New Resources to Check Out!

We have had some new materials added to the curriculum library in the HSAP room, as well as some new items in the "garage sale" area.

Shelli B. came in and donated many items to the library, especially in the areas of science and social studies. Laura O. has also donated some items both to the curriculum library and for give away.

I also have an area in the room where moms have brought in used items they would like to sell. Shelly S. brought in Saxon 87 math and has a bargain price of $20 on it. I still have many items from Galynn H. on the shelves.

Sue C. from Audubon, came in yesterday and brought many items that she would like to sell. They are in the room and have prices on them. She also has most of the Sonlight curriculum grades 1-9 or so, and some A Beka curriculum she would like to sell. If you are interested in any of her curriculum, send me an e-mail or give me a call and I will tell you how to get in touch with her.

It's a great time to be thinking about next year's curriculum. And with the economy the way it is, buying used and borrowing items are a great way to save money. Let me know, if there is enough interest, maybe we could have a "Swap Day". Another idea would be for moms to list items they would be willing to trade or sell and leaving those lists with me. We could also put out a "wish list" if there are specific things you are looking for. Remember that E-Bay is another good resource for home school items. If you have any other thrifty ideas, feel free to share them with me!

Speaking of being thrifty, on Thursday April 23, the local Evangelical Free Church will be hosting a live simulcast with Dave Ramsey. Dave is the host and author of Financial Peace University as well as a popular radio talk show host. He will be speaking with regards to living in our current economic situation and then answering people's questions. The event is free. It begins at 7:00pm with doors opening at 6:30. My husband and I took the Financial Peace class a year ago and I would highly recommend Dave's wisdom!

Happy Easter!

Great Fun!

Thanks to all of you who participated in last Thursday's special activities. I want to share some photos from the Mansion Mystery. We had a lot of fun. Some of the kids came in "costume" and really got into their parts. In the end, the mystery was solved. It was a little silly but that just added to the fun. Thanks for sharing your children with me. They bring me joy!

Officer Bart Coming to Super Sleuths

Officer Ben Bartholomew from the Cass County Sherrif's department will be with us on Thursday at 11:00, for Super Sleuths. Better known to students as "Officer Bart", Ben will be sharing crime fighting and investigation techniques with the kids. Bring your sack lunch and plenty of questions. I am sure Officer Bart will do his best to educate us and answer our questions.

Also, a reminder to let me know if you would like to participate in A Mansion Mystery, the following Thursday, March 26. We need at least 8 children to fill the main characters, but can use as many as 25. The mystery party starts at 12:00. Each student will play a part in the mystery and read lines from character cards. They are handed out as we go so that no one knows the outcome of the mystery. At the end, we all vote on who we think "did it". Should be lots of fun! There will be pizza at 11:30 for any interested. Cost for the pizza will be $2 per child. Let me know as soon as possible so that I can assign the parts and order the pizza.
Have a great week!

St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's day is celebrated on March 17 each year by the Irish as well as many others. St. Patrick was born around 380AD in Britain. It is hard to distinguish between legend and fact concerning his life, but he is generally credited for bringing Christianity to Ireland. Hands of a Child has just published a new lap book project for children PK-3. It is a free download this week at CurrClick.com and would be a great project to do with your children to learn about St. Patrick and the holiday that bears his name. Although it is written for younger children, it could easily be adapted to older children as well, or be done as a group project with all of your children sharing in the work. If you are not able to download it, let me know. I can print it for you.
I also have a video tape available for check out in the HSAP room. It's called, Irish Dancing Made Easy. I actually did this with some students a couple of years ago and it's kind of fun. Let me know if you would like to borrow it.
One of my favorite books to read around St. Patrick's Day is Jamie O'Rourk and the Big Potato, by Tomie dePaola. Tomie is half Irish himself, so many of his books have an Irish theme. Another favorite is The Irish Cinderlad, by Shirley Climo. This is an interesting Cinderella story set in Ireland. As you probably guessed, the main character is a boy rather than a girl. It is fun to read and then to compare and contrast with other Cinderella stories you know.
Do you have any other ideas for St. Patrick's day? Feel free to post a comment.

A Pickled Pepper Mystery

Today I am sharing a creative twist on a nursery rhyme. Try it yourself. Choose a rhyme and then be the detective. Ask questions and look for clues. "Was Mother Hubbard robbed? Why was Humpty Dumpty on the wall? Did he fall or was he pushed?" Anyway, enjoy!

