HEM's Online News - December 2002
HEM-Online-Newsletter by way of Home Ed
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HOME EDUCATION MAGAZINE'S ONLINE NEWS
December 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@....
In the December issue:
~ Decisions, Decisions ~
~ California Homeschoolers ~
~ Questions and Answers ~
~ unschooling.com ~
~ Free Audio Books Online ~
~ Current Issue ~
~ Looking for a Scholarship? ~
~ The Happy Child ~
~ Get Your News Here!~
~ Balloons! ~
~ The Final Word ~
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
What keeps you going isn't some fine destination but just the road
you're on and the fact that you know how to drive. ~~ Barbara
Kingsolver
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
DECISIONS, DECISIONS
http://home-ed-magazine.com/HEM/196.html
I have been musing. My grandmother was born in 1897 and was 101 when
she died. She was born in the Ukraine and came to the US when she was
14. Who would have, could have, imagined the changes in her lifetime?
In our lifetimes?
I can only imagine what she would have said had she been told about
being prepared for her future. For my grandmother: a new country, a
new language, a new culture, electricity, cars, telephones, man on
the moon, computers, Mars exploration--the list is endless.
For us, the list continues to grow. Who knows what the future will be
for our children?
It seems to me that when we are asked about preparing our kids for
their futures, we and they truly can only be prepared to be active
participants in the present--and if we know how to find out what we
need to know, we'll do just fine. We don't need to know all the
answers; we need to be able to ask the questions and to try to find
out what we need to know.
The 21st century certainly doesn't need standardized thinkers.
Just some thoughts
Debra Bures, buresfam@...
Who can imagine the future our children will face? Beyond the
unfathomable changes in society, technology, medicine, and other
variables, what personal changes will affect their decisions, shape
their lives? How can we best help them prepare for whatever curve
balls life might decide to pitch their way?
I've always thought one of the most valuable and underrated aspects
of homeschooling was the opportunity to makes one's own choices and
decisions, to step away from the mainstream herd-like group-think.
And yet this singular advantage is in grave danger of disappearing as
more and more parents seek not something different from schools and
schooling, but simply to teach school in a different location.
The message of homeschooling being advanced by many businesses ("Our
curriculum guarantees success!"), and organizations ("Homeschoolers
test above average!") does nothing to dispel the notion of
homeschooling as merely school in the home. Combined with the scare
tactics of an educational bureaucracy struggling to justify its
existence ("If you can read this, thank a teacher!") and the
ceaseless drumbeating of a man who wants to be known as "the
Education President" ("No Child Left Behind"), there's little room
for parents to consider any decision that leads away from traditional
models of education. Parents who were trained as children to use the
schoolish model find reassurance in using the schoolish model with
their own children, especially when the experts, professionals, and
even some homeschooling recruiters tell them that's what works best.
But is it?
~~ managing editor and co-publisher Helen Hegener in the Publisher's
Note in the current issue of Home Education Magazine ~~
You can read the rest of this editorial, as well as a couple of
articles and columns from the current HEM 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 in this
newsletter, or visit your local bookseller to get your copy today.
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
CALIFORNIA HOMESCHOOLERS
California has no homeschooling law, but that could change. Public
officials who believe homeschooling should be defined and regulated
have become more outspoken in suggesting that we need a new law.
Cindy Cotter runs a discussion group devoted to considering the laws
and legal issues that affect California homeschoolers. Is a new law
imminent? Should we fight it or try to steer it? What might a new
law look like? What can we live with? What do laws look like in
other states? What would be the effect of a new law on our
homeschooling practices? Would a new law affect private ISP's? Who
are our allies, who are our foes? What strategies would help as we
oppose or amend a bill? If you'd like to join the discussion, you can
find the group at the following website:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CA-HS-Law .
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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
"My husband and I have made the decision to homeschool our two
children. Our daughter is two and our little boy just 3 months old.
So what's my homeschooling problem this early in the game? All of my
friends with two-year-olds are enrolling them in preschool programs.
