HUB news--July 24

Homeschool HUB Weekly News--July 24   Homeschool HUB phone: (269)362-0651 email: homeschoolhub@yahoo.com   website: www.hshub.org Editor: Annette Ernsperger   The information below is offered to you as a service.  Please research and decide for yourself the value to your family.  The Homeschool HUB does not endorse any programs or services other than those offered at the Homeschool HUB resource center.    Send information to be added to the update no later than the Thursday before the week you want it to appear:  homeschoolhub@yahoo.com   ON THE CALENDAR:   Details for the following events are on the calendar at: www.calendar.yahoo.com/homeschoolhub   July 24--Homeschool bowling, 1:00, Strikes and Spares, Mishawaka, $5  July 28--Homeschool swimming at Clear Lake (see calendar for details), $1 July 29--Touch football, Oddfellows Park (near Hwy 12 and Bond St in Niles), 2:00 July 31--Homeschool bowling, 1:00, Strikes and Spares, Mishawaka, $5 Aug. 1--Home Depot kids program, 9:00, free   HERE'S THE BUZZ:   1) Condolences 2) Trivia night 3) Parent Partnership news 4) Homeschool cruise 5) Volunteer opportunity 6) Back-to-school fair 7) Calculus 1 class at LMC 8) CamClickr for the birds And LAST BUT NOT LEAST: classified ads and links of interest at the end of your weekly news.    1) Our thoughts and prayers are with the Maines family on the loss of their son/brother, Stephen, a wonderful young man who will be greatly missed by many.   2) Trivia Night   One of our homeschool dads, Marty Klubeck, asked that we let you all know about the Trivia Night being held on August 15 from 7 - 10:15pm at St. Mark parish hall in Niles.  A table of 10 participants must pay a $100 entry fee.  The prize is $250 to the winning table.  There will be 10 questions in 10 miscellaneous categories.  Everyone brings "tailgate" food for their table and enjoys it at their table.  This would be a fun evening for a group of homeschoolers with their parents.  If you are interested contact Tom Weinberg @ 269-687-8038   3) Parent Partnership adding another opportunity   An "Intro to Individual Sports" class has just been added to the offerings of the Parent Partnership with Berrien Springs schools.  The class is for students ages 12 & up who live in SW Michigan.  It includes golf, racquetball/tennis or tennis in the fall, skiing/snowboarding in the winter, and tennis in the spring.  A complete description will be posted on our website this week.  For questions and to sign up contact Sharon at 269 429-4004 or John at 269 683-2372.   4) My name is Gretchen Pfeiffer, and I am a homeschool mom from Charlotte, NC.  I am helping to promote an annual homeschool cruise that my family and I have attended.  It was one of the best vacations we have ever had.  Join other homeschool families from all over the southeastern US and beyond for the 4th ANNUAL HOMESCHOOL CRUISE to the Southern Caribbean on January 7 - 15, 2010 out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida aboard the Carnival Miracle.  This is an 8 day cruise to "God's Country": St. Maarten, St. Kitts and St. Lucia.  Prices begin at only $1933.84 for a family of four which includes $100 onboard credit per cabin.  Also lots of fun family group activities onboard will be offered.  Prices include everything except transportation to the port, parking at the port, travel insurance, shore excursions, tips, soft drinks, and alcohol.  Deposits of only $50 per person will reserve your cabin today!  For further info, contact Gretchen at pfeifferhome@gmail.com.   5) SOFTBALL MARATHON ON FRIDAY/SATURDAY JULY 24 & 25 at Planngers Field, 555 Zollar Dr, Benton Harbor, MI (behind the Howard Johnsons hotel near Exit 28 off I94).   Teams of players will play softball, bribe the umpires, laugh at each other, have fun, eat food, and enjoy the kids' activities.  Why?  To raise funds for Gateway who has a mission to provide therapeutic services and vocational training that support the advancement, hopes and dreams of disabled individuals of all ages through quality programs to promote greater social, economic, and community independence.  Volunteers will assist at registration, pass out t-shirts, assist with the food/drinks, or have fun in the Kid Zone.   Choose the time slot that fits for your schedule between 8 am and 4 pm on Saturday or Friday evening beginning at 5 pm.  