Homework season is just around the corner. I can remember when research for homework consisted of sitting in the school library for hours looking for an answer to a particular question in books, immediately followed by getting your parents to drive you to the city library so you could continue your search through their books as well.
Recognized as the Best Kids Site in July 2001 by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, Fact Monster is designed to help kids research their homework and look up information on a variety of different topics.
The site is divided up into several different sections: World & News, U.S, People, Word Wise, Science, Math & Money, Sports, Cool Stuff, Games & Quizzes, and the Homework Center.
Don’t mistake this site for one that is going to do your child’s homework for them, or give them all the answers. The site is designed just to work as a quick reference for things your child may need while they are doing their homework or researching a project.
For instance, the homework section has a periodic table, and a conversion calculator for length, weight, temperature, time, and area.
Each section of the site takes a particular subject and tries to break it down in easy to understand terms.
If textbooks are anywhere near as hard to read as they were when I was in school then it can be nice to have a resource where the topic is explained in a different voice from perhaps a slightly different angle.
In addition to being full of useful homework information, the site also has a good deal of games and quizzes to help reinforce the things that you’ve learned, and perhaps teach you a little something different. Most of the educational games have different levels from beginner to expert so you can work your way up.
I tried the Roman Numeral Challenge at the beginner level and failed miserably.