The KidsKnowIt Network

https://www.kidsknowit.com/

Have you always wanted to have free and unlimited access to a suite of comprehensive educational resources, from scientific topics such as Biology to Astronomy, Geography and Geology, which you can use in your classroom? Now you can, with the KidsKnowIt Network!

The KidsKnowIt Network is the teachers’ and students’ Web portal into the many exciting facets of our world. It was created with the philosophy that: “Learning was meant to be both fun and free. Not boring, and definitely not expensive.”

From the anatomy of the human body to the galaxy of the universe, we can find it all on KidsKnowIt Network. In addition, there are many educational games, activities, worksheets and even free online classes on the portal which add fun to learning. The creators ensure that they provide accurate, updated and fun information for the students. Best of all, the resources are always free!

How then is KidsKnowIt Network useful for teachers?

For Science teachers who need specific graphics of animals, or lower primary language teachers who teach topics relating to animals, there is a huge animal database to rely on. In this comprehensive database, there are even pictures of animals that I have never seen before. Students can take a trip themselves to the virtual zoo with the KidsKnowIt Network.

There is also a biology section, KidsBiology.com, where users can virtually journey inside a cell, discover new life forms, and also play biology games. These are useful resources for science teachers teaching topics such as the respiratory system, circulatory system, cells and tissues. At the same time, they give students an opportunity to look at life and science from a different perspective.

I personally like the mathematics section, KidsNumbers.com. This section has exhilarating and fast-paced mathematics games for primary school students. The games and accompanying skills development programmes are based on sound pedagogical concepts and cognitive research, to help students develop the mathematical skills they need to succeed in the subject.

For instance, in the section on multiplication activities, the flash applications help students understand multiplication concepts thoroughly. Some students may already know how to count but fail to fully understand the logic behind multiplication; this is where these research-based activities come in handy. Each time the child repeats the activities, the pathways in the brain that form understanding for these concepts actually become larger and stronger.

Also available on KidsKnowIt Network are topics like Geology that come with fascinating articles on our little blue world, Astronomy where kids can explore the distant world, and Geography where everything from the surface of the Earth to the atmosphere are covered. There is also a special spelling website that helps students with their spelling.

The portal does have its not-so-good points. For instance every Web page has online advertisements, which can be distracting at times. Users who want to turn off the advertisements have to subscribe to the portal at a nominal fee of US$30 a year. I believe this is a fair deal and not a big problem as the advertisers are actually paying for the creation of such innovative resources for millions of people who access the portal each day.

All in all, I would give KidsKnowIt Network a big thumbs-up for the range and quality of educational resources available on its portal.