Even if you did not donate this year, please come and be blessed and see what it is all about. Next year you can jump in with both feet, but for now, come and enjoy the abundance just waiting for a good home.
Location:
Elburn Community
Center Gym,
525 N. Main Street,
Elburn, Illinois

Dates & Times:

Drop off – May 18
10 am – 7 pm

Swap – May 19
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.
Moms
Our desire is to follow 1 John 3:16-18
- to love with actions & truth, not just words.

Do you have other questions? Contact – authenticmoms@gmail.com

Items we swap include:
- Baby items
- Gently used clothes & shoes
- Children’s Toys
- Furniture
- Books, Games & School Supplies
- Household & Kitchen Accessories

ALL Items are for SWAP, not SALE

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.

Click on the Get Coupon button on their site and you can get a coupon for free admission to a number of public gardens. You do need to give your name, email, zip code, pick your garden, and indicate the number in your party. The coupon is good for 2 admissions, but the site says to print as many as you need for your group.

In Illinois, included in the list are:

• Cantigny
• Chicago Botanic Garden
• Elmhurst College Arboretum
• Klehm Arboretum & Botanic Garden
• Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens
• Rockford Park District
• The Morton Arboretum
• University of Illinois Arboretum

More all across the country, so share with your in and out of state friends as well.

The weather here in Chicago is supposed to be gorgeous on Friday so grab the sunscreen and a picnic lunch, and enjoy a field trip!

A hidden jewel and an affordable outing.

Graue (Pronounced Gr-ow-ee) Mill will take you back to the days of kitchen bathtubs, homespun cloth, and mill ground grain.

Located along Salt Creek in Oak Brook, the mill first began turning in 1852 and for 70 years farmers were able to bring their grain to this custom mill to have their grain turned into flour or meal. Fred Graue would keep a portion as payment for his services, and you can still see how it all took place today.

On the main floor you will find a small gift shop and the main grinding area. They ground some corn into a coarse cornmeal for us to touch, and it is available for purchase as well.

My daughter got to participate in the process and enjoyed the hands-on experience of removing kernels from the cob the way they did it before combine harvesters came along.  She also tried her hand at hand grinding to help demonstrate how much easier the mill made the farmer’s job. The mill is run by electricity today, but it doesn’t detract from the authentic feel of the place and the understanding you take away with you of how a real water mill worked.

Other tasks that kids can observe and/or participate in include carding wool, playing checkers with corn cob pieces, making pretend pies with pieces of felt and puffy balls that look like cherries and blueberries as well as pretend apple wedges.  My toddler especially enjoyed those. Kids can dress up, try their hand at ironing (with a cold iron), watch the loom in action, and learn about life over a hundred years ago.

The museum portion is small, but well packed with artifacts and information that kept my kids’ interest. We have been to many similar demonstrations and they have all carded and spun wool before, but the one-on-one attention at Graue was a special experience anyway. If your kids haven’t done these activities before, this is a great personalized introduction to it.

In the basement  you will find the underworkings of the mill and a small area dedicated to the other function of the mill — as a stop on the underground railroad. Pictures and artifacts found there would be a great supplement to a study on this era as well.

Getting there: 3800 York Road Oak Brook, Illinois 60523. Just 18 miles from the heart of Chicago, the Mill is on York Road, 1/4 mile north of Ogden Avenue, at the junction of York and Spring Roads.

Cost: The mill is one of the sites available through the Museum Adventure Pass, so be sure to stop by your library for 2 adult and 2 kid passes before heading to the mill.

Children 4-12         $1.50
Children 3-under     Free

Adults                  $3.50
Seniors                 $3.00

When to go: It is good to call and make sure you are not arriving at the same time as a prescheduled field trip. While it can be fun to tag along, a larger group can pretty well fill the place and make it difficult for you to see much of anything. They will be happy to share their other field trip times with you. We arrived when they opened and had the place pretty much to ourselves until 11:30 when 150 kids arrived. However, they said they do sometimes have field trips scheduled for at or before their regular opening time, so it would be best to call first. Also, they said mornings tend to be better as the demonstrators aren’t always there all day, so be sure to ask about that when you call as well. Because we arrived just before a group we were able to enjoy the three docents on hand that day. They really added to our enjoyment of the visit.

Hours
Daily Tuesday – Sunday 10 AM to 4:30 PM
Closed Monday, Except for Holidays

Telephone: 630-655-2090 or 630-920-9720

Other tips: Parking is on the other side of York Road from the mill. You will turn South off of York, but then take the foot bridge under the road to get to the mill. It is a small, but tall building with four floors. The museum is not spacious and so is not stroller friendly. We just left ours outside during the hour and a half we were enjoying the displays and demonstrations. If you have extra time, enjoy the trails and head up to the nature center in Fullersburg Woods. Beautiful area and lots of wildlife to enjoy as well. Pack a picnic lunch if you would like and make a longer day of it.

We really enjoyed our outing to the mill, and it was a great meetup with my parents as well. I always enjoy mixed ages on a field trip as we all bring such a different perspective to historical observations. Definitely find a day on your calendar soon to enjoy the rich history of this quaint mill.

Special events coming in May:

Sunday, May 6, program begins at 1pm
Underground Railroad in DuPage County – Lesa Hipes
Learn how slaves made their way from Missouri to Graue Mill, then Chicago, and eventually Canada and freedom

Sunday, May20

Sheep Shearing and Spin-In Shearings begin at 1pm
Watch Harold Davis give a sheep a haircut. Talk with our volunteers about the old-time crafts of spinning and weaving. Try your hand at the drop spindle and find out the benefits of joining our team of dedicated volunteers.

HOME SCHOOLING PROGRAM

We are pleased to announce that we will be offering a Home Schooling time block.  This will be on Wednesdays from 1:30pm – 3:00pm, beginning Wednesday, May 2nd.  The cost will be $8.00 per jumper.  Families larger than 4 kids, there will be a $2 discount for additional siblings (not cousins, or nieces or nephews or grandkids or friends…).  Each jumper must have a signed waiver by their parent or legal guardian.  No exceptions, just like in any other case.

847.608.0600 office

http://www.epicairpark.com

http://www.facebook.com/epicair

“You Ready To Jump!?”

Dodgeball, Trampoline Arena, Foam Pit, Long Tracks, Basketball, Parties, Events

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.

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.

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

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 seminar will provide a unique opportunity for teachers to engage in discussion on global citizenship, with morning workshops by the partners, a luncheon keynote from former President Jimmy Carter, and the opening afternoon of the World Summit with Nobel Peace Laureates. A draft agenda is available here. The seminar is accessible by CTA, and parking will be reimbursed.

Participants will receive 7 CPDUs. All CPS participants are eligible for subsidized release time. Non-CPS educators are eligible for subsidized release time on an “as needed” basis from a limited pool of funds. Participants must attend the entire seminar to qualify for subsidized release time.

You must be registered to attend, and the deadline is April 6.  (Already full, but you can check out more info and find out about the webcast)

Come and join math, science, engineering, & technology experts from a wide variety of careers.

• Meet scientists, engineers, & technicians
• Ask career questions of the experts
• Ask experts about educational pathways leading to specific careers
• Discuss career fields with professional association representatives
• Attend panel discussions on career areas
• Access career expo resources

The STEM Career Expo is a cooperative effort of Kane and DuPage county schools, hosted by Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.

Website: http://ed.fnal.gov/programs/careerfair/

For more information, send e-mail to edreg@fnal.gov.