homeschooler – Page 7 – Chicagoland Homeschool Network

Free science classes

I received the following information via email. Please contact the teacher at the bottom of the invitation for more information.

A Special Invitation!!!

Dear Parents of Home School Students:

I am an instructor in the Teacher Education Department at Judson University
and would like a pre-service teacher that I am instructing to have an
opportunity to work with a multi-age group of students. I would like to invite
you and your second through sixth grade home-school students to come to
four special science/math learning experiences.

Mr. Matt Langston and I will be preparing four hands-on integrated science,
mathematics, and language arts experiences. There would be no charge for
the lessons but parents must attend with their students. (Please do not bring
children who are younger than second grade.)

Where: Judson Teacher Education Building – (Creekside)
Located at the bottom of the hill on Jerusha Street, Elgin, IL

When: 8:30 – 10:30 Monday, February 13

8:30 – 10:30 Monday, February 27
8:30 – 10:30 Monday, March 19
8:30 – 10:30 Monday, March 26

Thinking Like a Scientist – Process Skills
Ramps and Rollers – Physical Science
Fractions and Geometry
Height and Hands – Life Science

Please RSVP at lfiggins@quixnet.net. I need to know the dates you can attend
and the number and grade levels of the children who will be attending with
you. It is not necessary to attend all sessions but I think the experiences would
be very beneficial for all learners. (Please include the names of all participants
as well as a phone number.)

Feel free to call me with any questions of clarification.

Dr. Linda Figgins
630-319-7913

Steve Demme coming to the area

Next week! This ICHE sponsored event is coming soon, and if you can’t attend in person you can register to attend online. Steve Demme is an incredible speaker and well worth taking the time out of your weekend to give a listen.

Please join ICHE and CHOSEN, the Freeport area support group, in welcoming
Steve Demme to the greater Rockford area!

Steve will be sharing his unique and encouraging insights on family life. Steve and his wife have raised four sons by God’s grace. He has worked as a math teacher and a pastor, but many know him as the author and founder of Math-U-See.

The desire of Steve’s heart is to see a balanced bilblical view of the family restored. We are very excited to hear from a man who has seen first hand how our homes and families can be impacted by the love and grace of our Savior.

Check out their website for all of the details about this family discipleship seminar.

This event is an exciting first for ICHE.
If you cannot attend in person, we are offering a live webstream of the event!

To view the live webstream, register online and check the box that says live stream at the end of the registration form. You will receive an email shortly before the event with instructions on accessing the website and video stream.

Veritas Press free gift card

Veritas Press makes some absolutely amazing stuff and here is an opportunity to get it at a discount.

Every person that signs up with them (email only required), will receive a $5 gift card to use toward their curriculum purchase. Then, share the link they give you with your friends and you will get an additional $5 for each person that signs up through your link. So, this is a way to help us both out! Pleas sign up using the link below and we will both be on our way to some $$ off our next Veritas Press purchase.

http://www.VeritasPress.com/launchrock.html?lrRef=59l8t

Thank you, and enjoy!

Upcoming opportunities at Judson

2012 Opportunities for Homeschoolers at Judson University

Prep Program: High School students ages 16 and up can earn both high school and college credit simultaneously. Judson deeply discounts their regular tuition fee for Prep students, so it’s a great deal. Contact Jaimee Bartha at Jbartha@judsonu.edu for more details.

Music Lessons: The Judson Community Music School is currently enrolling students of all ages for next semester which starts January 14, 2012. Lessons in most instruments and voice are available, from beginner to advanced. Visit www.judsonu.edu/JCMS and click on “Music School” for more information.

Music Camp: The Fox Valley Music Camp at Judson University will take place June 25-June 29^th, 2012 for students K-12^th grade. Lots of music making fun! Visit www.judsonu.edu/JCMS and click on “Music Camp” for more information.

Family Concert: The “Magic of Music” Benefit Concert and Magic Show will be held on Saturday, February 11^th, 2012 at 4:00 p.m. in Herrick Chapel. This magical family event will feature the “Amazing Carringtons” – musician-magicians (aka ESO musicians Michael and Daniela Folker), as well as Judson music faculty. The concert is free for students and children under 18. Bring your kids for a fun and educational time! Visit www.judsonu.edu/JCMS and click on “Magic of Music” for more information.

Band and Orchestra: These ensembles are open to high school age students through adult musicians at no charge. The Orchestra meets from 7:30-9:30 pm on Monday evenings, and the Band meets at the same time on Thursday evenings. Contact Chip Gross at cgross@judsonu.edu for more information

Fitness incentive program

plunge

We all may be seeking fitness motivation that keeps our New Year’s goals rolling, and while this incentive is for the students, maybe it will help us keep our own plans in line.

Raging Waves Waterpark offers an incentive program that will really get kids moving.