Since I'm going to homeschool, I really would prefer to teach our
little girl her colors, numbers, alphabet at home. We belong to a
playgroup where she is learning to share and play with others. But am
I missing something by denying her an official "preschool
experience?" ~ Jean Hershner ~
"What is different about parents who homeschool? Given all our
cultural conditioning, that of our parents, and the school structure,
what are the reasons that make some of us jump ship even at great
sacrifice sometimes?" ~ Jean Reed, author of The Home School Source
Book ~
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 of next
month. Please recognize that your submission may be edited for length
or clarity. Indicate how you prefer your question or answer signed.
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UNSCHOOLING.COM
http://www.unschooling.com
I eased into unschooling. Kirby didn't go to kindergarten. I
registered to homeschool, figuring if he did well I had the option to
put him in first grade the next year. If he didn't do well, he could
go to kindergarten the year after, or we could keep homeschooling. I
knew four homeschooling families from the babysitting co-op I was in.
Most of the other moms were La Leche League Leaders. I wasn't a
leader, but that was my "gang of moms."
Two of the families were structured homeschoolers who (not
coincidentally, I think) hit their kids, shamed them, and weren't too
close and intimate with their kids intellectually. They had been
gentle with the infants, and nursed on demand, but it didn't
translate to the way they treated eight- and ten-year-olds.
Two families were unschooling. One family went from three to four
children during that time (I still know them, and two of those
now-teens were over here last night). The other family went from four
to five children in those babysitting co-op years, and they're up to
nine and are probably not actively involved in homeschooling. Her
husband is a minister and some of the kids are going to a small
school the church runs.
Surrounded by good and bad examples, and having seen how Kirby was in
two classes he took (dance and art), I thought he and school would
not yet be a match. Within a month I was hooked and that was that for
Kirby, but I thought Marty was so much different from Kirby he might
want to go to school. He didn't.
And then I thought maybe Holly would want to go to school just to be
away from the boys, and independent. She didn't. But yet she does,
in a way. She likes to take classes and get herself into structured
situations. I support her but I don't play enforcer for her.
So, none of them has ever been to school. Marty hasn't even visited.
Holly has visited three occasions (four if you count going to college
classes one day with a friend, from which the then-seven-year-old
Holly learned about and later discussed "inertia"). Kirby has been to
a couple of school assembly functions, but not to a classroom.
Kirby was big into pointing at letters and naming them even before
he could tell someone how old he was. It didn't lead to early
reading. He read when he was eight, fluently at ten, I guess. Marty
read at nine, fluently at ten or eleven.
Holly wasn't reading at ten. She wasn't happy about it, either. She
is at the point now where she is reading words without meaning to.
For fun she tries to walk around the house without recognizing any
words. At eleven, she's still not reading chapter books. But if you
met her and talked to her you wouldn't think for a second, "I bet
this kid doesn't even read," because there's not much she can't talk
about, and if she knows nothing about it but it sounds interesting,
she'll ask intelligent questions.
I like the amazement that it works. I still have it too, when one of
my kids says or does something that is news to me, and I wonder where
they got it. ~~ Sandra Dodd, 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 .
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FREE AUDIO BOOKS ONLINE
My kids and I have spent many happy hours listening to audio books on
tape and CD in the van. A trip to Grandma's house isn't complete
without at least a couple of stories to listen to. We usually check
them out at the library, but now you can download them off the
Internet and burn your own CDs or listen right on your computer. Most
of the books at the following sites are in the public domain, so they
aren't the latest best sellers, but many have been around a while
because they're a good read.
One site I really like is Free Audiobooks
(http://www.audiobooksforfree.com). They have a wide selection of
books from various genres, including classics, westerns, crime,
science fiction and more. Other sites to try are Alex Catalog of
Electronic Texts (http://www.infomotions.com/alex) , the Electric
Book Company (http://www.elecbook.com) , and Planet PDF
(http://www.planetpdf.com/mainpage.asp?webpageid=2330).
