CLICK AND DOUBLE CLICK: NET OFFERS HELP WITH HOMEWORK

"Homework, oh, homework

I hate you, you stink"

For parents out here, you can share your kids' frustration with that necessary evil called homework. The lines from the poem above are a favorite of my 8-year-old daughter. Third grade has lots more homework than second.

But the Internet offers lots of help for kids in search of information for projects and study. Think of it as a library, open seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

www.bigchalk.com

Let's start with Bigchalk.com, which bills itself as the Education Network. These are the folks that send me the e-mail newsletter called Homework Central. Their site and e-mails have improved drastically over the years.

It allows you to easily search or browse some of the best research sites on the Internet. This site is really slick.

It is geared both to students, teachers and even parents. Students can find help with their homework, go on an e-adventure (including links to virtual field trips) or enter contest and games.

Parents can find out how to help kids with their homework, including some practice tests for your kids. You can also learn more about the importance of parent-teacher organizations, and how that can positively impact your child's learning.

Teachers can find and build lesson plans at this site, and also compare state educational standards.

I also like the fact they highlight the week's Top 8 sites, with an archives of past winners. This is a very deep site, with lots of information for everyone.

www.schoolwork.org

Next stop, is nicknamed "schoolwork.ugh." It is brought to you by the encyclopedia folks at Britannica.com.

This site is geared for older students, grades 7 and up. The information is conveniently divided into categories, which make searching much easier. There is also a big note on privacy and the fact this site doesn't collect information on your kids when they visit.

That's important, especially since youngsters are more vulnerable on the Internet. It's best to have the computer with Internet access in a family area, not in their rooms. Kids are less likely to go places they shouldn't when anyone can look.

The categories include such subjects as grammar, music, literature, writing, statistics and much more.

Much of the information is linked to other sites that Britannica thinks are worthwhile.

They suggest that younger kids might want to check out KidClick, so that's where we're headed next.

sunsite.berkeley.edu/KidsClick!/

Librarians set up this Web search site for kids. Again, it's organized into categories that make your search much easier. You can also search the subjects by letter.

For example, if you click under encyclopedia, you'll find links to 14 great sites.

We also clicked off on the Kids Click! World's of Searching link at the bottom of the page. We learned some amazing facts about the Internet through a kid's eyes.

For example, the average printed encyclopedia takes up two feet of space on a bookshelf with its 10,000 pages. If you tried to fit the Internet on a bookshelf, it would be nearly 32 miles long! The site then goes along to give some good advice on searching the Internet.

Here's a site we found off the Kids Click! site, which we found intriguing: Fact Monster. If you're looking for facts or figures, this looks like a good place to start.

www.factmonster.com

This site provides quick access to an atlas, almanac, dictionary and encyclopedia, but it also has lots of information categorized for easy searching. Information Please, another gigantic Web site, brings this site to you.

Its categories include: World, US, People, Word Wise, Science, Math, Sports, Cool Stuff, Games and Quizzes, and Homework Center.

Since this column is about homework, let's check out the Homework Center. Here you'll find advice on search tips, homework topics and study skills. There's also an answer page filled with questions that kids have asked. You can also ask a question yourself, if you didn't find the answer.

There are also links to 20th Century Chronology, the Day in History and Notable Birthdays.

It's safe to say there are thousands upon thousands of helpful sites out there to help you with your homework. I spied out just a couple that I thought might be helpful.

Are you studying about the 50 states? Then check out this Web site.

www.50states.com

Here you'll find a folder on each state and lots of important information. You will find the size of the state and the name of its state bird. You'll find the border states, climate and a link to its Constitution.

There's fun information in the Fast Facts, or you can take a closer look at the state flag.

Learn its highest point, its history and even help with homework.

Take a look at its license plate or state motto. Check out each state's national parks and nicknames.

For mom and dad, this site will also link you over to vital records, tax forms and unclaimed funds.

This site is a good combination of information and links.

Looking to make science more fun? Then check out this site by the Washington University Medical School in St. Louis called Mad Sci Network.

www.madsci.org

This laboratory never sleeps and offers lots of information and fun advice on science.

You can check out the Info Desk or skip to the archives to see what the site has offered in the past.

You can also browse thousands of questions posed and answered, I might say, by the Mad Scientists in the past.

For example, a first-grader asked his teacher "Why does an apple float?" Now there is imagination. The teacher came to the site and asked the scientists. Here's the simple answer: The apple floats because the apple is less dense than water. The scientist went on to explain why.

It's an interesting site, although sometimes the scientists' talk is a little too technical..

www.pbs.org/democracy/kids

You might have noticed there's an election going on, and this site offers some insight into the presidential race from a kid's point of view. In other words: It's information we can all understand.

In this democracy project, you can find out more about the voting booth, how government affects you, or choose to be president for a day.

I would imagine that most kids pick President for a Day first, so let's follow suit.

This is very cute. They ask you to provide a name, your state, and favorite animal and sport. Then your name appears on the President's desk and you are ready to go to work. We have to get up at 6 because there's a very busy schedule today. That in itself may make the job unsuitable for many kids -- the 6 a.m. wake up time that is.

The site is sprinkled with facts about former presidents and photographs. It was a lot of fun.

In the "How Government Affects You," click around a town and see just how much government affects your life.

Under the voting machine, you can cast your vote, see the difference one vote makes, or step into a voting time machine. Hey, this is lots of fun.

www.wordcentral.com

And don't forget to check out this great site by the dictionary folks at Miriam Webster. It was the 2000 winner of a Webby award because of its information and slick delivery.

You can look up information in a student dictionary or create your own dictionary. This is a fun way to learn more about words.

This is a "must" bookmark for any student or adult for that matter. Hey, spellcheck doesn't catch everything.

Oh well, it's time to get busy. You can have so much fun with the Internet that you forget to do the homework.

What's your favorite homework site? E-mail me at jonia@sehosp.org.

See you in Cyberspace.

Joni Adams is the webmaster at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau.