Category: Field Trips

Homeschool jump time

Homeschool Trampoline Jump Time
When: Monday February 27, 2012
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
(This event repeats every week.)

Where:
2244 Corporate Lane, Naperville, IL 60563

Be sure to call to confirm and for more details.
Phone: 630.717.JUMP(5867)

Home School Day occurs every week on Monday

Homeschoolers jump from 1pm-2pm for only $7!
We are also open to the public at regular rates.

*This is a walk-in price only*
*Not valid on holidays or school days off.*
*No reservations can be made in advance for this price.*
*Groups and Online Purchases will be at standard rates.*

*Liability waiver required for each participant*

Other info like this as well as some great conversation can be found by joining the Naperville Home Educators Yahoo group.

Free Educator Screening!

You and one (1) guest are invited to a Free Educator Screening of SEA REX 3D: JOURNEY TO A PREHISTORIC WORLD. Additional guests will be charged $7.00 per person.

Date: Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Time: 5:30pm – (please arrive a half hour prior to showtime to check-in and register)

Place: Randall 15 IMAX – 550 N. Randall Road, Batavia, IL 60510  Get Map

RSVP: Email or Call 630-659-6762. RSVP by noon on Tuesday February 28th. IMPORTANT – Please leave us your first and last name, school name, theater, email address, and number of people attending. If registering via email, you will receive an email confirmation. If registering via phone, you will not receive a phone call to confirm your space.
Through the power of IMAX 3D, experience a wondrous adventure from the dinosaur age. Join Julie, an imaginative young woman, in a unique voyage through time and space. Explore an amazing underwater universe inhabited by larger-than-life creatures which were ruling the seas before dinosaurs conquered the earth. See science come alive in an entertaining manner and get ready for a face-to-face encounter with the T-Rex of the seas!
Website & Trailer Educator Guide Classroom Guide
SciTech Hands-On Museum is bringing hands-on exhibits & novelties to purchase

Paleontologist Rob Sula is bringing fossils of prehistoric sea creatures & dinosaurs, and hand-drawn dinosaur artwork.
Teachers!  Book your Group Today! Call 630-659-6762 or email
MOVIES BELOW ARE AVAILABLE FOR GROUP RESERVATIONS!
Visit our website for more information on IMAX and Teacher Resources at www.GQTI.com/IMAX

Special speaker in DeKalb

Received this info via email:

Please join us on Monday, February 20 to welcome Wanda Gibert as she shares with the HEART homeschool group:

A Holy Influence:  Be the Crowning Touch in Your Husband’s Life

God has given wives an extraordinary ministry to their husbands.  Balancing homeschooling, schedules, meals, and caring for little ones often leaves wives tired with little energy to give to our husbands.  Wanda Gibert, mother of six, will share ways to keep the God-ordained unity and intimacy between husbands and wives.

This talk is for wives only, but husbands don’t let that stop you from coming out with your wife. The men will meet to enjoy fellowship and “guy” time in a separate room.

HEART meets at Evangelical Free Church, 150 Bethany Rd, DeKalb, IL.  Doors open at 6:30 for fellowship with our meeting starting at 7pm.  We invite everyone to join us for this special meeting.

Farm tours available

I enjoyed a CSA from this farm quite a few years ago now, and here they are with tours of their facilities. Great way to kick of the outdoor growing season and add a unique field trip to your schedule.

From Erewhon Farm:

Visit Our Farm – Learn How to Garden Organically

Edible Farm Tours — 2012 Schedule

February/ March, 2012, Maple Sugaring Tour! (Dates will depend on the weather)

See how we tap the maple trees, collect the sap, and boil it down to make the most delicious, all natural maple syrup!  Also, we’re planting and transplanting spring crops in our hoop houses!  We’ll show you how to start seedlings for your home garden.

April 28, 2012 @1:30

Early spring crops are growing in our hoop houses and you can taste anything you like.  We’ll show you how we grow seedlings indoors, how we fertilize them, and how we transplant them into our garden beds.  We’ll show you how to make a low-cost cover for your garden crops so you can start earlier in the spring.  Robin Migalla will demonstrate easy ways to cook kale and Swiss chard. Yum!

