Friday, July 24, 2009

HUB news--July 24

hublogoHomeschool 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
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TOTAL RECALL (These items will run until their pertinent information expires)
 
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CLASSIFIEDS
 
Have something for sale, free or trade?  Advertise here!
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LAST BUT NOT LEAST--LINKS OF INTEREST (links do not imply endorsement):
 
Learn to draw portraits--free video lessons: 
 
 
Innovative inventions: http://www.ideafinder.com/
 
Do you have any favorite websites?  Send them to us and we'll share them!
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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. 

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