HSLDA Poetry contest

Info received from HSLDA:

HSLDA's PHOTO CONTEST

How better to celebrate National Poetry Month this April than by
giving your children a creative incentive to write a poem of their own!

HSLDA’s annual spring Poetry Contest offers all homeschooled students ages 7–19 a place to have fun practicing their poetic techniques in a creative response to one of three classic poems.

Open to HSLDA members and non-members alike and offering cash prizes upwards of $200, this contest promises to be a fun, educational experience for all!


Speech and Debate Competition

Communication Festival

What: Art/Music/Forensics

Where: North Central College, Naperville, IL

When: March 25-27

Showcase your talents.Competition for all three including photography,painting,drawing, vocal,instrument,speech,debate.

Who: Grades k-12.for art and age 7-19 for forensics.

Organization Name: Lifelong communicators

Website: www.lifelongcommunicators.org
Contact Person: Diana Wolfson

Email: Lifelongcommunicators@gmail.com

HSLDA Contest

HSLDA--Celebrating 20 Years: Share Your Voice! Video Contest

Help us celebrate our 30th anniversary
and have some fun!

Throughout 2013 we will be holding several contests, each offering the chance to win some great prizes. You can enter as many of the contests as you like, and as a matter of fact, we hope you enter them all!

Contest #1: Share Your Voice! Video—Enter through February 28
Enter to win an HD GoPro® Hero3—World’s Most Versatile Camera.

Two ways to participate:

Submit a video

Step 1: Using your webcam or smartphone, film a 30-second response to the question “Why do you love homeschooling?”

Step 2: Upload it to YouTube.

Step 3: Fill out the contest entry form and paste in the link to your video.

Ready, Set, Vote!

Whether or not you submit a video, you can vote for your favorite videos every day until the contest ends (February 28 at 3 pm EST through March 14, 2013, at 2:59 am EST).

The top 16 finalists will be based on popular vote. From that group, a panel of HSLDA judges will select the Grand Prize Winner!

Get all the contest details here.

Na No Wri Mo

Facebook Cover

Do you have an inner novelist just bursting to get out?

Or do you live with a hidden novelist?

November has become the National Novel Writing Month, and now is the time to let that little novelist out of hiding.

Here’s the original site for Na No Wri Mo (geared toward adults)

And, they have the event targeted toward kids in elementary school to high school as well.

This would fit in well with your homeschool curriculum and is perfect for this time of year before life gets nuts with the holidays, but fall sports have wrapped up and you need something to look forward to working on indoors with a hot cup of tea and fuzzy slippers.

The kids’ site has tons of resources and downloadable ebooks that will walk your kids through the process of writing their own novel in 30 days.

There’s information for educators, lesson plans, badges, forums, and tons of other cool stuff to get you motivated and help writers not throw in the towel half way through.

I have heard from many that gave it a try and couldn’t believe how many thousands of words their kids could write in a month when they just let the words fly and didn’t worry about anything but getting the story out. This year, we are going to give it a shot, at least some of us. Maybe even me. We’ll see.

Any Na No Wri Mo veterans out there? Anyone with a novel burning to get out?

Less than a week until the event begins, so now is the time to start thinking about where you are headed, dreaming up characters, and sketching some possible plots. Or, just wait until November 1 and just open your computer and see where your fingers lead you. Either way sign up so you can tally your wordcount and even if you don’t write a great novel, you can finish and say you did it.

Check out all their details and get ready to write.

Na No Wri Mo Young Writers Program: http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/

Essay contest

Midwest Creation Fellowship, PO Box 952, Wheaton, IL 60187  PH: 847-223-4730

Have you entered the essay contest? A couple months still to get your entries in. Take advantage of being stuck indoors by having your kids do some writing with a purpose. All the details below and at Midwest Creation Fellowship’s site.

Here’s some info to get you started (but, fyi, I think their ages are switched on their categories):

Purpose:
To encourage the development of skills in research, analysis and logical reasoning through preparing an effective presentation of a thesis in a creation-oriented paper.

