HUB news--Aug. 1

Homeschool HUB Weekly News--July 22   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   Aug. 4--Homeschool swimming at Clear Lake (see calendar for details), $1 Aug. 5--Touch football, Oddfellows Park (near Hwy 12 and Bond St in Niles), 2:00 Aug. 7--Homeschool bowling, 1:00, Strikes and Spares, Mishawaka, $5   HERE'S THE BUZZ:   1) College Prof critiques homeschoolers 2) Anatomy camp 3) Circus! 4) Volunteer opportunity 5) Back-to-school fair And LAST BUT NOT LEAST: classified ads and links of interest at the end of your weekly news.    1) College Professor Critiques Homeschoolers    copyright 2009 by Greg Landry, M.S.   I teach sophomore through senior level college students - most of them are "pre-professional" students. They are preparing to go to medical school, dental school, physical therapy school, etc.   As a generalization, I've noticed certain characteristics common in my students who were homeschooled. Some of these are desirable, some not.   Desirable characteristics:   **They are independent learners and do a great job of taking initiative and being responsible for learning. They don't have to be "spoon fed" as many students do. This gives them an advantage  at two specific points in their education; early in college and in graduate education.   **They handle classroom social situations (interactions with their piers and professors) very well. In general, my homeschooled students are a pleasure to have in class. They greet me when the enter the class, initiate conversations when appropriate, and they don't hesitate to ask good questions. Most of my students do none of these.   **They are serious about their education and that's very obvious in their attitude, preparedness, and grades.   Areas where homeschooled students can improve:   **They come to college less prepared in the sciences than their schooled counterparts - sometimes far less prepared. This can be especially troublesome for pre-professional students who need to maintain a high grade point average from the very beginning.   **They come to college without sufficient test-taking experience, particularly with timed tests. Many homeschooled students have a high level of anxiety when it comes to taking timed tests.   My advice to homeschooling parents:   **If your child is even possibly college bound and interested in the sciences, make sure that they have a solid foundation of science in the high school years.   **Begin giving timed tests by 7th or 8th grade. I think it is a disservice to not give students timed tests. They tend to focus better and score higher on timed tests, and, they are far better prepared for college and graduate education if they've taken timed tests throughout the high school age years.   In the earlier years the timed tests should allow ample time to complete the test as long as the student is working steadily. The objective is for them to know it's timed yet not to feel a time pressure. This helps students to be comfortable taking timed tests and develops confidence in their test-taking abilities.   Greg Landry is a 14 year veteran homeschool dad and college professor.   2) 2010 Anatomy Camp - 50% Discount   We just finished a great summer of Anatomy and Physiology Camps. We already have people asking about an early-bird registration discount for our summer 2010 camps.  So, the first 20 people to register for our 2010 camps will receive a 50% discount! Details are here... www.HomeschoolScienceAcademy.com   ---AND---   Research Paper Contest We'll be offering another contest in August with laptop prizes. You can get on our email list here... www.HomeschoolScienceAcademy.com   3) Dear Homeschool Families,   I have an aquiantance who is sponsoring the Kelly Miller Circus in Benton Harbor on August 28th.  Two shows:  4:30 & 7:30 pm.   I have seen this circus and it is in my opinion the best circus out there.  Right down to the ringmaster with top hat and tails!   My friend has secured children's tickets through corporate donations and is willing to give these tickets to our group as long as there are a few paying chaperones per group. Anyone who is interested can contact me directly.  I would like to get all tickets/seats spoken for by August 17.  I would like to have as much notice as possible.   Chaperones pay only $10 per ticket.  This is a great time.  My family went last year and had a very good time.   You may email or call.  I will need chaperone money to order your tickets.  I would like to have 2 chaperones per 10 children (at the most).   As the children's tickets have already been paid for my friend would like them to go to children who will be able to go and enjoy the circus.   Diane Day 269-445-1900   4) Would you like to dedicate a Year of your life to Service?    Do you have:   *A desire to make a difference to the youth of Southwest Michigan *20 hours a week (flexible hours including evenings & weekends) *One year to dedicate to service *A desire to share your talents   You will receive:   *Living stipend $6,026 (annual) *Educational award upon completion of service $2,360 *Lots of training and professional development opportunities *Connection to nonprofit and school community   How it works:   Day to day assignments will differ depending on the time of the year, but the main duties include:  recruiting youth volunteers from a variety of sources; planning service learning projects with youth, agencies, and schools as partners; supervising projects; publishing a monthly newsletter; meeting with existing and prospective agency partners; keeping in close contact to youth, schools, and agencies by e-mail and phone; and establishing a local Youth Volunteer Corps chapter focusing on group volunteer projects for youth.  You may work another job or be a student.  Hours will be flexible with 900 hours over the course of 12 months.  Start date September 8, 2009.   This is an excellent opportunity for a student building their resume, an individual wanting to explore a mid career shift, or the seasoned professional who wants to give back. Contact Callie or Doris at AmeriCorps Volunteer Serving Youth at The Volunteer Center of Southwest Michigan 269-983-0912 or 269-683-5464 or youth@volunteerswmi.org for more information or to submit your resume.   5) THE CHRISTIAN HOME BACK-TO-SCHOOL FAIR, Tuesday, August 4 Please plan to join us for our back-to-school fair on Tuesday, August 4, at the South Bend Christian Reformed Church, 1855 N. Hickory Rd., South Bend, from 6-8:30 p.m.  We have invited various people and organizations who offer services to the homeschool community to join us for this open house event.  You will have the option to join The Christian HOME that night if you wish.  We welcome all homeschoolers to come and enjoy the evening, so feel free to invite your friends.  We're expecting a great turnout again.  Admission is free! We will also have our "FREE" table again this year.  If you have any homeschool materials that you would like to bless another homeschool family with, set them aside now to bring with you that night and donate.  Last year this was a highlight, and everything was claimed by the end of the evening.    Contact Tammi Meister at chadandtammimeister@comcast.net with any questions.  See you there! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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):   Incredible maps: http://www.mapsorama.com   Virtual tour of the Goodyear blimp: http://www.goodyearblimp.com/basics/index.html 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.