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HEM'S CURRENT ISSUE
In the November/December issue of Home Education Magazine, you'll
enjoy articles on how to run a self-directed conference, how one
family dealt with a debilitating illness, homeschooling a special
needs child, placemat learning and more. Columns include: Linda
Dobson finds the gift of flow; Laura Weldon addresses record keeping;
Ann Zeise shops online; and Elizabeth McCullough reviews 2 new
homeschool handbooks. Other columnists include Larry and Susan
Kaseman, Sandra Dodd, Becky Rupp, David Albert and Carol Narigon. HEM
also offers a popular essay by publisher Helen Hegener, classified
ads, letters and discussion, pen pals and networking, and more.
Subscriptions to Home Education Magazine are regularly $32.00 for one
year/6 issues; single issue $6.50. To subscribe, visit our website at
http://home-ed-magazine.com or send a check to Home Education
Magazine, PO Box 1083, Tonasket WA 98855; for orders: toll-free
1-800-236-3278; email orders@.... MC/Visa accepted.
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
LOOKING FOR A SCHOLARSHIP?
http://www.fastweb.com
FastWeb is a free scholarship search service that helps students
choose a college, pay for college and/or find jobs during and after
college. Matches are made from a database of more than 800,000
scholarships totaling over $1 billion in possible scholarships. Also
a placement service, by using the student's profile FastWeb can match
students with a 2- or 4-year college, and you can even sign up to be
recruited by that college. You do have to create a profile that
includes your email address so you can be contacted about the results
of your search. As always, read the privacy statement carefully;
however, I didn't find anything insidious in it.
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
THE HAPPY CHILD
On a practical level, is a person who is taught not to think, but to
jam information in and push information out, valued in our
contemporary society? The children we are teaching today will be in
their adulthood in a decade or two. In that world, the world of
twenty years from now, will a child who has been filled with
informationnot even contemporary information, but information from a
decade or two agobe skilled, functional, prized? Will a child who
has learned to hold and regurgitate information be esteemed? It is
obvious that the computers will be doing it better, that the
computers are already pushing information in and out better than most
of us. It is not information that will be useful, but the ability to
understand how to utilize it.
Looking down the road to our children's future, what will be far more
important than yesterday's factoids is the relationship our children
will have to the then-existing systems of information. A child who is
given the chance to explore and investigate the sources of
information, the meaning of information, the utility of information,
and the skills of manipulating and crafting information will be able
to move fluidly in this future.
The Happy Child: Changing the Heart of Education is not a
homeschooling book. Author Steven Harrison is more concerned with
saving all children (and adults) from lives of dead, worthless
"education." He believes a child who learns in a holistic democratic
environment will be self-motivated to learn and develop his own
personal potential. He adequately lists the problems with modern
schooling and submits his own utopian model of how learning should
look in a modern learning environment.
I like this book. I marked several pages to return to and mull over.
Harrison's model is radically different from our modern-day lives in
general, but much of what he says will ring true for individual
homeschooling families. I hope he writes another book where he can
spend more time on the solutions now that he has defined the problems
with our modern educational model so well. The Happy Child is
available from your local bookstore or online book dealer.
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
GET YOUR NEWS HERE!
http://www.cosmictribune.org
If you're a news and information junkie, Cosmic Tribune is the site
for you. You'll find the latest news from the US and around the
world, as well as 99 columnists offering their opinions for your
entertainment, cartoons, links to newspapers, magazines, the wires,
campus and military publications, government sites, references, a
search engine and more. You can read the Des Moines Register in the
morning and move on to the Santiago Times after lunch. It sounds like
a lot and it is, but the site is well-organized and the lists are
clean and color-coded.
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
BALLOONS!
http://www.mbd2.com/index_ie.html
This site is just for fun. You'll be the hit of the next birthday
party when you learn how to make some of these fabulous balloon
creations. Some of his creations are expert-level complex, but you
can start with the easy ones like mice, dogs and airplanes and work
your way up to the more difficult ones. Balloon-dude Dale also offers
a bunch of ideas in the balloon gallery and a store in case you can't
buy balloon supplies near you. Have fun!