Teens are welcome as volunteers or this is a good event for an adult and youth to do together.     Contact for additional details: Debra Panozzo Adult and Family Volunteer Coordinator Volunteer Center of Southwest MI www.volunteerswmi.org 269-983-0912 ext 303 269-683-5464 ext 322   6) THE CHRISTIAN HOME BACK-TO-SCHOOL FAIR, Tuesday, August 4   Mark your calendars now for our annual back-to-school fair which will be held on Tuesday, August 4, at the South Bend Christian Reformed Church from 6-8:30 p.m.  The format will be similar to last year's event.  We will invite various people and organizations who offer services to the homeschool community to join us.  This opportunity is open to all homeschoolers, so invite your homeschooling friends!  We're expecting a great turnout again this year.  Admission is free!  Contact Tammi Meister at chadandtammimeister@comcast.net with any questions.   7) Dr. Gerry Cox will be teaching Calculus I at LMC Bertrand Crossing T, Th, and Fr at 8–10 AM.  The course is not listed in their catalog,  but Gerry will be calling me at some point to give me the course number needed for registration.  Meanwhile, if anyone has questions, they can call me, Peggy, at 269-471-7537.   8) Play "tag" with the birds: Be a CamClickr!   We need your keen eye and quick fingers! As you may know, we have live cameras positioned at active bird nests all around the country. Since 1999, we've archived more than eight million images from these NestCams. To help sort through the images, we developed CamClickr—an online tool you can use to view the images and sort them into albums, then tag each image by the type of behavior you see: preening, eating, feeding chicks, etc.   What's in it for you? NestCams allow you to peek into the nests of Barn Owls, bluebirds, Wood Ducks, and other birds for an up-close look at fascinating bird behavior. CamClickr will appeal not only to bird lovers, but to people who enjoy testing their skills with online games. When you help sort and tag the camera images, you collect points and compete for prizes such as binoculars, DVDs, books and posters. It's easy and fun! Why do we need your help? By using CamClickr to help tag and sort the NestCam images, you help scientists studying breeding bird behavior. The more we understand about bird behavior, the better equipped we are to understand how birds are responding to threats in their environment.   Just visit www.camclickr.org to create an account. This allows you to chat in the NestCam forums, tag photos, and track your stats in CamClickr anytime. You can check your rankings in "my sessions" to see how you stack up against other taggers. The redesigned CamClickr home page also provides the latest Twitter feeds. Educators will appreciate the newly developed lesson plan, appropriate for all ages, and easily modified for individualized instruction. You can watch videos of fascinating nesting behaviors from the Lab's Macaulay Library.   Make it your summer project to help science and the birds-—be a CamClickr! Thank you for helping us help the birds.   Sincerely, Tina Phillips, project leader nestwatch@cornell.edu ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TOTAL RECALL (These items will run until their pertinent information expires)   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CLASSIFIEDS   Have something for sale, free or trade?  Advertise here! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LAST BUT NOT LEAST--LINKS OF INTEREST (links do not imply endorsement):   Learn to draw portraits--free video lessons:  http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=DE90A0B005052EFB   Shakespeare for kids: http://www.homefires.com/click?shakespeare   Innovative inventions: http://www.ideafinder.com/   Do you have any favorite websites?  Send them to us and we'll share them! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DISCLAIMERS: While the Homeschool HUB believes that these events or opportunities may be of value to home educators, announcements do not constitute an endorsement by the Homeschool HUB, or its Board of Directors. It is the responsibility of individual parents to determine the appropriateness of any event or opportunity for their children. Participation in any event is voluntary and the participant assumes complete responsibility and liability for themselves, their family, anyone accompanying them, and their personal property.

