Category: Field Trips

Meteor Shower tonight

An easy science lesson for you tonight. A spectacular presentation without any effort on your part, aside from maybe providing the bug spray.

Here is the description from the National Geographic website:

The 2010 Perseids sky show reaches its peak Thursday night, with a moonless sky providing near-perfect observing conditions late Thursday into early Friday, astronomers say.

The Perseids should be most visible between 3 p.m. ET on August 12 and 2 a.m. ET on August 13. A very thin, waxing crescent moon will set about an hour after sunset, leaving behind a dark night sky for the Perseid meteors to shine. (Read about another sky show this week featuring a planetary triangle.)

Observers in Europe and North America should see the most meteors at the start of the peak, while in Asia the best show should be early Friday, according to Raminder Singh Samra, resident astronomer at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia. (See asteroid and comet pictures.)

People in the Southern Hemisphere should be able to see the 2010 Perseids too, Samra said, but it won’t be as brilliant as up north.

—With reporting by Andrew Fazekas

This should already be visible now as the sun sets and will continue through the early morning hours.We should have a clear sky and a dim moon, perfect for viewing.

Here’s some more information on getting the best glimpse of the meteors, and if you want to learn a bit about the background to share with your kids as you watch, check out Space.com.

Pals around the Pond

The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum offers lots of hands on learning for all ages.

On Wednesdays you can enjoy a time geared toward 3-6 year olds meeting Pals around their Pond or Pals on the Prairie.

Description: Ages 3-6 Leave the classroom behind and discover the exceptional elements that make the North Pond a unique treasure in the city. To learn more about our early childhood classes, click here.
Registration Info: Class topics vary. Cost: $10/member or $12/non-member. To register, fill out a registration form or email familyprograms@naturemuseum.org.

All ages are welcome to attend. If you have kids that might not fit the target audience, feel free to call about attending with them as well.

They have other events that are free with admission, like pond tours, meeting with a Ranger, and nature walks.
Enjoy these last few weeks of summer!

Six Flags Homeschool Day

2010 HOME SCHOOL DAY
Friday, August 27

Six Flags hosts the 15th annual Home School Day event on August 27. Enjoy a fun filled day at the park with your family and friends. A special all-you-can-eat Home School Day picnic is also available in our private picnic grove. Contact SFGAMspecialevents@sixflags.com for additional information.

Home School Day Flyer

HOME SCHOOL DAY PICNIC—ONLY $10.25

All-you-can-eat picnic buffet in our private picnic grove includes fried
chicken, hot dogs, meatless mostaccioli, potato salad, pasta salad,
potato chips, pickles, rolls and unlimited soft drinks. You may enter the
picnic grove any time from 11:30a.m.-1:00p.m.

EXCLUSIVE RIDE TIME

Purchase a Home School Day ticket and receive one hour of exclusive ride time on Superman Ultimate Flight,
Rue le Dodge and Condor. This exclusive ride time is available before the park opens from 9:00 a.m.-10:00a.m.
and is only available to people who have purchased Home School Day tickets.

Free Educator Screening

You and one (1) guest are invited to a Free Educator Screening of Space Station 3D and Hubble 3D. Additional guests will be charged $5.50 for each movie, or $10.00 for both.  Join us and meet our Science Fair Vendors!  We will raffle prizes and have a Q&A after Hubble 3D!

Date: Tuesday August 24, 2010

Time: 4:30pm – Space Station 3D 5:30pm – Hubble 3D (please arrive a half hour prior to showtime to check-in and register) Q&A to follow Hubble 3D.

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

RSVP: Email or Call 630-659-6762. RSVP by noon on Monday August 23. IMPORTANT – Please leave us your first and last name, school name, theater, 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.
SPACE STATION 3D: SPACE STATION 3D is the story of this unique partnership of 16 nations building a laboratory in outer space — a permanent facility for the study of the effects of long-duration exposure to zero gravity and the necessary first step towards the global co-operative effort needed if man is to someday set foot on Mars. It is a story of challenges, setbacks and triumphs…and ultimately, the shared international victory of men and women whose dreams exceed the limits of life on this Earth. Website Educator Guide
HUBBLE 3D: Experience the gripping story — full of hope, crushing disappointment, dazzling ingenuity, bravery, and triumph – in HUBBLE 3D, the seventh awe-inspiring film from the award-winning IMAX Space Team. HUBBLE 3D recounts the amazing journey of the most important scientific instrument since Galileo’s original telescope and the greatest success in space since the Moon Landing — the Hubble Space Telescope.  Accompany the space walking astronauts as they attempt some of the most difficult tasks ever undertaken in NASA’s history, and will experience up close the awesome power of the launches, the heartbreaking setbacks, and the dramatic rescues of this most powerful story. Website Educator Guide
Teachers!  Book your Group Today! Call Jeannette at 630-659-6762 or email

Homeschool Mom’s Brunch

No Place Like Home Cordially invites you to kick off your school year with Rob Rienow of Visionary Parenting


Rob is husband to Amy and they have been blessed with six children. He is a speaker, author, and Family Pastor at Wheaton Bible Church in Wheaton, IL. He will encourage us as women of God growing our children in the light of the Lord. As a homeschool dad himself, Rob will share the priority of passing faith and character to our children, uplift us as homeschooling moms and cheer us on in our homeschool year ahead. He will instill in us the godly confidence that homeschooling is worth the difficulty and sacrifice of our time and energy! Come and join us for a lovely brunch while getting charged up for an incredible year of hero building!
Who: Awesome Moms
What: A lovely morning brunch with Rob Rienow
Where: Dunham Woods Riding Club Wayne, Illinois
When: September 11, 2010 at 10:00 a.m.
Cost: $20 per person
R.S.V.P. by August 27, 2010
Please mail R.S.V.P.  along with payment to: Michelle Larsen.

