Homeschool HUB News Update--July 15 Homeschool HUB phone: 269-240-6094 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 by the Homeschool HUB. 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 20--Homeschool beach day at Fuller's Resort, 10:00, $1/pp July 23--Bowling at Strikes and Spares, 1:00-3:00, $5/pp HERE'S THE BUZZ: 1) Volunteer! 2) August offerings at Niles library 3) Homeschooling through high school discussion 4) Tillers International programs 5) Art history class 6) Social activity for area homeschoolers 1) Volunteer options to consider: The Niles Burn Run on July 17th and 18th raises money for the Great Lakes Burn Camp by hosting a family friendly charity motorcycle festival every year in Niles . The event is going to be bigger and better than ever and is moving to downtown Niles ! They still need volunteers to help with all areas both days. There will be vendors, visitors, motorcycles and families having fun. Contact Doug at 362-2371 to learn how you can get involved and to schedule your time slot. It is going to be lots of fun! ~~AND~~ The Logan Center in Northwest Indiana has brought to Berrien County programming for kids with Autism. This would be a great opportunity for a college student looking for experience, a teacher with extra time this summer or someone who loves kids who are having fun. Volunteers assist the students with autism by helping in the activities and participating in the groups. *Tuesday & Thursdays programs are held from 1-3pm at Sport Fit Athletics in St. Joseph *Every other Tuesday evening from 5-7pm at First Church of God in St. Joseph . *Various times on Mon/Wed/Fri throughout the rest of the summer for swimming lessons. *They are hosting a 3 day dance program July 19-21 from 1-3pm at the Citadel in Benton Harbor. *They are seeking active, cheerful, optimistic individuals who don't mind getting sweaty, laughing with kids, and who can be mentors with uplifting spirits. ~~AND~~ If you would rather play with animals consider tending the cats at Paw Mart, near to Martin's in St. Joseph for Animal Aid. Their immediate need is for Wednesdays & Saturday evenings, beginning about 7 pm but they are willing to work with your schedule. Volunteers should be 16 years old or older so this is an ideal option for a teen who is looking to volunteer or for a family who is looking to do something together. Animal Aid has partnered with Paw Mart to have cats available that are looking for a home. The volunteers tend the adoptable cats at the store. ~~AND~~ Call a nurse! A nurse is needed for the Fine Arts Camp to be held at Camp Baber in Cass County from July 25 to Aug. 1. A church in Niles is bringing in professionals to provide Fine Arts to low income kids for the week. They need a nurse/s to volunteer for the week to be on call at the camp. If you would like to volunteer for the week, a day or for a few hours contact the Volunteer Center for additional information. ~~AND~~ Come to Coloma on Saturday, August 7 for the Glad Peach Festival. In downtown Coloma, the Family Art Fair will be the place to be and the creativity will be flowing for various arts and crafts projects. There is a role for you to play. Are you a take charge person, wanting to provide direction? Or perhaps you are someone who provides encouragement to young artists and can help restock supplies throughout the day. If you like to get up early on Saturdays, you can help get things set up starting at 8 am and going till 10 am before the folks arrive for the day. Want to find out more or sign up for the day for a shift from 9 to 1 pm or 1 pm to 5 pm? Contact the Volunteer Center or check out their web site: http://colomapeachfest.com I am passing along to you this unique opportunity to share your artistic skills. Artists literally take it to the streets and do chalk art on the road. Artists still needed for Chalk the Block on August 6th and 7th St. Joseph Today still has a few blocks left for any amateur or professional artist that would like to show off their pastel/chalk skills in the 2010 Chalk the Block Festival. For more information please call Brian Smith at (269) 985-1111, or brian@sjtoday.org. Applications are available online at www.sjtoday.org or can be picked up in the St. Joseph Today office located at 421 State St. in downtown St. Joseph , MI . Please contact St. Joseph Today for more information: 269-985-1111 or www.sjtoday.org If you have questions or would like