Kevin Swanson coming to Chicago area

Received this via email:

We are members of the Christian Home Educators of the South Suburbs
(C.H.E.S.S.) in Orland, Park. Most of our events are for members only, but
Christian Heritage Church is opening up this event FREE to ALL who are
interested in some inspiring and encouraging words from Kevin Swanson! This
is an exciting opportunity! If you’ve heard him before, you know it will be
good. If you’ve never heard him before, you don’t want to miss it! Please
spread the word to all your Home School friends!
Hope to see you then!

Who: Kevin Swanson, Generations with Vision

When: Tuesday, March 6th, 7pm

Where: Grace Fellowship Church 15150 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Forest, IL

He is also in town for the family economics conference that weekend in Wheaton (this second event is not free, but looks packed full of great info, too).

Kevin Swanson is a speaker I enjoy each time I hear him. His energetic speaking style keeps you engaged constantly. And, you walk away with practical tips to apply what he shares from his heart.

Review and Giveaway

If you enjoy checking these reviews of “hot off the presses” items, this movie will sound a bit familiar.

When this first hit the screens we had the opportunity to give out tickets to the screening, but now we have the actual DVD to giveaway!

Same great story, just the in-home version. We absolutely love finding family friendly films that we can enjoy together and re-enjoy together, so I was thrilled to add this to our movie collection.

This story line appealed to each member of our family and stayed clean enough to earn a “G” rating. Love that!

The triumphant underdog is a story that simply doesn’t get old. Seeing people come together as a team despite the odds stacked against them is an inspiring conversation starter and an encouragement on a personal level as well. The Mighty Macs does that and will easily draw your family together to cheer on this team of determined athletes.

About the Movie:

It’s 1971. Cathy Rush is a woman ahead of her time … and she’s about to embark on an adventure for the ages. A new era is dawning in the country and in collegiate athletics, where a national champion will be crowned for the first time in women’s basketball.

In the lead up to this historical season, major universities are preparing their game plans to win that first title. Meanwhile a tiny all-women’s Catholic college in Philadelphia has a more modest goal: find a coach before the season begins. Providentially, Cathy Rush is about to find Immaculata College.

Recently married, Cathy is dealing with the aftermath of a truncated playing career. While cultural norms would have her staying at home, she’s willing to do the hard work necessary to help her new team reach their goals—or perhaps she’s just trying to achieve her unfulfilled dreams through them.

From the beginning, her challenges are as imposing as the big-school teams Immaculata will face on the court. Cathy learns there is no gymnasium on campus, she receives little support from the school’s Mother Superior, and the school is in dire financial straits. To top it off, she may not even have enough players to field a team!

While it appears the Macs don’t have a prayer, all hope is not lost. With the help of Sister Sunday—a spunky assistant coach—and the support of a booster club of elderly nuns, Coach Rush creates a new game plan that just might bring the team—and the school—together.

Will this pioneer buck cultural norms and spur her rag-tag team to unexpected heights? Or will her hard-driving ways create a wedge between the coach and everyone around her? One thing’s for certain: there’s never been anyone like Cathy Rush at Immaculata!

Of course, with the DVD you get some bonus features that were interesting as well including a clip from ESPN about the movie. I definitely would recommend this film for a family movie night soon.
If you would like to enter into the giveaway to win a free copy of this movie, please leave a comment on this post with an email so I can reach you if your name is drawn. You are welcome to a second entry as well by simply sharing about this giveaway somewhere else (facebook,  twitter, etc.) and returning here to leave a second comment.
The giveaway will wrap up on Sunday night, March 4th in the evening.
Giveaway closed. Winner is commenter #4 — Melissa
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or
services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it
on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally
and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance
with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the
Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Homeschool jump time

Homeschool Trampoline Jump Time
When: Monday February 27, 2012
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
(This event repeats every week.)

Where:
2244 Corporate Lane, Naperville, IL 60563

Be sure to call to confirm and for more details.
Phone
: 630.717.JUMP(5867)

Home School Day occurs every week on Monday

Homeschoolers jump from 1pm-2pm for only $7!
We are also open to the public at regular rates.

*This is a walk-in price only*
*Not valid on holidays or school days off.*
*No reservations can be made in advance for this price.*
*Groups and Online Purchases will be at standard rates.*

*Liability waiver required for each participant*

Other info like this as well as some great conversation can be found by joining the Naperville Home Educators Yahoo group.

Free Educator Screening!

You and one (1) guest are invited to a Free Educator Screening of SEA REX 3D: JOURNEY TO A PREHISTORIC WORLD. Additional guests will be charged $7.00 per person.

