Homeschool and Gym group meeting in Beverly area

A homeschool friend shared this on facebook:
The Beverly/Morgan Park Home School & Gym Group, Inc. is hosting a Visitors’ Day on Tuesday, March 19, at 9am-noon. Our co-op gathers weekly in the Beverly area on Tuesdays. Our age range is Infant thru High School.
The Beverly/Morgan Park Home School & Gym Group, Inc. is a co-operative non-profit. We exist to provide Chicago area and nearby suburban home schooling families opportunities to participate in sports, academics, creative co-op classes and other activities in a God-centered learning environment.

Some of the Gym Activities and Co-op classes we are doing this year:
Soccer Literary Sessions
Basketball Choir
Floor Hockey Science Experiments/Dissection
Ultimate Frisbee Cooking

Please RSVP to our Membership Coordinator Laurie, membership.bmphsgg@gmail.com to reserve your spot. Please include the following information.

Name of Parents Attending:
Names and Ages of Children as of Sept. 1, 2013:
Phone Number:

Once Laurie receives your RSVP, she will email you a confirmation with additional details about the day. Please note: We are limited in the number of visitors we can accommodate at one time.

ETA: Wanted to let you all know this is a Christian group so you have a better idea if it will suit your needs or not. ~Thank you!

Greenhouse Open House

GREENHOUSE

The Greenhouse is having a Sampler Night for interested families. They offer one day a week classes as well as enrichment classes for homeschooled students.

In collaboration with parents, The Greenhouse exists to develop a new geneartion of leaders who will serve the commond good and in all thngs bring glory to God.

Come hear all about the Greenhouse!

Date:Thursday Feb. 21
Time:7:30pm
Place:Holy Cross Lutheran Church
Address: 802 E. Geneva Road, Wheaton, IL
Website: http://www.the-greenhouse.com/

Activities just for Homeschoolers in Glenview

Forwarded via email:
Introducing…. Home School Week at The Grove!
For the first time ever…
The Grove is dedicating one week exclusively for Homeschoolers to experience our hands-on programs!
Historical and Environmental Educational programs are available for homeschoolers from grades K-8.
For more information or to register for a program, please contact Kris (224) 521-2101 or Judy (224)521-2105 by February 20, 2013. Late registrants may be accepted based on availability. Please note that payment in full is required at time of registration (children 4 and under are free).
For a full description of our programs and to see a video of our field trips, please  click here.
The Grove is located at 1421 Milwaukee Avenue in Glenview, IL 60025
Grove logo w acorn
Monday, March 4, 2013
Pioneer Skills:
Think your chores are tough today? Learn what life was like for pioneer children-from candle making to weaving, students will experience what it took to be a pioneer firsthand! This program ends with a delicious lunch prepared by students featuring: tomato based beef stew, cornbread with freshly churned butter, applesauce and snickerdoodles for dessert!
Who: Grades 4-8

When: 9:30am-12:30pm

Where: The Grove, 1421 Milwaukee Ave, Glenview IL. Please park in the West Lot, staff will direct you to the correct building

Fee: $13.50 adult + child (lunch included), each additional child $6.75

Max/Min: 30/15

Log Cabin:

Do you think it’s possible for a family of six to live together in one or two rooms? Students will discover what life was like living in a 1850s log cabin, and what children were expected to do-from tin punch to drawing water from a well-these hands on experiences will make students appreciate the difference between pioneer life and the modern world! A pioneer lunch is included in the program-see above description for menu.

Who: Grades K-3

When: 9:30am-12:30pm

Where: The Grove, 1421 Milwaukee Ave, Glenview IL. Please park in the West Lot, staff will direct you to the correct building

Fee: $13.50 adult + child (lunch included), each additional child $6.75

Max/Min: 30/15

Pack Your Wagon:

Imagine having to load up your car-for a trip from the east coast to the west coast. Would you be able to pack enough food/clothing/soap to last for weeks at a time? Work together to determine what’s important enough to bring along and what can be left behind and pack The Grove’s wagon to ready for a trip westward!

Who: Grades 1-8

When: 12:30pm-2:30pm

Where: The Grove, 1421 Milwaukee Ave, Glenview IL. Please park in the West Lot, staff will direct you to the correct building

Fee: $10.50 adult + child, each additional child $4 (within same family)

Max/Min: 30/15

Tuesday, March 5, 2013
The Kent Fuller Air Station Prairie

2400 Compass Road, Glenview, IL. 60025

Parking is available along Compass Road and along Lehigh.