to get connected contact: Debra Panozzo Adult and family volunteer coordinator Volunteer Center of Southwest Michigan 269-983-0912 ext 303 St. Joseph 269-683-5464 ext 322 Niles www.volunteerswmi.org ~~PLUS~~ Teen and adult volunteers needed Fort St. Joseph Museum in Niles has requested help with the archaeology dig Open House in Niles on August 14 and 15. They have divided the two days into shifts from 9:45am - 12:45pm, noon - 2:30pm, and 2:15pm - 5:15pm. There are two areas for which they need volunteers - the entrance table, where you would be passing out brochures and directing people to the various areas at the dig site, and the children's table, where you would be helping kids with a scavenger hunt activity. If a 12 year old wanted to do this along with a parent, I'm sure they'd take them as well. Volunteers will be given a certificate verifying their volunteer participation. When applying for colleges these days, there is an emphasis on community volunteer work. Besides the fun of doing it, this would be good to be able to include on your college aps. To sign up for a shift, call Candace Skalla at 269 684-2455 ~~AND~~ Volunteer to Monitor Bird Nests If you have an interest in birds, you can learn how to find and monitor nests as part of the Cornell Lab's NestWatch project (www.nestwatch.org). You visit a nest for a few minutes, twice per week, and record information such as how many eggs it contains, how many chicks hatch, and how many leave the nest. 2) August is sure to be a hit with the children who come to the Niles District Library! *Last Blast of Summer starts on August 30th and ends on September 4th. During the week there will be free take-home crafts and coloring pages, a large selection of board games to play and the Kids- Read Away Your Fines program. For the first time, kids will be able to reduce their fines by reading in the Children's Department. The librarians will time each child and hole-punch a special card for every 15 minutes read. Children can earn up to $3.00 off late fees, not lost or damaged book. They will earn 50¢ per every 15 minutes. Also that week on Tuesday, August 31st, we will have balloon sculpting at 1:00 p.m. To cap the week off, there will be a raffle drawing for 3 bags of books and prizes. *August's displays will remind everyone that there is still lots of summer fun left. Books about fireworks, festivals, fairs, camping and pirates are on the lighter side while the phonics and back-to-school books foretell the future. Be sure to pick up the free coloring and craft pages that are included in our displays. *As soon as August ends, our Fall programs gear up. Chess Club meets on the first and third Saturdays of the month at 9:30 a.m. Jr. Garden Club will dig in on Saturday, September the 11th. Squigglers and Preschool Storytimes will go back to their regular hours on Wednesdays: Squigglers at 10 & 11 a.m. and Storytimes at 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Special events will be announced each month and our librarians are ready to answer your school related questions. Niles District Library 620 E. Main St. Niles, MI 49120 Phone: 269-683-8545 Contact person: Nancy Studebaker or Darlene Jackson 3) Homeschooling through High School Discussion - AP & Clep Tests In the first, of what I hope is a series of meetings and topics for homeschooling through high school, Michele Megna has offered to share her experience with us, along with information on using AP & CLEP test for your homeschooled student. Benefits of AP & CLEP include demonstrating to a college, student preparedness, in addition to earning college credit, and/or advance placement. Both allow for independent study, prep courses & on-line courses. AP & CLEP tests are offered by College Board who is also the provider of SAT tests. We will meet at 2 PM on Monday July 19th. Location: Lincoln Township Library, meet in the Quiet Reading Room. (which is located to the far right wall when you enter). There will not be tables so bring a note book or clip board if you wish to easily take notes. Space is limited to 20. So that there are enough hand-outs please RSVP to Mary Ann Annis mihomeschooler@comcast.net , or 449-3668 if possible, prior to July14th. (If you didn't rsvp but find yourself able to attend last minute, please still join us.) Experience Wanted If you have experience on this topic AP or CLEP - or other homeschooling through high school related topics and are