Date: Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Time: 5:30pm – (please arrive a half hour prior to showtime to check-in and register)

Place: Randall 15 IMAX – 550 N. Randall Road, Batavia, IL 60510  Get Map

RSVP: Email or Call 630-659-6762. RSVP by noon on Tuesday February 28th. IMPORTANT Please leave us your first and last name, school name, theater, email address, and number of people attending. If registering via email, you will receive an email confirmation. If registering via phone, you will not receive a phone call to confirm your space.

Through the power of IMAX 3D, experience a wondrous adventure from the dinosaur age. Join Julie, an imaginative young woman, in a unique voyage through time and space. Explore an amazing underwater universe inhabited by larger-than-life creatures which were ruling the seas before dinosaurs conquered the earth. See science come alive in an entertaining manner and get ready for a face-to-face encounter with the T-Rex of the seas!
Website & Trailer Educator Guide Classroom Guide
SciTech Hands-On Museum is bringing hands-on exhibits & novelties to purchase

Paleontologist Rob Sula is bringing fossils of prehistoric sea creatures & dinosaurs, and hand-drawn dinosaur artwork.

Teachers!  Book your Group Today! Call 630-659-6762 or email
MOVIES BELOW ARE AVAILABLE FOR GROUP RESERVATIONS!
Visit our website for more information on IMAX and Teacher Resources at www.GQTI.com/IMAX

Used Homeschool Curriculum sale

One of my favorite times of year — Homeschool book sale time!

This is one of the more popular ones coming in May. If you want to sell be sure to get there early to set up and get the best spots.

When: Saturday May 5, 2012 from 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM

Where: Christian Liberty Academy
502 West Euclid Avenue
Arlington Heights, IL 60004

What:

Come, join us! Bring your own used books to sell and buy new or used books
for the next school year. This event offers a wide variety of books at
bargain prices. Plus Christian Liberty Press will be selling new books at
25% off. There will be books by other publishers available for purchase,
but will not be discounted.

There will be a limited number of tables available on a first come first
served basis. However, you are welcome to bring your own table. Registering
will not guarantee you will get a table. It is simply to guarantee that you
will get another invitation next year and for us to know how many are
coming.

Please feel free to share this event with your friends.

The doors will be opened at 7:00 a.m. for set up.

http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=efmivzbab&oeidk=a07e5ix84wa1e776d57

***Just a note: the email I got said 7:00, the site it links to says 7:30, so not sure which is correct. If anyone knows, please feel free to comment or email me.*** ~Thank you!

Pass it around and come ready to shop!

WFMW — Century book

While not consistent with it, we have appreciated the concrete visual of timelines in our homeschool.

I initially tried a scroll timeline that we would unroll and roll up as we added new events and people, but it was so long, that it got quite crumpled over the few years that we used it. And I never got it up on the wall as I intended. Even if I had the “clutter” on the wall probably would have bothered me after a few weeks.

Since then we have switched to a book of centuries which is much neater and has worked well to keep track of our dates and important people.

The one problem with a book of centuries is that they too become rather long or the pages get congested as you include all the major events in a time period. I had heard many people talk of adding on to the pages and decided to give this a try.

However, I came across an easier way to do this. While perusing a used homeschool curriculum sale last spring I found someone selling a book of centuries just like mine partially filled in for just $2, and including some timeline figures that I did not have already in place. I decided to buy the book, cut it apart and combine the two books into one.

First, I pulled out the spiral binding so I had one of the books in just loose pages. I took those pages and cut them all to remove the holes and make them just slightly smaller than the pages in the other book which was still intact.

Then I grabbed a sturdy roll of packing tape and began the process of taping a second page onto the top of each page of the book. I only taped one side, and then folded the second page onto the lower page to close the book.

Taping them carefully, I lined up the outer edges of the pages to remove as much bulk as possible from the spiral area.


When closed, the second page appears upside down on the first page, but flips open to reveal the full details of the time period.

This was an inexpensive and fairly easy way to double the space of my book without maintaining two separate timelines. If you aren’t fortunate to find someone getting rid of their timeline for cheap you can easily do this with blank paper or cardstock as well.

You can purchase premade century books from Simply Charlotte Mason or Sonlight (the one I use, pictured above, is from Sonlight).

Simply Charlotte Mason also has a free downloadable one that you can print out and compile yourself.

Various places sell the timeline figures as well. We have used some from Sonlight, but have also made our own. To make your own simply find the figure cut and paste into a word doc and write below it the desired caption. You can print onto cardstock and cut and glue into your timeline. Or, you can print on stickers or labels made for your printer. Then cut them out and stick them right into your book. Again, we have done some of each.

Once a week or so, we compile our new timeline figures and get them fixed in place on the appropriate page in our book. Everyone gets a turn, and we share the work of maintaining a timeline.

However you choose to do it, I hope you will find helpful how we have made the book of centuries work for us.

