Book Review - Homework: A Parent's Guide to Helping Out Without Freaking Out!

About the Book
Neil McNerney, a licensed counselor and parenting expert, will show you ways to help your child do better in school without arguments, yelling, or guilt. In his 25 years working with school-age children and their parents, Neil McNerney has developed a simple and powerful approach that will increase achievement and decrease aggravation!

HOMEWORK: A Parent's Guide to Helping Out Without Freaking Out! will guide you through a simple process to find a way to help your child based on which faulty coping pattern your child is using. Homework focuses on how parents can be powerful leaders in their kid's education. It answers the most common questions parents ask:

1. When do I reward and when do I punish?
2. How do I give advice about studying without getting backtalk?
3. How do I help my stressed out child?
4. What do I say when my child says "I don't care" about school?
5. How do I help my disorganized child becoming his secretary?

About the Author
Neil McNerney, M.Ed., LPC is a licensed counselor, faculty member at Virginia Tech, parenting consultant, speaker and trainer. He works with families in private practice in Reston, VA. Neil travels nationally speaking to professional and parenting groups and has been invited to speak at many national professional conferences, including The American School Counselors Association

My Take on the Book
This is the type of book that is set up to provide you with the tools to assist your child in being successful in school. I loved how practical the book was. As a person who works in education I always enjoy books that make you feel like you are sitting with listening to the expert and in this book you get that exact feeling. As I was reading through this I could see some of the main mistakes that I have made in the past and that I could possible continue making as I work with my girls on homework, so I was glad to have read this and received the valuable insights and resources that the author provides as I was already starting to see myself getting frustrated when my eldest challenges us on doing homework. All-in-all this was a great book that all parents will love!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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Book Review - Homework Helpers

About the Book

Homework Helpers: Basic Math and Pre-Algebra will help build a solid mathematical foundation. Particular attention is placed on topics that students traditionally struggle with the most. The topics are explained in everyday language before the examples are worked. The problems are solved clearly and systematically, with step-by-step instructions provided. Problem-solving skills and good habits, such as checking your answers after every problem, are emphasized, along with practice problems throughout, and the answers to all of the practice problems are provided.

Homework Helpers: Chemistry is a user-friendly review book that is an excellent review for any standardized chemistry test, including the SAT-II, although its real value is in providing support and guidance during the year’s entire course of study.  Concepts are explained in clear, easy-to-understand language, and problems are worked out with step-by-step methods that are easy to follow. Each lesson comes with numerous review questions and an answer key that explains each correct answer and why it’s correct.

The Homework Helpers books are easy-to-use, no-nonsense guides that clearly explain what to do and provide examples of how to do it. Whether it’s for a student to supplement what he or she is learning in class, or for parent who want to “brush up” in order to help their children, Homework Helpers is like having a private tutor.

Homework Helpers: Basic Math and Pre-Algebra (EAN 978-1-60163-168-8, pages: 256, price: $14.99) and Homework Helpers: Chemistry (EAN 978-1-60163-163-3, pages: 336, price: $16.99) were published by Career Press. The books are available at Barnes & Noble, Borders, Amazon.com, and many other booksellers.

Career Press was founded in 1985 as a niche publisher of career directories that since has grown into one of the best-known independent publishers of its kind. Career Press, which now boasts an active, strong-selling backlist of nearly 300 titles spanning careers, personal finance, business management, and study skills, celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2010.

My Take on the BooksThese books were great and were definitely ones that will help any type of student that is in need of help for homework or simply understanding a specific topic. What was nice about this series of book is that they are written in such a way that it was like you had your own tutor right there holding your hand and helping you understand the topics, taking difficult concepts and making them more manageable.

For me, Chemistry and Algebra were both topics that I struggled with in the past. I had to work very hard to understand the concepts and get them down. What I was impressed with after exploring was that this series of books covers more than the books that I reviewed. They actually have everything from these areas to Biology, Physics and other areas.

So no matter what topic you need help with, if it has to do with Science or Math, I would highly recommend the Homework Helper books as they were easy to understand and completely written with the user in mind!
 
All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New to the Divadom or to Dad of Divas Reviews? Please Subscribe to my RSS Feed! Subscribe in a reader Questions?Drop me a line at dadofdivas@gmail.com

Nine Top Tips to Tame the Power of Technology When It Interferes with Homework

Nine Top Tips to Tame

the Power of Technology

When It Interferes with Homework  

By Ann K. Dolin, M.Ed. 

