Another book sale coming up this week:

The big event of the year!!! Our annual used (and some new) curriculum sale!

Tuesday, April 24
Elk Grove Village Library (google for directions)
7-9pm

We have a full house planned.
This promises to be one of our largest curriculum sales in years. Lots to choose
from!! Bring cash in SMALL denominations to make purchases. Doors open at
7:00pm. Admission is free!

Beacon is a Christian support group for parents who home educate their children.
Our membership is open to any home schooling family for support. Our vision is
to help homeschool families achieve their vision. What we offer is a DREAM -
Discussion, Resources, Education, Activities, Mentoring.

Beaconhomeschool.net

Often in our homeschool as we head into these last weeks we are wrapping up our books and regular requirements in most subjects. As a result, we find ourselves with some extra time to enjoy the activities that are abundant in this area and the weather often allows us a chance to get out of doors as well.

This begins what will hopefully be a new feature here. Not every week, but a couple times a month on Friday I will share some of our experiences with field trips in the Chicago area with tips on setting up your own.

To kick it off, lets start with a place that we just visited recently, Cantigny in Wheaton (but I always think of it as in Winfield . . .)

What you will find there:

Cantigny offers two museums including a house open for touring and a museum centered around the First Division. They also have beautiful grounds that are beginning to bloom. They are beautiful in each season, especially if you have nature lovers in your group.

We are currently studying the American Revolution and they had a great sample of a revolutionary soldier and various artifacts on display to help my kids really visualize all of what we have been learning, reading about, and discussing lately. If you are studying more recent American history you will find even more to complement your studies, but even going back to the beginning of our nation you will find something.

The Tanks! It’s what I remember from childhood visits, and it’s what my kids look forward to on each return trip as well. Whether they are imagining they are a soldier on a mission of their own, or pretending it is a hideout, or just climbing for the sake of climbing, the tanks are a big draw for kids of all ages. Of course, climb at your own risk, and be careful. These are real tanks. You will want to pick a day with decent weather so you can get a good climb in.

Classes and tours. You are free to roam the grounds and enjoy the signs, information, and displays on your own time and with your own focus, or you can sign up for a field trip or one of their many classes. They offer homeschool classes periodically (look for these to start up again in the fall) for additional fees. They cover various subjects including art, science, nature study, and history. See their calendar of events on their website for more details.

If you are going:

The grounds do have a per vehicle fee, but if you go to your library you can use your card to get a Museum Adventure Pass and get in for free. We chose this option and it was quick and easy and saved us $5.

There are often school groups touring as well. However, we found them fairly easy to avoid so we could enjoy the museums, tanks, and walkways without a crowd.

Cantigny offers a great field trip destination for a mixed age group. Lots of run around space and climbing action, and then opportunities to settle in and really learn from the informative and high quality displays throughout the facilities. My younger kids were a little scared at first of the First Division Museum displays. It is dark and has war sounds in the background. They are really well done though, and you learn so much on your walk through. If you need to split your group to enjoy it, do so, but kids of all ages can really learn quite a bit from the walk through.

And, be sure to bring your picnic lunch to enjoy at their tables near the parking area. We had a full, fun morning packed with new learning opportunities and conversation prompts. Definitely a field trip destination for every couple years or so.

A couple events coming up at the Midwest Museum of Natural History:

Safari Sprouts

Wednesday, April 25, 10:15-11:15 am

$8/child (or purchase a 4-class card for $28), adults free

Call 815-895-9777 to register (walk-ins welcome too)

Spend a morning discovering nature at the Museum through games, crafts, stories, and songs, plus a live animal visit each month! Designed for ages 3-5 with an adult.

Severe Storms and Tornadoes:

the perspective of a storm chaser and scientist

a presentation by Dr. Walker Ashley, Northern Illinois University

Thursday, April 26, 7-8:00 pm

$4/person, Members free
Dr. Ashley will examine the science behind severe thunderstorms in the U.S. to discover how and why they form. He will also discuss the many myths surrounding severe storm hazards and storm chasing.

New families may now register at CHAMPS homeschool co-op in Mount Prospect:

The 2012-2013 schedule for CHAMPs homeschooll co-op is available online
at www.champshomeschool.com Course descriptions will soon be posted.
Registration for NEW members will begin on May 7; registration for
CURRENT members will begin on April 16.

We meet on Mondays during the school year in Mount Prospect.

You can contact us at champs-board@yahoogroups.com

Please contact them for additional information.

