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Choosing Excellent Books, Fun in the Snow, Why Homeschool?

By

Added Friday, February 10, 2006

=============================================================
The Homeschooler's Notebook
Encouragement and Advice for Homeschool Families
=============================================================
Vol. 7 No 6 February 10, 2006
ISSN: 1536-2035 Circulation 22403
=============================================================
Copyright (c) 2006 - Heather Idoni, FamilyClassroom.net. All Rights Reserved.
=============================================================

Welcome to the Homeschooler's Notebook!

If you like this newsletter, please recommend it to a friend --
We all need to be helping each other with our homeschooling!

Directions for subscribing and unsubscribing are below.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

==============
IN THIS ISSUE:
==============
Notes from the Editor
-- Bookin' - Part Four
Helpful Tips
-- More Fun in the Snow
Question of the Week
-- Your Questions
-- Your Answers
Editor's Picks
-- Science Simplified
Announcements
-- Subscriber Information
-- Sponsorship Information

=======================
Notes from Heather
=======================

In the last issue I promised to share more book recommendations for
your home library and also the reason why I avoid so many books
published after 1970.

The biggest reason I avoid most post-1970 literature (or anything
past 1972, depending on the author) is what has been called the
"3-D" effect. For some reason, books written after the 1960s took
a major turn in content. Plots were contrived to include deeper
emotional turbulence than what I consider healthy for the ages the
authors were targetting. "3-D", in this case, would stand for death,
depression, and divorce.

Today's standard for selecting literature is almost non-existant,
especially in the public schools. The going attitude is "who cares
WHAT they are reading, as long as they ARE reading". It is my
opinion, as a mother who is helping her children to navigate their
way to adulthood, that what our kids read DOES matter. We are
what we read! I remember having to read "Crime and Punishment"
in high school and being depressed and preoccupied with murder for
weeks afterward. The wrong sorts of book choices can have lasting
negative effects on our children.

Equally important is avoiding what Charlotte Mason called "twaddle"
(often called "fluff" today). Books like "Scooby Doo Meets the
Mummy" would fall into this category, unless the author has skillfully
woven science and history lessons into the story. (In that case, you
might reconsider!)

Classic and/or well-written literature should make up over 75% of
your child's reading "diet". My boys enjoy a good mystery story or
Calvin and Hobbs comic book, but I continually challenge them to
read books that will add something to their lives. (Okay, Calvin and
Hobbes fans... maybe that was a bad example!)

Here are some of my recommendations for your home library:

History:
Random House Landmarks of Am. History series (elem to high school)
Random House World Landmarks series (elem to high school)
Here is a link to some information on the Landmark series:
http://www.sff.net/people/K-Mac/opinion/landmark.htm
Discovery biographies (Garrard Publishing - elementary level)
We Were There... series (elem. to middle grades)
Biographies published by Julian Messner (middle to high school level)
Cornerstones of Freedom series (elem to middle grades)

Science:
Let's Read-And-Find-Out Science books (elem level)
Field guides of all types
Up-to-date books about different science topics
(DK or Usborne style books are nice for browsing)

Math:
Young Math Books (series of "living" books on various math concepts)

Picture books:
Picture books for younger children are tricky. Even some of the
sweet looking, colorful, older books can be real duds when it comes
to content. When reviewing a possible purchase for your library,
read the first few pages first. If it seems interesting, take time to
read at least the last page to see where the author was going with
the story. If you have no clue about picture books, some good
starting book lists are the books used with the Five-In-A-Row
curriculum at www.fiveinarow.com. Older Caldecott award books
are almost always great choices. Find a recently written book that
wins your affection and you've found a real gem! They *are* out
there. My all-time favorite picture book is "Johnny the Clockmaker"
by Edward Ardizzone. I don't tell too many friends about this one,
but now that I have 6 copies (1 for me and one for each son!) I
don't worry about inflating the price! (Prior to publication of today's
newsletter you should be able to get one for $6 to $8 online.)

