Review: Whyzz.com

My son is just shy of 13 months old and obviously doesn't have an extensive vocabulary. But having earned my keep by babysitting numerous children as a teenager and through my experiences with my 6 nieces and nephews, I know what I have to look forward to. Or more like what I should brace myself for.

Kids ask a LOT of questions. They're naturally inquisitive, as they develop and learn about the world around them. For being so small, they sure have a knack for asking big, difficult questions. And we know how notorious the little ones can be for broaching taboo topics. I often find myself stumped, scrambling for an acceptable answer.

Well, now there's a resource that parents can turn to in order to respond to their childrens' imaginative inquiries, with kid-friendly language they can easily understand.

Whyzz.com was created by a mom of two as a way quell the awkward silence when your child asks "where do babies come from?". Her mission is to facilitate dialogue between parents and children.

Whyzz.com believes in fostering children’s imagination while explaining the complex facts of the world. The content published by Whyzz.com encourages parents to keep up the dialogue with their children, and encourages children to seek further knowledge through exploration and inquiry. As a building block for its young audience, Whyzz.com supports children becoming open-minded individuals who have respect for all living creatures and natural habitats.

Answers from Whyzz.com can be obtained three different ways: use the search bar to type out a keyword or direct question, browse the categories of discussion, or you could share your knowledge or ideas and submit an answer of your own! Topics range from silly (why are boogers salty?) to serious (do people who die ever come back?) and just about everywhere in between.

Using articles contributed by our users in addition to those written by our staff, Whyzz.com aims to become the definitive what-why-how resource where parents will go to quickly and accurately respond to their curious child’s questions in an engaging, fulfilling manner whenever and wherever a question is asked.

How does Whyzz.com come up with the answers to these troublesome questions? They have staff writers and experts who research a wide range of topics and "translate" the facts into kidspeak. Sources include dictionaries, encyclopedias, as well as websites of reputable organizations such as museums, zoos, universities, or government agencies. Coming soon, they plan to have celebrity experts answer questions such as "how can I stay safe while playing sports?" or "what's it like to be an actor?".

Even though Whyzz.com answers are "kid-ready", only you know your child best. While the site targets children ages 4-7, it is recommended to read an article to yourself first in order to determine which parts of an answer are most suitable for your child's age, ability and interest. You can even use articles as a learning tool by brainstorming possible answers to a question before looking it up!

Whyzz.com can also be accessed on your mobile device for those times you're stuck in traffic and need to get out of more than one jam. There are games and activities to keep the kids occupied and entertained wherever you may be.

For every article a user submits that is published on the site, Whyzz.com will contribute $2 to the READ Foundation. If that's not enough of an incentive to join the community and participate, Whyzz.com will provide a link to your site and offer Whyzz.com content for your readers! It's truly a win-win situation. You contribute to the education of the next generation and not only do you get these extra perks, but you can feel good knowing that you're supporting a good cause.

It's so easy to join and it's absolutely free. Definitely check it out. I've been perusing the site for the past couple of hours and not only have I been getting some ideas on how to approach certain questions that may arise, but I've been learning a thing or two myself! For example, did you know that the color eggs a hen lays is closely correlated to the color of its earlobe? Seriously!

I don't know about you but I feel so much more confident now that I don't have to fear those inevitable burning questions.

Disclaimer: This review was adapted from a press release that was provided to me courtesy of Carol Leggett PR. I was not compensated in any way for this post.