Media Resources
TIME Magazine names Wonderopolis one of 50 best websites of 2011
NCFL’s Wonderopolis.org brings fun back into family learning
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Aug. 16, 2011) — The National Center for Family Literacy’s Wonderopolis® website was named as one of the 50 best websites of the year by TIME Magazine.
Wonderopolis was recognized alongside sites owned by such respected organizations as Google, ESPN, Yale and HBO.
“We’re thrilled to be honored by one of the top magazines in the world,” NCFL Vice President Emily Kirkpatrick said. “Most important, it reaffirms what we’ve heard from families and educators across the country — that Wonderopolis is truly igniting a love of learning in homes and classrooms across the country. When we started Wonderopolis less than a year ago, the vision was to help families engage children’s natural curiosity and transform it into a lifelong love of learning.
“We use social media to stay connected, have fun and manage information in our daily lives. Social media tools are now being incorporated into family learning. With the click of a mouse, families can nurture a brighter world for their children through the power of discovery, creativity, learning and imagination.”
The website’s daily Wonder of the Day® helps families and teachers find learning moments in everyday life, ones that fit in with dinner preparations, carpool responsibilities or within school curriculum and education programs.
“Wonderopolis ignites a passion for learning in students and grownups alike,” said Rose Kirk, president of Verizon Foundation. “We congratulate the National Center for Family Literacy for this tremendous recognition and are proud that Wonderopolis is part of the Thinkfinity family.”
The TIME review stated:
“The daily articles at the National Center for Family Literacy’s Wonderopolis are allegedly educational and supposedly aimed at kids. Don’t let that fool you. They’re just plain interesting, and make for addictive reading even for those of us who are, in theory, all grown up. For example, “How Does an Eraser Work?” doesn’t just explain how erasers work — did you know they usually contain vegetable oil? — but also reveals how people removed pencil marks before Englishman Edward Naime invented the eraser in 1770. (They used rolled-up pieces of bread.)”
NCFL launched Wonderopolis in October 2010 after teaming up with Brains on Fire, a company recognized nationally for creating some of the country’s most successful word-of-mouth movements, and Voce Communications, the creative force that has worked with such giants as PlayStation, Yahoo and Disney.
Since then, families and educators from across the country also have influenced content on the website to make it interactive and responsive to their needs.
About NCFL and Wonderopolis
Wonderopolis, a program brought to life by the National Center for Family Literacy, engages and inspires families in the pursuit of education and learning together. We help families create a new force — transforming the parent/child relationship into an engine for progress and upward mobility.
Since our founding in 1989, more than 1 million lives have been touched. And the best is yet to come. Visit us online to learn more about our work, access additional resources or support our movement for families.
Core financial support for Wonderopolis is provided by the Verizon Foundation; Wonderopolis is a proud member of Verizon Thinkfinity, the interactive educational platform that provides tens of thousands of free resources for use in and out of the classroom. Additional support comes from The Annenberg Foundation, Better World Books and Humana.