InHome Conference coming soon

If you are looking for a Chicago area homeschool convention, this is the first of many to come this year. Find more information and registration info on their website:

Online registration is now open for the 2012 InHome Conference!

You are invited to participate in a truly unique experience that embraces the non-sectarian homeschooling community. The 15th InHome Conference is scheduled for March 15th to 17th, 2012, at the luxurious Pheasant Run Resort and Spa in St. Charles, Illinois.

Whether you’ve been homeschooling for years or are just starting out, you do not want to miss this event! This year’s InHome Conference features new workshops, along with popular ones from the past, for all ages. Children will love the wide variety of interests that will be explored from theatre to nature to LEGOs (and much more). Teens will enjoy reconnecting with old friends and making new ones. Adults will appreciate the learning seminars, the sharing of information, and the support as they engage with other like-minded homeschooling parents.

This year, Ac•Rock will bring a rockin’ opening to the conference. Performing everyone’s favorite classic rock hits, this a cappella quartet sings the doo-wop standards audiences expect and more recent rock hits you might not expect to be performed by an a cappella group. Their shows are an engaging mix of tightly-crafted music and freewheeling humor that appeals to audiences of all ages.

And don’t miss out on all the other “extras”. From the opening night Meet & Greet to dancing the night away with both a family and teen dance to watching the kids strut their stuff in the talent shows, there is fun to be had by everyone.

Don’t delay, log in and go to the registration link today to sign up for the best homeschooling conference in the Midwest!

Remember to bookmark InHome Conference | Illinois Non-Sectarian Homeschooling Options for a Meaningful Education at www.homeeducatorsconference.org as a favorite so you may check in periodically for the latest news. Also, join our Yahoo Group and find us on Facebook.

Don’t forget to make your hotel reservations at http://homeeducatorsconference.org/general-info/hotel-reservations.Syndicate content

Special speaker in DeKalb

Received this info via email:

Please join us on Monday, February 20 to welcome Wanda Gibert as she shares with the HEART homeschool group:

A Holy Influence:  Be the Crowning Touch in Your Husband’s Life

God has given wives an extraordinary ministry to their husbands.  Balancing homeschooling, schedules, meals, and caring for little ones often leaves wives tired with little energy to give to our husbands.  Wanda Gibert, mother of six, will share ways to keep the God-ordained unity and intimacy between husbands and wives.

This talk is for wives only, but husbands don’t let that stop you from coming out with your wife. The men will meet to enjoy fellowship and “guy” time in a separate room.

HEART meets at Evangelical Free Church, 150 Bethany Rd, DeKalb, IL.  Doors open at 6:30 for fellowship with our meeting starting at 7pm.  We invite everyone to join us for this special meeting.

Farm tours available

I enjoyed a CSA from this farm quite a few years ago now, and here they are with tours of their facilities. Great way to kick of the outdoor growing season and add a unique field trip to your schedule.

From Erewhon Farm:

Visit Our Farm – Learn How to Garden Organically

Edible Farm Tours — 2012 Schedule

February/ March, 2012, Maple Sugaring Tour! (Dates will depend on the weather)

See how we tap the maple trees, collect the sap, and boil it down to make the most delicious, all natural maple syrup!  Also, we’re planting and transplanting spring crops in our hoop houses!  We’ll show you how to start seedlings for your home garden.

April 28, 2012 @1:30

Early spring crops are growing in our hoop houses and you can taste anything you like.  We’ll show you how we grow seedlings indoors, how we fertilize them, and how we transplant them into our garden beds.  We’ll show you how to make a low-cost cover for your garden crops so you can start earlier in the spring.  Robin Migalla will demonstrate easy ways to cook kale and Swiss chard. Yum!

May 26, 2012 @1:30

We’ll show you how we prepare our growing beds and some techniques for minimizing weeds in the garden.  What’s growing in our raised beds and how we make them. Guess how hot is our compost pile.  Is anything blossoming in our edible forest garden?  We’ll taste a variety of salad greens and share a garden salad. Robin Migalla will demonstrate easy ways to cook kale and Swiss chard. Yum!

Please let Gayle Riley know you’re coming:  (630)776-1700 Cost: $10.00 per person, children under 12 are free! CSA subscribers $5.00.

Private Farm Events

Especially designed tours for school field trips, boy and girl scout troops, and individuals from clubs or organizations. This one hour tour will be themed for the specific time of year and your interests.  Vegetable tasting encouraged.

Cost per person $7.50 with a minimum of $50.00

Please contact Gayle Riley to plan your event.  (630)776-1700.

We can also organize more in-depth farm visits.  Contact Tim Fuller (timf7@yahoo.com or 630-485-9963) for more info.

Farm Location:

40W248 Hughes Rd. Elburn, IL 60119

Mailing address:  Tim Fuller, 968 Pattee Av., Elburn, IL 60119

www.erehwonfarm.com