UPCOMING FIELDTRIPS
DATE: Wednesday, October 19th
RSVP to Robyn Samuelson by October 12th
beets65@verizon.net or 757-8201
TIME: Meet at the museum at 9:30 am sharp!
COST: $6 per person
BRING: a packed lunch
Get ready for an oil adventure at the
Drake Well Museum in Titusville.
There we will enjoy their Living the Lease Life Tour.
Below is an excerpt from their website that describes the tour:
When Colonel Edwin Drake struck oil along the banks of Oil Creek in August 1859, few people in Titusville dreamed that the oil industry that began here would one day grow into a world-wide enterprise. Drake Well Museum tells that story. Oil touches our lives every day in plastics, synthetic fabrics, medicines, gasoline and more! Your students will learn how oil changed the world as they tour Drake Well Museum's exhibits, see working machinery, shop in the Museum Store, and walk along Oil Creek.
Come live the lease life at Drake Well Museum through interactive stations and hands-on demonstrations.
We will tour the museum in the morning, after lunch are learning stations about different aspects of life in that era. There is an area to eat, so bring a picnic lunch.
As many of you know there is also the Titusville /Oil City Railroad. The Railroad makes a stop at the Drake Well Museum so.... an option for the day is you can attend only a morning tour that would meet at 8:45 am instead and then board the train at 11:15am.
It is a round trip that takes close to 3 hours. or you can do the early tour and do a one way trip on the train.
If you do a one way train trip you might be back in time to enjoy some of the afternoon presentations. You are on your own to work out how to get a car to the ending spot. If you'd like to do the train ride as part of your day, contact Robyn and she will give you the number to make your train reservation... each person will need to do that on their own.
4-H Sewing Club needs at least 2 more members (ages 8 to 18) in order to be a club! No experience needed!
The "Material Girls" meet monthly the third Tuesday evening (Oct. 18th is the first meeting, but ONLY if they have the minimum of 5 girls) at the 4-H office in Youngsville (next to the Rouse Home), from 6-8pm. Call leader Delores Stec at 563-4659 right away for more information or to let her know you're coming. There is an annual $10 enrollment fee paid to the county 4-H through the club.
So far as I know, the only other costs would be for the materials you need for your projects. 4-H is a great way to learn a new skill, have fun with other kids and looks great in your portfolio!
The School to Work Program is presenting a
Financial Aid Night
on Wednesday, October 12th from 6-8:30 pm at the Holiday Inn. This is for parents and students and is a great way to get valuable information on ways to help make college affordable.
8th Grade Career Day
On October 20th, there will be an 8th grade Career Day, held at Holy Redeemer Center from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm. If anyone has any more info on this for me to add, please let me know.
POTTERY CLASSES
Tuesday, October 18 - Mold-Making & Printing Technique
This is a new class I'm hoping to offer. We will begin by making a molded image out of a soft carving material, which we will then use to either impress in the soft clay, or print an image onto leather hard clay. This will offer a more diverse look into the different processes that are used to produce ceramic pieces, and will give the group a little more of a direct challenge in the design process.
Cost: $10 which includes take-home carved mold, black & white copy of lesson, and finished glazed product
Time: 10 AM - around 1-2PM or until everyone is done with their project
Tuesday, October 25 - Wheel Throwing
Finally! I have acquired a couple of wheels, one for little hands (pre-school age), and a brand new one for the older folks! These classes will focus on how to center clay, and beginning techniques of thowing a cylander, bowl, or mug. Due to the fact that only one person can use the wheel at a time (or one little person on the slow wheel, and one on the faster one), I am thinking that doing a group of no more than five in a 1.5 hour period would be best. This would allow each person around 15-20 minutes to practice throwing and make their piece. I will try to get your family into the time-frame chosen by you, but if we have a couple smaller families (2 or 3) than I might try combining to get more families a chance in this one day. RSVP by October 18.
Times to choose from: 2 PM, and 4 PM
Cost: $10 which includes throwing time and finished glazed piece - $8 for pre-school age children who will be using the slower wheel - free if they do not "finish" a piece and just want to "play" on the wheel :)
You can contact me (Deb Penley) by phone (814)489-7832 or
I am located in downtown Sugar Grove, next door to the elementary school (on the left). My address is 15 School St. Sugar Grove
Upcoming Arts & Education events at The Struthers:
Friday, October 14th at 9am - So Percussion
The Warren County Summer Music School presents a free concert featuring "So Percussion" for 6th-9th graders interested in music. RSVP to Nan ASAP!!!at 723-7367 or email her at thebigpfamily@verizon.net
Tuesday, November 8th at 9am - Romeo and Juliet
For 7-12th graders (the public schools are bringing 8-10th grades, but said we could include a couple more grades)
RSVP to Nan some time the week before at 723-7367 or email her at thebigpfamily@verizon.net.