Animal and Horse stories:
Excellent authors include Walt Morey, Jim Kjelgaard, Albert Payson
Terhune, and Marguerite Henry. Even if you don't care about
horses, Henry's books are a MUST. Her books are all based on true
stories. My favorite is "Born to Trot". It is a book within a book!
And my *very* favorite animal story is "Along Came a Dog" by
Meindert de Jong. I'm no great fan of dogs, but I LOVE this book!

Other wholesome fiction books:
This is a BIG category. I would recommend trying books by any
author who wrote good fiction between the 1930's and 1972.
If you like the author, get more books by them! One of my
favorite books has actually been in print since 1915, when it was
originally published. "Understood Betsy" by Dorothy Canfield. Get
it and read it aloud! For a very funny series, try Walter Brooks'
"Freddy the Pig" series. My boys beg for more every time.

A wonderful guide to help you get acquainted with a large variety
of recommended authors/books is "Who Should We Then Read"
by Jan Bloom. You can order a copy of this book at her website -
http://www.booksbloom.com - or you can call me at my bookstore
to order at 810-735-0977. I'm there Tuesday through Friday from
11 am to 3 pm EST. (If you mention Homeschool Notebook, I'll give
you FREE shipping!) Jan Bloom is a good friend and her guide is BY
FAR the best one on the market. There really is nothing else to
compare to it.

Jan also covers all the history series books I mentioned above. This
book is HIGHLY recommended for those who are serious about
cultivating a home library.

In the next newsletter I will talk about organizing and using your
home library. Happy bookin'!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

=======================
HELPFUL TIPS
=======================
[Here's your chance! Send YOUR ideas along to
HN-ideas@familyclassroom.net]

For those of you who have the wonderful combination of both snow
AND sunshine, here are some low or no-cost tips from our sister
newsletter, the Dollar Stretcher. http://www.stretcher.com

Obstacle Courses or Winter Olympics - Jump over the mounds of
snow or have relay races. (My boys would have fun just building
the obstacles! I think we'll try this one!)

Snow Paint - Mix food coloring and water and add to spray water
bottles and spray the snow to make colorful works of art outside.

Snow Ice Cream - Mix together a quart of milk, an egg, 1 cup sugar,
1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract in a pan. Cook
on stove top until mixtures thicken and cool to room temperature.
Pour this mixture over fresh snow. Or mix 3 cups loose clean snow,
2 tablespoons milk, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 tsp. vanilla extract. (Yum!)

---

Send YOUR ideas to: HN-ideas@familyclassroom.net

========================
Last Issue's Question Was...
========================

"I am not actually a homeschool mom yet; my first child is a
15-month old baby girl. Right now I am exploring schooling options.
I am certainly intrigued by homeschooling, and my local church has
quite a few homeschooling parents. But there is also a very good
private Christian school in the area. Right now my husband and I
are pretty sure that we do not want to send our child/children to
public schools, but that is as far as we have gotten. So I was
wondering how you and your subscribers arrived at the decision to
homeschool? What were your thought processes? Did you
consider other options? Any insights would be appreciated.
Thanks." -- Karen in TN

======================
Our Readers' Responses
======================

[Editor's note: We had such wonderful responses! I printed 12 of
them here in the newsletter. Some had to be edited for space.]

Karen, your question could have been a quote from me 3 years ago.
We also pretty much knew we didn't want to send my now 4 1/2
year old daughter to public school, but because this was how my
husband and I were schooled, we knew we needed some advice
and education about our alternatives.

It ended up we placed her in a Christian preschool at 3. I watched
her closely that year and spoke often with the teacher about her
progress. She seemed to not listen to the teacher and not do her
work even though now at 4 1/2 she can read large words and even
write small sentences. The teacher suggested she had a hearing
problem, which I knew wasn't right. She did however have an
attention problem. She was so busy looking at what all the other
children were doing and even at this young age was trying hard to
fit in. It is possible that she was bored with the curriculum, but it
was more likely that she wanted so much to be like the other
children, she was forgetting her own abilities.