From their site:

Welcome to the 2012 Plunge into Fitness Program

Children Kindergarten through 8th grade are invited to Plunge into Fitness this spring as Raging Waves Waterpark joins the battle against childhood obesity. The fitness initiative runs March 5 through April 30, and each child completing the program requirements during this seven-week period will receive a free Raging Waves full day admission pass.

The Plunge into fitness program requires a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise each day, which totals 25 hours for the seven week period. Any activity that increases heart rate qualifies including: walking, running, biking, playing team sports, skateboarding, swimming, jumping rope and hopscotch. For the duration of the program, each child will complete a fitness log provided by Raging Waves. Once complete, a parent will sign it and the child will turn it into his or her teacher by April 30th. All children kindergarten through 8th grade, including homeschoolers, are encouraged to join this program and earn a free Raging Waves full-day admission pass.

They even have posters to download and all the info right there on their site. Sign in doesn’t actually start until April 30 when you may use your log in id and password they provide to upload all participating students at once. Everything must be received online only by May 15, 2012.

They say they also give you an opportunity to buy additional tickets for 25% off!

Check out all the details for their Plunge into Fitness program.

Fox Valley area Homeschool Choir

This past Fall, 20 students participated in the kick-off semester of the Fox Valley Homeschool Choir under the direction of Marketo Griffin and Hannah Gerrity. There were Sopranos, Altos, Tenors and Basses all lifting their voices in praise to the Lord culminating in a wonderful Christmas Concert!

The second semester of the Fox Valley Homeschool Choir will begin Jan 23^rd (Jan 16^th for new members) with a Spring Concert scheduled for late April.

CHOIR DETAILS

New Member Start Date: Monday, January 16, 2012

Rehearsal Dates: Mondays, January 23, 2012 – April 23, 2012 (No rehearsal on 2/20, 3/26, 4/9).

Time: 3:00-4:15pm

Place: Union Congregational Church Sanctuary

405 West State Street, North Aurora, IL

REGISTRATION

Student Ages: Ages 14-18 may join without audition **

Ages 12-13 must audition to join **

Cost: $75 for 1^st child, $35 for 2^nd child, $20 for 3^rd child (and beyond)J

Registration: Now through January 30, 2012

To register please email the Director, Marketo Griffin @ lessons@marketochristine.com

** Marketo will listen to all new students privately for part assignments (SATB)

About the Director:

Marketo heard the Lord’s call into music and ministry over five years ago while working as a civilian air traffic controller on a remote airfield in the Kuwait desert! She entered Wheaton College just over a year later and recently finished her studies with a Bachelor Degree of Music in Voice Performance. At Wheaton College, she served as Honors Conductor of the Wheaton College Concert Choir, Director of the Wheaton College WOW Worship Team, and Honors Conductor of the Wheaton College Women’s Chorale. Marketo is currently serving as the A Cappella Ensemble Director at DuPage AME Church and as the Coordinator of Contemporary Worship at First Presbyterian Church of Wheaton.

About the Assistant Director/Accompanist:

Hannah Gerrity will be serving as the Assistant Director and the Accompanist. She graduated from Wheaton College in May with a BS in Voice Performance. While she was a student at Wheaton College, she served as Honors Conductor and President of the Wheaton College Concert Choir. She is also a very gifted pianist and accompanist. Hannah is passionate about choral singing, homeschooling and loving Jesus with all her heart!

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

Scholastic Warehouse Sale

Scholastic Book Fairs Warehouse Sale Event

Another great warehouse sale over at Scholastic, just in time for the holidays.

Click their link to check out a location near you with dates and more info. If you register online you also get a coupon for either $10 off $50 purchase or $25 off $100. Spending $50 is pretty easy, and gets you a ton of books to use for your home library or gifts for kids, or whatever you need them for.

The video on the site gives you an idea of what to expect if you have not been to one of their sales before. It is an open warehouse with enormous row after enormous row of books at discounted prices, aka homeschoolers’ heaven.

Midwest Museum of Natural History

Join the museum for “Around the World in 90 Minutes.“ It is an action packed show given by Marty Essen. It is one-part theater, one-part lecture, one-part comedy, and one-part slide show. It features interesting facts, humorous stories, and the best of thousands of photos taken while traveling the world for his multi-award-winning book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents. From swimming with piranhas to surviving a hippo attack, Essen’s high energy presentation is a unique exciting and educational opportunity.

Who:Suitable for ages 8 to adult.

Where: Sycamore State Street Theatre
420 West State Street, Sycamore, IL, 60178 — right across the street from the museum

Cost: Tickets are $9 per person or $7 for museum members

When: Tuesday November 15^th at 7pm

Guitar Lessons

Guitar Fundamentals is a leader in providing group guitar lessons for park districts and after school programs for the Chicagoland area.

They are interested in offering classes to home schoolers in the area as well.

For more information . . .

Call: 630-664-1504

Email: smathison2@comcast.net

Or check out their webpage: www.guitarfundamentals.org