Free to those grades and parent
Also, the evening performance is open to all...
Tues, Nov 8th at 7:30pm - Cost is $10 adults, $5 students and under 5 is free.
Wednesday, April 25th at 9am - The House at Pooh Corner
For 1-3 graders - Free to those grades and parent
Also, the evening performance is open to all...
Wed Apr 25th at 7pm, Cost is $10 adults, $5 students and under 5 is free.
Would you like to be a part of the Civil Air Patrol?
Join now!
Civil Air Patrol is a civilian unit of the Air Force.
Boys or girls age 12-18 can join or adults can join as senior members.
To become a member you must attend at least 3 meetings
(Tuesday nights, 7p.m.- 9 p.m.) at Faith Fellowship Church
(across from library).
Cadets learn about aerospace, search/rescue, drill, moral leadership, and physical training. They earn promotions based on tests and if they complete the cadet program, they can enter the United States Air Force with a higher rank and greater pay scale. Young people do not have to have military aspirations to join CAP- it is a great program that teaches discipline, safety, and leadership skills!
If you have any questions, call Kitty Hagberg at 723-8706.
Cub Scouts Sign Up
From Kevin Bonner/Boy Scouts of America:
Just wanted to let all the Homeschoolers in Warren County know that it's time to sign up for Cub Scouts.
We'd love for Homeschooled boys from 1st through 5th grade to join America's largest youth organization.
For 100 years we've been instilling leadership, patriotism, duty to God, teamwork, respect for the environment and community service into young men. Joining Cub Scouts is the first step in becoming the leaders of tomorrow.
All the parent needs to do to register their boy in Cub Scouting is to call Joan at the Scout office (723-6700). Cost is just $15 for an entire year of fun and family togetherness.
If there are at least 5 boys interested we could also give them their own Cub Scout Pack.
From Tara Casey:
I have a Backyardigans toddler bed and mattress that needs a good home. It was used for not quite a year. I would like to get $45 for the pair, but am willing to take a reasonable offer.
From Anne VanHouten:
I have the following Abeka items for sale:
grade 2: Enjoying God's World (Science) student and teacher ed. $10
grade 3: Elxploring God's World (Science) student text, missing front cover and highlighted, teacher
edition and test/ quiz key in good condition $10
grade 3: Health, safety and manners student & teacher edition, student test/quiz book and answer book
$10
grade 4: spelling & vocabulary test key $3
grade 5: Arithmetic tests & speed drills answer key $5
grade 9 (or high school) World Geography student book, teacher guide, test/quiz key and map studies
teacher key. $20
AND the following from BOB JONES UNIVERSITY
Grade 5 Heritage Studies teachers edition, worktext teacher's edition and misc. worksheets and tests
$15
email me at vanhouten7@yahoo.com or call 563-7969 if interested
Some photos from the recent Tom Ridge Environmental Center fieldtrip:
Some photos from our Back to School Night at Wiltsie Church:
Pennsylvania Poetry Society Pegasus Contest
For grades 5 through 12
Click HERE for the PDF with more information.
Here are a few helpful hints to avoid disqualification:
- Follow the rules for preparation, mailing, and student identification
- Choose the categories and grade level appropriate to the student entering
- Enter poems appropriate in subject and form stated for the category
- Do not use fancy, bold, extra large or too small fonts
- Single space lines within stanzas
- Limit line lengths to 60 characters or less, including spaces between words
- Proofread for spelling, grammatical, and usage errors
- Do not enter the same poem in more than one category
In addition, let me suggest some trends in contemporary poetry
that may differ from historical poetry:
- Normal capitalization—Most poets now follow normal capitalization rules
of sentences or thoughts rather than beginning each line with a capital letter,
which makes the poem difficult to read.
- Centering lines detracts from a poem, unless that shape creates an added meaning,
as in a concrete poem
- Contemporary language is preferred over archaic words
- Best poems are written from the poet's genuine experience.
- Imagery, metaphors, and emotional levels add to poem's impact.
We hope to receive poems written by some of your students before the February 1st deadline and we wish them good luck.
Marilyn Downing, Pegasus Chair
Relaxed Homeschooling: An Interview with Dr. Mary Hood by Kristen Hamilton
The term relaxed often gets tossed about within the homeschooling community, but not everyone who has adopted this term is using the same definition. What does relaxed mean? Is it a method? Does it mean you can’t use textbooks?
