HEM's Online News - October 2002
Home Education Magazine by way of Home
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HOME EDUCATION MAGAZINE'S ONLINE NEWS
October 2002
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Welcome to HEM'S ONLINE NEWS! For more information on Home Education
Magazine, see the end of this newsletter or visit our web site at
http://home-ed-magazine.com Send your comments and questions to
editor Carol Narigon at HEM-Newsletter@....
We think parents and kids should be together! So with this issue
we're continuing our subscription special to encourage you to do just
that--be with your kids. Our "Don't Send Your Kids to School!"
special is available to HEM's Online News readers and offers a
one-year subscription for only $20.00. Subscribe at:
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com/ORD/_nottoschool.html , or see
contact info near the end of this newsletter.
In the October issue:
~ Unschooling Is My Job ~
~ Questions and Answers ~
~ unschooling.com ~
~ Calling All College Applicants ~
~ Homeschool Books ~
~ Spike's Science Projects ~
~ Homeschoolers Helping Homeschoolers ~
~ Heart Man ~
~ Disgustoscope ~
~ The Final Word ~
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
Let's not cast ourselves in roles either -- good parent, bad parent,
permissive parent, authoritarian parent. Let's start thinking of
ourselves as human beings first, with great potential for growth and
change. The process of living or working with children is demanding
and exhausting. It requires heart, intelligence, and stamina. When
we don't live up to our own expectations -- and we won't always --
let's be as kind to ourselves as we are to our youngsters. If our
children deserve a thousand chances, and then one more, let's give
ourselves a thousand chances -- and then two more." ~~ from "How to
Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk" by Adele Faber
and Elaine Mazlish ~~
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
UNSCHOOLING IS MY JOB
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com/HEM/195/sounschool.html
What makes unschooling so hard for me is its very nature. Incredible
things happen, but I don't know when they are going to happen and
sometimes the timing is disconcerting. Occasionally I hunger for a
schedule that is written in stone. I want us all to get up at the
same time in the morning and do our chores and start on our
activities together at the same time. I want us all to eat at the
same time. I want the kids to want to read when I want to read and I
want them to need my help when I have scheduled it into the day.
There are moments when I've had enough of spontaneity.
I'd like to think that unschooling is not a "thing," it is just life.
And perhaps if we were homesteading and training our kids to take
their places beside ours in the struggle for survival, it would be an
organic part of life. But we're not. The reality is that this home is
a temporary way station for my kids to live before they go off on
their own. And on subtle and not-so-subtle levels they feel the
difference. They love us, and especially as they get older, they do
seem to feel a genuine desire to help us out, but they don't have a
real stake in our present community because they know they will be
leaving it.
Knowing this has made my job as family manager all the more complex.
It has been my repeated hope that when the kids are adults they will
want to come visit us because of what we share, and not out of some
form of guilt. In the families of the past, I believe that
spirituality and hard work bound people together. If you didn't pull
your weight in the garden or on the hunt, everyone went hungry. For
this family, at this time, that is not the case. Since we are not
struggling for survival, the question comes up, "What are we doing
here at all?"
So, always on my mind is the hope that our daily living will provide
us with interests that hold us together when everyone is grown, and
it seems to be happening. This past week Sara gave me a cookbook that
I have used every day. She recommended two books on nutrition that I
am buying for our library. She and April are working on piano duets
that they play when they get together. Sara is out of the house but
her relationship with all of us continues to grow. It is the same
with Jake.
How do I quantify the kind of hours of work that went into creating a
home where this is the outcome? It is a thrilling outcome, but it is
not always so easy to see when I am bogged down in the daily routine
of getting someone - anyone - to just clean the bathroom and be quiet
about it.
Being a mother is the first job to which I ever felt completely,
totally committed. If I were to analyze it, I would say that I looked
at the work that needed to be done and wrote my own job description.
I had to take into account the century in which we live and the
geographical location in which we find ourselves as well as our means
of monetary support. I also had to define what my purpose is in
raising children.