My husband confessed the same thing when a kindergarten
teacher discovered he could read and made him read in front of the
whole class (he is naturally an introvert) and then set him up in his
own reading group by himself. He resented the isolation and
rebelled. He ended up barely graduating high school and never got
farther than a few classes at a junior college.

It seemed to us then that our daughter needed to stretch and be
challenged in an arena where she was not compelled to fit in.
After the first month of 4-year preschool we decided to homeschool.
At first she missed going to class, but the adjustment period was
short and she went through the trial and error with us gracefully.

I am having a great time teaching our children, and I think that is
enriching all of our lives. -- Christine in PA

---

In the process of comparing various school options, we discovered
the following:

1) Individual, one-on-one tutoring is always better than group learning,
for many reasons.

2) Private schools use virtually the same ineffective methods as
public schools. They include some Bible curriculum, but the
approach to teaching is no different.

3) Negative social influences are only slightly less in private schools
than in public schools. Peer pressure is sometimes worse.

4) If your children attend private school, they will be away from you
during the best part of the day. You will have to cultivate your rela-
tionship with them in the evening when neither of you is at your best.

5) If you enroll your children in private school, you will have very little
control over what they are taught. Your family will be subject to the
school's schedule.

You are very wise to be doing your research early. My oldest child
was two months old when we began studying the options, and by
the time she was six months old, we had made a well-informed and
confident decision. We then had several years to study the various
approaches to homeschooling and decide on curriculum. We've
never looked back. -- Mary Beth

---

Although my gift is teaching and I was a public school teacher, I
wasn't sure I could effectively teach my own children because I
thought I'd be too emotionally involved. However, I truly felt con-
victed about being a homeschooling family after my husband and
I watched a Ken Ham video where he discussed the biblical calling
parents have as teachers. Whether you send your daughter to
private school or choose to homeschool, you will always be your
child's first teacher and most important influence on her life.

My husband and I have researched homeschooling ideas, philoso-
phies, support groups, etc. for about a year now. I am planning to
attend a home educators' training seminar and will try to talk to
other families who have chosen this route. I have found this news-
letter to be very helpful as well.

Our son is almost 19 mos. old and I am a homeschooling mom!
We have not made any decisions about when/if he will enter school,
but we're leaning toward homeschooling him until at least ninth grade
so we know he has a good moral foundation to stand firm in what he
believes. Both my husband and I are very excited about this journey
and all the wonderful benefits we will reap as a family!

Through prayer, education, communication and loving support, your
family can make a decision that is best for all of you. -- Jessica in TX

---

For us, the decision to homeschool was made almost before our son
(now 16) was born in 1989. My best friend was already homeschool-
ing then, and is still working with three. My husband's nieces were
being homeschooled, and one graduated summa cum laude from a
local university two years ago.

Besides these wonderful examples, there were other factors we
considered:

- Freedom to guard our son's moral and social environment (actively
involved with church groups since he was eight days old)

- Freedom to guide his educational environment (in our case, lots and
lots of reading, of mostly 'older' books!)

- Freedom to enjoy 'educational' opportunities - field trips, etc. - on a
moments' notice (with other people who love to do the same)

- Freedom from financial stresses caused by 'fad' clothes or private
school tuition (we still do lots of secondhand shopping, for curriculum
needs and clothes, and our son is very comfortable wearing what he
eally wants to wear).

