Homeschool HUB News Update--September 24

Homeschool HUB News Update--September 24 Homeschool HUB phone: 269-240-6094 email: homeschoolhub@yahoo.com   website: www.hshub.org Editor: Andrea Bikfalvy   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 Nov. 1--Bowling at Strikes and Spares, 1:00-3:00, $5/pp HERE'S THE BUZZ: 1) Bethel College Play 2) Spelling Bee 3) Drama Camp Opportunity 4) Geography Bee 5) Science and Engineering Festival 6) College Night 7) Take the Bird Chow Challenge! 1) Bethel College Play Bethel College has graciously extended a homeschool discount to us for their upcoming performance of Lost in Yonkers. The date of this performance will be Thursday, October 7, 2010 @ 7PM. Tickets are $7. Lost in Yonkers is a Neil Simon play and its themes are geared primarily toward Jr, Sr High School students. Please keep that in mind when ordering tickets. Please contact me with questions or reservations. All tickets will need to be paid for by September 30. Diane Day 269-370-4589 2) Spelling Bee It's that time of year again! Scripps Cloverleaf Spelling Bee is under way. Word lists are available now. What a great oppprtunty to hone and test spelling skills. Our local competition is January 21, 2010. The regional will take place February 9. That means that the top 3 spellers will go on to compete at the regional. Sign up now. There's still plenty of time to study! Cost is $12.50 to help offset costs of entry fees. Contact Diane Day with questions and sign up. 269-370-4589 3) DRAMA CAMP OPPORTUNITY It's Drama time again! Michiana Area Homeschool Drama Group is excited to once again host the Academy of Arts of Taylors, South Carolina, for a one-week drama/musical seminar at River Valley Community Church, 55855 Bittersweet Road, Mishawaka. The camp will take place from Monday, March 21, through Saturday, March 26. The Academy brings lights, sound, costumes, sets, and their professional expertise to prepare a drama with older students and a musical with the younger students. The theme of the Academy of Arts is "Making the Bible Come Alive", and their emphasis on the Bible and Christian character will be an encouragement to you and your children. This year our junior/senior high students will be performing a play called "God Meant It for Good."  Our elementary students will perform a musical entitled "Raise the Flag."  These productions are contingent on our group having at least 30 elementary students and 40-50 students in the junior/senior high drama. We need at least 20 boys for the junior/senior high group to do "God Meant It for Good."  If we do not get sufficient numbers, we will be doing a combined production called "Dr. Phineas Boggs and his Amazing Time Machine." Musical practice will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. daily with a performance tentatively scheduled for Saturday at 3 PM.. Drama practice will occur from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday. The drama performance is tentatively scheduled at 7 PM on Friday. There is a $10 registration fee per family plus a musical fee of $90 per student and a drama fee of $140 per student.  (Fee includes a DVD of 1 performance.) If you have high school students, this opportunity is worth one semester of high school drama or speech credit for high school graduation due to the intense nature of the rehearsals, studying, classes, and other activities included. Your student will learn about all aspects of drama, including acting, stage make-up, stage sound and lighting, costuming, and props. For more information, contact Debra or Rebekah Barrows at 288-0394 or michianadrama@gmail.com or visit the website at www.michianadrama.org 4)Registration for the 2011 Nat'l Geographic Geography Bee at HSB is now open! Scheduled Jan 4, 2011 RSVP by Oct 1, 2010Scheduled Nov 4, 2010Scheduled Oct 21, 2010 RSVP by Oct 1, 2010 Registrations are now being accepted for the 2011 National Geography Bee. This school level competition is open to all students who will be in grades 4-8 during the 2010-2011 school year. The winner of the HSB's Bee will take a written test that is sent to the National Geographic Society. The top 100 scorers on the state test will compete at the State Geographic Bee in April 2011. Questions not only cover political geography (i.e.: capitals, land borders) but cultural geography, current events and science, though they aren't limited to these areas. No matter what your educational approach is, most homeschooled students are well prepared for the Geography Bee. We'll be having 2 practice sessions during which we will give study hints, practice map skills, and ask "Geo Bee" type questions. These sessions are helpful, but not mandatory. PRACTICE DATES: Thursdays, October 21st and November 4, from 1:30-2:30pm All practice meetings will be held at the Home School Building in Room 5. HSB GEOGRAPY BEE: Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 5:30pm in Room 2 at the HSB. We would like to receive registrations by October 1st. There is a $20 non-refundable