5 Homework Strategies that Work for Kids

Are you trapped in a nightly homework struggle with your child? The list of excuses can seem endless: “I don’t have any homework today.” “My teacher never looks at my homework anyway.” “That assignment was optional.” “I did it at school.” If only your child could be that creative with their actual homework, getting good grades would be no problem!

Pre-teens and teens often insist they have no homework even when they do, or tell parents that they’ve completed their assignments at school when they haven’t. If your child’s grades are acceptable and you receive positive reports from their teachers, congratulations – your child is doing just fine. James Lehman advises that students who are doing well have earned the privilege of doing their homework whenever and however they see fit. But if their grades reflect missing assignments, or your child’s teachers tell you that they’re falling behind, you need to institute some new homework practices in your household. For those classes in which your child is doing poorly, they lose the privilege of doing homework in an unstructured way. For the classes they are doing well in, they can continue to do that homework on their own.

Trying to convince your child that grades are important can be a losing battle. You can’t make your child take school as seriously as you do; the truth is, they don’t typically think that way. Remember, as James says, it’s not that they aren’t motivated, it’s that they’re motivated to do what they want to do. In order to get your child to do their homework, you have to focus on their behavior, not their motivation. So instead of giving them a lecture, focus on their behavior and their homework skills. Let them know that completing homework and getting passing grades are not optional.

If you’re facing the rest of the school year with dread and irritation, you’re not alone. By following the tips below, you can improve your child’s homework skills and reduce your frustration!

5 Strategies to Get Homework Back On Track

Schedule Daily Homework Time
If your child often says they have no homework but their grades are poor, they may not be telling you accurate information, they may have completely tuned out their teacher’s instructions, or need to improve some other organizations skills, for example. The Total Transformation Program recommends that whether your child has homework or not, create a mandatory homework time each school day for those classes in which you child is doing poorly.

Use the “10-Minute Rule" formulated by the National PTA and the National Education Association, which recommends that kids should be doing about 10 minutes of homework per night per grade level. In other words, 10 minutes for first-graders, 20 for second-graders and so forth.

It will be most effective if you choose the same time every day. For example, you might schedule homework time for the classes that your child is doing poorly in to begin at 4:00 p.m. every school day. If your child says they have no homework in those subjects, then they can spend that time reading ahead in their textbooks, making up missed work, working on extra credit projects, or studying for tests. If they say “I forgot my books at school,” have them read a book related to one of their subjects. By making study time a priority, you will sidestep all those excuses and claims of “no homework today.” If your child has to spend a few days doing “busy work” during the daily homework time, you may even find that they bring home more actual assignments!

Use a Public Space
It’s important to monitor your child’s homework time. For families where both parents work, you may need to schedule it in the evening. In many instances it may be more productive to have your child do their homework in a public space. That means the living room or the kitchen, or some place equally public where you can easily check in on them. Let them know they can ask for help if they need it, but allow them to do their own work. If your child would like to do his or her homework in their room, let them know that they can earn that privilege back when they have pulled up the grades in the subjects in which they are doing poorly.

Use Daily Incentives
Let your child know that they will have access to privileges when they have completed their homework. For example, you might say, “Once you’ve completed your homework time, you are free to use your electronics or see your friends.” Be clear with your child about the consequences for refusing to study, or for putting their work off until later. According to James Lehman, consequences should be short term, and should fit the “crime.” You might say, “If you choose not to study during the scheduled time, you will lose your electronics for the night. Tomorrow, you’ll get another chance to use them.” The next day, your child gets to try again – observing her homework time and earning her privileges. Don’t take away privileges for more than a day, as your child will have no incentive to do better the next time.

Work towards Something Bigger
Remember, kids don’t place as much importance on schoolwork as you do. As you focus on their behavior, not their motivation, you should begin to see some improvement in their homework skills. You can use your child’s motivation to your advantage if they have something they’d like to earn. For example, if your child would like to get his driver’s permit, you might encourage him to earn that privilege by showing you he can complete his homework appropriately. You might say, “In order to feel comfortable letting you drive, I need to see that you can follow rules, even when you don’t agree with them. When you can show me that you can complete your homework appropriately, I’d be happy to sit down and talk with you about getting your permit.” If your child starts complaining about the homework rule, you can say, “I know you want to get that driver’s permit. You need to show me you can follow a simple rule before I’ll even talk to you about it. Get going on that homework.” By doing this, you sidestep all the arguments around both the homework and the permit.

