Looking for something to do this weekend? Head over to Kline Creek Farm for their Maple Sugaring event. This takes place on Saturday and Sunday from 10-4 both days.

From their website:

See how 1890s farm families tapped trees and boiled the collected sap into maple syrup and sugar. Then, try to tap a tree yourself. Activities ongoing. Free. Registration not required.

Also happening at Kline Creek this weekend is “A Nickle’s Worth“:

Find out what a nickel could buy in the 1890s and how consumer preferences were changing. Free. Registration not required. Tours begin on the hour.

And, Blacksmith demonstrations (Saturday only from 1:30-3:30):

Stop by the wagon shed to see the blacksmith repair equipment and demonstrate the tools and techniques of the trade. Free. Registration not required.

Call (630) 876-5900 for more information.

Kline Creek is a great place for family outings. The visitor’s center has indoor bathrooms, a gift shop, and sometimes hosts other displays and activities. This addition to the property makes a visit to Kline Creek a bit easier on families with young children.

Other highlights a visit to the farm can bring:

The farmhouse was the center of domestic activities and today contains original artifacts and reproductions that enhance its homelike atmosphere. House tours start on the hour from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and present topics from baking, canning, quilting and spring cleaning to preparing the house for special celebrations.

Depending on the time of year, staff and volunteers plant heirloom fruits and vegetables in the kitchen garden, tend to the orchard, work in the wagon shed or cure sausages in the smoke house. Percheron work horses help plant and harvest crops of corn, oats, and other small grains; and resident livestock, such as the farm’s Southdown sheep, Shorthorn and Angus cattle, and chickens, occupy the farm’s coop, barn, fold, and pastures.

Come with your questions and curiosity, and this time of year come prepared for some mud as well. We have found the staff there helpful and knowledgeable. A great place for creating memories.

Some kids need a little competition to motivate them. Others need some goals to help them strive harder. And, others just want some recognition for the hard work they have already put out.

What better topic to encourage kids to dig into and recognize achievement in than Scripture memorization?

Today a new friend of mine introduced me to the Bible Bee 2010. This organization and competition gives families a framework to memorize Scripture, along with some lofty goals. The competition is open to kids 7-18 and they must memorize between 250 and 800 verses (increasing amounts by age categories).

If you are interested in attending, you can register starting May 1. At this time they are looking for host registrations, so if you would like to organize a local bee, now is the time to jump online and sign up. Individuals register starting May 1, and packets will go out in June.

Individual registration is $25 per child (limit of $125 per family), and includes all materials for parents and children to participate in the bee. If they apply themselves and advance to the final round they have the opportunity to compete for prizes ranging from $5,000 to $100,000.

Whether you decide to participate officially or not, you might enjoy attending the Bible Bee finals to be held in November of this year in Schaumburg. It might be a great motivator for next year (although next year, the finals might not be so close to us in the Chicagoland area).

Check out the Bible Bee 2010 website for all the details, information, and answers to any questions you might have. And, if you do arrange a local bee, feel free to leave a comment hear letting others know and so we can spread the enthusiasm.

It’s Time Again to Reserve Your 2010-11 BOOK IT! Materials. This year you must enroll your individual family, they are not accepting submissions from groups. It’s a very simple process though, so jump online and get signed up. You should receive the materials around the beginning of September and you can begin setting and rewarding reading goals with your child(ren) in October.

Easy to use and a simple motivator for kids that need an extra nudge to get their nose in a book, or a great reward for those that are already reading up a storm.

Enroll your homeschool family online at the BOOK IT! website

The enrollment period is from March 1 through June 30, 2010. Orders beyond these dates will be filled as supplies allow on a first-come first-served basis.

The program then runs starting on October 1, 2010, and concluding on March 31, 2011

This is located in Bloomingdale, and I have often found it a great source for fresh reading material for our at home classroom as well as little rewards for learning incentives. As usual, if you register in advance you can print out a coupon for money off if you spend over $60.

Read on for more details:

Please add BookFairs@emailer.scholastic.com to your address book.

Save BIG on Books During Our Dollar Days Sale! • Hundreds of GREAT BOOKS all $5 or less! (Sale applies to selected product only) • Register online and receive a coupon to save $10 OFF a purchase of $60-100, or $15 OFF a purchase greater than $100. (Enter source code: EMAIL) • Limited time only – Find great deals on quality books for home, school, and classroom libraries. • Dollar Days are exclusive sales for educators, librarians and Book Fair volunteers. • Preferred payment methods: Credit cards, checks, purchase orders, and Scholastic Dollars. Items purchased with Scholastic Dollars do not qualify for further discount pricing and will sell at the cover price. > Find a Sale Near You (Enter Source Code: EMAIL)

Visit Scholastic.com Book Fairs | Find a Warehouse Sale | Contact Us

The Fox Valley Park District has put an offer out there for homeschooling families:

Home School Customized Programs

Home schooling parents:

Do you have a specific program you would like the Fox Valley Park District to offer? Give us a day, time and seven guaranteed participants, and we will set up a customized program just for you.

