Entry bubble Take Your Kids to Work With Kids.gov

By: Nancy | April 24, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

If you're in an office today, you might notice some new faces around the place. Either you really are getting older and the interns are getting younger or your office is participating in Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. Originally created as Take Our Daughters to Work Day back in 1993 by the Ms. Foundation, girls and boys are both encouraged to head to work today with a parent or other significant adult in their lives. It's not just a free pass from a day at school though; it's a chance for kids to get exposed to workplace culture and to start thinking about career opportunities.

This got me wondering about what career-related links there were on Kids.gov. Turns out, there are a lot. Kids.gov is the government's official web portal for kids, with links to more than 1,200 family-friendly sites. The content is divided into two age groups for kids: K-5th grade and 6th-8th grade. Here's a taste of some of the fun, career-related stuff I found in each age group:
child dressed as doctor 

K - 5th Grade

Most elementary school kids I know love cats and dogs and horses. And that love could translate later into a career as a vet. The American Veterinary Medical Association's animated web site for kids explains the day to day work of a vet and the education that goes into getting a degree in veterinary medicine.

Outer space is always a fascination for kids, as they look at the stars and dream of being astronauts. But not all jobs related to space involve going into space. Using animated stories, NASA's Space Place web site introduces kids to space-related careers including engineering and mapping the stars as an astronomer.

6th - 8th Grade

Mystery...intrigue...maybe the life of an FBI agent who investigates spies is in your kid's future. With the games and quizzes on the FBI's Spy Page, middle schoolers can learn how the FBI uncovers spy tricks and deciphers code words.

Is your kid a good problem solver who loves taking thing apart to find out how they work? They may be perfect for a career as a mechanic. The Bureau of Labor Statistics' page on auto mechanics describes the education that goes into becoming a mechanic and their earning potential, whether they work for themselves, a service station or a car dealer.

If I'd had Kids.gov when I was a kid, I might not have gone around telling everybody that I was going to grow up to be a glockenspiel-playing ballerina/hairdresser. None of those things panned out, but that’s ok; being a blogging bureaucrat is a pretty good gig.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

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