Skills + Practice = Success
Tying homework compliance with your child’s desires isn’t about having your child jump through hoops in order to get something they want. It’s not even about making them take something seriously, when they don’t see it that way. It’s about helping your child learn the skills they need to live life successfully. All of us need to learn how to complete things we don’t want to do. We all have occasions where we have to follow a rule, even when we disagree with it. When you create mandatory, daily homework time, you help your child practice these skills. When you tie that homework time to daily, practical incentives, you encourage your child to succeed.

If you are a Total Transformation customer, you can access our Support Line for help with these and other challenges you’re experiencing with your child. Support Line specialists have helped hundreds of parents customize homework charts and plans, and we can help you, too. Specialists can also work with you to formulate realistic, appropriate consequences to help enforce the daily routine.

5 Homework Strategies that Work for Kids is reprinted with permission from Empowering Parents.

Nevada Criminal Records For Resident Research

The State of Nevada is one of the few states that allow the public access to their Nevada criminal records. The Records and Identification Bureau under the Nevada Department of Public Safety is the central repository of Nevada criminal records. The purpose of the state database of Nevada criminal records is to provide centralized, complete and documented criminal justice information and statistics to the state's criminal justice community, the public, and many other authorized clients and contributors. Such information is then used in making informed public policy, criminal justice and regulatory decisions concerning crime and criminal offenders.

What Information is there in Nevada Criminal Records?

Pursuant to Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) 179.070, Nevada criminal records are defined as:

"Record of criminal history" means information contained in records collected and maintained by agencies of criminal justice, the subject of which is a natural person, consisting of descriptions which identify the subject and notations of arrests, detention, indictments, information, or other formal criminal charge and dispositions of charges, including dismissals, acquittals, convictions, sentences, correctional supervision occurring in Nevada, information concerning the status of an offender on parole or probation, and information concerning a convicted person who has registered as such pursuant to chapter 179C of NRS. The term includes only information contained in memoranda of criminal justice in this state. The term is intended to be equivalent to the phrase "criminal history record information" as used in federal regulations.<





Nevada criminal records stored in local databases contain pertinent personal information about a person. The information you get from them includes the subject's identification data, such as name, date of birth, social security number, sex, race, height, weight, et cetera. Also included in Nevada criminal records are arrest data, including the arresting agency, date of arrest, and charges filed.

Nevada criminal records may also contain the final judicial disposition data submitted by a court, prosecutor or other criminal justice agency and custodial information if the offender was incarcerated in a Nevada correctional facility.

Public Access to Nevada Criminal Records

Nevada criminal records are available for public access. Any person may request a copy of his or her Nevada criminal records or criminal history record or notice of absence of criminal history record from the Repository. This provision is stated in the NRS 179A.100.5 (b). The information provided will be based upon Nevada arrest fingerprint card submission to the Repository, as well as, dispositions. It should be noted that not all Nevada criminal records are accompanied by dispositions. This is because it was only 1987 that courts began requesting or including dispositions in the reports that they send to the Repository.

Philosophy as a science

Philosophy is considered a science but it is difficult to say, when one has to compare with an ordinary science, for example biology, or chemistry. This is a question that turns into a burning problem among the scientists and linguists all over the world. Can philosophy be a science? What does philosophy operate with? It operates with categories, which can be as wide and as interchangeable as one can only imagine. Ordinary science operates with definitions, which are quite limited in their field of research. Ordinary science uses terms and laws of that very science to continue the research, uniting with the others in very rare cases. Philosophy gets into the sense of every science trying to achieve results.