Received this via email (Thanks, Melissa!):

You are invited to our second annual National Rifle Association Youth Hunter Education Challenge for homeschooling families.  YHEC is a great opportunity to learn more about hunting methods and safety and game species as well as improve upon your skills.  YHEC is open to boys and girls between the ages of 8 and 18.  Its success is due to the numerous volunteers who want to pass on their experience, skills, and knowledge to the next generation of hunters and outdoorsmen.

Our YHEC day will include the disciplines of rifling, archery and shotguns.  We will also have three responsibility classes: Orienteering, Hunter Safety Trail and Wildlife ID.  We are thrilled to inform you that we have teamed up with Action Shooting Sports and Vintage Arms to make this year’s event even better!  Thesepeople volunteer their time to teach firearm and archery safety and responsibility, but even more importantlysportsmanship, commitment, and ethics.

Our event is on Friday, June 15th from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Richmond Hunting Club.  RHC has graciously opened their door to us again because they are committed to educating our youth and they were impressed with the YHEC program.  We are able to offer this day without cost to you because of the generous funding from the NRA and RHC as well as the numerous volunteers who give their time.  We would ask that you buy your lunch from RHC as a special thank you to them but it is not required.  They will have hotdogs and hamburgers with chips and drinks for $5.00 as well as their regular menu available.  Please plan to arrive between 8:30 and 8:45for registration.  We need registration and waivers for every person participating.  We will have a mandatory safety meeting at 9:00. Parents, because of the nature of this event your presence is required for the entire day.  We will need your help to make the day run smoothly and you will be given a volunteer position. We do need a firm headcount.  Please R.S.V.P. to either Laurie Studer or Melissa Martin by June 8th.

To honor our men and women in uniform, we are teaming up with the Veteran’s Network Committee and accepting donations for our troops.  We want to express our thanks to them for the sacrifices they make toprotect and preserve our freedom.  Veteran’s Network Committee will be sending care packages to Illinois troops.  Please see the attached list for suggested items they need.  Sample or travel sizes are great!

You are welcome to bring your personal firearms and eye/ear protection.  We will be shooting .22 rifles and 410 and 12 gauge shotguns.  Please do not bring any other firearms.

Laurie Studer

(704)628-6985

Studer5@att.net

Richmond Hunting Club

5016 IL Route 173

Richmond, IL 60071

815-678-3271

www.actionshootingsports.com

www.vintagearmsonline.com

www.veteransnetworkcommittee.com

Received by email:

Welcome to the second year of the National Homeschool Book Award!
We are very excited to announce the 2012 nominees following a very
successful inaugural year!

www.nationalhomeschoolbookaward.com

It is free to participate, we announce the nominees November 2011, you
read the four nominated books and the voting will take place October
2012.

Beginning in January 2012, we will dedicate a month to each of the
four titles. Posting activities, snacks, links, and games that you can
use with your own kids or a book club. Sign up at the link below.

http://www.nationalhomeschoolbookaward.com/getinvolved.aspx

2012 Nominees are;

My Name is Mina by David Almond, Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick, The
Candymakers by Wendy Mass, and Selling Hope by Kristin O’Donnell
Tubb.

Looking forward to a great year of reading & fun!

Blair Loder
National Homeschool Book Award

More info by email: contact@nationalhomeschoolbookaward.com

This great little meme inspired me long before Pinterest came on the scene.

Before virtual bulletin boards, loads of amazing ideas enter the cyber world each week and inspired moms and families to find solutions to everyday problems.

The catchy name, Works for Me Wednesday rolled right off my tongue and became the place to be when it went live late each Tuesday night.

Now, they have compiled hundreds of the most amazing tips into one bursting at the seams e-book that is organized, consolidated and packed with links to last a lifetime — inspiring, time saving, maybe even life saving, tips.

The book includes sections for homeschooling, pets, meals, crafts, frugality, laundry, marriage, organization, travel, decor, and a total of 24 categories, with a total of 807 tips.

Each section begins with an adorable picture and an inspiring quote and is peppered with interviews with bloggers that made this book possible. The book comes in a PDF format which makes it oh so easy to flip through. Obviously, a book like this you want to be able to find what you need in a hurry. You won’t read it cover to cover (although it probably wouldn’t hurt you!) so the tips are arranged for easy finding.

E-book is the best format for this type of tool, because each tip is hotlinked to the site it came from that gives you the full description of the tip and how it worked for the person who entered it. Also, you get the benefit of any comments added onto the post as well. I am a big WFMW fan and to have the best of the best at my fingertips has brought me a treasure.