In this interview with Dr. Mary Hood, the author of The Relaxed Home School: A Family Production, she explains both her original intent of the term relaxed and how to be more relaxed in your homeschool.
TOS: What is “relaxed homeschooling”? Is it different from unschooling?
Dr. Hood: The philosophy of “unschooling” developed out of the free school movement of the 60s and 70s. Unschoolers came to homeschooling due to their dissatisfaction with institutional schooling and a desire for a freer, more individualized and organic way of learning. Starting in the 1980s, another style of home education joined the movement, driven more by the lack of values and discipline in the public schools. Most of these were Christians who felt that their familial values were not being served by the public schools. Many began doing “school at home,” trying to imitate the methods used by institutional schools.
Relaxed homeschooling represents a middle ground between these two philosophies. I think of it as a mindset. The tenets of relaxed homeschooling include these:
• You are a family, not a school.
• You are a dad and the head of a household, not a principal.
• You are a mom, not a teacher.
• You have individual relationships with your children, not a classroom.
The relaxed homeschooling philosophy frees families to learn in a more family-oriented environment. Parental goals, plus the goals, personalities, and interests of each of their children, guide their learning experiences.
TOS: How would you advise a family to move from the traditional school mindset to the relaxed homeschool mindset?
Dr. Hood: The first thing I’d suggest is that the parents take time, individually and together, to determine goals they desire for their children to achieve by the time they turn 18. In addition, try to accurately describe your family’s perspective concerning the learning process. In other words, examine and challenge the assumptions you have made as a result of your experiences in institutional schools.
If the desire for a more relaxed atmosphere is coming from the mother, be sure to share with the dad what some of the reasons are, how you are hoping to alter things, and why. Begin keeping a journal to write down your plans and goals, and then track them to see what is working and what isn’t.
The next step is to talk with the kids. Don’t let them wonder “what Mom is up to this time.” Explain to them that you’ve been re-thinking some of your ideas about the way you’ve been doing things and want to make some changes. Then, involve them in the process. Especially
if they are over 10 years of age, try to help them think through some of their own goals and ask them if there is something they’ve always wanted to learn.
Don’t try to change everything at once. In the beginning, you may want to continue doing one or two subjects the way you have been doing them. Math may be one area where you might want to continue with your current materials, but perhaps supplementing. For example, set up a learning center that revolves around math and encourage the children to use it or to play math games, rather than just doing the exercises in their books.
In the meantime, go to the library once a week and have reading times together several times a day. Select one day a week to get out of the house and have some fun together. Consider putting aside the grammar books and asking them to write a paragraph about their “day out” instead. For example, go to the zoo and ask them to write about their favorite mammal. Then work with them as an editor, not expecting perfection every time.
As you begin to make a few changes, you need to be flexible. All of your questions about this relaxed way of learning won’t be answered immediately, but the fact that you are asking questions and experimenting is a great start!
TOS: What exactly do you mean by “learning centers”?
Dr. Hood: To adapt the idea of learning centers to a homeschool setting, first decide what you hope to accomplish with your children. For me, it was all about keeping things accessible to the children and making them interesting enough to attract their attention. This, of course, also requires that things be changed from time to time, or they just wind up blending into the woodwork.
One constant for us was an art center. I had a designated cabinet with a variety of art materials, including things such as egg cartons, construction paper, scissors, and crayons. On a higher shelf, away from the toddlers, we kept things such as calligraphy pens and leather tools. We liked to keep some of their recent creations on display on a shelf or bulletin board.
We often had other centers, like a nature center near the picture window, where we observed the birds and animals in the backyard; a science center where we kept our current project; a music center by the piano; and a math center in a corner of the living room. One of the things I always did was to incorporate good books into the centers. When we went to the library, I would get a different book about an artist or a type of art and place it on display in the art center. Sometimes we would take it down and read it together, but sometimes it just sort of sat there like a decoration. That one practice helped all of my children to grow up enjoying art and knowing a lot about it. One of my daughters has an art history degree! (Check out my guidebook, How to Set Up Learning Centers in Your Home.)
TOS: Is there ever a place for the use of textbooks and workbooks in a relaxed homeschool?
Dr. Hood: There is definitely a place for textbooks and workbooks in a relaxed homeschool environment. The key when selecting them is to pay attention to the individual needs of your children, as well as your own desires. If you were to select an entire curriculum, insist on using it for everyone in the family whether it works or not, and do it exactly like the publishers say you should, including using an artificial timetable for completion, that certainly wouldn’t be very relaxed!
