Scholastic Warehouse Sale

Here’s the website with all the details: http://www.scholastic.com/bookfairs/events/warehouse/

They have some great deals on everything in their warehouse and you can register in advance to get a coupon for $10 off a $25 purchase. Great for stocking stuffers, gifts, or motivational rewards for your favorite “students.” It looks like they don’t have as many in the area as they used to, so it might be more of a drive for you, but still some great opportunities around the Chicago area.

Open swim for homeschoolers in Elgin

While Gym and Swim is taking a break for the busy holiday season, they do still open for some homeschool  swim times at the Centre in Elgin.

Nov. 29th

Dec. 6th

Dec. 13th

Dec. 20th

Dec. 27th

Jan. 10th

From 1-3pm

Prices:

2 & under: Free

Youth (3-17):$ 2.75

Adult (18+): $3.25

For more information: The Centre of Elgin, 100 Symphony Way. Ph: (847) 531-7000

HSLDA alert

Senate to Vote on UN Disabilities Treaty on Wednesday: Calls Needed Immediately

Dear HSLDA Members and Friends,

Yesterday afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV) announced that the Senate will vote to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) treaty on Wednesday. We need you to call your two senators immediately, and urge them to oppose the CRPD.

If the U.S. Senate were to ratify the CRPD, this would give the United Nations the power to influence and change domestic law and threaten parental rights and homeschool freedom.

Thirty-six senators have signed a letter stating that they “respectfully request that no treaties be brought to the Senate floor for advice and consent during the lame-duck session of the 112th Congress.” These senators have promised in the letter that they “will oppose efforts to consider a treaty during this time.”

Senator Reid has purposefully ignored this letter by promising to file cloture by Wednesday (if 60 senators vote to invoke cloture, a filibuster will be ended) and will make every attempt to proceed to the CRPD for ratification this week. Ratification of the CRPD will take a two-thirds vote of the Senate, or 67 senators to vote in favor of the CRPD if all 100 are present.

We need you to call both of your U.S. senators right now and ask them to oppose the CRPD. 202-224-3121.

Please give them some or all of this message:

“I urge you to oppose the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This treaty surrenders U.S. sovereignty to unelected UN bureaucrats and will threaten parental care of children with disabilities. Our nation already has laws to protect disabled Americans. This treaty is unnecessary and will hurt families. If the Senate ratifies this treaty, it would be the first time ever that the U.S. has ratified a treaty that obligates us to recognize economic, social, and cultural entitlements as rights under domestic law.”

Then, please forward this email to your friends and family and urge them to call, as well. Please also post this information on social media to help get the word out to every parent and freedom-loving person in America.

For more information on the dangers of this treaty please visit our CRPD page. http://www.hslda.org/crpd

Thank you for standing with us for freedom.
Sincerely,

J. Michael Smith, Esq.
President, HSLDA

Swap Shop in Elburn!

1 John 3:16-18

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?
Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

Location:
Elburn Community
Center Gym,
525 N. Main Street,
Elburn, Illinois

Dates & Times

Drop off – Nov. 30
10 am – 7 pm

Swap – Dec. 1
9 am – 3 pm

Open to ALL!!

What is a Swap Shop ?

Swap Shop is a chance for moms to swap out
things they no longer need for things they do.

If you wouldn’t be ashamed to give it to a friend,
then we’ll accept it.

All items not swapped will be donated to charity.

Nothing to swap? Please come anyway and
be blessed with God’s provision.

Who organizes the Swap Shop ?

This event is hosted by Authentic Moms, a local Christian mom’s group.

Our desire is to follow 1 John 3:16-18
– to love with actions & truth, not just words.

Would you like to volunteer for a chance to pre-shop?
Or do you have other questions? Contact – authenticmoms@gmail.com

Items our swap includes:
– Baby items
– Gently used clothes & shoes
– Children’s Toys
– Furniture
– Books, Games & School Supplies
– Household & Kitchen Accessories

ALL Items are for SWAP, not SALE

Follow them on facebook

Ice Skating is open

Ice Skating at McCormick Tribune Ice Rink in Millennium Park

Check out the free ice skating in Millennium Park in Chicago this holiday season. The McCormick Tribune Ice Rink in Chicago , now in its 10th season, draws over 100,000 skaters annually.  Kicking off Chicago’s winter season, the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink in Millennium Park will open on Friday, November 16, 2012 and will remain open through mid-March 2013, weather permitting. This rink is free and open to the public. The rink, located on Michigan Avenue between Washington and Madison Streets, will still offer skate rental for only $10.
Regular Hours for the season are as follows:
Mondays through Thursdays: 12 p.m. — 8 p.m.
Fridays: 12 p.m. — 10 p.m.
Saturdays (through Dec. 22): 10 a.m. — 10 p.m.
Saturdays (beginning Jan. 5): 10 a.m. — 9 p.m.
Sundays: 10 a.m. — 9 p.m.

