This weekend in Schaumburg you can attend the Chicagoland Kids Expo. A brief description about this event taken from their website, Chicago Kids Expo:

Kids with energy to burn after the long Chicago winter will have plenty of jumping, bouncing, and sliding fun with inflatable rides, games, and fun activities. Visitors will find a colorful collection of balloon artists, magicians, face painters, clowns, costumed characters, and other talented children’s entertainers who’ll be creating fun and excitement all weekend long. Micro-reality stock car racing, petting zoo, interactive play areas, miniature golf, table top games, and many other hands-on attractions make the Chicagoland Kids Expo an outstanding family entertainment value.

Practical and Informative Exhibits!
In addition to all of the entertainment and hands-on fun, parents will find an abundance of useful information on a wide range of products and services for families with kids. The exhibitor roster is packed with quality organizations that have come together to help make all the fun and excitement of the 2010 Chicagoland Kids Expo possible.

You’ll find companies showcasing everything from educational products to apparel, health care, schools, food, gifts, sports, music, entertainment and much more – PLUS informative presentations and hands-on product demonstrations from knowledgeable professionals. This large and diverse group of quality vendors can be found on-line at the official Web site of the Chicagoland Kids Expo, www.ChicagoKidsExpo.com.

Some more details about the event:

Admission, Parking and Food

• Adults: $10
• Children (Ages 3 to 12): $5, under age 3 FREE
• Parking: FREE PARKING
• Food & Beverages: The large food court has a wide selection of lunch and dinner meals, snacks, desserts, and drinks.

Dates, Times and Place

• Saturday & Sunday, February 20th & 21st, 2010
• Saturday – 9am to 6pm
  Sunday – 10am to 5pm
• INDOORS All weekend!
  Renaissance Convention Center
  1551 Thoreau Dr.
  Schaumburg, IL

There is also a coupon for a dollar off admission on their website that you will want to print off before you go.

As homeschoolers, we often have an extra interest in our elected officials as we hold our freedoms a little dearer than the average American might.

You most likely already know that this coming Tuesday, February 2nd, is election day in Illinois.

You may also have spent some time researching who to vote for, you may have even already voted! Either way, the electoral process is an important one for our kids to understand.

Here are some links to help in talking to or teaching your child about elections and the road to a political seat in our state and country:

- Illinois board of elections

- Ben’s Guide to U.S. Government offers some lesson ideas for various ages about elections and a variety of other government related topics.

- Education World has some election day ideas. Many of these center around the presidential election, but some are applicable to any election.

Also, if you are still researching, some conservative organizations publish survey and voting results for various candidates to help you in this important decision.

- A general listing of who is running along with basic background information from Congress.org
- Illinois Federation for Right to Life

- Illinois Family Institute

Two homeschool field trips have been set up to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

The organizer has arranged for 50 seats for each.

The first performance is on Friday, February26, 2010, at noon. Tickets are $8.50 each. This is a special school day performance of the Mozart Experience.
The second event is on Friday, April 30, 2010, at noon. The cost is  $7 per seat. This is also a special school day performance of a family tailored event, the Firebird.

Money is due by December 14, 2009.

To confirm details or for more information contact Julie by phone at 708-484-5014

Note: This field trip is not connected with the Chicagoland Homeschool Network, and is posted here as a service to area homeschoolers looking to connect and benefit from organized group activities.

Interested in seeing Alpacas up close?

Want to learn more about this friendly animal? Come join in Alpaca Farm Days this coming weekend. September 26th and 27th in Elgin.

Four farms will be participating in this hands on event.
There will be alpacas, demonstrations, and farm stores to experience.
Make plans to attend and share the news!
When: Sat and Sun  10:00 – 4:00

If you did not already make arrangements to enjoy the Six Flags homeschool day on Thursday, September 10, you can still do so, just minus the early registration discounts.

A reader found out this information today (Thanks, Janet!).  You can still get in at the gate for $38.00 (rather than the $32.00 advance rate). However, you cannot order the buffet.

If you want more details, feel free to check out my earlier post on this great event or give them a call today or tomorrow
at (847) 249-4636.

Edit: Note the comment left at this post as well, for information on the buffet picnic!

The following information is from World Vision and might be helpful to raise awareness of various needs surrounding the AIDS issue in Africa today. Please note that this is geared toward adults and older children (12 and up).

You’re invited!

We’re excited to let you know that World Vision’s popular Experience: AIDS exhibit is coming to your area soon. This amazing interactive, walk-through experience takes you on a virtual journey to Africa, where you’ll walk in the steps of a child affected by AIDS.

You already have a heart for the poor and oppressed of the world. Now, here’s a unique opportunity for you and your friends, family, and neighbors to come see, hear, and experience the life of a child impacted by the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time: AIDS.

This FREE exhibit (already seen by more than hundreds of thousands of visitors across the country) will open your eyes to the AIDS pandemic through stirring audio and captivating photography. Visitors tell us it’s like being transported to the heart of Africa.

So, don’t miss the chance to visit the World Vision Experience: AIDS exhibit and step into Africa. Reserve your tour time by clicking here. (Allow approximately 20 to 30 minutes for your Experience tour.)