Please contact Michelle with questions: marlarsen@foxvalley.net or (847) 697-8813

Join No Place Like Home and Rob Reinow for a morning of fellowship, brunch and fun!

Print and mail the following:

Name: _______________________________________________________________________

Number in Party: ____

Please mail along with payment to: Michelle Larsen 1032 Spinnaker Street Elgin, Illinois 60123
(847) 697-8813 or email:marlarsen@foxvalley.net

Renaissance Faire

The Bristol Renaissance Faire started this weekend, and you have a couple months to make your plans to attend. For each weekend until Labor Day you can enjoy this amazing event.

From their website:

Every Faire day recreates a time when knights were noble, maids were merry, and turkey legs, titanic. Once you enter the portal gates, you travel back in time to the year 1574, and you’ve walked right into an exciting village festival day. And what are we celebrating? Queen Elizabeth, Herself, is visiting Bristol! It’s time to eat, drink and be merry! Revelry is the order of the day!

For 9 glorious weekends starting in early July, each Saturday and Sunday, plus Labor Day Monday, visitors take a rollicking romp through Elizabethan England, complete with 16th Century games, rides, arts, crafts, food, music and one-of-a-kind encounters with a spectacular cast of characters. The Faire boasts a beautiful 30-acre site with open-air stages featuring Swordfighters, Minstrels and Jesters. Meet Robin Hood or Queen Elizabeth, in person! All entertainment is included in the price of admission.

Nearly 200 artisans display their wares in the Bristol Faire Marketplace. Potters, glass blowers, jewelers and forgers busily go about their work, as shoppers discover rare finds around every corner. Offerings range from sterling silver jewelry, hand-thrown pottery and fine crafted leather works to hickory walking sticks, rich tapestries to hammered pewter.

When: Saturdays, Sundays & Labor Day
Jul. 10 thru Sep. 6, 2010
Where: Off I-94 at the IL/WI Border • 10am – 7pm rain or shine
More info, phone: 847-395-7773

This 90 second video will give you an up close look at the Faire:

There are coupons available for this coming weekend and a smaller coupon for the other weekends. So, if you do plan on attending be sure to take advantage of those savings.

Raging Waves

Special Events

Making Waves with Backpacks
backpack

July 11th – 18th Blessings in a Backpack Week

You can make a difference in a child’s life simply by bringing in new or slightly used backpacks and receive a discount on your daily admission price all week long. This unique program is designed to feed elementary school children whose families qualify for the federal free and reduced meal program, and may not have any or enough food on the weekends. The program is administered through schools and a local grocer partners with the program to provide food in the backpacks. Every Friday, students receive their backpacks with food staples and they return their backpacks on Monday.

For every new or gently used backpack that is donated, you will receive $5 off the regular price of a full-day pass.

Helping others and enjoying big family fun at Raging Waves makes it a perfect day!

The ultimate field trip

Did you know Disneyworld has special homeschool days?

Well, they do. I know we are a long way from Florida here in Chicagoland, but I also know lots of people make trips down to Disney on a regular basis. So, if you are planning a trip, or looking for an idea for your family vacation this year, you will want to consider this offer.

Check their website for all the prices and scheduling info. I found their prices for these days quite competitive compared to regular ticket prices.

Disney Homeschool Days Experiential Learning With a Touch of Magic
Information - Tickets
Discover the Magic of the Arts
September 7-9, 2010 Have you ever dreamed of being a stage performer? How about commercial artist or a designer? When it comes to careers in the Arts, you're only limited by your imagination. This summer, the Arts come to life for Homeschoolers
Click Here to Learn More ©Disney Entertainment and event components subject to change without notice.
This is a promotional e-mail from Disney Destinations at the following locations:
Walt Disney World® Resort
Attn: E-mail Marketing
1375 Buena Vista Drive
P.O. Box 10000
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32930

And, even if you can’t make the trip to Disney, your child can get a phone call to bring the magic home. Check out more free stuff in Chicago for this free phone call.

Free movie tickets

American Family, Marcus Theatres team up to send kids to the movies

Kids Rule … especially when it comes to summertime fun!merican Family, Marcus Theatres team up to send kids to the movies

With this in mind, American Family and Marcus Theatres are continuing their popular Kids Rule summer film series for the fifth straight year.

To get in on the fun, pick up your free admission passes from a participating American Family agent. (See links below.) Without a pass, these shows cost $2.75 per person.

Then, for designated movies throughout summer, just sit back and enjoy the show. We’ll even throw in some complimentary popcorn.

What’s playing?

Kids Rule films show every Wednesday and Thursday at 10 a.m. from June 23 through Aug. 12 at participating Marcus Theatres.

There are a number of participating agents that will offer these free tickets to kids while supplies last. Check out all the details and locations of the agents at the American Family Insurance Kids Rule website. (scroll down on that page to find the nearest agent)