We have chosen a very eclectic approach, but there are also MANY
more organized curricula out there nowadays, so new homeschoolers
have lots of great choices. Keep asking around; homeschoolers just
LOVE to help each other!! -- Elaine in NJ

---

Hello, I am new to this newsletter and not homeschooling yet either.
I actually had the same question! As a teacher for the public school
system, I feel that there are so many children that are not getting the
education they deserve. It is a sad fact that so many children are put
into a classroom because of their age and not ability. I taught 5th
grade and had students that could read anywhere from 1st grade up
through college. The text books that I used (mandated) were written
around the 5th - 7th grade level depending on the subject. I now have
three children and am researching educational choices. The more
research I do, by looking at my wants for my child, the more I end up
at the homeschooling choice. -- Kristyn

---

I considered all the options when deciding where my daughter would
spend the majority of her time and education. I thought public school
would suit us, because I'm not picky and that's just what's done. Both
my parents were public school teachers. We tried public school for
my daughter with nothing but a positive attitude, but that didn't work
out. My daughter was too convenient.

The first week of Kindergarten my daughter said, "Teachers should
care about their students. But they don't." I saw her slip further into
depression from that point on. Despite the fact she made loads of
friends and was picked out for the gifted program, she came home
insisting she was the "dumbest kid in the class." I was very involved
for two years in the school and was shocked by how little I found right
with it. Everyone is so concerned about watching their back for
criticism that they forgot that the young people are the reason they
are there in the first place. It's as if the teachers were the bullies.
Everything was about convenience, assembly line and making things
look impressive.

Naturally I thought it's time to find a private or parochial school, which
I assumed would be a loving and a more home type atmosphere.
Unfortunately, I was surprised I found their focus very narrow. I found
that there was an attitude in the parents and the faculty of fitting in for
the sake of fitting in. They didn't have the funds to provide the well
rounded exposure to various experts or subjects that even the public
schools do -- let alone any special need that may arise like my
daughter's giftedness. I found each of the eight schools I investigated
to be academically stifling. Also, I found that they were too close
knit, leaving the "no privacy" kind of atmosphere that extremely small
towns have. Talk to people who grew up attending private and
parochial schools. You'll be surprised by their insight.

Finally I decided to homeschool for several reasons. The first was the
process of elimination -- surprisingly nothing seemed close to my
standards. The second was that once I opened my mind to giving
homeschooling a consideration, it seemed that it's the way things
were meant to be. It's so natural. Taking a bunch of kids and lock-
ing them all up in a room, strapped to a desk all day with only a huge
batch of the exact same age kids day after day doesn't seem the way
God intended. If it were, we should have had litters instead of children.
Last, it was so impressive what people had accomplished home-
schooling, that why should I spend so much money on a school I
resent when I could save that money for a decent college education
and enjoy my child for the years she's with us?

No one knows your child better than you do. You can move at their
pace rather than making them fill time proving mastery on a piece of
paper. You have the power to make learning a true joy by tweaking
to their interests. There are so many powerful, meaningful opportu-
nities for homeschooled kids. By the way, it's rare that isolation is a
concern. You'd be surprised at how many opportunities come your
way when you aren't working around a school schedule. Research
all the books and schools in your area. Then speak with teachers in
all types of schools about what they think are the positives and
negatives of the different options are. Last, speak privately with
people who have been to all kinds of schools, and learn from their
mistakes. You'll be surprised how many wouldn't really want to put
their child in the same situation. The few I have found who would,
also feel there is no need to look for a better education because in
their words, it doesn't exist. Too bad they haven't been exposed to
home schooling. -- Heidi

---

Our decision to homeschoool came out of desperation when our
oldest son was in high school. He had problems since kindergarten
(short attention span, difficulty sitting still, disruptive, etc.) and was
diagnosed as ADHD. Being new parents, we trusted that the
"educators" knew what they were doing and went along with their
ideas, but as the years went on, things got worse; in addition to the
"learning" problems, he started having behavior and attitude problems.