We also can not call philosophy a supra-science, for it also uses hypothesis and arguments to state the opinion. But there is the obvious thing: there are now laws in philosophy and never will be, for the science changes with the age, the needs, beliefs and requirements of the citizens. To prove your opinion, you can write the definition essay and state all the facts and arguments you know to prove one way or another. This is also a nice way to research the problem and see what the solution is. But you have to research it carefully; otherwise definition essays will not be fruitful. As all sciences philosophy has gone through its stages of development. Some scientists believe that the crib of philosophy was mythology and religion. If to see the principles of life and some primitive morals stated in some myths we may see that the statement is quite true and philosophy still continues to develop out of social beliefs and ideas. Philosophy is a science which is obligatory learned by every college student in order for him to establish his own philosophy of life. It is quite exciting to find answers to ever existing questions: who am I? What do I know? What can I know? What am I destined to do? Here is one more interesting observation. You can see that all famous philosophers were researching other science fields also. For example, Freud, Yung, Kafka and others were doing research in linguistics and social sciences. Their numerous creations are the pride of human history for they revealed some secrets that remained undiscovered for a long time before their great contributions.





There are so many currents and branches, so many schools of philosophy that it is hard to decide, which one do you prefer and agree with. This much depends on the country, family, society you live in. This is one more difference between philosophy and other natural sciences. The law is stable for any country; gravity exists in India, same as in Brazil. Philosophy is a hard science, for it is very difficult to understand the sense of the dogma reading it only once. It is of course, not easy, but gives credit for you if you get interested and somewhere, being at the social event you quote one of the famous doctors of philosophy and make a great impression of an educated and intelligent personality.

Memorization Connected To Many Things

Learning is part of growing up. But if you're done with learning and you think that at your stage right now you don't need to learn at all; well, you're wrong. Our brain never stops working and each time we absorb in new information, it continues to store it. The fact is that the brain doesn't delete anything. It stays there even if we're not aware that it is still there.

So what can you do to preserve your memory? Get enough sleep, that's what. Remember that sleep is highly related to memory and memory is depended to sleep. REM sleep, otherwise known as the Active Sleep is related to the spatial and procedural memory of a person. Another type is called the SWS which help consolidation of declarative memories. In short, having a good night sleep increases a person's ability to retain memories.

When you are deprived of a good night sleep, it doesn't only cause memory decline but other behavioral problems as well. Next time you need to stay up late, remember that you have cells in you which need development overnight. You can still do something to help your memory though. If there is still a reason you need to stay up late, involve your brain on daily activities which can boost memory function

Read as much as you can. It's better to read fiction books because your mind tends to work twice as much compared when just reading newspapers since imagination helps increase or maintain your memory ability. Music is involved with learning also and with memorization, you need to learn. Studies show that music helps in retention. Also, music is a fun way of learning and memorizing.

A simple exercise for memorization doesn't rely on flash cards only. You can use another way which only involves you and your imagination. Try to picture the road as an endless highway of blanket. So before you go home, you surely won't forget that your mom asked you to buy her new sheets of blanket for tomorrow night's visitors. Tweak your imagination for memorization's sake a little and you'll see everything around you as something else, but if you're not inclined to any memorization activities and still see the world differently, then that is another story.

Discovering The Benefits Of Home Schooling

Home schooling is in demand nowadays. You might be thinking of home school for your child. There are a lot of reasons why you should educate your child at home. Although this decision may not be an easy one, it may be something to consider. There are questions that need to be discussed and there are also some already answered for you. Before you can make this very important decision for your child's education, you should think long and hard and get all the answers to your questions.

What are the benefits of home schooling? Here are a few:

First, your child will get all the attention and that attention will come from you. Although this depends on the child's level of studying, he or she should be comfortable at home. You can have all his time and control his studies. Sometimes, children in school don't pay enough attention to their teachers because they want their mommies to guide them. Some don't trust their teachers and will not take their word. Friends and playmates may distract his learning process. All the issues your child experiences in a large class will vanish forever with home schooling.

Of course you know your child better than others do. You will be given the chance to tailor all the lessons that suit your child's interest of learning. You can keep him comfortable the way he wants it which can never be experienced in the conventional classrooms.<





If your child is among those kids who are prone to peer-pressure, then home schooling is the answer. Learning is acquired in school but if the child cannot learn the right way, it would be better that he stay home and be taught.

Your child may want a different type of approach to learning which he cannot get in school. The teacher in school will not of course treat every student differently with their different standards of learning. Your child is not the only student in school so if he wants to be treated differently, you may have to teach him at home so that the learning process will be easy.

You will be able to watch your child's improvement. You can set a time frame or a limit which he needs to accomplish say, for example, a chapter in a book. Allow him time to absorb and finish the chapter in a week so you can finish all the lessons in a timely manner.