May 26, 2012 @1:30

We’ll show you how we prepare our growing beds and some techniques for minimizing weeds in the garden.  What’s growing in our raised beds and how we make them. Guess how hot is our compost pile.  Is anything blossoming in our edible forest garden?  We’ll taste a variety of salad greens and share a garden salad. Robin Migalla will demonstrate easy ways to cook kale and Swiss chard. Yum!

Please let Gayle Riley know you’re coming:  (630)776-1700 Cost: $10.00 per person, children under 12 are free! CSA subscribers $5.00.

Private Farm Events

Especially designed tours for school field trips, boy and girl scout troops, and individuals from clubs or organizations. This one hour tour will be themed for the specific time of year and your interests.  Vegetable tasting encouraged.

Cost per person $7.50 with a minimum of $50.00

Please contact Gayle Riley to plan your event.  (630)776-1700.

We can also organize more in-depth farm visits.  Contact Tim Fuller (timf7@yahoo.com or 630-485-9963) for more info.

Farm Location:

40W248 Hughes Rd. Elburn, IL 60119

Mailing address:  Tim Fuller, 968 Pattee Av., Elburn, IL 60119

www.erehwonfarm.com

Events at Midwest Museum of Natural History

Got this information via email, and looks like some intriguing events! Note that with this first one if you mention that you heard it here, at the Chicagoland Homeschool Network, they will let one adult attend for free! Be sure to tell them thanks from all us homeschoolers.

“Hoo’s” for Dinner: Owl Pellet Dissection

Thursday, February 23, 7-8:00 pm

$7/person, Members: $5/person (adults and kids)

Space is limited, call to register: 815-895-9777

It’s almost time for owlets to begin appearing! And we’re celebrating by dissecting owl pellets. Owl pellets are balls of fur and bones that the bird cannot digest and coughs up. We’ll walk through the dissection of pellets and identification of the remains found inside. Each person gets their own pellet. Designed for ages 6+. Special offer: Mention this blog and get one free adult!

Jack Hanna: Into the Wild Live

Sunday, March 11, 2:00 pm

$20 adults, $15 children and students, premium seats available

Show will be held at the Egyptian Theater in DeKalb: 135 North Second Street, Dekalb, IL 60115

Jack Hanna’s Into the Wild Live show features many of his favorite animal friends, as well as fascinating and humorous stories and footage from his adventures around the world. Everyone from the youngest child to the oldest adult will be entertained and inspired. Tickets on sale now: http://www.egyptiantheatre.org/

The Natural History of Coffee

a lecture by Gene Powers

Thursday, March 15, 7-8:00 pm

$4/person, members free, ages high school to adult

Big Run Wolf Ranch

Saturday, March 31, 1-2:30 pm

Ages 8 and up

$10/person (kids and adults), fee includes Museum admission for the day

Member rate: $8/person

Space is limited, reservations required: 815-895-9777

Big Run Wolf Ranch is a non-profit, federally licensed, educational program which specializes in education and conservation of North American wildlife. During their presentation you’ll meet a live coyote, skunk, groundhog, porcupine, and wolf. Space is limited and reservations are required: 815-895-9777. Ages 8+ by request of the presenter.

Safari Sprouts

Wednesday, March 28, 10:15-11:15 am

4th Wednesdya of every month

Ages 3-5

$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.

For more information:

Midwest Museum of Natural History

425 West State St, Sycamore IL 60178

815-895-9777 www.mmnh.org

Tues-Sat, 10-5:00

Sunday 12-5:00

closed Mondays

DuPage Engineers Week

Last year I heard about an event geared toward K-8th grade students that would help them understand and explore the various worlds of engineering. I had no idea how much we would enjoy this event.