Prizes: Senior High Level (Ages 11-14*)

  • $250 First Place
  • $100 Second Place
  • $75 Third Place

Junior High Level (Ages 14-18*)

  • $100 First Place
  • $50 Second Place
  • $25 Third Place

* Entrants 14 years old on April 30 may enter either Junior or Senior division

Topics: must strongly relate to the subject of creation vs. evolution, from a creationist perspective. Suggestions:

  • Why do cultures around the world…
    …have the same star constellations?
    …have very similar legends, such as a gigantic flood?
    …offer blood sacrifices to their god(s)?
  • Reasons why I believe in creation
  • Vestigial organs: a vestigial argument
  • More topic suggestions

Contest open to homeschoolers

An organization known as Creative Communication offers contests in the area of art and writing to students of various ages.

There is no fee to enter and they publish a book (which they then sell) of winning entries. This can be a fun motivator if just working toward a grade or even just to get an assignment finished is getting a little old.

From the coordinators:

We have three contests . . .  Each year we have several homeschoolers accepted in our
contests and we admire their impressive work.  The following is
information on each contest, if you have any questions please feel
free to contact me!

Here are the websites for more information:
Art Contest
www.celebratingart.com

Poetry Contest
poeticpower.com

Essay Contest
poeticpower.com

National Geography Bee

An opportunity to flex your mental muscles in the geography arena!

What: The Lake County National Geographic Bee
Where: Grayslake Area Public Library
When: Tuesday, December 13 at 10 am
Who: The competition is open to homeschooled students who live in Lake County and are in 4th to 8th grade.  This is a great opportunity to test kids on their national and international geography knowledge.  The winner will take a test to qualify for the Illinois Bee.  Last year the Lake County winner, Annie Ulrich, won the state competition and went on to the National level.

To find out more or to sign up, e-mail Audrey Ringer at dnaringer@yahoo.com.

My kids participated in the local geo bee a few years ago and it provided great incentive to learn their geography facts and really dig into the world around them. Great opportunity!

Launch your year right

Cantigny Catapult Contest

Saturday, October 22, 11am

Overview

Catapults have a long history in warfare. We want you to build a working version of these war machines. The challenge is to build a catapult which is designed to throw a tennis ball as far as possible. Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place distances. Most importantly, contestants get the chance to build a catapult, compete, and possibly earn eternal glory! This project is fun, exciting, and as easy or intricate as you want to make it.

Participants

  1. This contest is open to all catapult enthusiasts; no matter your age!
  2. Teams are allowed (and encouraged). No more than 4 people per team please.
  3. All participants must register in advance by filling out this registration form by October 15, 2011.

Specifications

  1. No ready-made kits. Each catapult must be designed, constructed, and launched by contestants.
  2. No part of the catapult can extend over 6 feet high.
  3. All catapults will be launched on a grass field. They must sit on the ground. No tables.
  4. The catapult cannot be staked into the ground.
  5. All catapults will fling tennis balls provided by the First Division Museum at Cantigny.
  6. Your catapult must have a triggering mechanism which will allow you to stand 2 feet away.
  7. No explosions or air pressure may be used to assist the performance of your catapult. In other words, the energy used to power your catapult must be provided by the device itself.
  8. Any type of hurling machine is acceptable: Ballista, Trebuchet, Mangonel, etc.

Scoring

Each group will be allowed three launches. The best launch will be used as your score. The longest launch wins. Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place distances.

Sign Up Now

If you’d like to register for the contest, click here to download the entry form. After filling out the form, save it and email it to mtyer@firstdivisionmuseum.org. If you have any questions, please contact Melissa Tyer at 630 260 8274.
Please click this link for a printable flyer for your classroom:
http://www.firstdivisionmuseum.org/events/schedule/catapult.pdf

Find the golden egg!

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Are your Kids off school on Friday April 22?  Come to SciTech for the Easter Egg Hunt, stay for the FUN!
The Golden Eggs are Hidden!  Find one and Win a PRIZE!

SciTech Museum is the place for Fun on the Friday before Easter.
Regular admission is all you need to enjoy:
  • Activity Tables with “Egg-Tastic” Hands on Experiments! 10:30- 4pm
  • See the Easter Bunny and have your photo taken with him. ($5.00 ea.) 12-4 pm
  • Participate in the Easter Egg Hunt and Find the Golden Egg for a Prize! 10:30 am – 12 pm
  • Two age groups for the Hunt: 5 and under and 6-12 yrs.
  • Over 200 exciting interactive Science exhibits!
For more information just call 630-859-3434 Ext. 218
SciTech Museum 18 W. Benton, Aurora, Il. 60506
Don't Miss out! There's no end to the fun this Friday at SciTech!
And someone in your family may find the Golden Egg!