People are always grumbling about the weather. Many think that life would be so much better to live if only they moved to a better place. The fact is, every place is both the best place to live and the worst place to be, depending on the time of year. Let’s take a little trip. Grab your globe or a map of the world and buckle up.

Many people in northern climates dream of living on the equator. After all, they say, life would be so much better without cold and snow. Rainy season in Mexico can last from May to November. That’s seven months where outdoor activity is sloppy and wet. When the rain stops, the world blooms in green and flowers that would shame a rainbow. The lush growth makes places like this a wonderful place to live—after rain season, that is.

All up and down the southern Atlantic coast (check your map) is where you find hurricanes. They are the wicked monsters of weather, blowing cars and homes and even chunks of bridges up in the air. Millions of people have to live with damage caused by hurricanes each year. Most of the damage is in places known for hot, pleasant weather, like Florida, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Central America and the east coast of Africa.

Maybe you’ve longed to live in someplace known for easy, comfortable climate, like, say, California or Switzerland. Okay. But be warned that these are places known for mudslides. Mudslides occur when large amounts of water flow down steep slopes. The mud can be so thick, it can wash away whole towns.

Mudslides and landslides happen all over the world, from Nepal to Peru to Southeast Asia and back to Venezuela. There are gorgeous mountains and lush vegetation—but a good rain can send a mountain sliding down.

Some of the most sunniest places in North America are in winter climates. The temperature is cold and well below freezing, but seeing the bright sun every day can be uplifting. People who live along the Pacific coast enjoy warmer winters, but during the winter the it’s mostly cloudy. In certain areas it can rain continuously for 3 or 4 months straight. In those cases, the sky can be very dark on a daily basis.

Many hot countries are too hot to go out and play during the middle of the day. Lovely island countries like Japan can face tsunamis, which are huge, powerful waves. The wide prairies have to deal with tornadoes. No matter where you live in the world, the weather can be wonderful or it can unpleasant.

The planet is a dynamic place with changing seasons and weather conditions. Luckily, human beings are smart. We are adaptable. We can live happily almost anywhere. The trick is to understand that no place is perfect and every place has its magic and beauty.

When bad weather comes, you have the power to get through it. You don’t have to move to enjoy the world. Just listen to your parents and put on that scarf!

Google Search is a powerful tool but most web surfers (kids and adults alike) do not know how to properly refine their search results to quickly find exactly what we’re looking for. For students doing research, it can lead kids and teens of any age down a convoluted rabbit hole.

Google was designed to do more than find trivial information.

Sure, if you want to find information about a celebrity you just “Google It”, but think about all the other information on the web that we don’t even know is there. Important information that can fuel research on many interesting topics.

While the early days of the internet didn’t even have highly developed search engines, it didn’t take long for developers to see the need for much more sophisticated search technology.

Although it wasn’t the first search engine in existence, Google spent a lot of time and money creating a better way to access quickly the expanding world wide web. As you’ll see in this infographic below, it’s much more than just entering a few keywords.

Review this Step by Step Guide to streamline your search results on Google!

Tell others about this great resource

Even with our Google SafeSearch filtering, the more mouse clicks a person has to make in order to find what they are looking for, the higher the risk of landing on a website with inappropriate content… not to mention the time wasted and confusion causes when attempting to compile information.

Google was launched September 4, 1998. That’s over 20 years ago. Since that day there is a lot more information to be found online. Some of this information exists on reputable websites. It has properly researched and verified. On the other hand, much information is down right false.

It has never been more important to learn how to focus search results search engines like Google. These techniques were created to help you dig deep for information in a safe manner by filtering out unrelated websites.

We thank Hacked College for providing this resource.

The world is a big and exciting place, filled with adventure and ideas. The world is also more and more online. Even though you explore Earth with your fingertips, the reality of kids in other lands and their online experiences may surprise you.

CHINA
The largest country on Earth has the most people online. 800 million people in China use the Internet, but that makes sense because it has the most people living there. The Chinese also see a different online world than other people, because the government controls Internet searches and there are some websites that the Chinese government keeps from coming up when people do a Google search. This is a problem that companies still fight about.

Kids in China mostly use QQ or WeChat to connect with their friends. Unlike kids in the US, Canada or most countries in Europe, kids tend to use the Internet for school or to chat with small groups of friends. Kids in China also know that too much Internet can hurt their school marks and keep them from being who they want to be when they grow up.

