An Early Merry Christmas

The-Nativity-Star

While we take a break from our schooling, the most important learning in our house never ends.

As I have shared before, a significant part of the reason that we homeschool is to take advantage of every opportunity to live out our faith in front of our children. I don’t follow Christ flawlessly by any means, but I want my kids to grow up with no doubt about the reality of God as the sovereign, awesome Creator and Savior of this world. And that learning continues and even heightens during the holidays.

I’ll be spending most of my time in the next couple weeks away from my computer (once the rest of the grades are entered and lesson plans for the next quarter are done), and hopefully you will be doing the same.

Enjoy time with family and extra time for hugs and laughter.

Most importantly, I pray that you will have time to drink deeply of the true reason to celebrate this time of year — the coming of Jesus Christ, born to give us a second birth. We get stuck in this physical world too often and forget the eternal focus we were create to maintain.  Christ came to seek and save the lost, which applies to all of us who carry Adam’s sin nature and have no hope of heaven aside from a perfect substitution to take our punishment on Himself as Jesus did.

I pray that you know this most important reality and will bring it to mind as you celebrate the birth of Christ. If you do not understand the true significance of this season which goes far beyond the nativity scene, I pray you too will see it in a fresh, personal way this season.

See you next year.  🙂

Merry Christmas!

North Shore Chess Center!

Chess is a fun and challenging addition to any homeschooling curriculum with benefits that last children a lifetime including accelerating in academics, enhanced concentration, confidence building, and much more.

The North Shore Chess Center proudly presents group lessons for the homeschooling community beginning January 2013. Since 2010, the chess center has offered a variety of chess activities such as tournaments, group lectures, and visits from chess Grandmasters.

Classes are forming now! Hurry before the classes fill up!

For more information on the North Shore Chess Center visit http://www.nachess.org/nscc

Email: sevan@nachess.org, or

Call: 847.423.8626, or

Visit us on the weekends and see a real tournament in progress!

We are conveniently located at 5500 W Touhy Ave Suite A Skokie, IL 60077 (Edens Expressway, Touhy Ave West Exit). We are across the street from the Village Crossing Shopping Center.

**Private off-site group lessons are also available. Inquire with the chess center for more details.

Advent service for children at Wheaton College

Children’s Worship: Interactive Advent Meditations Saturday

December 15, 2012, 10 – 11am

Location: Billy Graham Museum Rotunda

The Billy Graham Center Museum at Wheaton College is hosting a series of one-hour worship services designed to engage children with the wonder and anticipation of the Advent season. Through a unique storytelling format and multi-sensory materials, visitors of all ages are invited to explore stories from the Bible about the birth of Jesus. Participants will have opportunity to respond to the presentations with simple arts and crafts, prayer, journaling, reading, visual arts, and hands-on materials for retelling their own story.

Services will be held Saturday December 15 at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and Sunday December 16 at 4 p.m. The events are free and open to the public and take place in the Billy Graham Center Museum Rotunda area. Stories in the same weekend are identical. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

The Billy Graham Center Museum, located at 500 College Avenue in Wheaton, offers free parking and is wheelchair accessible. For more information, call 630.752.5909.

Research 4 Reptiles

Wanted to share with you about an amazing organization — Research 4 Reptiles.

Research 4 Reptiles, LLC. is a privately-owned company, founded by Holly Zak, whose mission is to provide challenging, hands-on, field-based programs for participants ages 12 years to adult to inspire enthusiasm for and understanding of native Illinois reptile and amphibian species.

This is not your ordinary outdoor education program!

What makes their programs different from the usual outdoor education classes ?

  • Participants assist in real herpetological research whereby they help survey areas for species.
  • Participants help to identify species, mark them for identification, measure them, and record information about each animal capture.
  • Participants learn through critical inquiry, delving into research with inquiring questions!
  • Every class is limited to 8 students.
  • All classes are held outdoors at prairie/pond sites within Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in Wilmington, Illinois (approximately 15 miles south of Joliet).
  • Species conservation and environmental protection is emphasized.
  • Best of all, the data collected from research is compiled and given to biological staff at Midewin for species’ management purposes!
3 juvenile painted turtles at Buttonbush Pond

Other opportunities you can find on their website:
If you have a herp lover they have gift certificates available that might make a great Christmas gift.

Also, be sure to check back in January to find  OPEN ENROLLMENT for summer programs!

Contact info: Research 4 Reptiles, LLC.
508 Pheasant Chase Drive
Bolingbrook, IL 60490
Email: research4reptiles@comcast.net
Phone: 630-337-0757
Website: www.research4reptiles.biz
This is a sponsored post from a paid advertiser with our site. For more information about advertising with the Chicagoland Homeschool Network, please email me at info@chicagolandhomeschoolnetwork.com.

Free Polar Adventure Days in Chicago

This will happen a few times this winter, but this weekend is the first one:
Polar Adventure Days at Northerly Island

Have fun while enjoying all the wonders of nature at the eighth annual
POLAR ADVENTURE DAYS at NORTHERLY ISLAND

First 500 visitors receive a Polar Adventure Day mug filled with hot chocolate.

Dress for the outdoors. Call to confirm scheduled activities (phone number below).  These events are free and no registration is required.