Rainbow Resource sales

Received via email:

Does Rainbow Have Black Friday Specials?

BlackFridayTag

This is a question I think we’ve been asked more frequently this year, and… for the first time, YES! We are offering some weekend-only deals on specific items and product lines, so check them out! Sale prices will be in effect on these items from Friday thru Monday at 4:00 CST online, or 5:00 CST if you phone in your order. And don’t forget – free shipping on orders of $50 is running through the end of the year so you can save on your gifts – and on shipping too. Double win! Please note that free shipping does not apply to purchase orders, or orders shipping to locations outside of the 50 states & territories. Free shipping is economy shipping (5-10 business days), but inexpensive upgrades are available.

WEEKEND SPECIALS!

And if you place your order “Cyber Monday”…

… and include at least one item from the Christmas catalog, we’ll toss in a special Safari, Ltd. Christmas ornament from their new Christmas ornament Toob while supplies last. So enjoy your holiday weekend, and we look forward to serving you next week!

Getting Your Elementary or Middle School Aged Children Started Learning Spanish

Guest post by Debbie Annett
Author of Spanish for You! – A Simple, Effective, Affordable Curriculum for Grades 3-8

You CAN give the GIFT of language. Parent or teacher, Spanish speaker or not, YOU ARE
ABLE to accomplish more than just vocabulary learning with your elementary and middle
school students. It just takes knowing a little about the language learning process and how to
do it.

The Language Learning Process
Language learning takes time and practice, much like learning to play an instrument or a sport.
Becoming fluent takes many years, unless your student(s) is in an immersion situation where
he/she is using Spanish with Spanish speakers for several hours every day.

However, most parents would like their children to become fluent by the time they are adults.
This means that you have many years to accomplish the goal. So, get your students started in
elementary or middle school. You can work on things steadily, over time, in a non-stressful
way.

If you are not a language teacher, knowing something basic about the language learning
process will help you should you decide to get started on your own. You can do this!

We can break language down into 2 elements, receptive and expressive. Receptive refers to
the language we receive and need to understand. That would be listening and reading.
Expressive refers to the language we express and use to make ourselves understood. That
would be speaking and writing.

When we first learn a language we learn the receptive piece. Think of babies learning their
first language. They come to understand all that they receive from those speaking around
them and slowly begin to express themselves. First they say words, then phrases, then more
over time. They learn the receptive piece first and then develop the expressive piece.

When teaching a language you want to provide students opportunities to read and listen, and
then slowly get them to write and speak. Their EXPRESSIVE language should be encouraged
first as words, then phrases, and then sentences.

And know this – speaking is the most difficult piece. Spoken fluency is the icing on the cake.
And that will come after many years of steady practice and study. YOU, as the parent or
teacher, are getting them started and preparing them for higher level learning in high
school and maybe college.

How to Do It
You know some basics about the language learning process. Now, how do you get started?

First, choose a curriculum/product that is:
1. easy to use – meaning it has a lesson guide or something you follow
2. can be used by a Spanish teacher or not, or for self-study
3. provides lots of audio, so you can hear what is in the book – important!
4. provides lots of self-checking practice
5. provides a variety of practice activities to develop listening, speaking, reading, and
writing skills
6. provides opportunities to practice with others – this means the product can be used by
individuals AND has the flexibility to be used with others.
7. does more than just teach vocabulary and phrases. You do not want your student(s) to
just memorize some things. You want your student(s) to learn how the language works.
8. economical – this is not a must, BUT there are some good ones out there that provide all
the above and accomplish A LOT without the big price tag! (Ahem, Spanish for You! is one!)

Second, decide on your approach and schedule.
1. If your approach is to create a class or be teaching in a school, then decide how much
time you have each week to devote to Spanish and how much outside of class you want
students to practice. For example, you might schedule a class 1 hour each week with 4 days
of homework, 10-20 min. each day. OR one class for 1/2 hour a week with 2 to 4 days of
homework, 10-15 min. each day, etc.