Most of the things the schools tried just didn't work. Most of the
things we tried didn't work. I feel sure that his behavior and attitude
problems probably stemmed from his feelings of always be "picked
on" and "punished" and "not accepted". By middle school, he hated
school and didn't really even try anymore. Continuing into early high
school, he was suspended and given detention continuously because
he was viewed as "being defiant". We kept asking the school to look
for other solutions, since those that were being used were obviously
not working ... it was like beating a dead horse. Finally, by high
school, we were able to get them to help ... only after an "insider"
shared some information with us about an alternative school and
after threatening to contact an attorney. My son attended the
alternative school, paid for by the school system, for 1 1/2 yrs.; there
he learned ways to control his impulses and did well academically
too, with more one-on-one instruction. He eventually returned to the
high school, where he continued to do okay behaviorally, but
floundered when he took on more of the responsibility for his work and
was placed in a classroom full of what I'm sure the faculty considered
"misfits". We pulled him out of school when he was failing five of
seven subjects and the principal and teachers didn't seem to be
concerned, merely saying that he wasn't doing his part. I kept him at
home for the last two years and attempted to help his as best I could;
I don't think I helped much, but I didn't damage him either.

I don't know if I would ever have had the courage to homeschool had I
not met a wonderful friend who had been doing it for years. Having
been public schooled, I thought that's what everyone did. If only I'd
have known then what I know now, his life would have been so much
better. Even though my second son has a totally different personality
and doesn't have the same challenges, I decided to homeschool him
when he got to middle school; I can definitely see the benefits.

I guess the moral of this story, for those of us who homeschool, is to
make our presence known and share our knowledge with anyone who
is interested. For those who are thinking about taking this path, the
moral is follow your heart ... you know what's best for your children.
There are many different approaches to homeschool ... you just have
to find which is right for your family. -- Sherry

---

Their is an organization that helps to meet the exact need you have.
Their website is:

www.consideringhomeschooling.com

This is for the national organization, I believe, and then they have
local chapters. It is a pretty new organization, only about 4 years old,
so there may not be a local one near you. But they also give advice
about how to start such a support group.

This group has proven to be very helpful and motivating to me. They
have park days and field trips that are usually okay for strollers - so
even if your child is very young you can participate.

One other thing -- determine what goals you have in your child's
education. Then look at the product(s) of public vs. private vs. home
education. I won't say it is easy, but the time invested in our children
is really worth it. And I wouldn't trade in one of the most difficult
moments to miss all the wonderful ones. Besides, with the amount
of homework assigned by most schools, you really end up home
schooling anyway - just doing it in the evening. At least by educating
at home, we have our evenings free to enjoy family time, games,
reading, going for a nature walk, etc. and for extracurricular activities
without having to worry about homework being done. -- Theresa in CA

---

In response to Karen, about how to decide if homeschooling is right
for you:

First, good for you! Many people are intimidated about home-
schooling, and may not consider it until after they have tried public
education! I am assuming you are praying and asking God for
guidance, so will not go into that aspect. We have three children, 6,
4 and 10 months. We decided when we were pregnant with the first
one that we would probably homeschool, but knew nothing about it.
It took several years of research to really make up our minds. I think
the biggest deciding factors were:

First: Talking to publicly schooled children of various ages. My
husband's father recently remarried, into a large family with lots of
children and grandchildren. Our children would attend the same
schools as many of these children, and we were not impressed with
their skills, socially nor academically. We acknowledge that parental
involvement can and does make a huge difference to a child's learning
process, but felt we would have to re-do most what was being covered
in school.

Second, we spoke with some of the teachers, both from the schools
our children would attend, as well as others. Their stories were just
plain frightening! One kindegarten teacher shared that she has
trouble passing 50% of her students! Mainly because they come from
hugely different experiences, and she has to get them all to the same
level in just a few months. She was very frustrated. We do not think
this system is fair to either teachers or students!