  • See Siberian huskies, wolves and other live animals
  • Enjoy music from the Old Town School of Folk Music
  • Explore the island on snowshoes (if there’s snow)
  • Make a nature-inspired winter craft
  • Encounter birds of prey from Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation
  • Sip hot cocoa while strolling across the prairie
  • Take a bird hike led by Wendy Paulson, co-sponsored by Audubon Chicago, Openlands & The Field Museum

Date: December 8, 2012 along with January 19, 2013 and February 16, 2012

Start Time: 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Cost: FREE

Location : Northerly Island is located at 1521 S. Linn White Drive, on the Museum Campus

312.745.2910

Free Admission

It’s winter in Chicago – come out and enjoy it!

Live Nativity in Bartlett

When: Dec. 21-22
7-9pm
Where: Faith World Outreach Church
Directions: Rte 59 Bartlett, just 1 mile north of Army Trail Rd.
Cost: It’s free!

Expierence the Nativity from the warmth of your car. You get a cd with the
Christmas Story, some cookies , and hot cider. Then you drive around and see
live actors and animals while listening to the story of Jesus’ birth from your
car.
The church has done this for six years now and many have enjoyed making it part of their holiday tradition.

Panda Express Chinese New Year Resources

2012 Chinese New Year: Learn With Me Program
This FREE program is geared towards students in second to fourth grade and includes the following:

• Exclusive Access to the Panda Express Chinese New Year Video
• Year of the Snake Fact Sheet
• Jade Emperor’s Interactive Game & Activity Sheet
• Chinese New Year Decoration Art Activity
• Lai See Activity Sheet

The Chinese New Year Learn with Me Program™ materials will be available beginning Monday, January 28, 2013. The Year of the Snake celebration runs for 15 days beginning Sunday, February 10, 2013.

CHINESE NEW YEAR

Learn With Me School Program

Chinese New Year celebration: Feb 10 – 24

Panda Express, America’s leader in Asian dining, is offering a FREE educational program for your school. For six years, our Chinese New Year Learn with Me Program™ has provided educators with a resource to encourage learning about China’s most important holiday celebration.

Check out all the info: http://www.pandaexpress.com/ChineseNewYear

Love IEW!

Just a quick post to say how much I love IEW (Institute for Excellence in Writing)!

My kids are writing papers this week on Jericho and related happenings in history. This is the first real paper for my 2nd grader (just a paragraph, not a “real” paper). I found a paragraph for him to use as source material and gave him a crash course in IEW technique which involves writing a Key Word Outline. He typed it up himself, we tweaked one awkward phrase. Talked about titles and, in less than half an hour, here was his finished product!I guess I should up the standard for him next time. 🙂

Promised Protection

by Nathan

December 5, 2012

Jericho was the first city that the Israelites needed to conquer. Israelite spies got sent to scope out the land. The Israelites’ reputation made the people in Jericho scared. Rahab had believed in the Israelites. Rahab heard the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. Rahab hid the Israelite spies in her house. They told her to put a red rope out her window. The Israelites promised her protection when they were attacking Jericho.

Monkey Joe’s Peanut Free Night

A fan on Facebook, Heather, shared this:

My daughter has  such severe peanut allergies that she is unable to go to school so is homeschooled.

Monkey Joe’s in Wheaton is having peanut free nights.

February 5th and February 28th.

Kids 2 and under are $5.00

Kids 3 and over are $9.99.
The address is 286 E. Geneva rd. Wheaton, IL
630 653-5867 for comments or questions.

I’m sure there are others around in the same situation that would enjoy this type of event. Please share with others.

Midwest Creation Fellowship presentation

Received via email:

Midwest Creation Fellowship talk, “The Heavens Declare the Glory of GOD – And a Young Solar System!” by Helmut Welke, M.S. on Tuesday, December 4, 2012 at 6:45 p.m. at 25W560 Geneva Road in Carol Stream, IL 60188.

The Heavens Declare the Glory of GOD – And a Young Solar System!  Join the Midwest Creation Fellowship (MCF) at its next meeting on December 4, where Helmut Welke will review the scientific evidence from astronomy that debunks the Big Bang Theory of origins.  He will also reveal the current evidence from observations and NASA space probes that indicate our solar system cannot be billions of years old!

Helmut Welke is the President of the Quad-City Creation Science Association; a 4-year old group in western Illinois dedicated to truth in science education.  He is a certified engineering manager with a Fortune 100 company and, in 2006, was elected as a Fellow and to the Board of Trustees of the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE), an international society serving the Industrial and Systems Engineering profession.  Mr. Welke holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Industrial Engineering from the University of Illinois.

Meet us for free coffee and refreshments at 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday, December 4. The talk will be from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., including Q&A. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. We meet at: 25W560 Geneva Road in Carol Stream, IL. The entryway is just west of Gary Avenue on Geneva Road, on the north side of the street. Enter the drive just east of the sign (next to Slide Chart Company), and park behind the building. Enter through the rear door. Handicapped parking is in front, with entrance through the front door.

Please Note:  Helmut will be bringing a number of new books and DVDs from Answers in Genesis for sale at good prices.  There will be a wide variety for you to consider for yourself or as Christmas presents.  So plan ahead, as there will be a good selection of material on astronomy as well as children’s books, DVDs and coloring books.  Credit cards accepted.

For more information, visit: www.midwestcreationfellowship.org, email: wscmcf@hotmail.com, or call: (847) 223-4730.