If you’re researching or buying homeschool curriculum, you have to check out the Vendor Hall at the Schoolhouse Expo! It’s open to everyone. Browse through companies such as Rainbow Resource, WriteShop, Apologia, Latin Road, Phonics Road, Multiplication Shake, Go Phonics, and MANY MORE!

Latin Road, Phonics Road has freebies in their booth. Rainbow Resource has a free shipping offer. Spears Art Studio has a free CD. Real Science by Gravitas has a 25% discount coupon.

There is just so much to see. Stop by and meet the virtual hostess from each company, browse their selection, and look for “conference specials”.

You don’t even need your walking shoes or suitcase to lug your purchases in! Be sure to check out the Schoolhouse Expo Vendor Hall.

More free field trips! Info from Free things in Chicago . . .

Looking for things to do in Chicago with the kids? Here are some of the museums in Chicago that have free days this week.  Found another? — leave a comment for the community!

The Chicago History Museum is free to the public every Monday, 9:30am-4:30pm.

The Museum of Science and Industry has free general admission (basic entry) to the public on Monday May 3

The Adler Planetarium is free on May 4th with hours being 9:30am – 6pm during the summer; 10:00am – 4:00pm otherwise; Charter One Discount Days at the Adler are made possible by the generous support of the Charter One Foundation.

The National Museum of Mexican Art is free every day but closed on Mondays.

Museum of Contemporary Photography. Free every day and open Mon.-Sat. 10am-5pm (Thurs. until 8pm), Sun. 12-5pm. 600 S. Michigan Ave. at Columbia College, Chicago.

The Notebaert Chicago Nature Museum has “Free Days” every Thursday.

The Oriental Institute. Free every day (suggested donation of $7 adults, $4 children). Open Tues.-Sat. 10am-6pm (Wed. until 8:30pm), Sun. 12-6pm, closed Mondays. 1155 East 58th Street at University of Chicago.

The Art Institute of Chicago is free to the public every Thursday evening (May 6) from 5pm-8pm.

The Chicago Children’s Museum is free for everyone – every Thursday evening (may 6 this week) from 5-8pm

The Lincoln Park Zoo is free and open to the public 365 days per year. Generally open 10am-5pm.

Budgets of course limit our opportunities. But, here’s a great site that offers lots of ideas for free stuff that you can do or access.

Check out the Free Things to Do in Chicago for more, but here are a couple highlights from recent posts:

**Upcoming Mini Model Build**:

Build a free LEGO Chick: Tuesday, April 6, begins at 5:00pm until supplies last.

Bring your kids to the free monthly LEGO mini-model build at any of the four Chicago area LEGO stores  and take home a free mini-model that your child has constructed! On the first Tuesday of every month, LEGO has this free event and your children can learn how to build a cool mini model, and take it home – for free! A new model will be available every month and will be specially themed to that month – Quantities are limited and offer is good while supplies last only. One free per child. Event is open to children ages 6 to 14 only. See store for more details.

The** Chicago History Museum **is free on Mondays so come out in April 5, April 12, April 19 or April 26 2010 with the kids and family to see this Chicago museum devoted to collecting, interpreting, and presenting the rich multicultural history of Chicago and Illinois. Check out the outstanding “Abraham Lincoln Transformed” exhibit which closes on April 12 after a long run.

**Free Audio Download!** Each month Christianaudio.com gives away a premium audiobook download for free. How does it work? Well, they give away one audiobook download (that they have published or that a partner has allowed them to give away) absolutely free; available only during that month and only once, ever.

During April, ChristianAudio.com  is offering a free audiobook download of “Stuff Christians Like” by Jonathan Acuff. To get the deal, use promo code “APR2010”.

Lots more free stuff to be enjoyed. Check it out!

I came across some amazing information at the blog of a Sonlight Rep turned bloggy friend of mine.

This information is taken straight from the Museum of Science and Industry’s website:

Home School Group Reservations

Individuals:
Individual families with fewer than 20 students receive free general admission on Monday through Friday except during holiday periods. Parents receive free general admission as well. No advance reservations are required; you will be asked to fill out a Free Admission slip at the ticket counter. No documentation is needed. Omnimax movies, Learning Labs and special exhibits like Smart Home: Green + Wired have additional fees and are not offered at a discounted rate for individuals. Check out our free day schedule.

Groups:
Illinois home school groups of 20 or more students receive free general admission and regular school group discounts for Omnimax movies and special exhibits. Click here for school group pricing. Advance reservations and payment are required. One chaperone is needed for every 10 students. Reserve your visit online or by calling (773) 684-1414.

Learning Labs

Individual:
Individual home school students can sign up for special Learning Labs. Advance payment of $10 per student is required. Call (773) 684-1414 to reserve a spot. Labs are limited to 20 students on a first-come, first-served basis. The next sessions are:

May 10, 2010 at 2 pm
Museum Crime Lab (ages 8 – 12)
ER/OR Lab (ages 12 – 16)

Group:
Home school groups may register for one of our regular Learning Labs offered during the school year from September to June. Labs have a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 30 students, and each lab is $100 for the entire group (or $120 for special labs). Reserve a group lab by making a field trip reservation online or by calling (773) 684-1414.

Lab Etiquette:
Meet at the Information Desk on Main Level 2 15 minutes before the start of the lab. Parents and siblings are encouraged to walk around the Museum during the program.

