or can complete quizzes on the science of what happens beneath the Earth's crust.

Although there's a ton of information here, it's not very kid-friendly. The site is ultimately a collection of links; some go to other parts of the USGS site, and others go to various earthquake resources across the Internet. Some of its information is rather bleak, which may make students uneasy. A kid-drawn Earthquake Alphabet is informative but a little disturbing -- the letter K stands for kill and is accompanied by a drawing of people losing their lives in earthquakes. While this is a reality and shouldn't be ignored, the site doesn't offer much follow-up on how to address students' fears.

The science fair ideas are solid, and a teacher could present a guided lesson using the Latest Quakes map or Animations. The site isn't designed for student use, but teachers can still find lots to share with their students here. Ask-A-Geologist is a good resource with one flaw: Although kids can email an actual geologist with any question, the scientists' responses go directly to the asker. It would be great if some of the best question-and-answer sets were posted on the site for other students to read and learn from.