HomeSchoolBuzz.com

Chicago Homeschool Expo

2009-07-06T19:06:00.001-04:00

Chicago Homeschool Expo

"Our friend Cheryl Moeller wanted Homeschoolbuzz readers to know about the upcoming Chicago Homeschool Expo August 7-8. Here's what she says:

" New this year! Chicago Homeschool Expo is fun, practical, affordable, and free for kids. I'll be doing several workshops, included among over 100 how-to workshops to choose from. Lots of exhibits are featured in this two day Chicago Homeschool Expo." www.chicagohomeschoolexpo.com

Eyes Like Stars Theatre Illuminata, Act I

2009-07-06T08:19:00.001-04:00

Eyes Like Stars Theatre Illuminata, Act I

According to Wikipidea, and as we all know, "William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "The Bard"). His surviving works consist of 38 plays154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright".
In Lisa Mantchev's novel Eye's Like Stars, Bertie Shakespeare Smith is also a playwright, directing her own life story at the great and magical Theatre Illuminata. Shakespeare and theatre fans will especially love this book. I'll have my review posted tomorrow, but for today, take a sneak peek at Lisa's website and check the Shakespeare websites listed below.

Lisa Mantchev's website
Folger Shakespeare library
EZ Shakespeare for Kids (Romeo and Juliet)

Other bloggers participating on this tour:
The 160 Acre Woods, A Christian Worldview of Fiction, A Patchwork of Books, Abby the Librarian, All About Children’s Books, And Another Book Read, Becky’s Book Reviews, Dolce Bellezza, Fireside Musings, The Friendly Book Nook, Homeschool Book Buzz, Homespun Light, Hyperbole, KidzBookBuzz.com, Never Jam Today, Reading is My Superpower, Through a Child’s Eyes

NASCAR’s Homeschooled Star

2009-07-02T23:07:00.001-04:00

NASCAR’s Homeschooled Star

This past weekend, Joey Logano became the first home scholar to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup series race. Who said that homeschoolers, numbering around two million, only make the news for succeeding at spelling bees and outscoring the competition on standardized tests?

Adding to the historic nature of the victory, Logano, all of 19 years old, became the youngest NASCAR winner ever. He did it at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, and even overcame a crash to do so. Blowing by the competition, which included Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jeff Gordon, Logano made Home Depot (his car’s sponsor) and Joe Gibbs Racing (the outfit he drives for) very proud, as he went to Victory Lane at the Lenox Industrial Tools 301. Read more...

Carnival of Homeschooling - multi-part edition

2009-06-30T15:03:00.001-04:00

Carnival of Homeschooling - multi-part edition

A multi-part theme to this carnival of homeschooling by Sherene at examiner.com

Welcome to part 1 of the 181st Carnival of Homeschooling. I've broken this carnival into separate parts, each one dealing with a specific topic. Part one combines musings on summer activities with ideas for activities. Read more...
The 183rd Carnival of Homeschooling - Part 1, "The lazy days of summer"
The 183rd Carnival of Homeschooling - Part 2, "To unschool or not"
The 183rd Carnival of Homeschooling - Part 3 , "This is the homeschool life"
The 183rd Carnival of Homeschooling - Part 4, "Books, books and more books"
The 183rd Carnival of Homeschooling - Part 5, "Crafty Homescholers"
The 183rd Carnival of Homeschooling - Part 6, "Online Resources"

Homeschooling Losing ground in Europe

2009-06-28T09:01:00.001-04:00

Homeschooling Losing ground in Europe

Michael Smith in the Washington Times:

While home-schooling freedom and flexibility continues to improve in the U.S., it appears to be going in the opposite direction in Europe. Germany leads the way as the most oppressive European state, because it routinely fines and threatens to imprison home-schoolers.

While other European countries have not embraced the German methods, there is a move in some countries to crack down on home-schoolers. Read more...

Homeschooling: from fringe to mainstream?

2009-06-26T07:40:00.001-04:00

Homeschooling: from fringe to mainstream?

Via Yahoo News

COLUMBIA, Maryland (AFP) – When Elizabeth Dean was four, her mother took her out of kindergarten to teach her at home because she could already read the children's classic "Charlotte's Web" while the other kids were just learning how to write the letter "C".

That was 10 years ago and homeschooling was "still on the fringe of acceptability", Elizabeth's mother Lisa Dean told AFP in between classes in the family home on the history of ancient Rome, the writings of Edgar Allen Poe, online geometry and English for Elizabeth, 14, and 11-year-old Teddy.

"Ten years ago, folks typically would list their reasons for homeschooling as religious reasons or wanting to fly under the government radar," Dean told AFP. Read more...

Girl left school at 13, to college at 15

2009-06-25T07:46:00.001-04:00

Girl left school at 13, to college at 15

According to this article the girl felt her creativity was being suppressed by the government school.