Arrival and Parking

Plan to arrive at the Museum at least 30 minutes before any scheduled program such as Learning Labs, Omnimax movies or ticketed exhibits. An individual or group who is registered for a Learning Lab must meet at the Information Desk on Main Level 2 15 minutes before the start of the lab. Convienient indoor parking is available in the Museum’s underground parking garage.

Home School Policies

Download a PDF of our Home School Policies.

Tips for Your Visit

Make a pre-visit: If possible, visit the Museum before bringing your group to familiarize yourself with the building and the exhibits.

Take part in our live science experiences: From dissecting an eyeball to taking part in a discussion about climate change, our daily live science experiences make students part of the action. These programs are offered at no additional cost.

Make lunch plans: Pre-registered home school groups (of 20 or more) may reserve a lunch time in the student cafeteria. Other groups are invited to eat in the Brain Food Court.

Set expectations: The Museum offers 14 acres of exhibit space to explore. Set realistic expectations for how much your group can accomplish and what you want your group to learn. Our exhibits are designed to spark interest and engage the visitor. Rushing to see the entire Museum in one trip can be a frustrating experience. Use our map or visit planning tool to decide what to see and do, and check out our field trip worksheets and exhibit guides to focus your visit.

Contact Us

For field trips, call (773) 684-1414.  For other education inquiries, email edinfo(at)msichicago.org.

There is also a similar deal for renewing members. Check out all the details at HLSDA.org

Department and electronics stores aren’t the only ones with amazing deals this week.

If you find yourself with some extra money in your budget, or relatives asking what you would like for Christmas, or maybe you just want something a little educational to give your kids this Christmas season . . . you will want to check out the amazing sales taking place at various homeschool vendors.

I’m sure to miss some, but here are a few of the deals that I have come across recently:

First, a freebie from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine — a holiday planning guide. Free to download!

If you do some shopping in their store and spend more than $50 you also receive over $300 in bonus gifts for free. They have additional bonuses if your total increases. Check out their 4th annual Black Friday Special for details.

CurrClick always has great freebies everyweek, and this week they will also have a Black Friday giveaway. Be sure to check out their website during the day this Friday, November 27th. They are sure to have some great stuff both at great prices and free for the taking.

Notebookingpages.com also promises to have some great deals in honor of Black Friday. They will offer 35% off most of their products starting November 24 and continuing through the 30th. While at their site, make sure to check out their freebies also. Great inspiration that will cost you nothing.

Hands of a Child also has deals, especially for the Super Members. They have extended this, and I just got this email:

You’re in luck because we’ve extended the sale for everyone staring November 26th through midnight on November 29th (EST Zone)

All Project Packs in any format are 35% off

Everthing else on our site is 20% off

Visit our website at www.HandsofaChild.com to shop starting on November 26th!

Code: BlackFriday

Be sure to hit apply to see the discount in your cart during step 4 of checkout.

And, don’t forget the Scholastic Sale right here in the Chicago area.

Great deals abound at the Scholastic Warehouse sales!

These sales can be more a temptation than a blessing at times, but we have found some great finds at the Scholastic Warehouse sales, and with Christmas around the corner, you just might be in the market for some gifts.

Check out their website for locations and hours. They have a number of them around the greater Chicago area, and chances are you might find one within driving distance for you.

Also, make sure to take advantage of registering online. Then you will receive a coupon good for an additional $10 off your purchase of $50-$100. From experience, it is pretty easy to hit that $50. Not because their items are expensive, but because they have so much to choose from. You will come away with a nice stash of books and goodies for that amount of money.

Happy shopping!

Check out this great opportunity for educators and it says it includes home educators as well. It might be good to bring some kind of card verifying your homeschool status if you have one:

The buzz around the blog world is a free book from the Magic School Bus series.

Here is the info from the EPA website:

“The Magic School Bus Gets Cleaned Up”

EPA’s Clean School Bus USA program has partnered with Scholastic to write, illustrate, and publish a new book in the popular “Magic School Bus” children’s series. In this acclaimed educational series of books and videos for children from kindergarten through fourth grade, a teacher named Ms. Frizzle takes her class on several science-oriented field trips, riding in their magical school bus.

In “The Magic School Bus Gets Cleaned Up,” the children and Ms. Frizzle explore the pollution emitted from their own diesel school bus and learn about how to reduce the emissions as they find themselves traveling through a diesel engine. The children learn about idle reduction and ways the community can help reduce the health risks from diesel exhaust. At the end of the book, the “Magic School Bus” gets its own pollution control device, a diesel particulate-matter filter.

Released on October 18th, this special-edition book is intended to be used by libraries, schools, state and local air programs, non-profit education and outreach campaigns, and for other targeted opportunities to increase awareness of the importance of reducing diesel emissions.

The books are free and can be ordered from the National Service Center for Environmental Publications, EPA’s publication warehouse. They may not be sold.

Quantities are limited due to the popularity of the book. Individuals, schools, and libraries may order up to 20 copies. Non-profit organizations working on diesel emissions issues and outreach may order up to 500. Other organizations, including for-profit companies, may order up to 100. Larger requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

For more information give them a call at: 1-800-490-9198 and request item number EPA420-K-07-001

It may not be as subject appropriate for homeschoolers as the topic addressed is making a school bus more environmentally friendly, but you can still learn about the engine workings and the impact on the environment. And, of course, it’s Magic School Bus, and FREE!