I will not win the Nobel Prize for this job, nor will I earn any
money for it. Whether I homeschool or unschool, the reality is that I
will not be able to follow up on all the great writing ideas that
come into my head. Nevertheless I will try, because part of my job
description is to have my own interests and eventually phase myself
out of my job.
~~ excerpt from an article by Ruthe Friedner Matilsky ~~
You can read the rest of this article, as well as a couple of
articles and columns from the September/October issue at the address
above, but you'll have to get the magazine--the one you hold in your
hands--to read them all! See special subscription information at the
top and end of this newsletter, or visit your local bookseller to get
your copy today.
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
"This may seem silly, but the thing I most enjoyed about my own
school years were the little awards, the teacher's compliments on my
report card and other tangible signs that I was smart and valuable.
What on earth can homeschoolers do to provide a shoebox full of
memories for our children?" ~~ newly homeschooling in Wisconsin ~~
"I am a very concerned educator in Indiana who has a relative in
Colorado. I am very concerned about this relative who is SUPPOSEDLY
homeschooling two young boys. One boy should be in 8th grade and the
other 3rd or 4th grade. They have not gone to a public or private
school at least 3 years. I feel that the mother, who would be the
homeschool educator, is not planning, educating, evaluating, keeping
permanent records or putting forth the time or effort to educate
these boys. I feel that in the future I might regret keeping not
alerting the proper authorities of what I might know. Here's the
question: Is there a way to have these boys checked on to see if
this supposed homeschooling is being done? I feel that these boys
will fall through the cracks of the homeschool system!" ~~ Concerned
relative ~~
To answer a question, or propose your own question, please write to
Laura Weldon via ReaderResponse@... or Questions &
Answers, c/o Home Education Magazine, PO Box 1083, Tonasket, WA
98855. Your responses must meet our deadline of the 1st. Please
recognize that your submission may be edited for length or clarity.
Indicate how you prefer your question or answer signed.
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
UNSCHOOLING.COM
http://www.unschooling.com
I think people have inherent interests that will find an outlet in
whatever way they can, like water seeping through cracks. Sure the
limitations will be there, as they are in whatever situation one is
in; limitations help shape us for our destiny. It is my hope that I
can assist my children to encounter people or mediums that have the
sort of information that they find fascinating and compelling, as I
certainly can't provide everything that they need. I have faith that
life in its divine, rich Wholeness can though. ~~ Neri, on the
unschooling.com message board ~~
Unschooling.com offers a free monthly newsletter, message boards, an
email list and more just for unschoolers. To subscribe to the email
list send a blank email to:
[email protected]
Or visit the email list website at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Unschooling-dotcom .
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
CALLING ALL COLLEGE APPLICANTS
My name is Joanna; I am a production assistant for The Merrow Report, PBS's
premiere series on youth and learning. We are currently in
pre-production for a piece on applying to college from homeschool.
Although the angle is undecided, we are leaning toward the journey of
homeschooled seniors applying to major national universities.
If you or anyone you know is graduating or has recently graduated and fits this
description, you could be a focus for our documentary and I would
love to hear from you. Also, any current issues in the world of
homeschooling that may be interesting to cover are welcome ideas.
Thanks, and my email is jgc221@... . Hope to hear from you.
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
HOMESCHOOL BOOKS
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com/catalog/index.html
Did you know you can buy homeschool books at the Home Education
Magazine website? We've narrowed the selection down to a few we think
are best. You'll find some of your favorite HEM columnists there,
along with other popular homeschool writers.
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
SPIKE'S SCIENCE PROJECTS
http://spikesworld.spike-jamie.com/science/index.html
Jan McCormick writes of her science projects site: "The science
projects on this site were written by a musician and philosopher; not
a scientist." That may be true, but you'll still find a lot of good
science on this site and the projects are accessible and fun. If your
homeschool group does a science fair or cooperative classes, or if
you just like science projects, you'll find plenty of ideas to keep
kids interested with projects like "Mr. Icky," "Light Bulb vs. the
Sun," "Territorial Battles of Air and Liquid" and "Is There a Genie
in the Bottle?"