A Pickled Pepper Mystery

By Corrisa, Angela & Mariah

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers;
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

Setting: Newsroom. Reporter, Mariah is live on the air giving an account of a late breaking story on Mother Goose News.

Reporter: Hello, and welcome to the Mother Goose News. Today we are live with Peter Piper. Did he really pick the peck of pickled peppers? Or did he steal them? We go live to Peter…
Peter: I did not steal the peppers! I picked the pickled peppers!
Reporter: We will find out. We have a witness here today who claims Peter stole those pickled peppers. Please welcome Corrisa.
Corrisa: Hi, I’m Corrisa, and he stole my pickled peppers. My beautiful pickled peppers, and I will press charges.
Peter: I am innocent. I buy stuff. I do not steal.
Reporter: Well today is going to be interesting. Peter, will you be kind enough to tell us what happened?
Peter: Yes, I went to town to buy some pickled peppers for my mom. I went to the Humpty Dumpty Grocery Store and bought my pickled peppers.
Corrisa: Liar! You stole my pickled peppers. My dog even saw it!
Reporter: How did your dog tell you this?
Corrisa: I just know these things.
Reporter: Well I think that about raps this mystery up. But how do you pick a peck of pickled peppers? Don’t you have to pick the peppers before you pickle them?
Peter: You buy them already pickled.
Reporter: Well, that’s a rap. Join us again tomorrow for Mother Goose News!

Legislative Information

I wanted to share some information with you about what is going on in the state legislature regarding home schooling. As some of you know, last year the legislature cut the funding to home school assistance programs from .6 to .3. Because of the changes, it opened up the door for making legislative rule changes regarding home schooling. In response to this, there are a couple of new faces lobbying for home schooling at our capital this session.
In the past, only NICHE has had a constant presence at the capital. The problem with that, was that NICHE lobbies for families who don't use home school assistance programs, and they don't advocate for the needs of Iowa families who are in home school assistance programs. So, Ed Dickerson and a few others have formed the group HAIL, Homeschool Alliance for Iowa Learners. On their website, they describe themselves as; a grass roots, non-partisan homeschool lobby group dedicated to having an inclusive lobbyist working for Iowa Homeschoolers at the State Capitol. This resource is designed to assist homeschool families and their state legislators communicate with each other on Iowa homeschooling issues.
If you are curious about what they are up to and the kinds of things they are advocating for, check out their website. You can also sign up for e-mail updates from them.
Another new presence at the state capital is Andrea Farrier. She is a home school assistance teacher from eastern Iowa who represents the Iowa Home School Assistance Professionals, a group that I belong to. I also get a weekly update from her on the happening at the capital with regards to home schooling. In her last update she stated that we have Democratic sponsorship for parent-taught driver education in both the house and senate. This is a positive thing, but there is still the possibility that the governor will veto it as he did in 2004.

If you and your children are interested in seeing more about how the legislative process works, there is an opportunity for home school families to be a part of this on Monday March 2. Families will be meeting in the rotunda area at 11:00 and there is a capital tour scheduled for 1:00. I will not be able to attend that day, but if any of you can, it would be a very educational experience! I went once last year and it was a great experience.

Be My Valentine

My Valentine's Day memories are full of things like;

• construction paper hearts glued together in pinks and reds
• wondering whether the person who stuck the conversation hearts in the flimsy little envelope read them first and if it was a message for me
• those little red heart suckers
  
• the sappy card and chocolate from Mom

Valentine's day is traditionally thought of as a time for couples in love, but really it's a celebration of love itself and a perfect opportunity for a mom to teach and express genuine love for her kids.

My niece wrote about her memories of Valentine's Day on her blog, Musings of Foreign Hearts. Check it out. Her mom puts me to shame with individual poems for her children and a feast ending with individual heart shaped cakes for each of her five children. Actually though, it inspires me to want to make a special effort this year to let each of my kids know how much I love them and cherish them as individuals. I haven't decided yet exactly how that will play out, but let me know if you have any great inspirational ideas!

In the meantime, make some glittery Valentine's boxes with the kids, do some baking, read about St. Valentine, or just go to the store and buy some boxed Valentines. I am putting together some little heart things with pixie sticks shooting through them for my students. There are some great ideas at The Homeschoolmom.com and a reading list of Valentine's Day books at Apples for the Teacher. Let me know how you show love and teach your kids about real love by leaving a comment.