Technology has transformed our world, but for our kids, life without gadgets would be unimaginable. They expect to have access to these devices 24/7, but their expectations and reality are very different. Technology can be an asset to learning. It can also be a significant detractor unless parents establish clear policies and consequences. If the overuse of technology is affecting your child's schoolwork, try these simple solutions:

·  Set limits starting with an electronics-free routine.   When your child returns from school, allow screen access for an agreed upon period of time, and then the electronics go off. In many families, it is a half hour, but whatever time allotment you determine, stick with that time limit daily. You may also want to have a small box or container labeled "electronics go here". That way, you're not holding out your hand asking for your child's beloved cell phone. Having a neutral place for it to be placed makes the transition less confrontational. It also limits the child's temptation to sneak calls, texts, or games while doing homework.  ·  Trust but verify. After homework is completed, your child can retrieve his electronics after an adult has verified that the work is done. This usually includes checking completed assignments against what has been recorded in your child's planner or posted online by the teachers.

·  Consider returning electronics later in the evening.  If your child is one who will rush through homework just to have access to his gadgets, consider a later time for returning them. You may find that about an hour after dinner works well. By this time homework should be out of the way unless an extracurricular activity is thrown in the mix.  ·  Having a routine decreases battles because kids know what to expect.  Even if your child's schedule is different every day, stick to a routine as much as possible. For example, if your child returns home from school at 4:00 and has a half hour of screen time, then homework would start at 4:30. The electronics can be collected from the basket by your child at 7:00 p.m. Now, if he has soccer practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 6:30, allow him access for a half hour after school. Expect that he start his homework before practice and then work on it again immediately after dinner when he returns. On those evenings, he may not earn screen time until his work is completed.

Depending on the age of your child, you may be wondering... ·  What if he needs the computer for research? The answer is to allow him to print out information needed for the writing portion of the assignment. That way, he'll have the information, but won't have continuous and distracting access to the Internet. ·  What if he needs to type his homework? If your teen has a desk and computer in his room, but is constantly surfing the Internet when he should be doing homework, disable the Internet and only run word processing programs only. This isn't hard to set up.

·  What should I do if I see him online or texting when he should be doing homework? After you've established a "no screen time" policy and window of time that this rule is in place, you must enforce it. Let's say your policy is in effect from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. If he breaks the rule, penalize him an hour and restrict his use until 8:00 p.m. ·  She says she focuses better when multitasking. Could this be true? No. In fact, studies show that when kids continually multitask, they lose the ability to focus on one thing at a time. Picture your daughter with earphones in while listening to her iPod, texting furiously, and checking her Facebook page all at the same time. This is common, but not productive. The problem is that when kids try to concentrate on just one task, such as reading or studying, they're less able to sustain attention because they are so accustomed to stimulation from multiple sources. Even though you can discourage this type of behavior, you cannot stop it. You can, however, eliminate it during homework time.

·  She says she can't focus without music. Should I allow her to listen? There may be something to her claims. Studies show that the majority of kids do attend better with background music. If your child is productive when listening to her iPod, allow its use; however, if she is constantly distracted, then consider soft background music only.  By setting limits and boundaries now, you'll be helping to create a positive and production homework environment in the future. Good habits now will pay off throughout the high school years and in college, too.

Ann K. Dolin, M.Ed., is the founder and president of Educational Connections, Inc., a comprehensive provider of educational services in Fairfax, VA and Bethesda, MD. In her book, Homework Made Simple: Tips, Tools and Solutions for Stress-Free Homework, Dolin offers proven solutions to help the six key types of students who struggle with homework. Learn more at anndolin.com or ectutoring.com.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.
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MathRider Provides a Fun Way to Learn Math!

About the Game 
Ride your horse on noble quests through the magical MathLands. MathRider combines fun game play with a highly sophisticated question engine that adapts to your child. The game propels your child to mastery of all four mathematical operations using numbers 0 to 12. Recommended for elementary / primary school children.


MathRider is designed to help elementary school kids practice and master addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

The software takes kids on various quests, all the while learning where they are at in the fundamental arithmetic skills.  It then hones in on what needs to be practiced, with rewards and animations that match their levels of mastery.

This has worked wonders with quite a few kids, who, having rescued the princess, suddenly realized that they were now "masters of addition" or whatever operation they were playing.

Have your child master addition, subtraction, multiplication and division all for the cost of less than 1 hour professional private tuition!

• You will know when your child has completely mastered an operation. And more importantly, your child will know it, too!
• This is the fastest way to mastery of all four math operations. The artificial intelligence rehearses what is needed most, at a rate that is tailored to each player.
• The game recognizes and rewards improvement, not just perfection. This builds confidence and propels children naturally towards complete mastery.
• Noble quests exemplify positive values such as family, caring, honesty and kindness.