Mighty Wind:
Harness the power of the wind in this fact filled program in which students will work in groups to build a kite! Learn about some of the alternative forms of energy being produced at the Tyner Center.
Who: Grades 1-8
When: 9:30am-11:30am
Fee: $10.50 adult + child, each additional child $4 (within same family)

Max/Min: 30/15

Recycling 101:

Do you know how long it takes a shoe to decompose in a landfill? Learn all about the 3 R’s and how making small changes can make a huge impact on the Earth!
Who: Grades 1-8
When: 12:30pm-2:30pm
Fee: $10.50 adult + child, each additional child $4 (within same family)

Max/Min: 30/15

Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Schoolhouse

Travel back in time and learn what school was like in the 1850s at The Grove. Experience a typical school day in our reproduction Schoolhouse, where a schoolmarm or school master will lead students through lessons in history, math, spelling and geography using slate boards and quill pens.

Who: Grades 1-8, Fee: $10.50 adult + child, each additional  child $4 (within same family)

When: 9:30am-11:30am

Where: The Grove, 1421 Milwaukee Ave., Glenview, IL. Please park in the West Lot, staff will direct you to the correct building

Max/Min: 30/15

Native North Americans:
Learn all about the Potawatomi Indians’ culture and heritage, and the historical ties between this native group and the settlers around The Grove. Learn about the traditions of the Potawatomi and how they impacted the land, and try your hand at using some of their tools and playing some of their games.

Who: Grades 1-8,Fee: $10.50 adult + child, each additional child $4 (within same family)

When:12:30-2:30am

Where: The Grove, 1421 Milwaukee Ave., Glenview, IL. Please park in the West Lot, staff will direct you to the correct building

Max/Min: 30/15

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Seasonal Changes:

Walk along our trails with one of our trained interpreters as they explain the significance of the changing seasons and what signs to look for along the trails. Meet some of the native animals that reside at The Grove and some of the natural artifacts in the Interpretive Center.

Who: Grades K-3

When: 9:30am-11:30am

Where: The Grove, 1421 Milwaukee Ave, Glenview IL. Please park in the West Lot, staff will direct you to the correct building

Fee: $10.50 adult + child, each additional child $4 (within same family)

Max/Min: 30/15

Dynamic Earth:

Ever seen a glacial erratic up close? Discover all the forces that have shaped the Earth through time, as well as learning how to look for evidence of glaciers.

Who: Grades 4-8

When: 9:30am-11:30am

Where: The Grove, 1421 Milwaukee Ave, Glenview IL. Please park in the West Lot, staff will direct you to the correct building

Fee: $10.50 adult + child, each additional child $4 (within same family)

Max/Min: 30/15

Habitats and Lifecycles:

Dig into the soil and discover what’s in the ground! Learn all about the lifecycles of different animals and the types of habitats that can be found at The Grove.

Who: Grades 1-3

When: 12:30pm-2:30pm

Where: The Grove, 1421 Milwaukee Ave, Glenview IL. Please park in the West Lot, staff will direct you to the correct building

Fee: $10.50 adult + child, each additional child $4 (within same family)

Max/Min: 30/15

GSI:

Dissect an owl pellet as part of your investigation into the crime that was committed at The Grove. To solve the case, students learn about predator/prey relationships and use this understanding to eliminate suspects to come to a logical conclusion.

Who: Grades 4-8

When: 12:30pm-2:30pm

Where: The Grove, 1421 Milwaukee Ave, Glenview IL. Please park in the West Lot, staff will direct you to the correct building

Fee: $10.50 adult + child, each additional child $4 (within same family)

Max/Min: 30/15

Friday, March 9, 2013

Letterboxing:

Letterboxing is a fun way to go on a hike and explore new places at the same time. Each participant will receive a journal and learn its use, and how & where to find the Letterboxes.   Participants will hit the trails in search of The Grove’s Letterboxes.

Who: Grades 1-4

When: 9:30am-11:30am

Where: The Grove, 1421 Milwaukee Ave, Glenview IL. Please park in the West Lot, staff will direct you to the correct building

Fee: $14.50 adult + child, each additional child $5 (within same family)

Max/Min: 30/15

Blacksmithing:

Participants will learn how to work with the forge, anvil and hammers that a Blacksmith uses to make useful household items. Everyone will take a finished project home.