HUB news-July 1

Homeschool HUB Weekly News--July 1   Homeschool HUB phone: (269)362-0651 email: homeschoolhub@yahoo.com   website: www.hshub.org Editor: Annette Ernsperger   The information below is offered to you as a service.  Please research and decide for yourself the value to your family.  The Homeschool HUB does not endorse any programs or services other than those offered at the Homeschool HUB resource center.    Send information to be added to the update no later than the Thursday before the week you want it to appear:  homeschoolhub@yahoo.com   ON THE CALENDAR:   Details for the following events are on the calendar at: www.calendar.yahoo.com/homeschoolhub   July 3--Homeschool bowling, 1:00, Strikes and Spares, Mishawaka, $5 July 4--Home Depot kids program, Mishawaka, 9:00 am, free July 7--Homeschool swimming at Clear Lake (see calendar for details), $1 July 8--Touch football, Oddfellows Park (near Hwy 12 and Bond St in Niles), 2:00 July 10--Homeschool bowling, 1:00, Strikes and Spares, Mishawaka, $5   HERE'S THE BUZZ:   1) Homeschool beach days 2) Summer robotics camps 3) Touch football 4) Parent Partnership news 5) Mid-winter educator's conference 6) Back-to-school fair 7) Be an exchange student host family! 8) Funky nest challenge! 9) Changes to summer art camps And LAST BUT NOT LEAST: classified ads and links of interest at the end of your weekly news.    1) Summer Homeschool Beach Days moved to Tuesdays Fuller's Resort on Clear Lake, 1622 E. Clear Lake Rd., Buchanan, MI (269-695-3785) is again running their Homeschool special for us.  Arrive any Tuesday, all summer long, between 10am and 3pm and mention you are there for the Homeschool Beach Day.  Note that in the past this has been on Mondays, but this summer it has been changed to Tuesdays. Come join in!!  The discounted entry fee will be only $1/person (normal rates are $3/adult, $1.75 for ages 12 & under).  There is a sandy beach, a campstore and restaurant (with great ice cream cones), picnic tables and grills, paddleboat and canoe rentals, and beach volleyball.  In the past, most homeschoolers have come around noon to picnic and swim.    2) Robotics Summer Camps These summer camps are a great way for students not in the Parent Partnership to get in on learning to build and program robots....especially students from Indiana who can't take part in the Partnership.  There are three weeklong robotics camps in July at the Lake Michigan College campus in Niles at Bertrand Crossing (US12 and the 31 bypass).  The first two are beginner camps the weeks of July 6 and July 13.  They are for ages 9 - 14, the cost is $150, and they run from 9am - 3pm, Monday through Friday (bring a sack lunch).  The third camp, starting July 20, is an intermediate level for those who have already attended the beginner camp or who have experience with the NXT robotics system.  The class size is limited to 16.  They have 5 openings left the first week and 6 left for the second week.  Call 695-2990 to sign up.  If you have questions about the camps, you may call the instructor, Meg Edwards, at 683-3163.   3) Come and play touch football!  Kids 10 and up are invited to join the game at Oddfellows Park on Bond St. near Hwy. 12 in Niles, 2-4 pm on Wednesdays.   Don't forget to bring water or other thirst quencher!   4) Parent Partnership news   The sign-up period has begun and will last all summer.  As classes fill up we will note it on the HUB website. The best place to get class descriptions is on the HUB website:  www.home.comcast.net/~annebjj/HUB/ParentPartnership/index.html where at the bottom of the page you can click on any of the following for descriptions -   school classes on-line classes community resource classes dual enrollment college classes   If you'd like to see a description of the program requirements go to http://docs.google.com/View?id=dcbk7vj2_35cm4xz5x4   To sign up for the partnership by filling out the online forms go to: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=roGMTkXyfi0rDDb1VIFVqSw   Registration for the program actually requires two forms, one of which is the Partnership form you will fill out online.  They were unable to put the BS school's registration form online which requires an actual signature for each student.  Those forms, one per student, will be mailed out to you after you register.  Please return them as soon as possible to  the address provided.  Those forms do not require a SS# or vaccination information, but will ask you to resubmit the student's name, address, etc. and the aforementioned signature.   The field trip schedule will hopefully be completed in August.  It will be sent to everyone who has signed up for Experiencing Arts and Technology, and you will be able to make your selections then by another online form.    Those registering for the new e2020 virtual classes will need to register for one of three training sessions offered this summer.  