Programs that are available include, but are not limited to: archery, karate, tumbling and sports.

For further information, call Debbie Smith at 630-966-4555.

Feel free to give them a call for more information or class options.

Also, if you do set something up please post back here so others can take advantage of it as well. Or, if you are looking for more families to team up with to fill the seven required spots, let me know and we can spread the word.

The tabs at the top of this website are updated periodically as we receive new information and revised information. The following listing was just added to the other music class opportunities listed under the “Classes” heading:

School of Rock
Evanston, IL, and Highwood, IL

Evanston School of Rock
1311 Sherman Place
Evanston, IL 60201
847-864-ROCK (7625)
evanstonpgsor@gmail.com
www.schoolofrock-evanston.com

Highwood School of Rock
43 Highwood Ave
Highwood, IL 60040
847-433-ROCK (7625)
pgsor@sbcglobal.net
www.schoolofrock-highwood.com

The School of Rock is a performance based music education school.  Their students get a great, relevant and fun education through weekly private lessons and group rehearsals.  Rockers not only learn how to play and perform music, they also boost self confidence and self esteem, as well as make new friends through this process.  Their students work hard and put on amazing rock shows that are so good, you are likely to forget the performers on stage are kids, except it’s your kid up there!

Check them out. And, if you know of any other opportunities for homeschoolers in the Chicagoland area, feel free to drop us an email or comment so we can pass it along.

If you have a hands-on kid at home you might enjoy taking advantage of Home Depot’s monthly kid workshops.

This program is designed for this purpose:

The Home Depot’s Kids Workshops offer useful projects including the creation of toolboxes, fire trucks and mail organizers, as well as more educational projects, such as a window birdhouse, bughouse or Declaration of Independence frame kit.

The workshops teach children do-it-yourself skills and tool safety, while at the same time helping to instill a sense of accomplishment. Additionally, this fun time allows for quality one-on-one time between adults and children.

In addition to the newly constructed project kit, each child receives a kid-sized orange apron, similar to The Home Depot associates’ aprons, and an achievement pin.

These generally take place on the first Saturday of each month from 9-12. Contact your local Home Depot for more information or to confirm participation. This coming Saturday they should be constructing a rain gauge. Sounds like a perfect project as we head into the spring season.  Kids 5-12 would benefit most from these workshops.

March 3rd 10am – noon – The Island

FREE tickets to a famous South African play followed by discussion

This is a special opportunity for around  30 students and teachers who would be available on Wednesday, March 3rd: 10am – noon. It is free, no charge.

WHAT:
A PLAY AND DISCUSSION
The Remy Bumppo Theatre Company’s production of

The Island by Athol Fugard
This is a stellar production of a famous South African play about two prisoners in a cell at Robben Island (where Mandela was
Incarcerated).  They struggle in creative ways to stay sane and hopeful and human in a very small cell.  The play was actually
developed By two former prisoners who collaborated with Athol Fugard, one of South Africa’s leading dramatists.

A summary of the play (as taken from their website):

Athol Fugard’s daring drama is set in an unnamed prison based on the one where Nelson Mandela was held. John and Winston are cellmates who spend their days doing back-breaking labor, and their nights rehearsing Sophocles’ Antigone to present to their fellow inmates. When John learns his sentence is being reduced, the men’s friendship is tested. Fugard plays the parallels between Antigone’s fight against political and patriarchal boundaries off of the imprisoned men’s fight for their dignity. The Island is a testament to the resiliency of the human heart.

WHEN:
Wednesday, March 3rd, 10am  - noon.

WHERE:
Theatre is located at 2257 N. Lincoln

Check out this website for more details on the production and to determine of this would be suitable for your children. It looks like a well done performance, and will no doubt spark some interesting discussions for older students.

http://www.remybumppo.org/pages/the_island/242.php

For more information about these free passes, please contact Jennifer at jennifer@groundswellfilms.org

Groundswell has a block of seats for students.
Please let them know ASAP if you are interested in tickets.

What: Roller Skating – Coachlite in Roselle

When: Monday, March 15, 2010 12:30 PM

Where:
Coachlite Skate Center
1291 W Bryn Mawr Ave
Roselle, IL 60172
630-893-4480

Finish up your school work in the morning and head to Coachlite Roller Rink in Roselle, the #1 place for Roller skating in the Midwest. This is a private event for Homeschool Village, but is open to all home-schoolers. So, feel free to spread the word!!
We have the rink for 2 hours with a special rate of $6 per skater, including regular skate rental!!. If your child would prefer in line skates, there is an additional $5 charge.

Learn more here:
http://www.meetup.com/homeschoolvillage/calendar/12733879/