willing to share your knowledge and insight with a small group or be part of a panel discussion on a topic, please drop me a note. Thanks! Mary Ann Annis, mihomeschooler@comcast.net 4) Summer classes and events at Tillers International in Scotts, MI, which is a little southeast of Kalamazoo. Upcoming Classes Small Grain Harvesting, July 9-10th, 2010 Blacksmithing I, July 10-11th, 2010 Blacksmithing for Youth, July 19-22nd, 2010 Ecology Field Day, July 24th, 2010 NEW! Tools for Home and Hearth, July 24-25th, 2010 Knife Making, July 31st-August 1st, 2010 Blacksmithing I, August 7-8th, 2010 Small Scale Hay Making, August 17-21st, 2010 Upcoming Events Horse Progress Days, July 2-3rd, 2010 in Topeka, Indiana Midwest Tool Collectors Midsummer Tool Meet, July 17th, 2010 at Tillers' Cook's Mill Learning Center Port Oneida Fair, August 13-14th, 2010, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Michigan Southwest Michigan Community Harvest Fest, September 19th, 2010 at Tillers' Cook's Mill Learning Center Visit: www.tillersinternational.org 5) Art History Class Gauging interest for a possible class: The Box Factory in St Joseph is thinking of offering an Art History class this fall. The class would be 8 weeks long, would include art history and related fine arts projects, and may include a trip the the Art Institute of Chicago. The Box Factory would need at least 8 students to run the class. If you think you might be interested, please email Noel Bash at bash5849@sbcglobal.net . 6) Homeschool Parents - quick – what's the biggest drawback most people cite when talking about homeschooled children? Most of you likely said it's the perceived lack of socializing opportunities. We've all heard the questions: How will homeschoolers learn to be part of a team? How will they react when they leave home and face peer pressure? What about forming friendships? Though we know our homeschooled children will not end up living as hermits in a cave somewhere, the need for socialization is real. These are valid questions that deserve serious thought. Just how will you answer them? What socialization opportunities do your children have? "But mom, I have Facebook - it's not like I don't have any friends." Our children are sometimes referred to as "Digital Natives." They've always had the internet. Cell phones. Hand-held gaming systems. And now social networks. The outside world can be brought to them or re-created in their hands. Though many homeschoolers don't see the need for real social interaction, the need hasn't ceased to exist. The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) conducted a study in 2003 and concluded that homeschooled children are on social par with their public schooled counterparts. To what did HSLDA attribute this? Homeschoolers' tendency to become involved in church youth groups and other programs like scouting and 4-H. In short, extracurricular social activity. To provide such extracurricular activity to area homeschoolers, several parents are working to coordinate social events over the course of the summer. The first event will be a campfire and yard games for 13-18 year old students held on July 16th from 7:00 – 10:30 PM at the home of Shane and Laura Hollister. Light refreshments will be provided. The rain date is the next evening, Saturday July 17th. The address and phone number are shown below. If you are interested in helping to coordinate events or have suggestions, please contact us. Trips to the fair, skating, or any other public event can also be considered. Thank you! Shane & Laura Hollister 2090 Weiser Rd. Niles, MI 49120 269-684-7158 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LINKS TO SHARE: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CLASSIFIEDS Free kittens! 5 orange and white kittens need homes. Contact Dawn at: dawnandmike007@yahoo.com Have something for sale, free or trade? Advertise here! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LETTING IT RIDE: LMC Middle School Summer Robot Camp This fun and educational camp is designed for students entering grades 5-9 in the fall. This is a five-day fun and creative learning experience to keep kids busy during the summer. Kids work in pairs to solve challenges by building and programming robots using the LEGO Mindstorms (RCX) Robotics Invention System. In addition to having fun, participants learn about mechanical and software design, problem solving, and teamwork skills. Student teams will complete several projects and mini challenges. Build your own programmable robot! Learn some computer programming to control your robot! * Minimum age is 9 (recommended for ages 9 - 14). No previous experience required. * Students will have a partner for most activities, and are expected to cooperate and share well. Each day includes structured lessons and activities to practice construction and programming skills. * Student need to bring their own sack lunch, and be motivated and mature enough to stay focused on robotics activities all day. Robot I Courses: 07/12/10 - 07/16/10 CRN 50345 07/19/10 - 07/23/10 CRN 50346 07/26/10 - 07/30/10 CRN 50495 8/02/10 - 08/06/10 CRN 50344 Time: 9am - 3pm Location: Lake Michigan College , Bertrand Crossing Campus, 1905 Foundation Drive , Niles Limit: 16 students/camp Cost: $150 Instructor: Meg Edwards For information and registration call 269 695-1391 -------------------------------- Homeschool high school science classes: A deposit of $75 is required to hold a spot in either class. Below are the age/grade levels we believe are appropriate for the courses we offer. There are overlaps allowing for difference in maturity, science interests and math skill level prior to taking a course. Approximate Level COURSE-Year offered AGE range GRADES MATH SKILL LEVEL 1 Physical Science-11/12 13-16 8-10 Pre-Algebra or Algebra 1 Biology-10/11 13-16 8-10 Pre-Algebra or Algebra 2 Chemistry-11/12 16-18 10-12 Algebra or Advanced Math 2 Adv. Biology-10/11 16-18 10-12 Algebra or Advanced Math Courses in levels 1 or 2 can be taken in any order within that level but it is important to take Physical Science before taking Chemistry and Biology before taking Advanced Biology. Note: It is my goal to continue offering these courses as long as they are needed but the above schedule cannot be considered a guarantee as personal circumstances could dictate otherwise. Costs – Biology: $ 340 Tuition for the year Advanced Biology: $400 Tuition for the year Lab costs for either class: $90 approximate for the full year. The $75 deposit goes toward these lab costs. Feel free to contact me with any questions. Randy Graves, M.S. gravesr@andrews.edu 269.473.5935 --------------------------- Anthony Beer is accepting new students of all ages in the South Bend , Mishawaka , Granger and Niles area. His studio offers a wide range of opportunities for students to excel with his/her skills at the piano. The Studio exposes each student to many different styles of music, ranging from classical, jazz, religious and contemporary music. This enhances their musical knowledge in theory,music history and their musicianship and performance skills. His goal as a teacher is to nurture each student and to help them explore the beauty and love of music. He encourages all students to support the arts in their community. He is conservatory trained as a classical pianist and teacher and has studied at Goshen College , IUSB and the Eastman School of Music in Rochester NY . Contact: 574-292-2038 or email apbeer@yahoo.com ----------------------------- The Homeschool HUB is continuing to collect Campbell Soup labels, Campbell's Chunky Soup labels, Campbell's Healthy Request labels, Campbell's Select harvest, Franco-American, Pepperidge Farm, Spaghettios, Swanson, V-8 Beverages, V-8 Fusion, Prego Italian Sauces and Campbell's Food Service. Give your labels to any board member or bring them to our homeschool functions. --AND-- We are still accepting Boxtops for education labels. You can find these on: Betty Crocker goods Gold Medal Flour Nestle products Cherrios Cascadian Farm products Chex Cocoa Puffs Cookie Crisp Country Cornflakes Fiber One products Golden Grahams Honey Nut Clusters Lucky Charms Oatmeal Crisps TotalTrix Wheaties Green Giant vegetables Pillsbury Toaster Strudel Totino Pizza olls Hamburger Helper meals Old El Paso Suddenly Salad Yoplait Fruit Flavored shapes Ziploc Kleenex Scott Kotex Poise Depend Hefty Nature Valley Cottonelle Huggies Goodnites Pull Ups Avery School supplies Go to Boxtops for Education.org for more info, and then SAVE SAVE SAVE those labels. Each one nets 10 cents and every 10 cents adds up. You can give them to any HUB board director or bring them to any of our functions that we will be having. Thank-you! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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. |
Thursday, July 15, 2010
HUB news update
