Following is a list of free or inexpensive resources that teachers can order.
Scholarships.
Prentice Hall, a division of Simon and Schuster, has released the fifth edition of The Scholarship Book, a 356-page paperback that lists information on more than 1,200 scholarships, grants, and loans for undergraduate study available from the private sector. Cost: $24.95. Contact: Prentice Hall, Career and Personal Development, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632; (800) 288-4745.
Education Research.
Lifetime Learning Systems and Microsoft Corp. offer teachers a free curriculum guide and poster on the study of education. The curriculum encourages students to conduct research on the state of education and voice their opinions on the future of education. Participants may enter their research in a national contest called My Oval Office. For more information, contact: (203) 259-5257; http://www.microsoft.com/MSOffice.
Children’s Dictionary.
Scholastic Inc. publishes Scholastic Children’s Dictionary. The 656-page reference is written for children ages 8 and up and includes more than 30,000 entries, 1,000 color illustrations, phonetic pronunciation guides, word histories, maps, flags, and more. Cost: $16.95. Contact: Scholastic Inc., 555 Broadway, New York, NY 10012; (800) SCHOLASTIC.
Handwriting.
The Sanford Corp. offers a 14-page booklet titled “Getting a Handle on Handwriting” that helps children ages 3-6 learn to doodle, color, and draw using the proper finger grip. Cost: $1 (to cover shipping and handling). Contact: Hand Huggers, P.O. Box 625, New York, NY 10956; (800) 323-0749.
Historical Attractions.
Crown Trade Paperbacks, a division of Crown Publishers Inc., publishes The Early America Sourcebook: A Traveler’s Guide by Chuck Lawliss. The 310-page paperback chronicles early American history and lists state-by-state historical attractions in New England, the mid-Atlantic region, upper and deep South, and Northwest. Cost: $20. Contact: Crown Publishing Group, 201 E. 50th St., New York, NY 10022; (212) 572-2617.
Children’s Health.
HarperPerennial publishes The Portable Pediatrician’s Guide to Kids, by Laura Walther Nathanson, M.D. This 328-page paperback details children’s development from ages 5-12, discussing such topics as growth, nutrition, academic challenges, and sex. Cost: $20. Contact: (800) 242-7737.
Kids’ Internet Guide.
Osborne and McGraw-Hill publishes the Internet Kids’ Yellow Pages. The 400-page paperback, a cyberspace guide for children preschool age and older, lists more than 1,800 resources for young Internet users. Cost: $19.95. Contact: (800) 262-4729.
Newsletter Production.
Image Control publishes Producing a School Newsletter Parents Will Read by Rhonda Jones. The paperback guide includes chapters on building readership, designing layout, and printing. It also features a glossary of terms and a list of other resources relating to newsletter production. Cost: $21.95. Contact: Image Control, P.O. Box 231302, Sacramento, CA 95823.
Resource Guide.
Reach Every Kid offers a computer program and book featuring more than 2,000 places to find free or inexpensive resources for teachers. Resources include World Wide Web sites, toll-free numbers, political and religious groups, and more. The computer program and the 175-page book are available for $25. Contact: Alan Haskvitz, 9655 Carrari Court, Alta Loma, CA 91737; (909) 945-9942.
Kids’ Clubs.
Free Spirit Publishing has released Melissa Maupin’s The Ultimate Kids’ Club Book, a 120-page paperback for ages 10-14. The book advises club organizers on how to find members, run meetings, raise money, and handle other club-management problems. Cost: $11.95. Contact: Free Spirit Publishing Inc., 400 First Ave. N., Suite 616, Minneapolis MN 55401; (800) 735-7323.
Women’s History.
The National Women’s History Project offers at no cost the New Women’s History Catalog. The catalog features posters, videos, curriculum units, CD-ROMs, and biographies for children of all grades.Contact: National Women’s History Project, 7738 Bell Road, Dept. P, Windsor, CA 95492; (707) 838-6000; e-mail nwhp@aol.com.
Multicultural Literature.
Lee and Low Books offers a free catalog of multicultural literature for young readers. Books cover a wide range of topics, including key historical and political figures. Contact: Lee and Low Books, 95 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016; (212) 779-4400.
--JILL GORDON
