REACH — Classes in Skokie

We have a new sponsor here at the Chicagoland Homeschool Network and we would love for you to check out the site and spread the word about this dynamic co-op. Here is a bit about REACH!
Hello, parents of homeschooled teens!
We had a wonderful second year of classes and are looking forward to our third.  We meet on Tuesdays at Lakeside Church, 3939 West Howard Street, Skokie.  Classes meet from early afternoon to evening to allow drivers to avoid rush hour on both ends and to accommodate sleep schedules 🙂
Our starting point is great teachers, true experts in their fields who are passionate about sharing their knowledge with our students, some of whom happen also to be homeschool parents. Once again, our proximity to Northwestern University has been an asset.

We offer one class in each time slot.  Students are welcome to take one, two or all three classes.  These are drop-off classes, for which the minimum age for participation is 13.  Students not taking a class in a given block will have access to quiet space with internet access to participate in an online course or do other work.

We are excited about the upcoming year and hope to see many of you in the fall.  The students learn a lot and really enjoy being together.  Some are there for the entire 9-hour day, and still need to be pried away at the end to go home!

The schedule is as follows:
12:30-2:30 PM  
  • Art History, Theory and Criticism   – 1st semester: Modern and Post-Modern with Shane Campbell, gallery owner, adjunct assistant professor at the School of the Art Institute and homeschool dad
  • 2nd semester: Renaissance to Modern with instructor t.b.a.

2:30-4:30 PM

  • Exploring Musical Composition – 1st semester: Instrumental Masterpieces and Composition Lab
  • 2nd semester: Operatic Masterpieces and Composition Lab

Both taught by Laurann Gilley, member of the music staff at Lyric Opera of Chicago and the opera department at Northwestern, and homeschool mom

4:30-5:30 PM    Dinner break
5:30-7:30 PM   Statistics with Aaron Schechter, BS and MS in Applied Math/Statistics from Johns Hopkins and PhD candidate in Industrial Engineering and Management Science at Northwestern
The classes are followed, from 7:30-9:30, by a meeting of the Chicagoland Model United Nations Club, an award-winning independent high school MUN club (http://chicagolandmunclub.org/ …and now a 501c(3)!)  to which many of the students belong and which is open to new members.
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They will have detailed course descriptions available soon and will schedule an Open House so that families can see the facility and meet the instructors.
Greater detail is available at: http://www.homeschool-life.com/il/reach/

New Homeschool Gym Class in St. Charles

The homeschool mom that worked to get this going submitted info about this new opportunity: http://www.facebook.com/SportsplexHomeSchoolGymClass

This is cut and pasted from the facebook page:

This group was created to share information about a Home School sports class being offered in St. Charles.
Day: 2nd & 4th Friday of the month
Time: 1:30-3 pm the 2nd & 4th
Cost: $30 (per student) for a 3 month class
Age: 5+ (to optimize the coaches time we need to keep this class for school aged children K-12th grade range)
Class info: The facility has the ability to teach many sports including – Flag Football, dodge ball, t-ball, kickball, soccer, capture the flag.

HOW TO REGISTER:
Log onto www.sportsplexstc.net.
Click on Registration. Families will have to set up New Membership accounts in order to register.

Once they are New Members, click on Register across the top. Choose the following for each child:
Register— Pull down and select child. It will only allow children ages 3-18.
Pull down Program Type and select “Classes & Camps”
Pull down Season and select “Home School Classes Spring 2013”
Pull down League/Group and select “Home School Spring Classes”

At that point, the class information will pop up and you can click on the blue “Register”
You will be asked if there are medical concerns for that child. Click “Continue”

At that point, you will go to checkout, and a list of all dates/times will be shown. It shows that you are paying for 6 classes at $5.00 each, but it is not possible to pay for fewer than 6 classes at this time. If you miss, you miss. The $20.00 Membership Fee is waived for your families for this class.

Each participant MUST sign a liability waiver on their first visit to Sportsplex. We will have a stack of them and your guests can sign them when they arrive. If parents want to play too, they can pay $5.00 the day of.