This great new resource is now available for purchase as well for just $8 Right now you can get a dollar off so it is only $7! Just use discount code  SAVE1

Head over to their page to buy your own stress-saving copy.

To find out more about the book:

A portion of the proceeds also goes to help the Mercy House:

Mercy House is a non-profit ministry that empowers a maternity home in Kenya, Africa. The
home offers a safe refuge for pregnant girls living in extreme poverty. This organization began
and is supported almost entirely through social media avenues.

As a contributer and reviewer of this book I have been given a copy to enjoy and a copy to give away. One of you will get to enjoy this ebook for free! Please leave a comment at the end of this post with your contact info and you are entered to win your own pile of tips. You may earn additional entries by following the above links and following them on twitter and/or facebook. Just make sure you come back and leave another comment telling me you did so.I will choose a winner next Friday night, April 20th.

And, don’t forget to enter their contest for a free house cleaning!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. These come to you free of charge, but enable me to earn a little commission if purchases are made through them. Just a simple way that you can help support the work I do here without paying a dime for it.

Homeschool Companion—Chicago Blues

Join other homeschoolers to take a closer look at the temporary exhibit “The Blues: From the Heart and Soul” and learn about Chicago Blues music through hands-on activities.

Price includes Museum admission for a participant child. No program charge for chaperones.

24-hour hotline for directions and program updates: 847-968-3113

Instructor: Nicole Stocker

The core of communication comes down to language. Spoken language, body language, and even our love language.

Dr. Gary Chapman shook the dust off marriage in his book about love languages, and then he did it all over again for parents. As this concept gains world-wide attention, I enjoyed this reminder to figure out and speak my kids’ languages.

• Physical touch
• Words of affirmation
• Gifts
• Quality time
• Acts of service

Each child speaks one of these languages more clearly than the others, and Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell set out to help you discover which one. After a brief introductory chapter the book jumps into the languages in detail so you can understand exactly what is meant by each language and how they look at various ages and stages.

The rest of the chapters help you see how understanding those love languages can strengthen you parenting relationship. Helping you identify each child’s language, the authors show you how to discipline, walk through their academic experience, and manage their anger with each of these love languages in mind. They even include some special considerations for single parents homes and more. The resources and encouragement in this book go well beyond its covers.

To find out more:

To be their best, children need to feel loved. But if you and your child speak different love languages, your affection might get lost in translation, affecting the child’s attitude, behavior, and development. Dr. Gary Chapman’s groundbreaking Five Love Languages series has helped millions of couples communicate love more clearly, and Dr. Ross Campbell M.D. has applied the innovative system to children as well. The 5 Love Languages of Children gives practical suggestions for learning how your children interpret love and creating a sense of security in which they can thrive.

While all kids need a bit of every language, I appreciate this helpful book in decoding my kids’ signals. I especially gleaned from the sections on teenagers as things look a whole lot different at that age, and I am still learning how to decipher it all. The years of experience from the authors are such a help to us muddling through it all for the first time.

This book’s track record speaks for itself, but I cannot agree more. This book is a must read for every parent at every stage of parenting. And, it should be reread now and then as well. I read the first edition years ago, but definitely needed to read this updated version to dig deeper into my current season of parenting. Great pep talk with the practical advice to really make a lasting difference.

Buy it, borrow it, and of course, leave a comment here to enter to win your own copy! Leave a comment on this post with an email address that I can reach you at in case you win. The contest will close a week from now, Tuesday night April 17th. You can once again earn a second entry by sharing about the giveaway elsewhere and leaving a second comment.

Received this via email:

HomeschoolLiterature.com is thrilled to announce the arrival of the first ever book club featuring fictional children’s books with homeschooled characters! This book club is designed BY homeschoolers FOR homeschoolers, and is perfect for co-ops, support groups, and family studies.

Each book in the HomeschoolLiterature.com Book Club is studied using a mixture of worksheets, hands-on activities, and online games. Activities are available for both older and younger student groups. All books included in the Book Club can be easily obtained either at your local library, local book stores, or via online retailers such as Amazon.com.

Best of all, participation in the HomeschoolLiterature.com Book Club is ABSOLUTELY FREE!! Simply come by HomeschoolLiterature.com to register, and you can access all of the Book Club materials immediately! While you are there, check out our large and growing list of book reviews for homeschoolers.