registration fee. A check can be made payable to the Home School Building. Please contact Kelly Moore, Geo Bee coordinator, with questions or to sign up. For more information: Kelly Moore, Geo Bee Coordinator (616)987-9312 skandkids@netzero.net 5) Compete in Science and Engineering Festival - National Student Contests Homeschoolers are invited to participate—and compete—in the first USA Science & Engineering festival to be held in Washington , D.C. this October. The festival will offer hundreds of hands-on science exhibits, workshops, and performances. More than 400 of the nation's leading science, engineering, and academic organizations will participate in the festival and expo. In addition, national student contest opportunities are open to students now. These contests are being held in advance of festival events October 10–23, 2010, and the expo on the National Mall October 23–24, 2010. "You Can Do the Rubik's Cube" Deadline for team registration: October 1, 2010. "Environmental Engineering Challenge: Design a Sustainable Dream House" Deadline for entries: September 15, 2010 Read more   http://www.usasciencefestival.org/ 6) College Night At Southwestern Michigan College's Dowagiac campus on Wednesday, 9/29/10, from 6:30 - 8pm, reps from over 65 Michigan and Indiana colleges will be present, including Michigan State, Saint Mary's, University of Michigan, Central Michigan University, Michigan Tech, Grand Valley, Valparaiso, and many more.  There will be financial aid information sessions at 6:45 and 7:30pm. This event will take place at the Student Activity Center in the Charles O. Zollar Building - parking in the Dailey Road lot.  For questions call 800 456-8675 ext 2135 7) Take the Bird Chow Challenge! Birds can have funny eating habits, just like we do. The Celebrate Urban Birds project at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology would like you to submit your observations of interesting or unusual bird feeding behavior for its Bird Chow Challenge contest. "Take a walk outside—you might see pigeons trying to snag a piece of pizza in the park or a flock of Cedar Waxwings scarfing up berries from a bush," says project leader Karen Purcell. "Maybe a gull will steal your sandwich! Look for a horde of grackles going nuts at a feeder, or an American Robin tagging along after a farmer plowing his field." Entries can be digital photos, artwork, or video--even a story or a poem. Just show or describe some avian food follies! Have a look at some of the entries received so far. Prizes  include bird feeders, nest boxes, sound CDs, guides, books, posters, and much more. We'll send the first 50 entrants a copy of our poster showing some behaviors of American Crows, Blue Jays, and other closely-related species. Email your entry to urbanbirds@cornell.edu:   1. Write Bird Chow-Your First and Last Name-Your City and State in the subject line. 2. In the email, you MUST include your name, mailing address, and location where photos were taken. 3. Tell us why you submitted your entry to the contest. 4. Choose your best/favorite entry and send just that one, please! 5. Read the terms of agreement 6. If you agree to the terms above, send us your entry before November 1, 2010. Project Contact: Karen Purcell, Project Leader, (607) 254-2455, urbanbirds@cornell.edu Media Contact: Pat Leonard, (607) 254-2137, pel27@cornell.edu ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LINKS TO SHARE:   Share your favorite homeschool link with us! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CLASSIFIEDS Looking for a group?  Join the HUB! There are several benefits of membership including a travel club and a resource library. Members receive first chance at events and classes when availability is limited.  The cost of membership is only $24/year.  Information about becoming a member is on the website www.hshub.org   PIANO LESSONS I am a piano teacher located in Buchanan, MI.  I grew up a home schooler, graduated a home schooler, and returned from college with a degree in Music Education and have been teaching private piano and violin students ever since -- mainly to homeschoolers. I currently have morning and early-afternoon slots in my studio that are available for new students and wanted to inquire whether your group had any members interested in lessons.  I have had over 10 years of teaching experience and charge $13 a lesson.  I am looking for students who are able to practice consistently and make a commitment to attending weekly lessons. For more information on my studio, you can go to my website:  www.pianobysarah.com   Have something for sale, free or trade?  Advertise here! Homeschool groups are welcome to advertise their group, too.  It's free! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LETTING IT RIDE: The Homeschool HUB is collecting used textbooks.  Contact Diane Day:  joharding_20@yahoo.com or 269-445-1900. 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 many products. 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.