Here’s the info on the event for this year:

Join us for a fun, free, family interactive event with displays and presentations that will excite children about science and engineering. The DuPage Engineers Week Expo includes cryogenic freezing with a few controlled explosions, model airplanes and a wind tunnel exhibit, robots, bicycle power, load testing and destruction, static electricity, levers and pulleys, building molecules and hands-on activities with ZOOM®, Design Squad, LEGO® Robotics, and the DuPage Children’s Museum. See a list the free public events.

You do not have to be an engineer to enjoy the 28th Annual DuPage Area Engineers Week Expo. The Expo is geared toward children in K-8th Grade, however, all ages will enjoy this event!

Details:
When: Saturday, February 25, 2012 from 10:30 AM – 3:30 PM
Where: Illinois Institute of Technology: 201 East Loop Road, Wheaton, IL (Directions)
Cost: Free, and open to the public

Lunch and snack items will be available for purchase as a fundraiser from Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana.

IIT Alumni – Call for information on a special Alumni-only Breakfast!

If you are free and looking for something to keep your kids engaged, I would encourage you to check this out. It was packed last year, but we still managed to navigate our stroller through the hallways somehow. Our whole family enjoyed the event immensely, although our then 8 month old did not like Mr. Freeze’s explosions. If you have seen his show there or elsewhere, you can probably understand why.

Expect parking to be a nightmare, and the building to be crowded, but also prepare for your kids to enjoy themselves and not want to leave. We all learned a lot of new information.  Some displays have kids helping out, but many are staffed by engineers eager to share about their background, their education, the career choice, and their displays. They want to engage your student and help them learn about engineering and the various fields it encompasses.

The program for the event is now available online, so check that out to get a good idea of what to expect from the displays.

Steve Demme coming to the area

Next week! This ICHE sponsored event is coming soon, and if you can’t attend in person you can register to attend online. Steve Demme is an incredible speaker and well worth taking the time out of your weekend to give a listen.

Please join ICHE and CHOSEN, the Freeport area support group, in welcoming
Steve Demme to the greater Rockford area!

Steve will be sharing his unique and encouraging insights on family life.  Steve and his wife have raised four sons by God’s grace.  He has worked as a math teacher and a pastor, but many know him as the author and founder of Math-U-See.

The desire of Steve’s heart is to see a balanced bilblical view of the family restored.  We are very excited to hear from a man who has seen first hand how our homes and families can be impacted by the love and grace of our Savior.

Check out their website for all of the details about this family discipleship seminar.

This event is an exciting first for ICHE.
If you cannot attend in person, we are offering a live webstream of the event!

To view the live webstream, register online and check the box that says live stream at the end of the registration form.  You will receive an email shortly before the event with instructions on accessing the website and video stream.

Evolution presentation

Information from the Midwest Creation Fellowship:

Is Evolution True? The Field Museum’s Proof

Click for website of Evolving Planet Exhibit at Field MuseumJim Orme

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

6:45 p.m. — Refreshments

7:00 – 8:30 p.m. — Presentation and Q&A

The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago states unequivocally that evolution is one of the best-proven theories of science. Come and assess for yourself the quality of the evidence that the Field presents to support their view. You may be surprised.

Presented By: Mr. Jim Orme frequently visits the Field Museum, and is the author of “Evolution: Fact or Fiction?,” one of the Field Museum guides on this website. Jim retired after 34 years as a systems analyst and developer for Bell Labs, AT&T and Tellabs. His responsibilities were as varied as the simulation of a spy satellite system, analysis of telecommunications traffic, development of real-time operator systems, and development of domestic and international telecommunication standards. more

Location: 25W560 Geneva Road, Carol Stream, IL

No charge. We also plan to have light refreshements, and a table of resources for sale.

For more information, call 630-702-9061 or email wscmcf@hotmail.com.

Fitness incentive program

plunge

We all may be seeking fitness motivation that keeps our New Year’s goals rolling, and while this incentive is for the students, maybe it will help us keep our own plans in line.

Raging Waves Waterpark offers an incentive program that will really get kids moving.

From their site:

Welcome to the 2012 Plunge into Fitness Program

Children Kindergarten through 8th grade are invited to Plunge into Fitness this spring as Raging Waves Waterpark joins the battle against childhood obesity. The fitness initiative runs March 5 through April 30, and each child completing the program requirements during this seven-week period will receive a free Raging Waves full day admission pass.

