History for Tweens

Posted by Heidi Shelton-Jenck Dec 3, 2006

I found a fantastic website for tweens who are history buffs. Kidipede is like Wikipedia – but for tweens. It’s full of historical facts – many your kids won’t know – and photos covering places like China, North America, India, and Germany, to name a few.

Better than a history textbook, Kidipede allows curious tweens to explore history on their own with just a click. For example, the Middle Ages home page is like any table of contents tweens would be familiar with. If your tween clicked on “Food”, they would go to a short article written for tweens about Medieval food. Throughout the articles on the site, kids can click on topics of interest to learn more. Curious about cheese? After clicking on the word cheese, your tween can read a short, fascinating article about making cheese in the Middle Ages.

The site began in 1995 at Portland State University in Portland, OR. Since then Kidipede, like Wikipedia, keeps growing. They allow writers and researches to contribute articles. People with PhD’s in history review the content.

My 11-year-old loved the site. It was easy for him to navigate. He found very detailed information about things he hadn’t read about before, which is amazing since he loves history, watches the History Channel, and reads books about history all the time. My son’s favorite thing about Kidipede was being able to click on key words or phrases that interested him. Each click led him to another fascinating fact, and it was simple to return to where he began.

Check this site out. I’d definitely recommend it if your tween likes history – or even if they don’t. It just might get them interested!