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
HOMESCHOOLERS HELPING HOMESCHOOLERS
by Pam Sorooshian and Sue Patterson
This year, record numbers of families are choosing home education.
They are often confused, scared and apprehensive. Support from
experienced homeschoolers can sometimes provide just what they need
to help them gain confidence in themselves. The National Home
Education Network's website offers information, networking, and
support for new homeschoolers at
http://www.nhen.org/newhser/default.asp?id=227. Here is a sampling of
words of advice offered there by long-time homeschoolers from all
over the country.
"I'm fond of telling folks that the what and how will come if they do
one simple thing: Observe the children as they play and learn, get a
'feel' for the best way to go about this to 'fit' the individual
child. The children themselves give us remarkable clues, if we as
parents have but the wisdom and patience to interpret them."
~ Linda Dobson, New York ~
Start with the child, not the resource
2. Ask for your child's input, regardless of their age. I have always
been surprised at how well my kids know what they need and how they
want to go about getting it.
3. Don't buy anything expensive the first year.
4. Kids don't have to finish everything they start - sometimes they
come back to it (even years later) and sometimes they don't.
5. The child is in charge of the learning -- always, regardless of
what resource, method, or philosophy you employ or hold.
6. Homeschooling is a long-term adventure. There are few things that
have to be accomplished by a particular age.
7. School schedules and school resources were developed for ease of
teaching not for ease of learning. Big difference. ~ Christine Webb,
Oregon ~
"Children need the opportunity to experience the world personally,
using hands, bodies, and all the senses, as well as the mind. These
experiences could include water, sand, mud, plants, animals, cooking,
repair, all aspects of family life, social relation -ships, privacy,
books, art, construction, crafts, dance, model building, sports,
drama, math, communication, machinery (including anything from
crowbars to computers), music, science, spiritual belief systems,
literature, history, travel, and more. Paper and pencil
representations of reality (i.e. packaged curriculums or dependence
on workbooks) are occasionally a valuable tool. Used excessively,
such materials are a flavorless substitute for the real thing." ~ Ann
Lahrson-Fisher, Oregon ~
(You can read the rest of this article at the NHEN web address found
in the body of this excerpt.)
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
DISGUSTOSCOPE
http://www.eskimo.com/~billb/amateur/dscope.html
Here's a variation on the beautiful, infinitely changing
kaleidoscope-a disgustoscope. Inventor William J. Beaty calls it,
"Beautiful radial symmetry and pristine mathematics, perverted into a
revolting, horrible, yet highly amusing little optical toy."
Personally, I'm going to ask my husband to take this one.
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
HEART MAN
http://members.aol.com/cjsteer
What have you got to lose? It's free and it's a video about the
heart, the effects of alcohol and nicotine on the heart and it stars
a man who lives with both a donated heart and a kidney. He shows his
old diseased heart, just in case anybody doesn't believe he knows
what he's talking about. I haven't received mine yet, so I can't tell
you any more than what's on the website, but it sounds interesting.
For kids age 13 and up.
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HEM ONLINE NEWS UNCLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
For information on purchasing unclassified advertising space in this
newsletter, please contact the editor at
HEM-Newsletter@....
________
USBORNE
UsborneAmerica.com
New internet-linked history and science books for fall are
in...several new series to engage and delight your children and you.