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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
Kid Kits are prepackaged books and items for immediate use -- great
holiday gifts! Shop online and receive FREE books at:
http://www.UsborneAmerica.com . For personal shopping services,
e-shows or e-book fairs, email sharonve@... or call 888-474-8499
toll free. Sharon Vander Ende, Independent Supervisor, Usborne America
________
GNARLY MATH
gnarlymath.com
HAVE A HILARIOUS MATH CHRISTMAS. Join subscribers from around the
world who read our FREE math newsletter, the Gnarly Gnews. This
month's issue features a space alien who teaches trig. You can enjoy
the first eighteen issues of the Gnews on a floppy disk for only
$4.95. Or show your kids how easy and fun math can be while
refreshing your own math with our moneyback-guaranteed CD-ROM Solid
Gold Gnarly Math. Subscription blanks and order forms are 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: HENQ12
_________
THE GREAT WORD RACE
TheGreatWordRace.com
When was the last time your children enjoyed playing a game, and you
were happy they were playing it too? This season, play the colorful
board game 'The Great Word Race' where players of all ages will have
fun for hours challenging their spelling skills. Special playing
cards work with word blends, prefixes and suffixes to try to help you
build words. Visit our website for game and purchasing information.
Holiday gift wrapping is available. http://www.TheGreatWordRace.com
_________
HomeSchool FreeStuff
HomeschoolFREEStuff.com
Homeschool Curriculum-Fair In-A-Box!
Why go to the fair, when the fair can come to you? If you already use
a curriculum, you can find great ways to supplement your curriculum.
If you haven't selected a curriculum, this is the best way to find
out! Now you can find out which curriculum is best for your child!
https://www.3moms.com/html/SECURE_curriculum_sampler_kit.asp?adid=162
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FINAL WORD
For December 31, 2002:
http://www1.jawink.ne.jp/koji-y/java/jhanabi2e_b.htm
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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
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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
December 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@....
In the December issue:
~ Decisions, Decisions ~
~ California Homeschoolers ~
~ Questions and Answers ~
~ unschooling.com ~
~ Free Audio Books Online ~
~ Current Issue ~
~ Looking for a Scholarship? ~
~ The Happy Child ~
~ Get Your News Here!~
~ Balloons! ~
~ The Final Word ~
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
What keeps you going isn't some fine destination but just the road
you're on and the fact that you know how to drive. ~~ Barbara
Kingsolver
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
DECISIONS, DECISIONS
http://home-ed-magazine.com/HEM/196.html
I have been musing. My grandmother was born in 1897 and was 101 when
she died. She was born in the Ukraine and came to the US when she was
14. Who would have, could have, imagined the changes in her lifetime?
In our lifetimes?
I can only imagine what she would have said had she been told about
being prepared for her future. For my grandmother: a new country, a
new language, a new culture, electricity, cars, telephones, man on
the moon, computers, Mars exploration--the list is endless.
For us, the list continues to grow. Who knows what the future will be
for our children?
It seems to me that when we are asked about preparing our kids for
their futures, we and they truly can only be prepared to be active
participants in the present--and if we know how to find out what we
need to know, we'll do just fine. We don't need to know all the
answers; we need to be able to ask the questions and to try to find
out what we need to know.
The 21st century certainly doesn't need standardized thinkers.
Just some thoughts
Debra Bures, buresfam@...
Who can imagine the future our children will face? Beyond the
unfathomable changes in society, technology, medicine, and other
variables, what personal changes will affect their decisions, shape
their lives? How can we best help them prepare for whatever curve
balls life might decide to pitch their way?
I've always thought one of the most valuable and underrated aspects
of homeschooling was the opportunity to makes one's own choices and
decisions, to step away from the mainstream herd-like group-think.
