Tag: homeschoolers

Homeschool Outdoor Education

walcamp logo
Walcamp is a year-round outdoor ministry offering facilities and a variety of programs for youth and families, churches and other groups. Walcamp is located on 180 acres of forest and open fields on the Kishwaukee River in Kingston, IL, about 70 miles west of Chicago and 15 miles north of DeKalb, IL

They offer outdoor education classes geared especially for homeschoolers, and have one coming up in May.

Here is the info from Walcamp’s website:

Aquatic Antics
May 20, 2010 – 1:00pm -5:00pm

Ever wonder what life adventures take place under water? Prepare to get wet when you join Walcamp’s aquatic life for a day of creek stomping, amphibian searching, canoeing, and more as you discover many wonders of God’s creation.

The cost is $10 per participant and siblings under 5 are free. They encourage parents to participate as well. Participants should come prepared for water — towels, dry clothes, water shoes, and no flip-flops.

To register your students and family for a Homeschool Days event, please call 815.784.5141 or email Debra, registrar@walcamp.org at least 2 weeks before the event date.
If you are interested, you can also set up your own group activity by contacting Ben at 815.784.5141 or emailing media@walcamp.org.

Registration now open for ICHE convention

Illinois Christian Home Educators

2010 Annual State Convention

June 3-5, 2010
Calvary Church in Naperville

Strength for the Journey

The LORD is the everlasting God …

He gives strength!

Isaiah 40:28b,29b

Convention greetings!

Another year has passed and it’s that time again! Life is full of adventures, and most of them call for some packing ~ maybe a cooler or suitcase … or even our hearts. It’s time to fill our hearts with strength for this journey we call home schooling!
We are very pleased to announce that the convention website is up and running and registration is now open! Many of the details for the big event can be accessed through the numerous quick links provided below.
Brochures are also being mailed within the week, so watch your mailboxes ~ or download it now from the website!
And … our convention banner can be posted on your blog, Facebook page, website or wherever you like to share good ideas!
Oasis Pathways Speakers & Workshops Free Gift! Register Now
Funshops Movie Night Exhibit Hall Special Needs Pre-Teens Brochure
Beginners Entrepreneurs Food Hotels Registration Info Schedule

Book It!

BOOK IT! Homepage Love Kids. Love Reading.

It’s Time Again to Reserve Your 2010-11 BOOK IT! Materials. This year you must enroll your individual family, they are not accepting submissions from groups. It’s a very simple process though, so jump online and get signed up. You should receive the materials around the beginning of September and you can begin setting and rewarding reading goals with your child(ren) in October.

Easy to use and a simple motivator for kids that need an extra nudge to get their nose in a book, or a great reward for those that are already reading up a storm.


Enroll your homeschool family online at the BOOK IT! website

The enrollment period is from March 1 through June 30, 2010. Orders beyond these dates will be filled as supplies allow on a first-come first-served basis.


The program then runs starting on October 1, 2010, and concluding on March 31, 2011

New listing in Classes

The tabs at the top of this website are updated periodically as we receive new information and revised information. The following listing was just added to the other music class opportunities listed under the “Classes” heading:

School of Rock
Evanston, IL, and Highwood, IL

Evanston School of Rock
1311 Sherman Place
Evanston, IL 60201
847-864-ROCK (7625)
evanstonpgsor@gmail.com
www.schoolofrock-evanston.com

Highwood School of Rock
43 Highwood Ave
Highwood, IL 60040
847-433-ROCK (7625)
pgsor@sbcglobal.net
www.schoolofrock-highwood.com

The School of Rock is a performance based music education school.  Their students get a great, relevant and fun education through weekly private lessons and group rehearsals.  Rockers not only learn how to play and perform music, they also boost self confidence and self esteem, as well as make new friends through this process.  Their students work hard and put on amazing rock shows that are so good, you are likely to forget the performers on stage are kids, except it’s your kid up there!

Check them out. And, if you know of any other opportunities for homeschoolers in the Chicagoland area, feel free to drop us an email or comment so we can pass it along.