The final issue for us was the months we used a good daycare
preschool while we were building a house. We took our 2 older
children, aged 2 and 4 at the time, to a Christian preschool that got
excellent reviews in our area. The children we took in were not the
children we picked up! Our beautiful outgoing little girl became with-
drawn and started to revert to more babyish behavior, and my son
(all boy, and very active) came home angry and rebellious. They were
both often sick, after no illness while at home, we were contending
with several times a month of vomitting and diarrhea, etc.

I am not saying all public schools are bad, nor preschools. We
started "formally" schooling at the kindegarten level in September,
and found that my son was bored! The kindegarten level information
was too simple for him, and my then 3 year old daughter was breezing
through much of it. I feel our public education system needs to be
re-evaluated to allow teachers to teach, and to instill both a love of
learning, and passion for exellence in the students. For us, at this
time, the solution is right here at home. -- Robin

---

We have two home schooled children -- an 18-year-old daughter and
an 8-year-old boy both of whom have been home schooled since first
grade. Last year we had a German exchange student who attended
our church academy, so I got a fairly close look at the differences,
advantages and drawbacks of both.

Before I go into this, I want to say that though it is not my personal
choice, I am thankful for the existence of good private schools. They
do perform a service to society and many of their students there are
probably better off than in the parents' next choice.

Among the advantages of private school to the student are that they
have teachers who teach mostly one or two subjects and specialize
in that age group and are likely to give regular lectures to the class
on their subject; students have more opportunities for social activities;
and the accountability in terms of assignments, due dates, and
grades don't depend on how Mom runs the home and school.

Among the advantages of private school to the parent are that stay-at-
home parents have 6 or more hours to themselves five days a week.

Among the disadvantages of private school to the parent are the cost;
the student is away from the parent many hours so the parent's
influence and authority is minimized and family unity is disrupted;
discipline will be less consistent; the parent has less say in how
things are done; and the parent is less aware of what is actually
taught to the student.

The advantages and disadvantages in home schooling are generally
flipped from the above. The prime advantages to home schooling can
be greater Christian values, greater family unity, parent influence,
consistent discipline, customized curriculum and speed, less peer
influence, more efficient time use, flexible schedule, and ability to
travel if desired.

When we had our exchange student, I remember watching the
students coming out of the school, being picked up by their parents.
I was grieved by the predominant attitudes toward their parents, as
if their parents were servants and somehow not worthy of a cheerful
or appreciative greeting. This is unthinkable in our home. The
exchange student, in fact, generally had this same attitude toward
us throughout her stay, and it was a very difficult year. I for one would
choose home schooling hands down over public or private school as
long as I am able, in spite of the great demands and my own many
weaknesses.

Please consider this prayerfully. You need to make this decision
with wisdom, with purpose, and the ability to commit to what you
have chosen. It will affect your whole family in the short and long
term. -- Connie in Washington

---

Here in Florida, the school age cut-off is Sept. 1st, which I wasn't
expecting, having grown up in New York State where it is Dec. 1st.
Our oldest, a son, was born Sept. 29th and was not going to be
allowed to start Kindergarten until he was almost 6. He was reading,
telling time, and adding and subtracting up to 10 by the age of 4.
The principal told us it was "better for boys to stay back a year
anyway" and "don't do so much with him at home." We weren't
doing anything with him other than reading to him and showing him
what he wanted to know. We decided to put our first two children in
a good Montessori school, but it was VERY expensive. By the time
our third child came along, there was no way we could afford 3 tuitions,
so we decided to homeschool. So I guess you could say our decision
was formed by 1) the public school's lack of interest in our son's
education, 2) money - it was much cheaper to homeschool even on
one income and that way allow some of our funds to go to dance,
piano, and sports and 3) a strong desire after talking to other home-
school parents to be the primary teachers of our children and not ship
them off for 8 hrs.a day to someone else. It's been 9 yrs. now and we
really love our decision to homeschool. -- Gail in Florida