2. If your approach is at home for self-study, then decide how much time you have each
week to devote to Spanish. You may schedule your efforts 20 minutes 3 times a week, OR 30
minutes twice a week, etc.

NO MATTER YOUR APPROACH WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS THAT YOU KEEP IT STEADY.
If you “fall off the wagon” occasionally do not fret. Just pick back up and keep going. You want
to look at the big picture. If you have kept things going steadily 80% of the time, for example,
things will be fine. It is when you “fall off the wagon” most of the time that you may not get
results.

(A side note – It is ok to take summers off, or holiday time off. You will not ruin your efforts. During
summers it helps to do a little review here and there, just to stimulate the brain and keep those
connections going.)

As you can see, it is VERY possible for you to begin your student(s) learning Spanish even if
you do not have experience with the language or teaching. You just need to know some
basics about the language learning process and how to do it. You just need to work steadily
over time. Do that, and you will have something of value.

If you would like to learn more about the Spanish for You! curriculum, please visit us at
www.spanish-for-you.net.

I wish you all the best in your language learning efforts!

Free download and more

Wonderful offer from the Bluedorn’s:


Textura by Johannah Bluedorn Stanford

Dear Friends,

I wonder if I could ask you to help me with this special promotion we’re doing.

If possible, could you post this link on your FB page and pass it around to your friends if you think they’d be interested.

Thanks so much.
Laurie Bluedorn

We’re starting to upload Kindle versions of many of our products. So far, we have these:

Trivium Pursuit’s List of National Contests and Exams Open to Homeschoolers

Vocabulary Bridges from English to Latin & Greek — A Vocabulary Studies Workbook

Homeschool Basics: Ten Things to Do Before Age Ten (this is also found free on our web site)

Here is the special offer we have for you:

On November 15-17 and November 23-24 (these five days only) Homeschool Basics: Ten Things to Do Before Age Ten [Kindle Edition] will be free. If you download the ebook sometime during the five day period and write an Amazon review for this ebook, we will send you one of the ebooks from our Trivium Pursuit catalog (these ebooks are in pdf format). You can choose one ebook from the following:

Vocabulary Bridges from English to Latin & Greek by Harvey Bluedorn

A Review of English Grammar for Students of Biblical Greek and Other Ancient Languages by Harvey Bluedorn

Cómo Enseñar el Trivium — Educación Cristiana en Casa en un Estilo Clásico by Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn

Ancient Literature — Significant Excerpts From the Books of Classical Authors Which You Can Use to Supplement Your History Curriculum — Volume One: Julius Caesar

Ancient Literature — Significant Excerpts From the Books of Classical Authors Which You Can Use to Supplement Your History Curriculum — Volume Two: Alexander the Great

Ancient Literature — Significant Excerpts From the Books of Classical Authors Which You Can Use to Supplement Your History Curriculum — Volume Three: Augustus, Jesus Christ, and Tiberius

Ancient Literature — Significant Excerpts From the Books of Classical Authors Which You Can Use to Supplement Your History Curriculum — Volume Four: Ancient Egypt

Ancient Literature — Significant Excerpts From the Books of Classical Authors Which You Can Use to Supplement Your History Curriculum — Volume Five: Caligula, Claudius, and Paul

Ancient Literature — Significant Excerpts from the Books of Classical Authors Which You Can Use to Supplement Your History Curriculum — Volume Six: Nero, Paul, and the Destruction of Jerusalem

Westminster and Her Sisters: A Complete Collation and Comparison of Three English Confessions of Faith by Harvey Bluedorn

Trivium Pursuit’s List of National Contests and Exams Open to Homeschoolers

After you download Homeschool Basics: Ten Things to Do Before Age Ten [Kindle Edition] and post your review, then email us (bluedorn @ triviumpursuit.com) with the name you wrote your review under and tell us which of the above ebooks you would like.

Lapidary day at Lizzadro Museum

masthead

This Saturday’s Event: Lapidary Day!

Check Out Our Gift Shop!
City of Elmhurst Logo
Lapidary Day
November 17th
lapidary day
Demonstrations by artists from the West Suburban Lapidary Club will include: beading, silversmithing, cabochon cutting, wire wrapping, faceting, hands-on activities and free jewelry cleaning.  The event is a great way to learn more about stones and lapidary art.
Free Admission 10am-4pm