Please email or call John or Sharon with your training date as soon as you register:  Monday, June 29th 12-2:30 (note time change) or Tuesday, July 28th 9:00-11:30, or Sept. 2nd or 3rd in the afternoon, time TBA.  We need to let our trainer know how many parents we expect for the sessions.  Training will begin at the starting time and go for 2 1/2 hrs, it is not an open house arrangement. Sharon Haynes  269-429-4004 John Lohr    219-575-4326   5) SAVE the DATE!  Announcing the return of the Mid-Winter Home Educator's Conference located near Grand Rapids, Michigan!  After a one year sabbatical we are ready to minister and serve the homeschool community at Mid-Winter 2010. Join us January 29 & 30, 2010 at our new venue - Rush Creek Bible Church. (2334 - 76th St., Byron Center, MI)         Keynote Speakers for Mid-Winter Conference 2010   Sally Clarkson of Whole Heart Ministries is no stranger to Mid-Winter Conference – having keynoted and FILLED our auditoriums twice before!  We are honored to have her begin this new season of ministry with us. Sally is married to Clay and they have served in fulltime ministry for the past 25 years.  They have always been a home educating and ministering family and now have 4 mostly grown children. Sally is greatly looking forward to encouraging us at Mid-Winter!   For more on Sally go to http://www.wholeheart.org/   Steve Demme we welcome for the first time to Mid-Winter!  Steve is deeply respected across our country for his phenomenal ministry to the homeschool community.  Steve has been married to Sandra for over 29 years, he is a home educating dad to 4 sons, author and founder of Math-U-See, graduate of Gordon-Cromwell Theological Seminary, and currently serves on the board of directors for Joni and Friends.  He brings a LOT to the table and we are looking forward to all he has to share.   Check Steve out at www.thefamilythatstaystogether.org/   Please take the time to pass this announcement on to your area support group and home schooling friends.   Sincerely, Your Mid-Winter Home Educator's Conference Steering Committee, Kevin and Deb Parkyn - Region 7 Doug and Susan Prewitt - Region 9 Andy and Valerie McDaniel - Region 9 Go to http://MidWinterConference.org/ for updates and more!      6) THE CHRISTIAN HOME BACK-TO-SCHOOL FAIR, Tuesday, August 4 Mark your calendars now for our annual back-to-school fair which will be held on Tuesday, August 4, at the South Bend Christian Reformed Church from 6-8:30 p.m.  The format will be similar to last year's event.  We will invite various people and organizations who offer services to the homeschool community to join us.  This opportunity is open to all homeschoolers, so invite your homeschooling friends!  We're expecting a great turnout again this year.  Admission is free!  Contact Tammi Meister at chadandtammimeister@comcast.net with any questions.   7) Special Request for Michigan Homeschool Groups Families that might be interested:  We really need your help in placing exchange students who are involved in sports, art, music and many other activities. The students would attend your local high school, but this is a great opportunity for the homeschool community to learn and experience a new culture from an exchange student.   We are looking for volunteers who are interested in possibly hosting an exchange student for the 09/10 school year. We have students 15-18 years old from around the world that will be arriving in August for 5 or 10 months. We need host families for these students.   Without host families, we would not be able to help these students acheive their American Dream! Host families need only to provide a bed for the student and meals at home. Students can share a room with another kid. All other expenses are the student's responsibility. Host Families can consist of all makeups such as single families, couples with no kids, retirees, empty nesters, etc. These students make great mentors to younger children as well. Please pass my information along to anyone that might be of interest.   Your help is greatly appreciated, as we still have several students to place with good host families! Exchange students can be a positive influence on your family, school, and community! Sincerely,   Lisa Cabadas Area Administrator- Michigan Cultural Homestay International (CHI), a non profit organization 877-706-2508 toll free 313-580-9594 cell www.chinet.org/ayp   8) Enter the Funky Nests Challenge!   Dear Birding  Friend, You find them in hanging flower baskets…an old boot…a garage shelf…or under a bridge…birds build nests in the strangest places! That's the theme for the newest environmental challenge from our Celebrate Urban Birds project: Funky Nests in Funky Places! As you may know, Celebrate Urban Birds is a free, year-round citizen-science project from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, focused on birds in neighborhood settings. For the Funky Nests in Funky Places challenge, we want you to take photos, do a painting, write a story, or shoot a video showing a bird's nest built in some out-of-the-way or out-of-this-world place.When observing nests please be sure to avoid touching them or disturbing the birds.   