And yet this singular advantage is in grave danger of disappearing as
more and more parents seek not something different from schools and
schooling, but simply to teach school in a different location.
The message of homeschooling being advanced by many businesses ("Our
curriculum guarantees success!"), and organizations ("Homeschoolers
test above average!") does nothing to dispel the notion of
homeschooling as merely school in the home. Combined with the scare
tactics of an educational bureaucracy struggling to justify its
existence ("If you can read this, thank a teacher!") and the
ceaseless drumbeating of a man who wants to be known as "the
Education President" ("No Child Left Behind"), there's little room
for parents to consider any decision that leads away from traditional
models of education. Parents who were trained as children to use the
schoolish model find reassurance in using the schoolish model with
their own children, especially when the experts, professionals, and
even some homeschooling recruiters tell them that's what works best.
But is it?
~~ managing editor and co-publisher Helen Hegener in the Publisher's
Note in the current issue of Home Education Magazine ~~
You can read the rest of this editorial, as well as a couple of
articles and columns from the current HEM 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 in this
newsletter, or visit your local bookseller to get your copy today.
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
CALIFORNIA HOMESCHOOLERS
California has no homeschooling law, but that could change. Public
officials who believe homeschooling should be defined and regulated
have become more outspoken in suggesting that we need a new law.
Cindy Cotter runs a discussion group devoted to considering the laws
and legal issues that affect California homeschoolers. Is a new law
imminent? Should we fight it or try to steer it? What might a new
law look like? What can we live with? What do laws look like in
other states? What would be the effect of a new law on our
homeschooling practices? Would a new law affect private ISP's? Who
are our allies, who are our foes? What strategies would help as we
oppose or amend a bill? If you'd like to join the discussion, you can
find the group at the following website:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CA-HS-Law .
<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
"My husband and I have made the decision to homeschool our two
children. Our daughter is two and our little boy just 3 months old.
So what's my homeschooling problem this early in the game? All of my
friends with two-year-olds are enrolling them in preschool programs.
Since I'm going to homeschool, I really would prefer to teach our
little girl her colors, numbers, alphabet at home. We belong to a
playgroup where she is learning to share and play with others. But am
I missing something by denying her an official "preschool
experience?" ~ Jean Hershner ~
"What is different about parents who homeschool? Given all our
cultural conditioning, that of our parents, and the school structure,
what are the reasons that make some of us jump ship even at great
sacrifice sometimes?" ~ Jean Reed, author of The Home School Source
Book ~
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 of next
month. 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 eased into unschooling. Kirby didn't go to kindergarten. I
registered to homeschool, figuring if he did well I had the option to
put him in first grade the next year. If he didn't do well, he could
go to kindergarten the year after, or we could keep homeschooling. I
knew four homeschooling families from the babysitting co-op I was in.
Most of the other moms were La Leche League Leaders. I wasn't a
leader, but that was my "gang of moms."
Two of the families were structured homeschoolers who (not
coincidentally, I think) hit their kids, shamed them, and weren't too
close and intimate with their kids intellectually. They had been
gentle with the infants, and nursed on demand, but it didn't
translate to the way they treated eight- and ten-year-olds.
Two families were unschooling. One family went from three to four
children during that time (I still know them, and two of those
now-teens were over here last night). The other family went from four
to five children in those babysitting co-op years, and they're up to
nine and are probably not actively involved in homeschooling. Her
husband is a minister and some of the kids are going to a small
school the church runs.
Surrounded by good and bad examples, and having seen how Kirby was in
two classes he took (dance and art), I thought he and school would
not yet be a match. Within a month I was hooked and that was that for
Kirby, but I thought Marty was so much different from Kirby he might
want to go to school. He didn't.
And then I thought maybe Holly would want to go to school just to be
away from the boys, and independent. She didn't. But yet she does,
in a way. She likes to take classes and get herself into structured
situations. I support her but I don't play enforcer for her.
So, none of them has ever been to school. Marty hasn't even visited.
