Kid-Sized Amusements at Museums

Your kids have been out of school for more than a month now and “quality time” has about run its course. Coming to your rescue are a host of science- and technology-related camps, workshops and exhibits at local museums.

At the Kidspace Museum in Pasadena, a multimedia station called the Mouse House can help children become more familiar with computers. It also has a kid-sized broadcasting studio with real cameras, monitors and a weather map.

In August, the “‘Weird Science” day camp will teach youngsters about electricity by letting them build circuit boards.

For more information about the Kidspace Museum, call (818) 449-9144.

The Children’s Museum in downtown Los Angeles also has a couple of multimedia exhibits. There are computers and touch-screen games in Club Eco, where kids learn about recycling, and a recording studio, where they can create their own music and radio dramas.

To find out more about the Children’s Museum, call (213) 687-8801.

Science workshops are running throughout the summer at the California Museum of Science and Industry. In “Mission Control,” kids learn to move things using water and air as fuel; they build and control their own cars in “Remote Control Car Club”; a “Mission to Mars” workshop simulates a flight to Mars and lets kids design the landing craft, collect samples for testing and compare the findings with others.

The interactive exhibit “Medicines: The Inside Story,” on display through Jan. 4, has a computer game where youngsters create a drug for a virtual patient.

For more information, call (213) 744-7440.

CYBERSPACE

* Megadeth, Arizona, one of the first online communities, has been resurrected in honor of the release of Megadeth’s latest album, “Cryptic Writings.” On Thursday, the band will host a live chat using RealAudio and new Palace software, so fans can listen to what the band has to say instead of just reading it. Rock on over to https://hollywoodandvine.com/megadeth

* Prevention magazine has a new Web site called Healthy Ideas (https://www.healthyideas.com), where you’ll find information on eating healthy, natural remedies and weight loss. There’s also a feature called “Ask Mom MD,” where a doctor answers parents’ questions.

* Head to the Virtual Vegetarian (https://www.vegetariantimes.com) if you’re in need of veggie recipes. The site also has information about natural remedies, discussion boards and resources for people living the vegetarian life.

* Poems, photos, music and stories direct from the Andes Mountains in South America are now available in three languages (English, Spanish and Quechua Indian) at https://www.andes.org

* Catholic Books Online (https://www.catholicbooks.org) has, you guessed it, Catholic books. The nonprofit organization also has links to other Catholic sites.

* The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Gardens site (https://www.huntington.org) has information about the Huntington, an image map of the grounds in San Marino, pictures from the gardens as well as the Huntington calendar and a plant trivia timeline. You’ll also find pictures from and information about the collections.

* If you love fishing, you’ll probably love Charkbait (https://members.aol.com/charkbait/index.html), a personal Web site with saltwater-fishing reports, fishing hot spots and links to information for private boaters in Southern California.

* Korea Link has news about and from the Koreas, including headlines from the countries’ entertainment, business, sports and technology news. Check it out at https://www.korealink.com

* Arthritis sufferers can find help on the Web at https://www.arthritis.org. The site, sponsored by the Arthritis Foundation, features a Q&A;, the latest medical research and issues of Arthritis Today magazine.

* The Progressive Directory (https://www.igc.org), presented by the Institute for Global Communications, offers one-stop shopping for liberal activists. The site has areas devoted to peace, labor and the environment, along with information about topics ranging from acid rain to youth.

* The American Home Sewing & Craft Assn.’s Web site (https://www.sewing.org) offers sewing tips, trends and techniques as well as free projects. It also has information for sewing educators.

Site suggestions can be sent to cutting.edge@latimes.com