This one's going to be fun, I think. We usually receive hundreds of entries for each of our challenges, and I can't wait to see what your sent us this time and where birds have chosen to build their funky nests! I'm also attaching a PDF flier about the challenge you can print for yourself or pass along to others who might want to participate. We have some great prizes, includig a Leica C-LUX 3 compact camera, bird feeders, shrubs for planting, and more. The first 50 entrants will receive a copy of the "Doves and Pigeons" poster by Julie Zickefoose and we'll post selected images and videos on the Celebrate Urban Birds website.   Here's how to enter: 1.    Email your entry to urbanbirds@cornell.edu. Links are acceptable for videos. 2.    Write "Funky Nests" in the subject line. 3.    Include your name and mailing address. 4.    Explain why you submitted your entry--what's the story behind it? 5.    One entry per person, please.   Deadline for entries is July 31, 2009 Visit the Celebrate Urban Birds website for more information and to read the terms of agreement regarding all entries.   Thanks for taking the challenge! Sincerely, Karen Purcell, Project Leader (607) 254-2455 urbanbirds@cornell.edu   The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a membership institution dedicated to interpreting and conserving the earth's biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds. Visit the Lab's web site at www.birds.cornell.edu.   9) New Creations Offers 2009 Summer Art Camps in the Michiana Area   We have some changes. Gloria Seitz, a certified K-12 art teacher, will be teaching art camps at Hobby Lobby in Mishawaka. The camps will run for 90 minutes each day and consist of a variety of projects, using materials such as paint, clay, scratch art, and metal tooling. CLASSES WILL BE HELD THE DAYS OF JUNE 22, 24, 25, and 26. Ages 6-10 will meet from 11-12:30 a.m. Ages 9-adult will meet from 1-2:30 p.m. The cost is $45 for the six hours of instruction and includes all materials except a sketchbook and pencil. We will be making 6-8 projects. I would like to have your registration for the June classes by June 15.   NOTE THIS CHANGE: A July art camp will be held for 6-10 year olds at Community Evangelical Free Church (Instead of Trinity) from 1-2:30 p.m.  on July 21-24. Classes will be held in the Community Kids room (go in the main entrance and left through the gym, right and up the stairs). Cost will be $45.   We will have a 3 day evening painting class at CEFC from 7-9 p.m. July 21-23  for students ages 10 through adult also located in the Community Kids room. Each student will need to bring a 14"x18" or 16"x20" canvas and 2-3 photos or pictures at least 8"x10" size to work from (teacher will help identify best choice to paint). Brushes will also be helpful. I will have some also. Cost will be $35 and covers all of the paint as well as the instruction. Signups needed by July 14.   Please call Gloria at 574-271-8069 before June 15 to enroll or email her at seitzhome@sbcglobal.net .  The website is now up and running so check it out at this site: www.newcreationsart.com   Classes do fill up, so be sure to get your registration in early.    Thanks and have a great summer!!!   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TOTAL RECALL (These items will run until their pertinent information expires)   1) News from Diane Day:   I will be reserving seats for our group for the 2009/2010 theatre season which promises to be a family friendly line up of at least 1 old favorite.  Check back for updates. Dessert theatre at Bethel will be performing "Dearly Beloved".  It will take place in July.  I will be getting back with details.  I will not be reserving seats for this performance.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CLASSIFIEDS   Have something for sale, free or trade?  Advertise here! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LAST BUT NOT LEAST--LINKS OF INTEREST (links do not imply endorsement):   Do you have any favorite websites?  Send them to us and we'll share them! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DISCLAIMERS: While the Homeschool HUB believes that these events or opportunities may be of value to home educators, announcements do not constitute an endorsement by the Homeschool HUB, or its Board of Directors. It is the responsibility of individual parents to determine the appropriateness of any event or opportunity for their children. Participation in any event is voluntary and the participant assumes complete responsibility and liability for themselves, their family, anyone accompanying them, and their personal property.