INDIA
If you are between the ages of 8 and 13 and live in India, you are probably using Snapchat to connect with your friends. Parents of those kids don’t like Snapchat because they can’t see what their children are sharing. Most parents think that they know what their kids do online, but about half of those kids disagree—those are kids who spend time online with activities their parents don’t know about.

To help protect kids, India has passed laws that make going online illegal for children under the age of 18. That has not stopped kids from signing up for Facebook and Google accounts. India is working hard as a country to better watch their children as they enter the online world.

NIGERIA
People in this West African country are quickly becoming huge Internet users. The biggest problem is that electricity isn’t always available. The power can go out a dozen times a day. Children lucky enough to have Internet service tend to concentrate on education, because for many, becoming educated will help them escape poverty. Unfortunately, many who are educated grow up to use the Internet for crime. Pretty much everyone online has come across a Nigerian scam. Hopefully, as more children get a good education, fewer will turn to scamming.

JAPAN
Japan has kids that spend so much time online, they are suffering from physical and mental problems. Many can’t sleep or concentrate, have problems eating and are becoming physically unfit, to name only a few of the symptoms. Doctor’s call this either Internet Use Disorder or Problematic Internet Use. Boys are more likely to have problems due to playing games online. Girls are more likely to have problems with messaging and social platforms.

Parents, doctors and school officials are looking for ways to help bring children back to the real world. Many Japanese parents are turning to camps where kids are put on an Internet “fast.” Instead of going online, children go outside and play, talk with each other and even go into counseling.

YOU
You are very lucky. You are reading this, so, obviously, you have a computer or a smart phone. You also have a good Internet connection. You can learn about our planet and can read different points of view. That isn’t the case for all kids in the world. Remember, life is much bigger than your social platform and friends. We can all learn from each other to better explore the Internet while living fun, happy lives in the real world.

What’s hot in fashion this season? What outfits are all the cool kids wearing? Can you show the world who you are by what shirt you put on? Let’s talk about it. First, there’s something very important that you need to know.

When you grow up you will look at what you are wearing now and roll your eyes or burst out laughing. Sure, you can wear loose pants that threaten to fall off, but when you get older, you’ll wonder why you did.

But don’t dress to please an older, wiser version of you. Dress for now. Wear what fits the day you are living. But always think about these points:

• Your clothes should let you live your life. You run, jump, sit, catch balls, eat, walk. Your clothes should let you do those activities. When you try on pants, walk around in them. Sit down in them. Do you still feel comfortable? If you don’t, try on a different pair. Does your new shirt let you reach over your head? If so, you’ve picked the right shirt. Fashion doesn’t matter when it won’t let you be you.
• Your clothes need to fit the weather. Face it, you would look pretty silly wearing a windbreaker in a snow storm. You could also get sick. If you wear a big puffy coat on a hot day, you’ll be sticky and sweaty and might even get weak from the heat. When you dress to fit Mother Nature, you can enjoy the world. Check weather reports or listen to what your parents say about weather conditions.
• Really think about the heroes and statements you wear on your t-shirts. When you wear a famous face, you tell the world that you admire this person. Beware. Many people whose faces are printed on shirts are not all that admirable. A good example is Lance Armstrong. For many, many years Lance was a hero to people. He won international bicycle races and an Olympic medal. He also fought cancer and won, which is admirable. In time, the truth came out. Lance had cheated to win his races and medals. He is no longer considered a hero or role model. So what should you do? Read up on people before wearing them on your body. Talk to your parents. Look for real heroes.
• Always wear shoes you can run in. Color doesn’t matter. Style is up to you. They don’t even have to be officially running shoes. The important fact is this: If you can run in your shoes, you will have more fun and be safer. If you can run in your shoes, you can dance, play ball, quickly help a friend, carry grocery bags and move! Good shoes give you freedom.
• Dress for the occasion. You wouldn’t shovel snow in a bathing suit. You wouldn’t wear a snow suit to play basketball. When you visit your grandparents or open your first bank account or visit a friend in the hospital, some fashion will make others feel uncomfortable. When you dress for the event, people won’t be staring at the funny fashion you have on. They’ll be looking at you.

What is fashion? Is it what your favorite rapper wears or what you see on the cover of magazines? Yes, but fashion is also what you put on every morning. Don’t let fashion rule you. Rock fashion yourself.