A reader dropped us an email recently, requesting information on where to find educational software for elementary and middle-schoolers. That's a great question -- there are plenty of Web-based sites to choose from but, as our reader pointed out, it can be tough to find things to put on your computer to use later without an Internet connection.

If you dig around a little, though, you can find a few gems.

Kaboose has a long list of downloads in lots of different categories, including math, science, social studies, and music. Each list is also broken down by age group and operating system (Mac and PC). Several links point to Web sites that only contain printable PDFs and worksheets, but be sure to hunt around for downloadable software too.

The HomeSchool Mom, a popular Web site among home educators has a mile-long list of free educational materials in every conceiveable subject from typing tutors to Forensic Medical studies. Some of the links are for Web-based activities but many take you to sites where you can download free software or send away to receive goodies in the mail.

Adam Smith Academy offers free educational podcasts you can download and listen to on an MP3 player or your computer's media player. Younger children will enjoy stories from Kipling or Aesop, while older kids will love hearing stories by James Joyce or Nathaniel Hawthorne. The site even has a number of history lessons and college lectures available for download as well.

If you're looking for help with specific topics, be sure to check the Web sites of museums and science centers in major metropolitan cities. You could get lost for days roaming the Web site of the Exploratorium, San Francisco's famous science museum. Though much of the information is Web-based and interactive, there are plenty of links to other sites for additional printables and downloads. Budding astronauts of all ages can find virtually anything related to space, astronomy, and space travel at the educational portion of NASA's Web site.

One of the best places to find free and fabulous educational software is within the open source community. Although a few programs require the Linux operating system to run, most will also run on Windows or Mac. Have a look at this comprehensive list to see what's available and what's recommended for students of all ages and skill levels.

Kids get computers. It seems like they take to them almost immediately, once they are big enough to be able to control a mouse. But what about kids that aren't yet big enough? I know both of my boys wanted to bang away on the keyboard from a very young age.

Rather than opening a Word document and setting the font to a huge size, why not run a program that is specifically created for young children? Well, that's what Scot Hanselman must have thought when he decided to create Baby Smash.

Baby Smash is a simple Windows program that will lock out the special keys on the keyboard so that baby can't accidentally exit the program, and will then show colorful shapes with fun sound effects in response to baby's key presses, or more likely key mashes (and slams, and bangs, and mashes, etc.).

Scott is a well-known Windows development blogger who recently went to work for Microsoft. He's using the development of Baby Smash to teach Windows development concepts on his popular blog, ComputerZen.

ZAC (Zone for Autistic Children) is a Windows-only web browser designed specifically for children with autism (and other developmental disorders). The browser acts like a sandbox to isolate the children from things like Youtube, lolcats, and NSFW content, while providing access to educational games and resources that are particularly helpful.

ZAC has 5 main sections. It opens with a comforting, screensaver-like aquarium complete with fish, coral, and bubbles. There is a television section that lets the child select from video clips that come from Disney, Sesame Street, Pink Panther, etc.

The games section has a wide array of interactive (and mostly educational) games like Artbot Jr. where we were able to make a dazzling colored picture of a princess. A music area allows children to do things like play virtual instruments and listen to Wiggles songs. A story section rounds out the browser where children can listen to a birdie read nursery rhymes (with interaction) or make a lemonade stand with Elmo.

The ZAC browser is available as a Windows installer or a Windows .exe that requires no install (good for a portable drive).

[Via NPR Bryant Park Project]

If your child is out-growing Club Penguin but still too young for MySpace, imbee might be a way to bridge the gap. Billing itself as "the first social networking site for kids," imbee offers safe surfing options for the 8 - 14 crowd and a way for parents to keep an eye on their little social gadflies.

Signing up for a free account with imbee is a swift and straightforward process that requires a minimum of information. Kids must provide a parent's email address which, of course, is easy enough to circumvent but we appreciate the effort.

As a nice added touch, adults can set up their own parent account to access tools that will help them supervise their child's activities. To prove you're an adult, you'll need to either provide credit card information online, fax an information form to the company, or call customer service to provide an address and driver's license number. Although such measures may seem intrusive, it's probably enough to stave off nefarious adults or kids trying to game the system.

Once registered, kids can join groups, watch videos and listen to music, create a blog, upload photos, and send messages to other imbee members. Like similar social networking sites for kids, the more things they do on the site, the more virtual credits they rack up to spend in the virtual store.

Overall, imbee looks like it's shaping up to be a good -- and safe -- place for kids to hang out online. We like that parents can unobtrusively monitor their child's activity and also pre-approve blog posts, profile changes, and so on, if they are so inclined.

After spending some time touring the site, however, it does give off a slight "training wheels for My Space vibe." That's not necessarily a bad thing as long as kids are learning how to use the Internet and sites like this responsibly. We hope, though, that as kids become more accustomed to meeting other children online to play, they don't forget to, you know, go outside once in a while.

So, parents, what are your thoughts on social networking sites aimed at kids? Are they a great way to broaden your child's social circle or collateral damage for kids who already spend too much time online?

[Via ParentDish]

Parental controls are good to have these days. There are a lot of sickos out there and the protection of our children online should be at the top of our lists. Social networking giant MySpace announced on Wednesday they are developing a parent notification tool and age verification software. The software, codenamed Zephyr, will be a desktop application. The current MySpace age verification software online does not allow children under the age of 14 to gain access to register for an account, but really, who cant lie about their age? There have been a number of reported cases of minors who have been violated, stemming from their underage MySpace accounts, and MySpace along with parent company News Corp intend to stamp out the chances of minors gaining access to the site so they don't get harmed from their service. No date has been announced for the age verification software's debut.

As more and more communication moves into the online environment, it is extremely important that children are safe from the harsh reality that there are criminals lurking about online. The Guardian Angels, a 29 year old crime fighting group, extended its reach into the online world over 10 years ago, and has recently scored a state grant worth $200,000 US to fight crime online. Their targets are locked onto pedophiles and cyber bullies, with the goal of preventing harm to children. The grant will be used for community outreach, classroom workshops, and online support, all teaching the importance of online safety. Hopefully this takes a huge bite into online crime, so that our children can explore and communicate freely, without worry, in the open world of the internet.