Holly has visited three occasions (four if you count going to college
classes one day with a friend, from which the then-seven-year-old
Holly learned about and later discussed "inertia"). Kirby has been to
a couple of school assembly functions, but not to a classroom.
Kirby was big into pointing at letters and naming them even before
he could tell someone how old he was. It didn't lead to early
reading. He read when he was eight, fluently at ten, I guess. Marty
read at nine, fluently at ten or eleven.
Holly wasn't reading at ten. She wasn't happy about it, either. She
is at the point now where she is reading words without meaning to.
For fun she tries to walk around the house without recognizing any
words. At eleven, she's still not reading chapter books. But if you
met her and talked to her you wouldn't think for a second, "I bet
this kid doesn't even read," because there's not much she can't talk
about, and if she knows nothing about it but it sounds interesting,
she'll ask intelligent questions.
I like the amazement that it works. I still have it too, when one of
my kids says or does something that is news to me, and I wonder where
they got it. ~~ Sandra Dodd, 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 .
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FREE AUDIO BOOKS ONLINE
My kids and I have spent many happy hours listening to audio books on
tape and CD in the van. A trip to Grandma's house isn't complete
without at least a couple of stories to listen to. We usually check
them out at the library, but now you can download them off the
Internet and burn your own CDs or listen right on your computer. Most
of the books at the following sites are in the public domain, so they
aren't the latest best sellers, but many have been around a while
because they're a good read.
One site I really like is Free Audiobooks
(http://www.audiobooksforfree.com). They have a wide selection of
books from various genres, including classics, westerns, crime,
science fiction and more. Other sites to try are Alex Catalog of
Electronic Texts (http://www.infomotions.com/alex) , the Electric
Book Company (http://www.elecbook.com) , and Planet PDF
(http://www.planetpdf.com/mainpage.asp?webpageid=2330).
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HEM'S CURRENT ISSUE
In the November/December issue of Home Education Magazine, you'll
enjoy articles on how to run a self-directed conference, how one
family dealt with a debilitating illness, homeschooling a special
needs child, placemat learning and more. Columns include: Linda
Dobson finds the gift of flow; Laura Weldon addresses record keeping;
Ann Zeise shops online; and Elizabeth McCullough reviews 2 new
homeschool handbooks. Other columnists include Larry and Susan
Kaseman, Sandra Dodd, Becky Rupp, David Albert and Carol Narigon. HEM
also offers a popular essay by publisher Helen Hegener, classified
ads, letters and discussion, pen pals and networking, and more.
Subscriptions to Home Education Magazine are regularly $32.00 for one
year/6 issues; single issue $6.50. To subscribe, visit our website at
http://home-ed-magazine.com or send a check to Home Education
Magazine, PO Box 1083, Tonasket WA 98855; for orders: toll-free
1-800-236-3278; email orders@.... MC/Visa accepted.
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LOOKING FOR A SCHOLARSHIP?
http://www.fastweb.com
FastWeb is a free scholarship search service that helps students
choose a college, pay for college and/or find jobs during and after
college. Matches are made from a database of more than 800,000
scholarships totaling over $1 billion in possible scholarships. Also
a placement service, by using the student's profile FastWeb can match
students with a 2- or 4-year college, and you can even sign up to be
recruited by that college. You do have to create a profile that
includes your email address so you can be contacted about the results
of your search. As always, read the privacy statement carefully;
however, I didn't find anything insidious in it.
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THE HAPPY CHILD
On a practical level, is a person who is taught not to think, but to
jam information in and push information out, valued in our
contemporary society? The children we are teaching today will be in
their adulthood in a decade or two. In that world, the world of
twenty years from now, will a child who has been filled with
informationnot even contemporary information, but information from a
decade or two agobe skilled, functional, prized? Will a child who
has learned to hold and regurgitate information be esteemed? It is
obvious that the computers will be doing it better, that the
computers are already pushing information in and out better than most
of us. It is not information that will be useful, but the ability to
understand how to utilize it.