The Plunge into fitness program requires a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise each day, which totals 25 hours for the seven week period. Any activity that increases heart rate qualifies including: walking, running, biking, playing team sports, skateboarding, swimming, jumping rope and hopscotch. For the duration of the program, each child will complete a fitness log provided by Raging Waves. Once complete, a parent will sign it and the child will turn it into his or her teacher by April 30th. All children kindergarten through 8th grade, including homeschoolers, are encouraged to join this program and earn a free Raging Waves full-day admission pass.

They even have posters to download and all the info right there on their site.  Sign in doesn’t actually start until April 30 when you may use your log in id and password they provide to upload all participating students at once. Everything must be received online only by May 15, 2012.

They say they also give you an opportunity to buy additional tickets for 25% off!

Check out all the details for their Plunge into Fitness program.

Free Things on MLK Day

From Free Things to do in Chicago:

There are lots of great free things to do on Martin Luther King Day in Chicago.  Three of the leading museums have free admission on this holiday:

FREE Museum of Science and Industry on MLK Day – Jan 16martin luther king 197x300 Free Admission to Chicago Museums on Martin Luther King Day Jan 16
Come on out on MLK Day and enjoy the health-focused new “You! The Experience” gallery, and the awesome  “Science Storms.” Science Storms reveals the science behind seven natural phenomena—lightning, fire, tornados, avalanches, tsunamis, sunlight and atoms in motion. Investigate the basic scientific principles behind nature’s power as you try more than 50 amazing experiments that take two floors and 26,000 square feet to contain … barely. It’s a perfect storm of physics, chemistry and curiosity. Also take in the renovated U-505 German submarine, a simulated coal mine and a glass-covered hatchery of chicks. Illinois residents can take advantage of free general admission on Monday, January 16.

Museum of Science and Industry – 773-684-1414
5700 S Lake Shore Dr
msichicago.org
9:30am–4pm.

FREE Shedd Aquarium on MLK Day – Jan 16
The Shedd aquatic galleries are home to creatures from the Waters of the World – rivers and reefs, Great Lakes and small ones, and the global ocean. So take a tour of the water planet. Want to explore a little deeper? Immerse yourself in the Caribbean Reef, Amazon Rising’s flooded forest, the Oceanarium’s Pacific Northwest coast and Wild Reef’s Indo-Pacific reef. Go totally polar in Polar Play Zone and be sure to see Shedd’s aquatic show.   Admission to original exhibits “Waters of the World,” “Caribbean Reef” and “Amazon Rising” is free to Illinois residents on Monday, January 16. Discounts are also available for packages that include entry to exhibits such as “Abbott Oceanarium,” “Wild Reef” and “Polar Play Zone.”

Shedd Aquarium – 312-939-2438
1200 S Lake Shore Dr
sheddaquarium.org
9am–5pm

FREE Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Activities at the Chicago History Museum

Commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through family activities and crafts reflecting his messages of peace and justice. Listen to music that honors Dr. King, and attend a performance of The MLK Project by the Writers’ Theatre.    Cost: Free Admission and includes complimentary Museum admission

Schedule of Events

All day

Kids Crafts with Artist Sue Romanelli

Crown Room, first floor

11:00 a.m.
The MLK Project: Fight for Civil Rights
The Writer’s Theatre
Rubloff Auditorium, 1st floor’

12:30 p.m.
Precious Lord: A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Chicago Chamber ChoirChicago Room, 2nd floor1:45 p.m.
“I have a Dream” speech
Re-enactment by Oba William KingChicago Room, 2nd floor2:00 p.m.
Voices for Freedom
Gwen Hilary, Storyteller and Enoch Williamson, MusicianChicago Room, 2nd floor2:45 p.m.
“I’ve been to the Mountaintop” speech
Re-enactment by Oba William KingChicago Room, 2nd floor

Chicago History Museum – 312-642-4600

10am–3pm
1601 N Clark St