I love that parents can play, too.  🙂

Resources from ICHE Preschool Panel

Welcome, parents of preschoolers! Here you will find the list of some resources that those of us on the panel have used and enjoyed with our preschoolers. Please feel free to share these and ask any further questions you may have! Praying for you during this exciting and exhausting season in life.

Resources for the Preschool Years

Books / Curriculum/Media Resources

Reading – Sing, Spell, Read and Write; www.singspell.com

– Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons by Engelmann

Math – Abeka Arithmetic Workbooks; www.abeka.com

Character – Character First! Resources; http://www.characterfirst.com/aboutus/students-families/

Development – Slow and Stead, Get Me Ready by June Oberlander

Choosing Books – Honey for a Child’s Heart by Gladys Hunt

Curriculum – Before Five in a Row by Jane Claire Lambert; http://fiarhq.com/fiveinarow.info/index.html

Montessori – “Bringing Montessori Home” DVD – Rose Clancy; www.tacklemedia.com

Bible – The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes by Kenneth N. Taylor

– Leading Little Ones to God by Marian M. Schoolhand

Websites

www.christainbook.com – homeschooling books and resources

http://www.rainbowresource.com/ – more homeschooling books and supplies than you can even imagine

www.education.com – Worksheets and activities searchable by grade level.

http://homeschoolshare.com/ – This site has numerous unit studies and lapbook resources, specifically ones related to Before Five in a Row and Five in a Row

http://www.starfall.com/ – Games for preschoolers to play. Especially at
the preschool age, I don’t let my kids sit and play on their own, but these
might be a fun addition to time you spend with your preschooler

http://www.homeschoolcreations.net – This is a website I find helpful for kids of all ages. A homeschool mom of 4 has shared all her printables and many plans and ideas from throughout her homeschooling time. She has focused a lot on the preschool years in particular.

Other

Local Public Library- Swan Library System – allows you to search for desired books through multiple library systems and have books delivered to your local library.

Museum Adventure Pass: from your library you can get free or reduced admission to various museums. This is for the Chicago area, but other states have similar programs.

A CD called Sounds like Fun from Discovery Toys (http://www.amazon.com/Sounds-Like-Fun-Discovery-Toys/dp/B0012NBP4E) is a great compilation of songs that cover early math, letter sounds, opposites, manners, nursery rhymes and even some Spanish sung to some classical guitar. Useful quiet time CD.

Games are an engaging way to incorporate learning fun at the preschool age and beyond — Zingo can develop basic word and sound recognition; Candyland for colors; Junior Monopoly for counting (and many other “junior” versions of favorite classics); Legos and Playmobile; other educational boardgames (great gifts for Grandparents to give if they are asking for ideas) like Sunken Treasure (http://www.amazon.com/Sunken-Treasure-Adventure%C3%83-Phonics-Beginning/dp/B00004TDTN)

Learn through work: sorting socks and other laundry is an effective early math exercise as is cooking and baking together (math and health lesson there); plant a garden; talk about money, checks, credit cards (never too young to learn healthy money habits)

A favorite pre-reading activity we have used: write large letters on pieces of paper spread around the room or with chalk on ground outside. Say a letter sound and have kids run (or hop or crawl) to the letter they just heard. Use capital or lower case or both depending on what they are learning.

Let kids “write” in salt or sand in a pie tin or plate, pudding (or whipped cream or shaving cream) in a sealed plastic bag is great messless finger painting or water and a paintbrush on the ground outside. Also make letters with playdough, pipe cleaners, sticks, fingers or their whole body.

Field trips – http://chicagolandhomeschoolnetwork.com/fieldtrips/

Recipe for Kool-aid Playdough (large batch)

5 cups flour

1 cup salt

4 pkgs kool-aid, any flavor

1/2 cup oil

3-4 cups boiling water (start with 3 and add more until kneadable)

Dual Credit E-book

The Official Homeschooler’s
Guide to Dual Credit
Get your free copy hereDownload the eBook and share it for a chance to win an iPad 2
Dual credit—earning college credit in high school—is
the hottest trend going in homeschooling.