---

My children also went to an excellent Christian school in our area.
We originally took them out because we felt God leading us to, but for
no reason relating to the school. We just wanted to try it. We had
every intention of just home schooling a few years and then returning
to the school. From this experience we've found benefits we couldn't
even imagine! We experience a closer family life, much more flexi-
bility, and many more opportunities than we ever imagined possible!
My children are able to pursue learning in all subjects within the realm
of what interests them. All three have excelled academically because
I can work one on one and go at their pace. That is rarely possible in a
classroom situation, no matter how good the school is! I would
encourage you to home school in the beginning, and switch to a more
traditional school if you choose to later. There's a good chance you'll
just never get around to enrolling them! -- Lori in PA

======================
Answer our NEW Question!
======================

"I'm a single dad who works from my office at home. I plan to begin
homeschooling one of my children after this school year (4th grade).
I am now considering homeschooling my two younger children
(K and 1st grade), also. What would be the easiest and least time
consuming way to do this so that I can both teach them and have
time to do my job? Is there a way that I can teach them all the same
subjects at the same time? I would like to use the Classical Educa-
tion model, but feel it would be too time consuming considering my
circumstances. I'm concerned about teaching them all in a fairly
limited time and also keeping them busy so that I can do my work
while they are with me all day at home. We do have to report to the
school district, so unschooling would be more difficult to pull off
(besides not really being my personal 'style'). Is there anyone else in
a similar circumstance that can give me some guidance? Or anyone
at all who has suggestions for me? Thanks in advance." -- Eric

---

Do you have advice for this dad?
Send your responses to: HN-answers@familyclassroom.net

===================
ASK YOUR QUESTION
===================

Do you have a burning question that you can't ask just anyone?
Send it to HN-questions@familyclassroom.net and we'll see
if our readers can help you out.

===============
HEATHER'S PICKS
===============

Afraid of teaching science? How about a periodic table for your
toddler? Teresa Bondora-Revere knows how to keep science simple.
Her website is: http://www.steelcreek.com

Teresa will be with us at HomeschoolChat.us for a special guest
chat on Monday, Feb. 20th!

The topic will be: "How NOT To Teach Science"

Check out the website and then join us at the Homeschool
Encouragement Center for an evening with Teresa!

Chat is on Monday, 2/20/06 at 10 pm Eastern Time.
http://www.educationforthesoul.com/hschat

===================
Interactive Email Group
===================

In an effort to help our readers become more of an interactive
community, we have set up an email loop at YahooGroups called
"Homeschool-Notebook".

Please sign-up for the group and take our poll, even if you want
to go "no mail" for the loop. This will help me to understand what
ages your children are, how you school, etc. (The information will
be kept anonymous and private, of course.)

Here is the link to sign-up and take the poll:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/homeschool-notebook/

===========================
SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION
===========================

There are opportunities for you to be a sponsor of this
newsletter. If you are interested, drop an e-mail to
marketing@stretcher.com with "Homeschoolers-Notebook"
as the subject. We'll send you some information on how to
become a part of this ministry!

=====================
ADDITIONAL NOTES
=====================

All contributed articles are printed with the author's prior
consent. It is assumed that any questions, tips or replies to
questions may be reprinted. All letters become the property of
the "Homeschooler's Notebook". [Occasionally your contribution
may have to be edited for space.]

Again, I welcome you to the group! Feel free to send any
contributions to HN-articles@familyclassroom.net or
HN-ideas@familyclassroom.net.

Our main website is:
http://www.familyclassroom.net

More resources and links can be found at Lynn Hogan's site:
http://www.unitstudyhelps.com

===========================
REPRINT INFORMATION
===========================

This newsletter may be copied in its entirety without special per-
mission. To use any single part of the newsletter, please direct
your request to: Heather@FamilyClassroom.net

===========================
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
===========================

To subscribe, just send a blank email to the following address:
join-hs-notebook@hub.thedollarstretcher.com

To unsubscribe send a blank email to the following address:
leave-hs-notebook@hub.thedollarstretcher.com

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