Shop online and earn FREE books at: http://www.UsborneAmerica.com
For personal shopping service, e-shows or e-book fairs, email
SharonVE@... or call 888-474-8499 toll free. FREE business kit
for the first two callers in October! Sharon Vander Ende, Independent
Supervisor, Usborne America
________
GNARLY MATH
gnarlymath.com
CAMELBACK AND SAILING, BABYLON TO LYDIA with our indestructible young
lady mathematician. Join her in 558 BC as she deals with ancient
Egyptian musical instruments. It's all in the latest issue of our
FREE hilarious math newsletter, the Gnarly Gnews. Subscribe right now
to the Gnews, download free examples of our moneyback-guaranteed
CD-ROM Solid Gold Gnarly Math, show your children how easy and fun
Algebra, Geometry, Trig, Topology, and Probability can be, and
refresh your own math, all at http://www.gnarlymath.com .
_________
THE RESOURCEFUL HOMESCHOOLER
resourcefulhomeschooler.com
Attention unschoolers and eclectic homeschoolers! Looking for
something to do? The Resourceful Homeschooler carries great books,
science materials and kits, learning games, and the most interesting
software. AND here is your opportunity to clear some shelf space!
List or consign your surplus or used homeschooling materials. Store
credit available for consignments. Visit
http://www.resourcefulhomeschooler.com Materials to involve, inspire
and support independent learners of all ages!
_________
TEACH YOUR CHILD TO READ! TRY ONLINE LESSONS NOW FOR FREE!
Headsprout.com
Headsprout Reading is the fun, Internet-delivered beginning reading
program that will give your child a real advantage by systematically
teaching essential skills and strategies ensuring reading success and
confidence. Outstanding fast results! After just five 20-minute
animated, interactive episodes, children read their first Headsprout
book. Act quickly! For a limited time you can try out Headsprout
Reading FOR FREE! http://www.headsprout.com Please enter the
promotional code: HENM1
_________
THE GREAT WORD RACE
TheGreatWordRace.com
Have fun while learning! It's a great concept, especially when your
children won't even realize that they're playing a game with an
educational benefit. That's right, enhance your spelling and word
building skills with a game. No word is too simple or small.
Special playing cards work with word blends, prefixes and suffixes to
try to help you build words. Give your child some extra help by
playing in teams. No matter how you play it, you'll have hours of
fun. http://www.TheGreatWordRace.com
__________
HomeSchool FreeStuff
HomeschoolFREEStuff.com
Every week this FREE email newsletter brings you FREE curriculum,
resources, lesson plans, unit studies, interactive online studies and
more! It's even FREE to subscribe! Because Everyone Deserves A Treat
Once In A While!
http://www.homeschoolfreestuff.com/html/home.asp?adid=26
_________
HOME EDUCATION MAGAZINE
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com
The Sept/Oct issue of Home Education Magazine features an interview
with Daniel Pink, articles on getting the school out, unschooling as
a job, a barn raising and more. From the columnists: the Kaseman's
connect with other homeschoolers; Becky Rupp visits dinosaurs; David
Albert wears a silver dress sword; Sandra Dodd deschools; Elizabeth
McCullough reviews "Creative Homeschooling for Gifted Children;" and
Carol Narigon (that's me) volunteers. Other columnists include
Barbara Theisen, Ann Zeise, Peter Kowalke, Linda Dobson, and Laura
Weldon. HEM also offers a special essay by publisher Helen Hegener,
classified ads, letters and discussion, pen pals and networking, and
more.
Subscriptions to Home Education Magazine are currently $20.00 for our
"Don't Send Your Kids to School!" special (regularly $32.00) for one
year/6 issues; a single issue is just $6.50. Home Education Magazine,
PO Box 1083, Tonasket WA 98855; for orders: toll-free 1-800-236-3278;
email orders@.... MC/Visa cards accepted.
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FINAL WORD
http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/cartoons/083002nacho.jpg
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Thanks for reading HEM's Online News! Pass it on to your friends! To
subscribe, visit our web site at
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com/wlcm_hemnewsltr.html or send an email
to majordomo@... with the words subscribe
hem-online-newsletter followed by your name@your address.com in the
body of the email. (e.g. subscribe hem-online-newsletter
youremailaddress). To unsubscribe, send an email to
majordomo@... with the words unsubscribe
hem-online-newsletter followed by your name@your address.com in the
body of the email. (e.g. unsubscribe hem-online-newsletter
youremailaddress). To change the address at which you receive the
newsletter, unsubscribe your old address and then subscribe to your
new one.
