LEARNING NETWORK LAUNCHES FACTMONSTER.COM FOR KIDS

Comprehensive Reference Site Combines Essential Reference Material, Fun Features, and Homework Help

BOSTON, MA (November 29, 2000)—Learning Network (http://www.learningnetwork.com), the Internet's premier education source, has just launched a new site for kids aged 9 to 14 – FactMonster.com (https://www.factmonster.com). Now accessible at Learning Network Reference, FactMonster.com combines essential reference materials, fun facts and features, and individualized homework help. From dinosaurs to the stock market to the latest on Harry Potter, FactMonster.com has the information kids seek, all in one easy-to-use, searchable site.

FactMonster.com offers unbeatable resources, including an encyclopedia, dictionary, atlas, and the full Information Please® kids' almanac. Kids - along with their parents and teachers - have easy access to just the right facts on topics ranging from science to sports to people in the news. In addition, FactMonster.com's Homework Center lets kids find direction on common homework topics and submit questions to homework helpers.

FactMonster.com also includes original features and fun games and quizzes on topics important to kids. Spotlight articles explore subjects from Pokemon to the presidency, and daily updates include such engaging features as Today in History, Today's Birthday, and a daily Word Quiz. Information Please editors are continually updating FactMonster.com so that information accessed by Web visitors is always growing and always current. Information Please, now part of Learning Network Reference, has offered definitive reference information for more than 60 years, first on the radio, then in print almanacs, and since 1998 as the world's first and largest free reference Web site.

"Kids love help with homework and exploring on their own - FactMonster.com enables them to do both," says Elizabeth Buckley Kubik, senior vice president and general manager, Learning Network Reference. "FactMonster.com is an excellent way for kids, parents, and teachers to quickly and easily find the information they seek and have fun doing it. FactMonster.com provides continuously updated, comprehensive, and trustworthy content to enhance the learning process."

FactMonster.com offers engaging and essential information including:

• Homework Center
  Homework tips and guidance; students can also submit questions to homework helpers for individualized assistance. The Homework Center is recognized nationally for the quality of its endeavor including kudos from both TIME and Newsweek Magazine.
  
  
• World
  Profiles of every country in the world, featuring extensive information on geography, population, and culture; timelines of important dates and events in world history, from ancient to modern times.
  
  
• U.S.
  Profiles of each of the fifty states, including statistics, trivia, and history; a guide to U.S. government, including elections, law, and the presidents.
  
  
• People
  Facts from every corner of the globe; a searchable biography database with more than 30,000 entries.
  
  
• Word Wise
  Writing tips; language lore; books and literature, including kids' classics, award winners, and mythology.
  
  
• Science
  Science facts, trivia, and news, covering subjects from animals to space flight to using the Internet to recent advances in fields such as cloning and fossil research.
  
  
• Math
  Essential math reference on numbers, number operations, and measurement, including indispensable tables and frequently used formulas.
  
  
• Sports
  Fast facts, amazing trivia, vital statistics, and basic information on all the major sports, including hobby pursuits as well as the major leagues.
  
  
• Cool Stuff
  A fun browsing mishmash on subjects including movie, music, and television history; fashion; pets; holidays; dating and marriage traditions; and fads and inventions.
  
  
• Games & Quizzes
  Interactive games from Learning Network for K-12's FunBrain.com site; Infoplease quizzes and crosswords.

About Learning Network Reference
Learning Network Reference is a dynamic, award-winning source of facts, features, quizzes, news, articles and statistical information, updated daily including Infoplease.com, FactMonster.com, and RoughGuides.com. Users can search a comprehensive database of almanacs, encyclopedia articles, dictionary definitions, an interactive atlas, and daily spotlights that provide comprehensive interactive reference material for learners of all ages.

About Learning Network
Learning Network, the Internet's premier education source, offers an unmatched array of online educational tools, content, resources, and communities serving the K-12, Higher Education, Professional Development, and Lifelong Learning and Reference markets. Learning Network is built on a strong foundation of Pearson Education imprints, including Addison Wesley Longman, Allyn & Bacon, Computer Curriculum Corporation, Dorling Kindersley, FT Knowledge, Globe Fearon, Macmillan USA, Pearson Learning, Pearson Technology Group, Penguin Putnam, Prentice Hall, Scott Foresman, and SkyLight; as well as educational properties from leading technology companies, including Blackboard, Classroom Connect, eBrary, EdGate.com, eSCORE (a unit of SCORE! Learning, Inc.), FamilyEducation.com, InfoPlease.com, FactMonster.com, InformIT, and others. Learning Network has business offices in San Francisco, New York City, Boston, and Paramus, NJ. For more information, call 1-888-816-1999, or visit www.learningnetwork.com (America Online Keyword: LearningNetwork) on the Internet.