From Wayne Parker,
Your Guide to Fatherhood.
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The convergence of the Internet and the affordability of personal computers have changed how our kids can do homework. With a few strokes of the keyboard they can find any kind of information, both good and no so good. The challenge is finding useful sites that will help them get their homework done. So, lets take a quick tour of the key homework resources you can point your kids to. Next time we'll discuss after-school activities that can enhance your child's education.

Kids helping kids. A good place to start the homework resource tour is with BJ Pinchbeck's Homework Helper. BJ Pinchbeck's is a real live 15-year old, who offers a guide for kids who want to use the web to finish their homework. BJ Pinchbeck and his dad started the Homework Helper site in 1996. They have found more than 700 terrific links to educational sites on the Internet on topics ranging from art to social studies and everything in between.

Dear KidsConnect: Can You Help? Next stop on the tour is KidsConnect, a question-answering and referral service for K-12 students built by school library media specialists from throughout the world who are collaborating on KidsConnect to provide direct assistance to any student K-12 who is looking for resources for school or personal interests. Through e-mail, students contact the main KidsConnect address and receive a message from a volunteer library media specialist with assistance within two school days.

Librarians helping kids. Even at a local level, librarians are making a difference. Our next visit is with a group of librarians at the Ramapo Catskill Library System, who created KidsClick!, a single page of search input boxes from the handful of existing databases of selected or screened sites. Here the kids can learn how to search by various means including: pictures, sounds, and advance Boolean text searches. The content and organization of the material is first rate. Lets give those librarians a hand!

It's all about homework and studying. Another great resource that deserves a star on our route is About.com; they offer a site dedicated to homework/study help. The site offers tools and information to help with your homework and is maintained by a live guide. Here you will find tips to help you study more efficiently, write better reports, and approach exams without fear. The guide will also help you find the best resources for all your school-related topics. Topics include: a beginners guide to HTML, using a browser, choosing safe sites for your kids, computer lessons for kids, and programming languages. They have a powerful site search to find additional topics.

Learn exciting way to involve your kids in reading. One of the most challenging and important skills you child needs to tackle is reading. Lets visit at the Learning Network, a great resource for parents working with their children to improve reading. Here you can find articles about how to choose the right books for your kids and solve their reading problems. They also tech you how to start a book club to encourage your kids to read and offer discussion boards where you can get advice from other parents regarding reading issues.