See you next month!
Carol Narigon, Newsletter Editor
HEM-Newsletter@...
Mark and Helen Hegener, Publishers of Home Education Magazine
HOME EDUCATION MAGAZINE'S ONLINE NEWS
October 2002
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Welcome to HEM'S ONLINE NEWS! For more information on Home Education
Magazine, see the end of this newsletter or visit our web site at
http://home-ed-magazine.com Send your comments and questions to
editor Carol Narigon at HEM-Newsletter@....
We think parents and kids should be together! So with this issue
we're continuing our subscription special to encourage you to do just
that--be with your kids. Our "Don't Send Your Kids to School!"
special is available to HEM's Online News readers and offers a
one-year subscription for only $20.00. Subscribe at:
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com/ORD/_nottoschool.html , or see
contact info near the end of this newsletter.
In the October issue:
~ Unschooling Is My Job ~
~ Questions and Answers ~
~ unschooling.com ~
~ Calling All College Applicants ~
~ Homeschool Books ~
~ Spike's Science Projects ~
~ Homeschoolers Helping Homeschoolers ~
~ Heart Man ~
~ Disgustoscope ~
~ The Final Word ~
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
Let's not cast ourselves in roles either -- good parent, bad parent,
permissive parent, authoritarian parent. Let's start thinking of
ourselves as human beings first, with great potential for growth and
change. The process of living or working with children is demanding
and exhausting. It requires heart, intelligence, and stamina. When
we don't live up to our own expectations -- and we won't always --
let's be as kind to ourselves as we are to our youngsters. If our
children deserve a thousand chances, and then one more, let's give
ourselves a thousand chances -- and then two more." ~~ from "How to
Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk" by Adele Faber
and Elaine Mazlish ~~
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
UNSCHOOLING IS MY JOB
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com/HEM/195/sounschool.html
What makes unschooling so hard for me is its very nature. Incredible
things happen, but I don't know when they are going to happen and
sometimes the timing is disconcerting. Occasionally I hunger for a
schedule that is written in stone. I want us all to get up at the
same time in the morning and do our chores and start on our
activities together at the same time. I want us all to eat at the
same time. I want the kids to want to read when I want to read and I
want them to need my help when I have scheduled it into the day.
There are moments when I've had enough of spontaneity.
I'd like to think that unschooling is not a "thing," it is just life.
And perhaps if we were homesteading and training our kids to take
their places beside ours in the struggle for survival, it would be an
organic part of life. But we're not. The reality is that this home is
a temporary way station for my kids to live before they go off on
their own. And on subtle and not-so-subtle levels they feel the
difference. They love us, and especially as they get older, they do
seem to feel a genuine desire to help us out, but they don't have a
real stake in our present community because they know they will be
leaving it.
Knowing this has made my job as family manager all the more complex.
It has been my repeated hope that when the kids are adults they will
want to come visit us because of what we share, and not out of some
form of guilt. In the families of the past, I believe that
spirituality and hard work bound people together. If you didn't pull
your weight in the garden or on the hunt, everyone went hungry. For
this family, at this time, that is not the case. Since we are not
struggling for survival, the question comes up, "What are we doing
here at all?"
So, always on my mind is the hope that our daily living will provide
us with interests that hold us together when everyone is grown, and
it seems to be happening. This past week Sara gave me a cookbook that
I have used every day. She recommended two books on nutrition that I
am buying for our library. She and April are working on piano duets
that they play when they get together. Sara is out of the house but
her relationship with all of us continues to grow. It is the same
with Jake.
How do I quantify the kind of hours of work that went into creating a
home where this is the outcome? It is a thrilling outcome, but it is
not always so easy to see when I am bogged down in the daily routine
of getting someone - anyone - to just clean the bathroom and be quiet
about it.