Some estimates show that 42,000 homeschoolers will earn dual credit during the 2011-2012 school year.

So to help you plan the best options for your homeschooler, which may include dual credit, you’re invited to get a free copy of this new dual credit eBook:

The Official Homeschooler’s Guide to Dual Credit: How Combining High School and College Can Set Your Student on the Path to Success

Go here now to get your free copy of the eBook.

The dual credit eBook is written by Kelly Negvesky, a homeschool mom and one of the nation’s foremost authorities on homeschool curriculum and dual credit.

As a reader of The Home Educating Family Magazine, you can get a free copy of the eBook here.

Download eBook

In this eBook you will learn:

  • How Dual Credit Works
  • How Homeschool Students Benefit From Earning Dual Credit
  • 3 Ways Your Homeschooler Can Earn Dual Credit
  • How Dual Credit Impacts Your Student’s High School Transcript
  • Beyond Dual Credit: The 4 Skills Demanded By Colleges & Employers
  • Click here to get your free dual credit eBook now

    Science resource

    Dr. Callentine boasts an impressive resume. A doctor, a homeschool mom, a former teacher, a parent rights advocate, and much more. Some of you may have run into her at the ICHE convention in past years.  If you have not had the privilege of meeting her you can do so again this year at the convention, or you can check out her other already scheduled classes, or schedule one of your own.

    With her background she brings all of her passions to her presentations. As she says, she is passionate about, “the biological sciences, children, education, families, and the God who created all things.”

    If you are looking for someone to lead a dissection or present on a certain biology related topic, you will want to look more closely at her website. She has lots to offer in areas that many homeschoolers are looking for a helping hand.

    Homeschool Speakers in St. Charles

    Raising Real Men: Surviving, Teaching and Appreciating Boys

    Come Hear Hal & Melanie Young, authors of Raising Real Men: Surviving, Teaching and Appreciating Boys


    When: Friday, September24, 2010
    Time: 7:00PM
    Where: Glenwood School (in the Field House)
    41W400 Silver Glen Road
    St. Charles, Illinois

    Event is free and open to everyone!

    In spite of what the culture is telling us, boys and girls are different. Have you ever had a war break out in the middle of supper, or had a single math lesson take three hours? Then you’re probably raising boys! If the world seems intent on gender-bending and forcing our sons into a feminized mold, Hal and Melanie, parents of six boys, explain the Biblical way out – and a better way to turn wild little wigglers into Christian men!


    Authors’ Bio:


    Hal and Melanie Young have been blessed with six real boys (and two real girls). They frequently speak on parenting, education and family policy issues across the nation, and their articles have appeared in publications in the U.S., Canada, and New Zealand, including Homeschooling Today, Homeschool Digest, Homeschool Enrichment, The Freeman: Ideas on Liberty, School Reform News, and Conservative Citizen. They are the authors of Raising Real Men: Surviving, Teaching and Appreciating Boys, already in its second printing.

    Testimonials
    “I loved having you two there. I have never heard of you before, and rest assured you will never be forgotten. What a blessing you both are!! I laughed, I cried, I was strengthened by your testimonies and the Word of God you shared! I know I will make it the next 10 years…” – Carrie Fisher, Missouri Homeschool Mom


    “Raising Real Men is long overdue… In an era when the church has lost a biblical concept of masculinity and femininity this book is a breath of fresh air.” –Dr. Tedd Tripp, Pastor, Author, Conference Speaker

    Join us as we learn and fellowship together. Expect to be refreshed and have a renewed vision to raise your sons for the glory of God. Please invite others! We don’t want anyone to miss this incredible opportunity. To learn more about the Youngs and their ministry, visit http://www.raisingrealmen.com/.

    Completely free! A love offering will be taken to bless the Young family. Children are welcome.

    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