Who: Grades 5-8

When: 9:30am-11:30am

Where: The Grove, 1421 Milwaukee Ave, Glenview IL. Please park in the West Lot, staff will direct you to the correct building

Fee: $14.50 adult + child, each additional child $5 (within same family)

Max/Min: 10/5

Grove Adventures:

Take a hike in the woods to find animal homes and their footprints. Then gather around the camp fire to roast marshmallows, make s’mores and sing songs. Dress for the weather. Program may be modified due to inclement weather.

Who: Grades K-8

When: 12:30pm-2:30pm

Where: The Grove, 1421 Milwaukee Ave., Glenview, IL. Please park in the West Lot, staff will direct you to the correct building.

Fee: $14.50 adult + child, each additional child $5 (within same family)

Max/Min: 40/15

Jump into the Civil War in Rockford

Civil War Hands-On History

Midway Village Museum – Rockford, IL- History Museum

April 30, May 1, 2 and 3, 2013
9:30 am – 2 pm each day

This award-winning educational event is specially designed to meet the curriculum standards for students in grades 5th through 8th. Midway Village Museum’s campus makes this an exceptional field trip destination with more than 25 historic buildings and from 40 to 50 different living history sites offered each day. Groups will visit the sites that they choose.

The program is open to public, private or home schools from northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. In 2012, approximately 5,000 students participated in this program, but space is limited and advance registration is required.

Examples of sites that students can visit:

  • Meet famous people – President & Mrs. Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Clara Barton, General U. S. Grant and many others
  • Experience being a soldier, including marching and drilling
  • Learn how to operate Civil War era artillery
  • Talk to soldiers from both the North and the South
  • Learn about lady’s fashion of the 1860s
  • Square dance in a barn hayloft
  • Sing along to popular music of the times
  • Visit the 1850s Barn to learn about the Underground Railroad
  • Experience school lessons in a one room schoolhouse
  • Learn about the art of blacksmithing
  • Learn the early rules of base ball and how the sport became popular because of the war
  • Meet lady spies for both the North and the South
  • Learn about Civil War doctors and medicine
  • Meet women soldiers
  • Learn about Civil War era photography
  • Show your knowledge of the times by playing Civil War Jeopardy

Cost is $7 per student and $1 per adult chaperone.

Download our reservation form for the Civil War Hands-on History Program in PDF format »

For registration information, contact Jessica MacDonald, Special Events Coordinator at 815 397-9112, ext. 104 or jessica.macdonald@midwayvillage.com.

For all the details and to register, check out the Midway Village’s website.

If you are unable to make this event, you might still be interested in some of the other opportunities for homeschoolers in particular to enjoy the museum.

Homeschool classes through IIT in Wheaton

Here is a fantastic looking opportunity, and very affordable! Hat-tip to the Naperville Home Educators Yahoo group for sharing.

Hello Home School parents~

I would like to invite your child to participate in the Illinois Institute of Technology science offering, Let’s Be Water Wise! Home schooled students will meet together for 8 weeks (Thursdays), beginning February 21st, at the IIT- Rice Campus in Wheaton. See http://www.iit.edu/rice/about/directions.shtml for directions and location. The class will run from 8:00 AM until 10:30.

The group will be comprised of six to ten students, aged 11-15, and interested parents. I will facilitate. I have taught biology, chemistry, physical science, environmental science and methods in science education for 36 years, working with students aged 6 through adult. After examining the attached syllabus, if you would like your child to participate, respond to this email with your child’s name and age. Next, please send a check for $25 payable to the IIT School of Applied Technology, to my attention at the address below. This will reserve a spot for your child and will cover the lab fee for the class. There may be field trip entrance fees and transportation costs as well, but there will be no other course fee. If you have other questions, let me know.

Looking forward to this new IIT collaboration,Susan
Susan Camasta, PhD
Adjunct Faculty
School of Applied Technology &

Department of Mathematics & Science Education
Illinois Institute of Technology
Rice Campus201 East Loop Road Wheaton, IL 60189
(630) 408-8054

This pilot program, supported by the IIT School of Applied Technology, will run for 8 weeks, meeting once/week at the IIT Rice Campus in Wheaton.  Each session will be approximately 2.5 hours. Field experiences will meet off campus, and at least two are planned.  Six to ten students will be enrolled; the intended audience is young people, aged 12-16. Parents are welcome participants.

Please contact her for more details and a preliminary syllabus.

Crystal Lake Park District’s homeschool classes

Kathy Wentz shared this tidbit over at her blog, Wentz Educational Services:

Winter Session classes at the Crystal Lake Park District begin soon!

At the Crystal Lake Park District I am offering a 6 week Junior High and High School Genetics class on Monday afternoons and Math & Science Club classes for the younger set on Thursday afternoons. The winter session’s Math and Science Club “over view” topics will be oceanography and decimals.