“It was Lottie’s decision to leave school,” explained mum Melanie.

“She felt the school was killing her creativity especially her creative writing. She was so advanced with her grammar and spelling that her teachers did not believe her words were her own which really upset her. She is also very artistic and highly intelligent for her age.”

“It was her decision to leave, which I of course supported,” added Melanie. Read more...

School districts receive net gain from Homeschoolers

2009-06-25T07:40:00.001-04:00

School districts receive net gain from Homeschoolers

From Kate Tsubata of the Washington Times.

In addition to dispelling the myth that home-schoolers — who pay taxes for schools that they don't use — are somehow costing schools money, the authors cite studies by other researchers that show the value of home-schooling in other areas: home-schoolers have higher self-esteem, fewer behavior disorders, better academic performance, and more college attendance than their peers in public and private schools. Read more...

The Carnival of Homeschooling: Summer Transition Edition

2009-06-23T12:05:00.001-04:00

The Carnival of Homeschooling: Summer Transition Edition

Hosted this week at Our Curious Home.

Welcome to the Summer Transition Edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling.
Summer may have started two days ago, but my routines have not caught up. I feel pulled in two directions at once!

Last month at the standardized testing co-op, I asked the Moms (and a few Dads) how they transitioned to Summer. Many told me, "Testing is the end of the year," some adding, "If we've finished the math book!" One family mentioned the lure of the beach, and the freedom to decide on the day's activities based on the weather. Two families school year round. Read more...

Diamonds and Toads

2009-06-20T09:34:00.001-04:00

Diamonds and Toads

We recently got this note from Kate Wolford, Lecturer, Indiana University South Bend.

I run a blog called Diamondsandtoads.com, and am hoping more and more home scholing families will find it. It is geared toward students who are learning to write on the college level. More importantly, it is about the art, study, analysis and research of fairy tales.
The site is geared to students in or preparing for college.
Please don't let the "fairy tale" focus turn you off. The site does delve deeply into the subtexts and meanings of tales, but in a responsible way. I have had many home school graduates in my fairy tale and writing classes -- everyone of them has loved the experience.

Kathy checked it out and found lots of conversations related to aspects of writing fairy tales, it looks very creative. If you have a budding writer of fantasy in the family, be sure to check out diamondsandtoads.com.

The Dumbest Generation...

2009-06-19T14:33:00.001-04:00

The Dumbest Generation...

...Getting Dumber. I've been catching up on some reading today and found this column by Walter E. Williams (my favorite economist of George Mason University) confirming one reason to homeschool.

First, the longer American children are in school, the worse they perform compared to their international peers. In recent cross-country comparisons of fourth grade reading, math, and science, US students scored in the top quarter or top half of advanced nations. By age 15 these rankings drop to the bottom half. In other words, American students are farthest behind just as they are about to enter higher education or the workforce." That's a sobering thought. The longer kids are in school and the more money we spend on them, the further behind they get. Read more...

Carnival of Homeschooling: A Summer Party

2009-06-16T17:09:00.001-04:00

Carnival of Homeschooling: A Summer Party

This week the carnival is hosted by SuperAngel at The Daily Planet.

I have been so enjoying June! Its been a wonderful month even tho its only the 16th. We had a wonderful get together on Saturday with some wonderful friends! With that get together still in mind, I thought it would be neat to have that as my theme: A Summer Party

At a summer party, you have plenty of food, fellowship, fotos and fun!
Read more...

HSLDA—USA Today Gets Homeschool Story Wrong

2009-06-16T14:55:00.001-04:00

HSLDA—USA Today Gets Homeschool Story Wrong

HSLDA has some interesting facts on the mis-reporting by USA Today. USA Today depicted a profound shift in homeschooling demographics. The report they were quoting however, shows no such thing.

Perhaps the writer was just in a rush to be first, since his story was published on the day the NCES report was released online, or perhaps he has an agenda to falsely paint homeschoolers as rich and white, thereby dismissing the full range of people who are making tremendous sacrifices on limited budgets to ensure that the next generation receives the best education and upbringing available. Either way USA Today should make additional corrections to their factually inaccurate story. Read more...

U.K. Tightens Leash on Homeschoolers

2009-06-11T14:25:00.001-04:00

U.K. Tightens Leash on Homeschoolers

LifeSiteNews.com has more on the increasing persecution of homeschoolers in the UK.

Families will be forced to register with authorities and could face criminal penalties if they are deemed to be inadequately educating their children. The compulsory program will be administered by local councils who will visit parents intending to homeschool within one month of registration. Parents and guardians, the rules say, “must provide a clear statement of their educational approach, intent and desired outcomes for the child over the following twelve months.”