When deciding whether to use resources like workbooks, you need to select them with your goals in mind, think of the needs of individual children, and listen to their input, regardless of their age. In order to stay relaxed, you have to be willing to make your own decisions about the best way to use resources and how quickly you should work through them. You also need to be willing to admit when you have wasted money on items that aren’t working for your family and then put those resources away or sell them at a used curriculum fair! One of my sons used quite a few workbooks and textbooks. A couple of the others probably never held a textbook until they went off to college, and they did just fine in making the shift then.
TOS: What can you tell us about your organization, ARCHERS for the Lord, Inc.? What is its purpose and what are some of its future plans?
Dr. Hood: ARCHERS stands for the Association of Relaxed Christian Home Educators and also derives its name from Psalm 127, which likens our children to arrows in a quiver. We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Our current projects include a mentoring program in which experienced moms assist younger moms, homeschooling classes and retreats near Atlanta, and a capital campaign to purchase land for a regional conference center in the Georgia Mountains. For more information, to donate, or to purchase materials, visit archersforthelord.org.
TOS: Thank you so much for sharing your expertise with us, Dr. Hood. You’ve greatly encouraged me to pursue a more relaxed manner of teaching and learning in my own home.
Kristen Hamilton and her husband, Kevin, have been home-educating their five children since their eldest’s birth in 1998. Kristen is the Senior Editor of HomeschoolBlogger.com and an admitted curriculum junkie. She blogs about her homeschool experiences at A Day in the Life (HomeschoolBlogger.com/kristenph). She also enjoys reading, crocheting, and hiking with her family in her very limited free time.
Mary Hood and her husband, Roy, began homeschooling their five children in the early1980s. Mary has a Ph.D. in education and is a nationally known speaker and the author of books including The Relaxed Home School, The Joyful Home Schooler, and The Enthusiastic Home Schooler. You can follow her blog, /www.therelaxedhomeschooler.blogspot.com, her Yahoo! Group (groups.yahoo.com/group/ARCHERS-HS), or you can friend her on Facebook to be invited to her ARCHERS page (Relaxed Homeschoolers-ARCHERS). Mary Hood also accepts speaking engagements and can be contacted at mary.e.hood@gmail.com. Please visit her website to learn more about ARCHERS for the Lord, Inc. (www.archersforthelord.org).
Apple Crisp in the Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown sugar (dark brown is best)
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 cup butter
- 3-4 cups peeled and sliced apples
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries(optional)
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
Instructions
- Stir the first 3 ingredients together. Cut the butter in with a pastry blender or fork to make soft crumbs.
- Combine the apples, cranberries and pecans in a large bowl. Stir in half the crumbs, mixing to coat all the apples. Pour into greased crock of the slow cooker.
- Stir water, sugar and cinnamon together. Pour over apples.
- Put the lid on the slow cooker. Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 5-6 hours. Open and let rest a few minutes before serving. This will allow the extra liquid to thicken.
Here is the testing schedule for PA Homeschoolers with the Richmans.
Our date will be in Corry on Oct. 17 at Faith Evangelical Church, 13444 W. Washington St. Corry, PA.
You can go to their site, click on Corry and it will give directions.
Testing is required for all 3, 5 & 8th graders. Richmans welcome all other grades also. You can test with the Richmans or contact the Christian schools in the area (which usually test in the spring) or order tests from Seton and find someone to administer them.
Go to this link for registration info and form.
http://www.pahomeschoolers.com/events/testing/testform.pdf
County Children's Choir
Trinity Memorial Church is excited to announce the formation of a county wide community sacred choir, led by parishioner Katherine Baker Bowley. The choir is called "Heavenly Singers" and will rehearse on Thursdays from 4:30 to 6 p.m. starting Oct. 13 at Trinity, 444 Pennsylvania Ave. W.
The choir is for children age 8 to 13 (third through eighth grades preferably), but older students will be welcome to participate and are welcome to be interns. Parents and other volunteers are also invited to attend rehearsals. A snack will be provided halfway through the rehearsal. Performances will be at local venues.
http://timesobserver.com/page/content.detail/id/552063/County-children-s-choir-will-sing-sacred-songs.html?nav=5003
What: SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR
When: Thurs Nov 17 & Friday Nov 18 from 9am-6pm
Where: 207 2nd Ave. Jefferson Defrees Center
Open to all Homeschoolers, come and browse the book fair! Books for preschoolers up to adult. Will accept cash, credit card or check.
If these times do not work for you, please call Ruby Wiles at 723-5375 and she may be able to open up the book fair at a time convenient for you.
Upcoming Local Events and Activities
Oct 15: Scandia Mountain Pumpkin Festival
Location: Russell, PA 16345
Phone: 814-757-8091
Food, Crafters and fun for all
www.scandiavfd.org/