The audio portion of the Experience contains situations that may be disturbing to children younger than 12. Parental discretion is advised.

To find out more about the tour and preview the stories, visit www.worldvisionexperience.org. We look forward to seeing you there.

God bless you,


Rich Stearns
President, World Vision U.S.

The Lake Country Forest Preserves has a number of events to supplement your homeschool experience. Be sure to check out their calendar of events whether you live in Lake County or not.

They have all kind of events from Historical home tours, to nature hikes, to helping around the farm, to art, to water sports.

Coming up in September is a homeschool farm day, rescheduled from a rained out day in the spring.

We rely on Office Max for lots of little, and occasionally big, items throughout our homeschool year.

Here is an event I have enjoyed in recent years (important note: check your local store for dates. Some have held these already, and others may not be on this same day, call ahead to make check your local details) :

*Valid August 9, 2009. Offer available to MaxPerks® Rewards for Teachers members or new teacher member sign-ups only.
All merchandise must fit inside this bag to qualify for the 15% discount. 15% discount applies to all regular, sale and clearance priced items, before taxes. 15% discount offer not valid on purchases of computers, monitors, printers, gift certificates, OfficeMax brand gift cards, general-use prepaid cards, phone cards, MaxAssurance® or assembly. Merchandise must be in original packaging. Discount applies to in-stock items only. Discount may only be used once. Special orders are not eligible for the 15% discount. Not valid with any other coupon offer, Associate discount card(s) and/or Retail ConnectSM Card pricing. No price adjustments from previous ads will be made. One bag per customer. Valid in-store only. No rainchecks will be given for this 15% discount. Void if copied, sold, transferred, taxed or where prohibited. Not valid on prior purchases or for credit card payments. No cash or credit back. Cash value .001¢. © 2009 OMX, Inc.
In the event the store runs out of the reusable bags, a substitute bag will be provided for use with the 15% discount. See store associate for complete details and exclusions.

♦Offer valid for MaxPerks® Rewards for Teachers members or new teacher member sign-ups only. 15% Bonus Reward valid on any printer purchase. Bonus Reward offer is available from August 9, 2009 to August 15, 2009. Items, and related Bonus Rewards, are available while supplies last. Member’s MaxPerks ID card and coupon must be presented at time of purchase; no Bonus Reward adjustments will be made after purchase. Bonus Reward offer valid in-store only. For percentage based Bonus Reward, percentage of Bonus Rewards issued is based upon price actually paid by Member, as advertised price can be reduced by any applicable coupon or discount. Bonus Rewards will be issued in the next statement cycle. Bonus Rewards for these offers, along with any other Bonus Rewards a Member may have earned during the same period, will be issued in the form of a reward card redeemable toward future purchases. Reward card expires 90 days from date of issuance except for reward cards for FL Members, which expire 1 year from date of issuance.

Private in-store event is for personal use only. Excludes gift cards. We reserve the right to limit quantities. Commercial credit cannot be used for payment. No other coupons will be honored at this event. Delivery items included. Not responsible for printing or typographical errors. All amounts represented in this email are subject to change. OfficeMax®, officemax.com, OfficeMax Express®, OfficeMax ImPress® and FurnitureMax® are registered trademarks of OMX, Inc.

Walmart is not the only place for back to school specials. The homeschool community is also bursting at the seams with special deals for people looking to stock up on items needed for the year ahead. For just another couple days you can enjoy an incredible discount at NotebookingPages.com.

Here is the deal through Friday, August 7th, 2009:

Gearing up for next year? Have a big wish list? With so many homeschooling curriculums, resources, and books available, it’s tough to pick and choose the best for your family and it’s even more difficult to make it all fit your budget. We cut the busywork out of our days years ago with notebooking and put an end to the major spending as well. Finish your year without regrets! At the end of the school year, instead of looking at unfinished workbooks and curriculums with regret and guilt, we pull out our notebooks and look back with joy and satisfaction on all we learned. It’s amazing to watch the kids read back over their notebooks – such pride and enthusiasm for what they captured from their studies. Now is a great time to get started! Perhaps you are a seasoned notebooking family or maybe you’ve been waiting to finish your current course of study before giving notebooking a try.  Whatever the study, whatever the topic . . .now is a super time to start (or stock up) with one (or ALL!) of our sets because . . .

EVERYTHING in the store is 50% off!

**Use the discount code below during checkout to receive your savings**

Click Here to Visit Store

Right now she has an unreal sale — for just $50 you can get all the pages she has created (the list is huge! States, Latin, history, character, etc.)

Even if you don’t decide to take advantage of the deals she has to offer right now, you can check out her many free resources that she has made available. I have used a number of these over the years with my kids. Well done, and ready to use.

Home School Textbook and Guided Reading Sale

When: Friday August 7th from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Where: 439 S. Liberty St. Elgin, IL 60120
What: Great bargains on individual and whole book sets including –

• Houghton Mifflin,
• Saxon
• Purposeful Design
• A Reason for…
• Open Court
• and more.

Plus guided reading sets to build your school library.

From K-12, new and used.

Cash only.