Looking down the road to our children's future, what will be far more
important than yesterday's factoids is the relationship our children
will have to the then-existing systems of information. A child who is
given the chance to explore and investigate the sources of
information, the meaning of information, the utility of information,
and the skills of manipulating and crafting information will be able
to move fluidly in this future.
The Happy Child: Changing the Heart of Education is not a
homeschooling book. Author Steven Harrison is more concerned with
saving all children (and adults) from lives of dead, worthless
"education." He believes a child who learns in a holistic democratic
environment will be self-motivated to learn and develop his own
personal potential. He adequately lists the problems with modern
schooling and submits his own utopian model of how learning should
look in a modern learning environment.
I like this book. I marked several pages to return to and mull over.
Harrison's model is radically different from our modern-day lives in
general, but much of what he says will ring true for individual
homeschooling families. I hope he writes another book where he can
spend more time on the solutions now that he has defined the problems
with our modern educational model so well. The Happy Child is
available from your local bookstore or online book dealer.
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GET YOUR NEWS HERE!
http://www.cosmictribune.org
If you're a news and information junkie, Cosmic Tribune is the site
for you. You'll find the latest news from the US and around the
world, as well as 99 columnists offering their opinions for your
entertainment, cartoons, links to newspapers, magazines, the wires,
campus and military publications, government sites, references, a
search engine and more. You can read the Des Moines Register in the
morning and move on to the Santiago Times after lunch. It sounds like
a lot and it is, but the site is well-organized and the lists are
clean and color-coded.
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BALLOONS!
http://www.mbd2.com/index_ie.html
This site is just for fun. You'll be the hit of the next birthday
party when you learn how to make some of these fabulous balloon
creations. Some of his creations are expert-level complex, but you
can start with the easy ones like mice, dogs and airplanes and work
your way up to the more difficult ones. Balloon-dude Dale also offers
a bunch of ideas in the balloon gallery and a store in case you can't
buy balloon supplies near you. Have fun!
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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
Kid Kits are prepackaged books and items for immediate use -- great
holiday gifts! Shop online and receive FREE books at:
http://www.UsborneAmerica.com . For personal shopping services,
e-shows or e-book fairs, email sharonve@... or call 888-474-8499
toll free. Sharon Vander Ende, Independent Supervisor, Usborne America
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GNARLY MATH
gnarlymath.com
HAVE A HILARIOUS MATH CHRISTMAS. Join subscribers from around the
world who read our FREE math newsletter, the Gnarly Gnews. This
month's issue features a space alien who teaches trig. You can enjoy
the first eighteen issues of the Gnews on a floppy disk for only
$4.95. Or show your kids how easy and fun math can be while
refreshing your own math with our moneyback-guaranteed CD-ROM Solid
Gold Gnarly Math. Subscription blanks and order forms are at
http://www.gnarlymath.com.
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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!
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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: HENQ12
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THE GREAT WORD RACE
TheGreatWordRace.com
When was the last time your children enjoyed playing a game, and you
were happy they were playing it too? This season, play the colorful
board game 'The Great Word Race' where players of all ages will have
fun for hours challenging their spelling skills. Special playing
cards work with word blends, prefixes and suffixes to try to help you
build words. Visit our website for game and purchasing information.
Holiday gift wrapping is available. http://www.TheGreatWordRace.com
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HomeSchool FreeStuff
HomeschoolFREEStuff.com
Homeschool Curriculum-Fair In-A-Box!
Why go to the fair, when the fair can come to you? If you already use
a curriculum, you can find great ways to supplement your curriculum.
If you haven't selected a curriculum, this is the best way to find
out! Now you can find out which curriculum is best for your child!
https://www.3moms.com/html/SECURE_curriculum_sampler_kit.asp?adid=162
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FINAL WORD
For December 31, 2002:
http://www1.jawink.ne.jp/koji-y/java/jhanabi2e_b.htm
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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