REACH — Classes in Skokie

We have a new sponsor here at the Chicagoland Homeschool Network and we would love for you to check out the site and spread the word about this dynamic co-op. Here is a bit about REACH!
Hello, parents of homeschooled teens!
We had a wonderful second year of classes and are looking forward to our third.  We meet on Tuesdays at Lakeside Church, 3939 West Howard Street, Skokie.  Classes meet from early afternoon to evening to allow drivers to avoid rush hour on both ends and to accommodate sleep schedules 🙂
Our starting point is great teachers, true experts in their fields who are passionate about sharing their knowledge with our students, some of whom happen also to be homeschool parents. Once again, our proximity to Northwestern University has been an asset.

We offer one class in each time slot.  Students are welcome to take one, two or all three classes.  These are drop-off classes, for which the minimum age for participation is 13.  Students not taking a class in a given block will have access to quiet space with internet access to participate in an online course or do other work.

We are excited about the upcoming year and hope to see many of you in the fall.  The students learn a lot and really enjoy being together.  Some are there for the entire 9-hour day, and still need to be pried away at the end to go home!

The schedule is as follows:
12:30-2:30 PM  
  • Art History, Theory and Criticism   – 1st semester: Modern and Post-Modern with Shane Campbell, gallery owner, adjunct assistant professor at the School of the Art Institute and homeschool dad
  • 2nd semester: Renaissance to Modern with instructor t.b.a.

2:30-4:30 PM

  • Exploring Musical Composition – 1st semester: Instrumental Masterpieces and Composition Lab
  • 2nd semester: Operatic Masterpieces and Composition Lab

Both taught by Laurann Gilley, member of the music staff at Lyric Opera of Chicago and the opera department at Northwestern, and homeschool mom

4:30-5:30 PM    Dinner break
5:30-7:30 PM   Statistics with Aaron Schechter, BS and MS in Applied Math/Statistics from Johns Hopkins and PhD candidate in Industrial Engineering and Management Science at Northwestern
The classes are followed, from 7:30-9:30, by a meeting of the Chicagoland Model United Nations Club, an award-winning independent high school MUN club (http://chicagolandmunclub.org/ …and now a 501c(3)!)  to which many of the students belong and which is open to new members.
********************************************
They will have detailed course descriptions available soon and will schedule an Open House so that families can see the facility and meet the instructors.
Greater detail is available at: http://www.homeschool-life.com/il/reach/

No Place Like Home advertisers directory

For those of you in or near the Fox Valley area, you may or may not have been able to attend the Homeschool Resource Fair this past Monday. Either way, I am making the vendor booklet available online for those that might be interested in many of the resources local to that area.

Here is the link to where you can find it: http://chicagolandhomeschoolnetwork.com/docs/nplh%20full%20ad%20booklet%202013.pdf

You can either right click the link and select  “Save As” to save this file to your computer or click “link” to open from website.

Hope this is helpful especially to those that were unable to make it on Monday night.

SEE THE LIGHT Art Curriculum

Art is one of those areas you either enjoy teaching, you “outsource,” or you unfortunately avoid as unessential. However, if we simply drop this as an unneeded subject we are doing a disservice to our kids, but private art lessons can be costly and time consuming.

Rather than skip it or offer them a sub-par artistic education, there is a wonderful resource that you can use to teach your kids art within your own home, and, for significantly less than individual art lessons.

SEE THE LIGHT DVDs integrate art and Bible with step by step lessons.  They offer three distinct product lines :

ART CLASS – 9 DVD set with 36 lessons to last you a full school year and lay the foundation for great art skills

ART PROJECTS – Take your art skills into specific projects and styles for another year of art instruction

BIBLE STORIES – Five more lessons related to specific stories from the Bible.

You will thoroughly enjoy each of the teachers that come uniquely qualified as artists and as dedicated Christians.

We have personally enjoyed their first sample lessons and I will have a review coming in a few weeks on one of the Art Project DVDs as well. These are great products and essential for no-fuss art instruction that will work across the spectrum of ages.

Check out all the information, their useful resources, and some free tips and sample lessons at their website, http://www.seethelightshine.com

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.

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.

Looking for music instruction in or around Oak Park?

Jeffrey Cappelli of the Cappelli Institute for Music contacted me about getting the word out about his school in the central Oak Park area. He founded this  institution in 1980 and holds many degrees and honors within the music community. They offer lessons on a variety of instruments as well as voice.

They are excited about making their services available within the homeschool community, so please feel free to contact them about various daytime opportunities for lessons and music instruction. Jeffrey Cappelli also offers piano tuning and repair throughout the Chicagoland area.

Contact information for the Cappelli Institute of Music:

Address:  1053 Lake Street, 2nd Floor • Oak Park, IL 60301

Phone: 708-445-8460

Fax: 708-445-8488

Email: info@cappellimusic.com

Website: http://www.cappellimusic.com/

Contact information for Chicago Piano Service:

Phone: 1-866-SERVE-88 (1-866-737-8388) or 708-771-8388

Email: info@chicagopianoservice.com