Activities in Chicago Ridge

The following information is from the Chicago Ridge Public Library, Youth Services:

Homeschoolers and their parents are invited to join the Homeschool Happenings group that meets on the second Friday of each month from September through June at 1:00 p.m. It is a great way to meet other homeschool families and attend interesting programs. Contact the library for more information on the events or to register by phone.

Their next meeting is February 12. They will be making rubber-stamped Valentine items.

March 12th Constance VanSwol will be presenting a program on libraries, librarianship, and the Dewey Decimal System.

April 9th – topic yet to be determined

May 14th will be the last one of the spring will include a presentation about the upcoming Summer Reading program.

All programs are at 1 p.m.  Please contact the library to register if interested.

Contact:

Constance VanSwol

Head of Youth Services

Chicago Ridge Public Library

10400 S. Oxford Avenue

Chicago Ridge IL 60415

Ph 708.423.7753

Skiing anyone?

Wilmot Mountain has a great skiing deal for homeschoolers on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Check out their homeschool flyer for all the details.

For more information or to make reservations for groups of 15 people or more contact Wilmot at:

Email: homeschool@skiwilmot.net

Phone: 262-862-2301

Pricing:

Under 6 years old (includes lift ticket): ski rental $10; snowboard rental $20

7 and over: lift ticket, lesson and ski rental $25 or snowboard rental $35

Helmets are also available for rent for $10

Sad to say that we likely have quite a bit of winter weather left, so you might as well take advantage of it.

Grab some homeschool friends and hit the slopes!

Facebook fans and discussions

facebook logo

Are you already a fan on Facebook? If you are, then thank you! Glad to have you along.

If not, and you have a Facebook account you will find us there. To become a fan you can click the widget on the sidebar of this page.

Also, the Facebook page offers a place for discussions. A couple questions are already posted there, so hop on over and see if you can offer some help or opinions. And, maybe you have a question of your own.

Homeschooling can be a difficult journey to travel without other homeschoolers to come alongside us as we learn and grow and teach our children. So, please take a few minutes to check out the discussions, contribute an answer or start your own.

Thank you all for stopping in here and on Facebook, and I truly hope this site is a help and encouragement to each one of you.

Also, if you have any suggestions as to how this site could be more useful to you or changed for greater ease of use, I would love to hear your ideas.

~Erin

Gymnastics classes in the Fox Valley area

Excel Gymnastics has long served homeschoolers in the Fox Valley area with a homeschool gymnastics class at their Batavia facility. This class meets on Thursdays from 11:00-12:00 for kids ages 6 and up.  They also have preschool classes (3-4 years) and a Kindergym (5 year olds) at the same time (the preschool class is 45 minutes long).  The class is at Excel Gymnastics in Batavia (2301 Main St., Batavia).

They have offered to recreate this class at their St. Charles facility if they can gather enough interest.

Amy is spearheading this effort and any questions or interest should travel through her (see email below). She shared some of her thoughts on her children’s experience in Excel’s homeschool gymnastics class:

We love these classes and the coaches (at the Batavia location) are fabulous.  We have done gymnastics classes through the park district and other locations and our experience at Excel far surpasses these other classes.  This is a great opportunity for exercise and I have even seen boosts in my kids self esteem since starting these classes.  They offer classes for preschoolers at the same time, which is very nice for families with younger kids as well.

New Class Possibility:  Suggested time is Wednesdays from 11:00-12:00 at the St. Charles location  (3N800 Peck Road, St. Charles).  Coach Tony said that there would be a preschool class (45 minutes) at the same time and that they could also combine 4 & 5 year olds for a Kindergym class as well.  The homeschool gymnastics class would be for kids ages 6 and up.

The new session starts next week, but they said they could start the new homeschool class anytime in case families were not ready to start next week.  They need only 4 kids to start the class! And, they have great sibling discounts available right now (25% off the second child’s class!)

Please email Amy (asebas0900@sbcglobal.net) as soon as possible if you would be interested in this class for one or more of your kids. You will need to let her know how many kids you would like to enroll, their ages, and which location (Batavia or St. Charles).  If they hear from enough interested students to get a new class going she will contact Coach Tony at Excel and let him know so that they can move forward with making these arrangements.

Thanks to Kris Besic of Positive Connections Homeschoolers for passing along this information.