Navigation
Learning how to move between pages and find information using a browser.
Imagine the internet is a giant castle with millions of rooms. How would you find your way back to the playroom if you got lost in the library?
Every place on the internet has a special name called a URL. To go somewhere specific, you use the address bar. This is the long white box located at the very top of your browser window. Think of it like the label on a mailbox. When you type a website name there and press 'Enter,' your computer knows exactly which 'house' on the internet to visit!
Quick Check
Where on the screen can you find the address bar?
Answer
At the very top of the screen.
A link is a special part of a webpage that connects to another page. It is like a secret door! Most links are blue or have an underline under the words. Sometimes, a link can even be a picture. When you move your mouse over a link, your cursor usually changes from an arrow to a pointing hand. This tells you, 'Click me to go somewhere new!'
1. Look at a page about animals. 2. Find the word Lions written in blue text. 3. Notice how the mouse turns into a hand when it touches the word. 4. Click the word to 'teleport' to the Lions page!
Quick Check
What does your mouse cursor usually turn into when you hover over a link?
Answer
A pointing hand.
What if you want to go back to the page you just saw? You use the Back button! It looks like an arrow pointing to the left . If you go back but decide you want to return to the newer page, you use the Forward button, which points to the right . These buttons keep track of your journey so you never get lost.
Imagine you are visiting three pages in order: 1. You start at (Home). 2. You click a link to (Games). 3. You click another link to (Puzzles). 4. To see the Games again, click the Back arrow once. 5. To go back to Puzzles, click the Forward arrow once.
You are on a quest! 1. Type 'www.nature.com' into the address bar. 2. Click a link that says 'Forests'. 3. Click a link inside that page that says 'Trees'. 4. Now, click the Back button 2 times. Where are you? Answer: You are back at the very first page, 'www.nature.com'!
Which button would you click to go back to the page you were just looking at?
If you want to type in a new website address, where do you click?
A link can only be a word and can never be a picture.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow, try to remember: What does the mouse cursor look like when it is over a link?
Practice Activity
With a grown-up, open a browser and practice clicking the Back and Forward arrows to see how the pages change!