Great reminders to focus on more than barbecues and fireworks this weekend.

Happy Fourth of July!

FREE Download to Celebrate Independence Day Uncle Rick’s Tribute to America no purchase necessary Use Promo Code: TRIBUTE Paul Revere`s Ride, The Declaration of Independence, Concord Hymn, The Mayflower  Compact, The Star Spangled Banner. (All 4 verses!) For You They Signed: $35

Special Offer- All July Revisionist history is exploded as Marilyn chronicles the lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. By reading about one of the 56 Signers per week, you can give your family more than a year`s worth of exciting “family times.” Learn together about the sacrifices made by these great men for our freedom. Inspire your children to become citizens who will reclaim the Christian heritage of America A code inside the book gives you free access to a companion ebook containing coloring pages for little hands to complete and hang on the refrigerator to learn to identify the Signers, character quality definitions and Scripture verses to learn (one per week,) and Family Fun Quizzes to use every other week to review the information and make it stick. All Month Regular Price: $49.95 Sale Price: $35 Buy Now

“More than 2.000 years ago, Nehemiah undertook the rebuilding of his nation. As part of the process, he constructed a “House of Heroes” (Neh. 3:16) by which those in his generation could learn of the courage and sacrifices made by previous ones. Through For You They Signed , Marilyn has created a much-needed inspirational “House of Heroes” for this generation. “ David Barton Wallbuilders

You may have heard of or used Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW), or Writing Strands, or Write Shop, or a number of other programs.

I also recently came across this website that shares lots of great writing tips, In Our Write Minds. (written by a Write Shop author)

Last year I had the privilege of reviewing a well-written book called Sarah’s Wish. The author, Jim Baumgardner, has started writing a short series of posts to help parents help kids write.

Since writing is an area we plan to spend some time on we enjoyed reading the first post for our group Composition time today. He focuses on how to come up with ideas for your writing projects and his ideas really helped the wheels start turning in our house.

Check out his full post at Creative Learners, and be inspired!

Johnsburg Library HRC Open House and Used Curriculum Flea Market

July 10th from 10:00 – 4:00

(set-up for the Flea Market begins at 8:30 when the library opens)

10:00 – 12:00 Used Curriculum Flea Market

Sell some stuff, buy some stuff, ask lots of questions!

A limited number of tables and parking spaces are available by advance reservation only.

Those who do not register in advance may bring a blanket and use the lawn to sell.

Each seller is responsible for pricing and selling his/her own materials.

To reserve a space (free!) to sell at the used curriculum flea market please fill out the form below.

Answers to all questions are REQUIRED.

12:00 – 1:00 Eat, Meet and Greet

Bring a lunch or purchase a boxed lunch ($10 each) and join us!

You must reserve boxed lunches in advance (see below).

1:00 – 4:00 Open Forum Panel Discussion Q&A

Ask questions and hear real answers about the different homeschooling styles, curriculum choices, what has worked (and what hasn’t!), legal information, where to find resources, and much more!

This year’s featured panel members are:
Barbara Frank,

author of The Imperfect Homeschooler’s Guide to Homeschooling and LifePrep for Homeschool Teenagers

&

Alison McKee,

author of From Homeschool to College and Work: Turning Your Homeschooled Experiences into College and Job Portfolios and Homeschooling Ourselves, Unschooling our Children.

This event is FREE.

Children are, of course, invited to attend but we do not have room for child care

and any noise must be kept to a minimum in the library.

Homeschool Resource Center at the Johnsburg Public Library
3000 N Johnsburg Rd, Johnsburg, IL 60051
(located on Johnsburg/Wilmot Rd. – 2 blocks north of Chapel Hill Rd.)

Often during the summer months we spend some extra time in books. With a lighter school schedule, more daylight hours, and more enjoyable weather, we love to stretch out with a book, inside or outside.

Why not reward your kids for time spent between those covers?

Of course, first check out your local library. Many of them have summer reading programs beginning this month or next with fun incentives to keep your kids reading.

But, that’s only the beginning:

- Scholastic won’t actually give you something (other than virtual trophies), but you can log minutes to help move toward a world record.

- Barnes & Noble will give your child a free book if they read 8 others and fill out the forms from their website.  (Hat tip to Debra for that link!)

- Borders will also give your under 12 year old a free book in exchange for reading 10 other titles.

- If you haven’t already checked out Book Adventure, that can always help motivate your reader. My kids have not used this much recently, but in the past did win some of their prizes for reading the books and correctly answering questions on a quiz after the reading.

- Feel free to make up your own. Grab some little trinkets at a garage sale, on clearance, use outings as a reward, or just plain old cash. Set goals, and watch your kids dig into those books.

Reading in itself is an amazing reward, but some kids do need that little extra nudge to keep at it. Any other creative ideas or programs for encourage reading in your child?

]]> http://chicagolandhomeschoolnetwork.com/books/summer-reading/feed/ 0 http://chicagolandhomeschoolnetwork.com/sale/scholastic-book-sale/ http://chicagolandhomeschoolnetwork.com/sale/scholastic-book-sale/#comments Mon, 10 May 2010 02:37:40 +0000 admin http://chicagolandhomeschoolnetwork.com/?p=1063 Coupons on top of deals all wrapped up in a warehouse stocked with books, what could be better?

Look up Illinois dates and locations, pre-register to print your coupon, and go shopping!

The Kane County Christian Homeschoolers are having their annual used curriculum sale.

Many sellers will be on hand with their no-longer-needed materials. I find these sales a great place to pick up deals and advice on what to buy and why.

When: Friday May 14, 2010

Time: 1:00-4:00 PM

Where:  Morning Star Community Church in Aurora, Illinois

Members and non-members are welcome to sell and, of course, everyone can come and shop.

Are you considering homeschooling, or are you curious and simply want to know more?

What if you were offered a commendable, complimentary class on homeschooling, taught by experienced educators and included hands-on tools for your personal use?

The course is called Homeschool 101 . . .
Would you like a front row seat?

The Old Schoolhouse^® is thrilled to share this FREE resource with you—a digital supplement to the Schoolhouse Expo.

They have over 20 different families selling their used curriculum. Loads of things to choose from for less than new cost!!!
Bring small bills to making paying easier. 5’s, 1’s, and quarters!!

When: Tuesday, April 27 7:00-9:00pm
Where : Elk Grove Village Public Library

Everyone is invited to come out and see the great finds!
For more details, check their website. www.beaconhomeschool.org

Beacon is a non-denominational Christian support group for parents who home educate their children. Their membership is open to any home schooling family for support. The goals of Beacon are to provide fellowship, encouragement, field trips, workshops, and resources for our members to benefit from.