If you have kids, you will no doubt have issues getting them to do their homework. There’s several pieces of software to help them organise and do their homework.
Office software
Obviously, they’re going to require office software. For this, you should consider OpenOffice.org on Windows/Linux (or if you insist you could use commercial software like MS Office) or NeoOffice for Mac.
Whilst iWork gives nice presentations on OS X, the odds are their school won’t have Macs and most of the benefits of a Keynote presentation will be lost.
You could also consider using specialised applications… for example you could use AbiWord for word processing.
Another options is using an online office, such as Google’s, but many schools will have these sites blocked removing the benefit of using such a suite.
Organisation/planning
If you use OS X, the best organisational software for school purposes is probably going to be Schoolhouse. It allows you to enter assignments, which are organised intelligently and allow files to be attached, and grades. It integrates well with FTP, .Mac, WebDAV and email. Best of all it doesn’t cost a penny!
For Windows, a quick Google reveals StudyMinder. This, unlike Schoolhouse, is commercial software but a free Lite version is available. It does allow homework to be entered but a portable U3 version is available and a Flash card program is provided free of charge with a full purchase. It lacks the aesthetics of Schoolhouse but looks like it will serve its purpose.
Alternatively, they could just use a calendar program!
Mindmaps
Mindmapping is a good way to organise ideas and can be useful for revision. A mindmap, basically, entails of a central point with many branches going off.
There are a few pieces of software but I suggest the use of the simplistic yet effective cross-platform, free (as in speech) FreeMind. FreeMind is great but there are issues with installing it under certain Linux distros. I reviewed it here.
Wikipedia has a list of mindmapping software.
Maths
OpenOffice.org allows formulae to be formatted well. It converts 10^2 into 102 if so instructed. This can make homework look much nicer and makes it easier to share with others.
Google Calculator is great for lots of things and is conveniently integrated into Google search, such as basic trigonometry and operations. Instructions on how to use it can be found here .
