PPMA Announces Updates to Children's Web Site

FAIRFAX, Va. – The Professional Pest Management Alliance (PPMA), which serves as the public outreach branch of the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) today, unveiled its newly redesigned children’s web site, www.PestWorldForKids.org. The site, developed for students and teachers in grades K through 8, has a fresh new look and enhanced educational content including a report writing center, science fair projects and new teacher lesson plans that support standards developed by the National Science Teacher Association (NSTA) and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

Originally developed in 2005, PestWorldForKids.org explores pest ecology and pinpoints what attracts them from their natural habitats to people’s homes. “Our children’s site is popular among kids, but it’s also very well-received among educators and parents,” said Jessica Phelan, interim executive director for PPMA. “It is vital to keep our audiences captive— especially among those who use it in the classroom. Our redesign was essential for an updated look and the new content offers innovative ways to learn about pest control, while still being fun and entertaining for the end-user.”

One new feature is the report writing center that includes a downloadable writing manual, giving children a 10-step tutorial on researching and developing written reports. The new science fair section helps students to build and test hypotheses using the scientific method and provides several projects to test these newfound skills.

Teachers also benefit from new lesson plans designed to NSTA and NCTE standards in support of curricular subjects, including biology, ecology, environment and health. The lessons aim to bring creativity into the classroom with such assignments as creating Pest PSAs and writing new cases for the interactive game, Pest Detective.

Other enhancements include a pest glossary, a comprehensive pest guide, downloadable fact sheets and project PDFs, taking materials from computer desktop to backpack in just a few quick clicks.

For more information about the site visit www.pestworldforkids.org.