Being a mother is the first job to which I ever felt completely,
totally committed. If I were to analyze it, I would say that I looked
at the work that needed to be done and wrote my own job description.
I had to take into account the century in which we live and the
geographical location in which we find ourselves as well as our means
of monetary support. I also had to define what my purpose is in
raising children.
I will not win the Nobel Prize for this job, nor will I earn any
money for it. Whether I homeschool or unschool, the reality is that I
will not be able to follow up on all the great writing ideas that
come into my head. Nevertheless I will try, because part of my job
description is to have my own interests and eventually phase myself
out of my job.
~~ excerpt from an article by Ruthe Friedner Matilsky ~~
You can read the rest of this article, as well as a couple of
articles and columns from the September/October issue at the address
above, but you'll have to get the magazine--the one you hold in your
hands--to read them all! See special subscription information at the
top and end of this newsletter, or visit your local bookseller to get
your copy today.
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
"This may seem silly, but the thing I most enjoyed about my own
school years were the little awards, the teacher's compliments on my
report card and other tangible signs that I was smart and valuable.
What on earth can homeschoolers do to provide a shoebox full of
memories for our children?" ~~ newly homeschooling in Wisconsin ~~
"I am a very concerned educator in Indiana who has a relative in
Colorado. I am very concerned about this relative who is SUPPOSEDLY
homeschooling two young boys. One boy should be in 8th grade and the
other 3rd or 4th grade. They have not gone to a public or private
school at least 3 years. I feel that the mother, who would be the
homeschool educator, is not planning, educating, evaluating, keeping
permanent records or putting forth the time or effort to educate
these boys. I feel that in the future I might regret keeping not
alerting the proper authorities of what I might know. Here's the
question: Is there a way to have these boys checked on to see if
this supposed homeschooling is being done? I feel that these boys
will fall through the cracks of the homeschool system!" ~~ Concerned
relative ~~
To answer a question, or propose your own question, please write to
Laura Weldon via ReaderResponse@... or Questions &
Answers, c/o Home Education Magazine, PO Box 1083, Tonasket, WA
98855. Your responses must meet our deadline of the 1st. Please
recognize that your submission may be edited for length or clarity.
Indicate how you prefer your question or answer signed.
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
UNSCHOOLING.COM
http://www.unschooling.com
I think people have inherent interests that will find an outlet in
whatever way they can, like water seeping through cracks. Sure the
limitations will be there, as they are in whatever situation one is
in; limitations help shape us for our destiny. It is my hope that I
can assist my children to encounter people or mediums that have the
sort of information that they find fascinating and compelling, as I
certainly can't provide everything that they need. I have faith that
life in its divine, rich Wholeness can though. ~~ Neri, on the
unschooling.com message board ~~
Unschooling.com offers a free monthly newsletter, message boards, an
email list and more just for unschoolers. To subscribe to the email
list send a blank email to:
[email protected]
Or visit the email list website at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Unschooling-dotcom .
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
CALLING ALL COLLEGE APPLICANTS
My name is Joanna; I am a production assistant for The Merrow Report, PBS's
premiere series on youth and learning. We are currently in
pre-production for a piece on applying to college from homeschool.
Although the angle is undecided, we are leaning toward the journey of
homeschooled seniors applying to major national universities.
If you or anyone you know is graduating or has recently graduated and fits this
description, you could be a focus for our documentary and I would
love to hear from you. Also, any current issues in the world of
homeschooling that may be interesting to cover are welcome ideas.
Thanks, and my email is jgc221@... . Hope to hear from you.
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
HOMESCHOOL BOOKS
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com/catalog/index.html
Did you know you can buy homeschool books at the Home Education
Magazine website? We've narrowed the selection down to a few we think
are best. You'll find some of your favorite HEM columnists there,
along with other popular homeschool writers.