Homeschooling groups said they are “absolutely devastated” at the news. Annette Taberner, from the advocacy group Education Otherwise, said, “To suggest parents can continue to home educate but then give powers to local authorities to enter our homes and interview our children without an adult being present is just extraordinary. Read more...

Homeschool: The next generation

2009-06-10T16:48:00.001-04:00

Homeschool: The next generation

In today's Philadelphia Inquirer. Logo added by me via Flickr.

When Emily Bergson-Shilcock dated in college, she kept a list of assertions her beau would have to support should the two marry: She planned to keep her last name, clunky hyphenation and all. She intended to breast-feed her children. And she was determined to educate those children at home.

"Homeschooling is so much a piece of my identity," says Bergson-Shilcock, who was raised in Bryn Mawr and homeschooled along with her two sisters and brother. "I still refer to myself as a homeschooler, even though I'm 31 years old." Read more...

(Home) school's out forever in the UK?

2009-06-09T10:36:00.001-04:00

(Home) school's out forever in the UK?

From the UK's Guardian news site. A government investigation into homeschooling as a possible cover for child abuse has parents worried.

There's also a link in the story to a previous, very positive article about homeschooling in the UK. The mention the book by the Institute of Education, University of London How Children Learn at Home which concludes homeschooling is an "astonishingly efficient way to learn."

Home educators have been feeling nervous ever since Graham Badman began his review of home education earlier this year.

The government's announcement of the review came wrapped in sinister language about the need to investigate "claims that home education could be used as a 'cover' for child abuse such as neglect, forced marriage, sexual exploitation or domestic servitude".

For most people, the decision by parents to educate their children outside the school system is difficult to fathom. School is so ingrained in our perception of what is normal that even though many of us will freely admit we hated school, few of us can conceive of not packing our children off with their lunchboxes and pencil cases as soon as they are old enough – which is now just four years old. Read more...

Homeschooling on the rise

2009-06-09T10:18:00.001-04:00

Homeschooling on the rise

From Ledger-Enquirer.com.

Columbus mother Denise Rhinehart never thought she would end up homeschooling her three children.

“It was really the furthest thing from my mind,” she said.

Two years ago, her two oldest children, Parker and Wesley, were enrolled in public elementary school and were doing just fine. But she and her husband Craig were worried about the “stress and strain” of middle school for Parker, who was then set to enter sixth grade.

“When your kids are at school all day … other people are having the opportunity to influence their lives way more than you are,” Rhinehart said. “You’re not getting to spend a lot of really great quality time with them.” Read more...

Homeschoolers enjoy flexible schedule

2009-06-09T10:17:00.001-04:00

Homeschoolers enjoy flexible schedule

From The Maryland Gazette.

For the past two years Aaron Hannigan of Pasadena has juggled classes at Anne Arundel Community College, practices with Chesapeake Caledonian Pipe and Drum Corps, and work - about 25 hours a week at the Annapolis Police Department.

But his hard work is paying off. Hannigan is graduating from high school with an associate degree in criminal justice - with honors.

"I would have to say (I'm proud of) the work, being able to work and still get honors," he said. "It set me up and made me more competitive."

Hannigan is one of 1,750 students in the county who were home schooled during the past school year; the number of graduates was not available. Read more...

The Carnival of Homeschooling’s Field Guide to Homeschoolers

2009-06-09T09:00:00.001-04:00

The Carnival of Homeschooling’s Field Guide to Homeschoolers

Principled Discovery is hosting this week with a humorous field guide to homeschoolers. Enjoy.

Welcome to the 180th Carnival of Homeschooling! This week, we will be consulting the Field Guide to Homeschoolers to attempt to describe this fascinating specimen of educational freedom and gain a greater understanding of its habits, habitat and daily life.

The homeschooler, elusive and quick, is one of the most difficult creatures to study. They do not survive well in captivity, and field studies to date have focused on small, easily observable populations. Read more...

Carnival of Homeschooling - Baby Bop edition

2009-06-02T08:54:00.001-04:00

Carnival of Homeschooling - Baby Bop edition

Hosted this week by the Cates at Why Homeschool.

The Carnival of Homeschooling - the Baby Bop edition

Monday was a special day for my family. Janine and I, along with other family members, went to a local court house. Baby Bop was officially made a part of our family. We had a big shindig in the evening.

As I put together this carnival, foster care and adoption are heavily on my mind right now. It seems natural to work this week's carnival around our new son: Baby Bop. Read more...