Your child may not be socially capable of mingling with the other students. This may be due to phobia or fear. If your child is like this, would you still expose him in a crowd to which you know that he will never feel comfortable no matter what happens? Of course you wouldn't.

These are just some of the benefits of home schooling. The best way is still to ask your child what he really wants.

The Lowdown On The Online LPN Degree

Earning an online LPN degree is beneficial in many ways. Having additional experience in the nursing field will allow a person to advance to a higher position if they so choose. Many universities now offer these programs as a way to get people interested in the nursing field and to help those who are already in the field improve their skills and knowledge of nursing. There are many exciting careers waiting for a person once they graduate from a program. An LPN will allow people to pursue their interests within the nursing field.

Another benefit of an online LPN degree is the ability to still keep a job while studying for a degree. Many people have to work, but would like to make more money. One of the only ways to do this in the nursing field is to gain more knowledge. An LPN degree will give a person the tools necessary to perform many duties within the nursing field. From there, people can continue going to school or enter the workforce. For those who already have a nursing job, applying for other positions or asking for more money becomes easier.

Earning an online LPN degree should take a person a year or so depending on how many credits they can take. Instructors will provide students with a list of books they will have to read and assignments they will have to complete. Turning in assignments on time and making sure all tests are completed is a necessary part of any online program. Additional reading materials will be suggested which should be taken seriously. Learning as much as possible is the goal of many students. Upon graduation, a person will be able to take the knowledge they have learned and apply it to a new job or their old job. Either way, a person will be satisfied knowing that they have an LPN degree in nursing.

An Untapped Source Of Eternal Energy: What Is Solar Energy?

The most exact definition of Solar Energy is plainly – "the energy from the sun". It is a term used to classify the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the sun and intercepted by the Earth. It is the world's most permanent and reliable source of energy and the most copious.

The uses of solar energy on earth include solar heating for buildings, solar heat for manufacturing or industry and electricity production. So what is solar energy? How does it affect us?

Solar energy is responsible for weather systems and ocean currents. It provides light, heat, and energy to all living things on Earth. It has many uses. It supplies electricity; it can be used to power cars.

Solar energy is also used as a power for satellites in space and in space shuttles. It could also power boats, generators during emergencies, toys, and even security systems.

The amount of solar energy that the earth receives is about 770 trillion kilowatts (kW), an amount 5,000 times bigger than the sum of all other energy, may it be terrestrial nuclear energy, geothermal energy or gravitational energy.

There are two types of solar energy. These are:

1. Thermal Energy
2. Electric Energy

What is the difference between the two types energy?

Thermal energy is kinetic energy. It is everywhere. It makes the earth hot and even heats up our homes. It helps us to dry our clothes. It is used as well to heat up water for household use or even pools. That is why thermal energy is called the heat energy because it is stored in the center of the earth as well.

Electric energy is widely known to us as the electricity. It is an essential part of nature and it is one of our most widely used forms of energy. This uses sunlight to power ordinary electrical equipment, such as household appliances, computers, and lighting





Most applications of solar energy depend on systems including collectors, storage and controls. Storage is needed for a reason that solar energy is only available at daylight hours, but the demand for energy is needed both day and night. Controls are used to guarantee that the storage system works safely and efficiently.

The accessibility of solar energy is determined by three factors:

• The location is usually measured by latitude, longitude and altitude.
• The time.
• The weather.

Aside from knowing that solar energy is a free energy still, you have to realize that it also has advantages and disadvantages.

The advantages are:

• Solar energy is almost limitless; it will be available for as long as there are still humans in the earth.
• It is abundant. You will not worry of running out of it.
• It could provide more power than all known fossil fuel reserves.
• Solar energy is available during the day when electricity usage is really important.
• It is the most inexhaustible, renewable source of energy known to man.
• Solar energy can be absorbed, reflected, transmitted, and insulated.
• It can be collected and stored in batteries.

The disadvantages are:

• It is not suitable in cloudy areas.
• It is not available at night time.
• And it may require large land areas.

As a reminder, solar energy levels are lesser the farther north the site. Considering geography, season is an important determinant of solar energy levels because the Sun's position and the weather vary greatly from summer to winter.