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
SPIKE'S SCIENCE PROJECTS
http://spikesworld.spike-jamie.com/science/index.html
Jan McCormick writes of her science projects site: "The science
projects on this site were written by a musician and philosopher; not
a scientist." That may be true, but you'll still find a lot of good
science on this site and the projects are accessible and fun. If your
homeschool group does a science fair or cooperative classes, or if
you just like science projects, you'll find plenty of ideas to keep
kids interested with projects like "Mr. Icky," "Light Bulb vs. the
Sun," "Territorial Battles of Air and Liquid" and "Is There a Genie
in the Bottle?"
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
HOMESCHOOLERS HELPING HOMESCHOOLERS
by Pam Sorooshian and Sue Patterson
This year, record numbers of families are choosing home education.
They are often confused, scared and apprehensive. Support from
experienced homeschoolers can sometimes provide just what they need
to help them gain confidence in themselves. The National Home
Education Network's website offers information, networking, and
support for new homeschoolers at
http://www.nhen.org/newhser/default.asp?id=227. Here is a sampling of
words of advice offered there by long-time homeschoolers from all
over the country.
"I'm fond of telling folks that the what and how will come if they do
one simple thing: Observe the children as they play and learn, get a
'feel' for the best way to go about this to 'fit' the individual
child. The children themselves give us remarkable clues, if we as
parents have but the wisdom and patience to interpret them."
~ Linda Dobson, New York ~
Start with the child, not the resource
2. Ask for your child's input, regardless of their age. I have always
been surprised at how well my kids know what they need and how they
want to go about getting it.
3. Don't buy anything expensive the first year.
4. Kids don't have to finish everything they start - sometimes they
come back to it (even years later) and sometimes they don't.
5. The child is in charge of the learning -- always, regardless of
what resource, method, or philosophy you employ or hold.
6. Homeschooling is a long-term adventure. There are few things that
have to be accomplished by a particular age.
7. School schedules and school resources were developed for ease of
teaching not for ease of learning. Big difference. ~ Christine Webb,
Oregon ~
"Children need the opportunity to experience the world personally,
using hands, bodies, and all the senses, as well as the mind. These
experiences could include water, sand, mud, plants, animals, cooking,
repair, all aspects of family life, social relation -ships, privacy,
books, art, construction, crafts, dance, model building, sports,
drama, math, communication, machinery (including anything from
crowbars to computers), music, science, spiritual belief systems,
literature, history, travel, and more. Paper and pencil
representations of reality (i.e. packaged curriculums or dependence
on workbooks) are occasionally a valuable tool. Used excessively,
such materials are a flavorless substitute for the real thing." ~ Ann
Lahrson-Fisher, Oregon ~
(You can read the rest of this article at the NHEN web address found
in the body of this excerpt.)
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DISGUSTOSCOPE
http://www.eskimo.com/~billb/amateur/dscope.html
Here's a variation on the beautiful, infinitely changing
kaleidoscope-a disgustoscope. Inventor William J. Beaty calls it,
"Beautiful radial symmetry and pristine mathematics, perverted into a
revolting, horrible, yet highly amusing little optical toy."
Personally, I'm going to ask my husband to take this one.
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
HEART MAN
http://members.aol.com/cjsteer
What have you got to lose? It's free and it's a video about the
heart, the effects of alcohol and nicotine on the heart and it stars
a man who lives with both a donated heart and a kidney. He shows his
old diseased heart, just in case anybody doesn't believe he knows
what he's talking about. I haven't received mine yet, so I can't tell
you any more than what's on the website, but it sounds interesting.
For kids age 13 and up.
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HEM ONLINE NEWS UNCLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
For information on purchasing unclassified advertising space in this
newsletter, please contact the editor at
HEM-Newsletter@....
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USBORNE
UsborneAmerica.com
New internet-linked history and science books for fall are
in...several new series to engage and delight your children and you.