To register for these classes and many more (including Cooking, Art, and Karate) please visit the Crystal Lake Park District web page.

It is definitely worth checking out the classes they have available. If you are near but not in Crystal Lake even their non-resident rates are reasonable and the variety they have available is amazing! Be sure to take advantage of these if you are nearby.

And, if you aren’t familiar with Kathy Wentz, make sure you check out her site as well with the many services, resources, and information that she shares with the local homeschool community.

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.

Midwest Creation Fellowship presentation

Received via email:

Midwest Creation Fellowship talk, “The Heavens Declare the Glory of GOD – And a Young Solar System!” by Helmut Welke, M.S. on Tuesday, December 4, 2012 at 6:45 p.m. at 25W560 Geneva Road in Carol Stream, IL 60188.

The Heavens Declare the Glory of GOD – And a Young Solar System!  Join the Midwest Creation Fellowship (MCF) at its next meeting on December 4, where Helmut Welke will review the scientific evidence from astronomy that debunks the Big Bang Theory of origins.  He will also reveal the current evidence from observations and NASA space probes that indicate our solar system cannot be billions of years old!

Helmut Welke is the President of the Quad-City Creation Science Association; a 4-year old group in western Illinois dedicated to truth in science education.  He is a certified engineering manager with a Fortune 100 company and, in 2006, was elected as a Fellow and to the Board of Trustees of the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE), an international society serving the Industrial and Systems Engineering profession.  Mr. Welke holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Industrial Engineering from the University of Illinois.

Meet us for free coffee and refreshments at 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday, December 4. The talk will be from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., including Q&A. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. We meet at: 25W560 Geneva Road in Carol Stream, IL. The entryway is just west of Gary Avenue on Geneva Road, on the north side of the street. Enter the drive just east of the sign (next to Slide Chart Company), and park behind the building. Enter through the rear door. Handicapped parking is in front, with entrance through the front door.

Please Note:  Helmut will be bringing a number of new books and DVDs from Answers in Genesis for sale at good prices.  There will be a wide variety for you to consider for yourself or as Christmas presents.  So plan ahead, as there will be a good selection of material on astronomy as well as children’s books, DVDs and coloring books.  Credit cards accepted.

For more information, visit: www.midwestcreationfellowship.org, email: wscmcf@hotmail.com, or call: (847) 223-4730.

Scholastic Warehouse Sale

Here’s the website with all the details: http://www.scholastic.com/bookfairs/events/warehouse/

They have some great deals on everything in their warehouse and you can register in advance to get a coupon for $10 off a $25 purchase. Great for stocking stuffers, gifts, or motivational rewards for your favorite “students.” It looks like they don’t have as many in the area as they used to, so it might be more of a drive for you, but still some great opportunities around the Chicago area.

Birds of Prey demonstration at Cantigny

Fall Festival, Saturday, October 13

This is coming quickly:

What: Walk on the Wild Side (Birds of Prey)
When:  October 18. 2012, 6:30-7:30 pm
Where: Education Center

More details: Free, family program,  regular parking fee applies.

REGISTRATION REQUIRED due to limited seating. No walk-ins. Please call 630-260-8162 or email register@cantigny.org to save your seat! Registration closes 24 hours before the program or when capacity is reached.

Bring your family out to Cantigny Park for a Walk on the Wild Side! Dates have been set for a fun-filled learning adventure. Be amazed with fascinating animal facts! Each presentation will also offer the opportunity to interact with live animals.

This evening’s program will feature a live birds of prey presentation from the Willowbrook Wildlife Center Staff. Learn about this facinating group of birds and see some raptors up close!

Save the date for the next Walk on the Wild Side presentation!
November 15 (6:30pm)-Simply Snakes

Also check out their other classes for homeschoolers:

Kandinsky Kids for Homeschoolers

In this popular class, students will create using a wide range of media including but not limited to all types of paint, clay, fabric, sculpture, printmaking, etc.

Instructor: Kari Kraus, Water Street Studios

Ages: 7-11 years
October 22, 29, November 5, 12
10:30-11:30am
Location: Education Center
$60 per participant, registration required. No parking fee.

Click here to register online and pay by debit/credit card

Click here to download a registration form and send by mail or fax.

Questions? Please call 630 260 8162.

Click here to review our program policies and directions to class locations.

If you are a Cantigny Member Plus, please call 630 260 8162 to register and receive your class discount of $5.00.