My Take on the Game
My oldest daughter is in Kindergarten and she loves to learn and to challenge herself. So when I heard about this program I had to try it out. The program is both fun, educational and entertaining and I can say that she got a kick out the game itself. We first tried some of the practice rounds to get the hang of the game. For a younger child, I will say that it does take a little time to get used to the speed in which you must be able to provide the answers to the questions, so we had to start on an easier level than we had initially tried.

Once she got the hang of it she was off. This is not to say that you still did not have to concentrate and focus on the math problems, which you did, but it did provide you with the answers if you missed them. I particularly liked the fact that as you get into the game you are on a quest and the better you do in each part of the quest, the more you can achieve. Thus, you are part of the story that is unfolding right in front of your eyes.

Overall, a great game and one that I can see will be a staple in our homes for a while, as I can truly see the educational benefit of the repetition that the game provides, and I know it will only assist to strengthen Diva-J's math skills.



This post was written for Family Review Network and Math Rider who provided the complimentary product for review in exchange for my honest review.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Terms of Use  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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Book Review: Homework Made Simple

About the Book

• Carlos is slumped over the kitchen table with his head held tightly in his hands mumbling, "This is all so stupid!"
• Amy slinks into the living room at 9:00 p.m. to have her mom sign a note saying that she knows that she didn't turn in the report that was due last week.
• Todd hollers from his room that his homework is done. But, when asked to produce it, Dad can't believe he plans to turn in such a messy, illegible paper.

For some parents, these situations are all too familiar. While there are a few lucky families where friction over homework happens only occasionally, for the majority of parents, dealing with their children's homework is a continuous struggle ending in stress, self-doubt, and anxiety.

Ann K. Dolin, M.Ed., a former public school teacher with over 20 years of teaching and tutoring experience, hears these stories on a daily basis. To help beleaguered parents assist their children (ages 6 - 18), Dolin has written a book offering concrete solutions to these common problems. In Homework Made Simple: Tips, Tools and Solutions for Stress-Free Homework, she discusses the core problems that commonly cause homework stress and helps parents identify six key types of students who struggle with school and homework. They include The Disorganized, The Rusher, The Procrastinator, The Avoider, The Inattentive and The Easily Frustrated. She then offers specific proven solutions to help each type, providing lots of examples and easy-to-implement, fun tips.

Dolin places a great deal of emphasis on organization. That is because it is such a crucial part of success. Homework Made Simple details six study skills that are easy to teach and incredibly effective in helping students master content and build confidence. They include strategies to improve:

✐ Active reading for comprehension
✐  Note-taking necessities
✐  Memory methods
✐  Proper planning
✐  Use of individual learning styles, and
✐  Problem-solving skills

Finally, Dolin helps parents create their own Action Plan to help ease homework stress in the home. To craft a plan, she suggests parents take the following steps: 1. Identify one or two problems that are causing the most     distress. 2. Craft specific goals related to these issues. 3. Write down one to three strategies you can realistically     implement to achieve this goal. Ask yourself, "Can I honestly     do this for the rest of the school year?" 4. Implement these strategies. 5. Assess progress after one week and then again after 21     days (four school weeks). 6. Once you consistently see change, pull back slightly so that     you are less involved and your child has ownership over the     strategy. Moms and Dads have only the best of intentions of doing all the right things for their children. They have a strong desire to help their children accept responsibility, work efficiently, and stay organized. They want to ensure that their kids are on top of their school work and are reaching their potential. Parents yearn to raise children who are motivated to learn, succeed in school, and go out in the world to do good things. Dolin hopes Homework Made Simple will offer some workable tips and strategies to make all these hopes a reality.

My Take on the Book

Full of great homework tips, this book is a must have for any parent who has school age children who is looking for resources to aid them in being successful and limiting overall frustration. The author has laid out a book that typifies children into having different homework habits:

1. The Disorganized
2. The Rusher
3. The Procrastinator
4. The Avoider
5. The Inattentive
6. The Easily Frustrated

If you are not familiar at what type of challenges your child is facing with homework and what type of type your child is, the author also helps with this with some easy to use checklists that help you to identify this for yourself.

The author goes on to do a great job at troubleshooting with you the reader, providing helpful hints and tips that will seemingly help quite a bit.

Overall, I liked the flow of the book as well as how easy the tips are to implement. I would highly recommend this book to others!

If this book sounds like something you would like in your own home you can find it on Amazon!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Terms of Use  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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