Shop online and earn FREE books at: http://www.UsborneAmerica.com
For personal shopping service, e-shows or e-book fairs, email
SharonVE@... or call 888-474-8499 toll free. FREE business kit
for the first two callers in October! Sharon Vander Ende, Independent
Supervisor, Usborne America
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GNARLY MATH
gnarlymath.com
CAMELBACK AND SAILING, BABYLON TO LYDIA with our indestructible young
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FREE hilarious math newsletter, the Gnarly Gnews. Subscribe right now
to the Gnews, download free examples of our moneyback-guaranteed
CD-ROM Solid Gold Gnarly Math, show your children how easy and fun
Algebra, Geometry, Trig, Topology, and Probability can be, and
refresh your own math, all at http://www.gnarlymath.com .
_________
THE RESOURCEFUL HOMESCHOOLER
resourcefulhomeschooler.com
Attention unschoolers and eclectic homeschoolers! Looking for
something to do? The Resourceful Homeschooler carries great books,
science materials and kits, learning games, and the most interesting
software. AND here is your opportunity to clear some shelf space!
List or consign your surplus or used homeschooling materials. Store
credit available for consignments. Visit
http://www.resourcefulhomeschooler.com Materials to involve, inspire
and support independent learners of all ages!
_________
TEACH YOUR CHILD TO READ! TRY ONLINE LESSONS NOW FOR FREE!
Headsprout.com
Headsprout Reading is the fun, Internet-delivered beginning reading
program that will give your child a real advantage by systematically
teaching essential skills and strategies ensuring reading success and
confidence. Outstanding fast results! After just five 20-minute
animated, interactive episodes, children read their first Headsprout
book. Act quickly! For a limited time you can try out Headsprout
Reading FOR FREE! http://www.headsprout.com Please enter the
promotional code: HENM1
_________
THE GREAT WORD RACE
TheGreatWordRace.com
Have fun while learning! It's a great concept, especially when your
children won't even realize that they're playing a game with an
educational benefit. That's right, enhance your spelling and word
building skills with a game. No word is too simple or small.
Special playing cards work with word blends, prefixes and suffixes to
try to help you build words. Give your child some extra help by
playing in teams. No matter how you play it, you'll have hours of
fun. http://www.TheGreatWordRace.com
__________
HomeSchool FreeStuff
HomeschoolFREEStuff.com
Every week this FREE email newsletter brings you FREE curriculum,
resources, lesson plans, unit studies, interactive online studies and
more! It's even FREE to subscribe! Because Everyone Deserves A Treat
Once In A While!
http://www.homeschoolfreestuff.com/html/home.asp?adid=26
_________
HOME EDUCATION MAGAZINE
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com
The Sept/Oct issue of Home Education Magazine features an interview
with Daniel Pink, articles on getting the school out, unschooling as
a job, a barn raising and more. From the columnists: the Kaseman's
connect with other homeschoolers; Becky Rupp visits dinosaurs; David
Albert wears a silver dress sword; Sandra Dodd deschools; Elizabeth
McCullough reviews "Creative Homeschooling for Gifted Children;" and
Carol Narigon (that's me) volunteers. Other columnists include
Barbara Theisen, Ann Zeise, Peter Kowalke, Linda Dobson, and Laura
Weldon. HEM also offers a special essay by publisher Helen Hegener,
classified ads, letters and discussion, pen pals and networking, and
more.
Subscriptions to Home Education Magazine are currently $20.00 for our
"Don't Send Your Kids to School!" special (regularly $32.00) for one
year/6 issues; a single issue is just $6.50. Home Education Magazine,
PO Box 1083, Tonasket WA 98855; for orders: toll-free 1-800-236-3278;
email orders@.... MC/Visa cards accepted.
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FINAL WORD
http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/cartoons/083002nacho.jpg
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Thanks for reading HEM's Online News! Pass it on to your friends! To
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See you next month!
Carol Narigon, Newsletter Editor
HEM-Newsletter@...
Mark and Helen Hegener, Publishers of Home Education Magazine