The Dragon of Trelian - Review

2009-06-02T00:18:00.001-04:00

The Dragon of Trelian - Review

By Michelle Knudsen
Recommended reading level: ages 10+

Calen, a mage's apprentice makes fast friends with the spunky princess Meg, one of the daughters of the King of Trelian. She considers her new friend immediately trustworthy, and shares a brilliant secret with him. The two share adventures and dangers. This story about kingdoms and castles, mages and princess, secrets and friendships will entertain you with its fairy tale like feel.
First off, because the story co-stars a mage's apprentice, there is the practice of magic, including divination. So beware this content if you prefer the books for your children to be free of this.
I liked the way the friendship of the two children developed, and how the were very faithful to one another. Now the book is called the Dragon of Trelian, so where does he come in? He's next. Meg found the dragon (her little secret to Calen), whom she named Jakl, and she develops this special bond with him. Calen helps Meg learn about the dragon through research in the library. The link between Meg and Jackl is a powerful one, especially when Meg opens herself to the dragon. Here is an excerpt where Meg debates fully embracing the link to her dragon:

Jakl was depending on her. He needed her, and she kept trying to shut him out. She had to find a way to live with the link. To embrace it, as Calen had said. To live fully in the reality of her situation instead of clinging to a past that was already beyond her reach. She owed it to herself and to her dragon. Her dragon, she thought again. Jakl had claimed her as his own from the beginning. It was time for her to claim him in return. "All right," she said softly, let me go.

And so she links to the dragon and instead of being overpowered by him she finds their identity together to be a pleasant experience.
This was an interesting, different sort of book, but I do think it meandered at times. I found the middle to require patience to get through, but worth the investment of time as this is a big book (400+ pages).
What I didn't like was the vengeful spirit Meg possessed throughout the book (which did change somewhat by the ending). She desires at one point to plunge a knife deeply into her enemy's throat. Yikes! That is quite a wish for a young princess. But, instead of me spoiling some of the plot points you'll have to read to discover why a young girl could possess such strong emotions.
Overall, the Dragon of Trelian was an enjoyable read and the author pulls the story together nicely from beginning, to middle to a satisfying conclusion.
Here are the other bloggers on this book tour: A Christian Worldview of Fiction, Abby the Librarian, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Cafe of Dreams, Dolce Bellezza, Homeschool Book Buzz, KidzBookBuzz.com, Novel Teen, Reading is My Superpower, Reading to Know, Small World Reads, The 160 Acrewoods, Through a Child’s Eyes, Through the Looking Glass Reviews

The Dragon of Trelian

2009-06-01T07:53:00.001-04:00

The Dragon of Trelian

Tomorrow I will post my review on The Dragon of Trelian, "A middle-grade fantasy adventure involving a princess, a mage’s apprentice, a dragon, a hundred-year war, several secrets, old grudges, new enemies, lots of danger, a little romance, and an evil plot against the kingdom of Trelian that must be stopped at all costs!"
The author is Michelle Knudsen. Here is her bio:
"Michelle Knudsen is the author of 40 books for children. Her best-known title is Library Lion (Candlewick Press), which was a New York Times bestseller and has been translated into several languages. Her latest book is a middle-grade fantasy novel called The Dragon of Trelian. Formerly a full-time children’s book editor, Michelle continues to edit manuscripts on a freelance basis and has also worked as a bookseller, substitute teacher, library supervisor, and managing editor, among other things. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her diabetic cat, Cleo."
I think your middle-grade readers are going to enjoy this one. For today, you can visit Michelle's website or blog Stay tuned tomorrow for my review. And meanwhile, you can check out what these other bloggers on the tour have to say about the book:
A Christian Worldview of Fiction, Abby the Librarian, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Cafe of Dreams, Dolce Bellezza, Homeschool Book Buzz, KidzBookBuzz.com, Novel Teen, Reading is My Superpower, Reading to Know, Small World Reads, The 160 Acrewoods, Through a Child’s Eyes, Through the Looking Glass Reviews

Teach Your Child to Argue

2009-05-29T22:48:00.001-04:00

Teach Your Child to Argue

I haven't tried this and I don't know if I will. But it sounds logical, interesting and I thought might interest Homeschoolbuzz readers.

Why would any sane parent teach his kids to talk back? Because, this father found, it actually increased family harmony.
(First published in Disney’s Wondertime Magazine. The article was nominated for a 2007 National Magazine Award.) Read more...

Shift in kind of families who are home schooling

2009-05-29T22:21:00.001-04:00

Shift in kind of families who are home schooling

From USATODAY.com. They interview Henry Cate of Why Homeschool in the article.

Parents who home-school children increasingly are white, wealthy and well-educated — and their numbers have nearly doubled in a decade, a new federal government report says.

What else has nearly doubled? The percentage of girls who are home-schooled. They now outnumber home-schooled girls by a wide margin.

As of spring 2007, an estimated 1.5 million, or 2.9% of all school-age children in the USA, were home-schooled, up from 1.7% in 1999. Read more...

Homeschooling Carnival

2009-05-27T19:51:00.001-04:00

Homeschooling Carnival

Hosted this week by Headmistress at The Common Room.

Thanks for joining us for this carnival of homeschooling! Read more...