Tomorrow kicks off National Park Week with a fee-free day across the entire U.S. national park system! Within the parks, tomorrow is also National Junior Ranger Day for kids ages 5-13. To learn more, see www.nps.gov/subjects/npscelebrates/national-park-week.htm

In conjunction with the 2018 March for Science, groups ranging from The Nature Conservancy and the American Association of Anatomists to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) will be leading educational events on the National Mall tomorrow, beginning at 9:00 am. There will be a Kids Zone, a program on the science of superheroes, and more. Not in the DC area and wondering what, if anything, might be planned near you? You can check out the map and links here: www.marchforscience.com/

National Geographic's Explorer Classroom invites students to participate in live webinars with scientists, photojournalists, and other explorers to learn about their work. April celebrates the centennial of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, with several programs throughout the month focusing on work related to bird conservation.  To register (or to find recordings from past programs), visit www.nationalgeographic.org/education/programs/explorer-classroom/

This 50-question online quiz challenges users to identify countries by their shapes and then provides interesting factoids about each one. learn.howstuffworks.com/quiz/97-people-cant-identify-individual-countries-just-a-map-outline-can-you

With the arrival of spring comes the arrival of baby animals. This quiz, courtesy of the National Wildlife Federation, allows users to guess the names of various species of baby animal. blog.nwf.org/2018/03/quiz-how-well-do-you-know-baby-animal-names/

Want to learn about the Middle East from the experts? Now you have the chance (if you're in the DC metro area). The Middle East Institute is running an 8-week class "Middle East 2030: Trends, Challenges & Opportunities" Thursday evenings beginning March 15. For all the information, see www.mei.edu/events/middle-east-2030-trends-challenges-and-opportunities

Today is Dr. Seuss's birthday. Celebrate by re-reading your favorite Dr. Seuss books! My family's favorites? The Sneetches, Horton Hatches the Egg, Yertle the Turtle, The Lorax, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and many of his shorter stories like "Gertrude McFuzz," "The Zax," and "The Big Brag."

The U.S. Geological Survey has made it easy to see some of the stunning vistas of the national park system from your living room. If you have 3-D glasses, you can opt to take your virtual tour in 3-D too! From caves to seashores to mountains to deserts, this site samples dozens of national parks: 3dparks.wr.usgs.gov/

This caught my eye because my online high school lit class ("Who We Are & What We Dream: Comparative Science Fiction") recently finished its discussion of Frankenstein: Arizona State has teamed up with the National Science Foundation to create Frankenstein200, an online game to teach middle schoolers (and the general public) about bioengineering, artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, scientific ethics, and robotics, among other topics. frankenstein200.org/

The Great Backyard Bird Count starts next Friday and runs through President's Day (Feb. 16-19). This annual biogeography/citizen science project allows you to count birds from any location and report your data. Scientists use the information to track changes in bird populations and ranges. Don't know anything about birds? The site includes resources to get you started. gbbc.birdcount.org/

If your student needs an incentive to read and likes Chipotle, your school (home school) can apply to participate in Chipotle's reading rewards program.  Applications are due by Feb. 28. www.chipotle.com/reading

Home school curriculum provider Bookshark is offering a free 8-day unit study kit to tie in to the upcoming Winter Olympics in South Korea. To request yours, see homeschool.bookshark.com/

The National Geographic Society in Washington, DC, is accepting reservations for its spring semester student programs. Students have the opportunity to attend five different live presentations given by NGS-affiliated photographers, engineers, and biologists. For more information about the student matinee series, see www.nationalgeographic.org/dc/events/?q=&occurrences=&per_page=25&category=Student+Matinee

High school students are invited to apply for the Smithsonian's free (!) five-week programs in forensic botany, forensic anthropology, or forensic ornithology. Applications are due by Jan. 9; evening/weekend classes begin the week of Jan. 22. For all the details, see qrius.si.edu/teachers/youth-programs/after-school#/-1/

Looking for some brain candy to keep those gears turning over the holidays?  Kids (even those kids who don't particularly like math) and adults (including those who once knew all this but have forgotten it!) will enjoy "12 Days of Pascal's Triangle": theconversation.com/the-12-days-of-pascals-triangular-christmas-21479

In advance of today's home school geography bee, I have spent some time this week playing with free geography apps. The two I like best? Geography Quiz by Peaksel (Android/iOS) and Geo Bee Now by Vishaal Ganesh (Android). The Peaksel app has, in addition to quiz questions, a photo and a brief explanation to support each answer. (The downside: there's an ad every few questions.) The Geo Bee Now app offers three levels of play, and the questions reflect a broad range of geographic subjects, similar to the National Geographic Society's geography bee. If you have a favorite geography app, please add it in the comments.

You can give the gift of history or geography this holiday season. Some of the things that score highest on the "cool!" meter with my geography students are foreign stamps and coins. You can buy foreign coins by the pound or start a stamp collection with supplies from local stamp and coin stores, including Coins of the Realm (Rockville) and Maryland Stamps & Coins (Bethesda).

Explorer Classroom is devoting the next two weeks to big cats. Beginning Monday and continuing through Dec. 14, you can join a variety of National Geographic photographers, conservation biologists, and community activists by webinar to learn about work being done to understand and safeguard the planet's big cats. The program kicks off with South African cheetah biologist Vincent Van der Merwe at 9:00 (ET) Monday morning. For the complete schedule or to register for a webinar, see www.nationalgeographic.org/education/programs/explorer-classroom/

This cool site from the BBC allows users to compare any two years to get a sense for how the world has changed: population, inventions, life spans, CO2 levels, then-untreatable diseases, species extinctions, etc. the-global-change-calculator.pilots.bbcconnectedstudio.co.uk/

It's not too early to buy your tickets for the Smithsonian Discovery Theater's popular "Seasons of Light" show. "Seasons of Light" explores holiday traditions involving light, from Christmas to Hanukah to Diwali and beyond. Live performances Dec. 1-21 (M-F  only). Target age is 5-10, but younger and older children are also likely to enjoy the performance. discoverytheater.org/shows/2017/dec/seasons-of-light.shtm

In some of my geography classes I have students learn about a sampling of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which is how I came across the TimeTravelTurtle. Michael Turtle, the Australian journalist who blogs as the TimeTravelTurtle, has visited more than 200 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. His photo essays are an instant outside-the-box vacation: www.timetravelturtle.com/unesco-world-heritage-list/

Biomes sit at the nexus of physical geography and biogeography. HHMI's BiomeViewer allows users to see biomes at a glance around the world and zoom in on any location to learn about the precipitation and temperature patterns, vegetation,  and animal species in that location. www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/biomeviewer

It's hard to find good current events resources for kids (not full of graphic material but not dumbed down either). National Geographic's "Current Events Connection" features student-friendly news relevant to National Geographic's mission: science, geography, and exploration.  View it online or subscribe (for free): blog.education.nationalgeographic.com/category/current-event-connection/

Bowdoin College has finished releasing new series of short (<15 min.) online videos, "Founding Principles: American Governance in Theory and Action," that explain and explore the workings of the U.S government, in theory and, just as importantly, in practice. "Founding Principles" is an engaging resource for those wanting to learn about or brush up on their U.S. civics. www.bowdoin.edu/founding-principles/

Three great hands-on science learning ideas courtesy of National Geographic:  goo.gl/HrBehR