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HEM NEWS –October - 2008
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Welcome to THE HEM NEWS! For more information on Home Education Magazine, see the end of this newsletter or visit our web site at http://www.homeedmag.com
Send your comments, questions and great finds to editor Mary Nix at Newsletter@homeedmag.com
In the October issue:
~ Questions and Answers ~
~ Closer Look ~
~ Keeping Homeschooling Freedoms Alive ~
~ HEM's Current Issue ~
~ Picturing America ~
~ American Homeschool Association ~
~ Good Books ~
~ October Web and Podcasts ~
~ You're the Animator ~
~ History Detectives ~
~ Concentration ~
~ Habitat Game ~
~ Clickable Poems ~
~ Hem Blogs ~
~ Hem Discussion Lists ~
~ Classified Ads ~
~ The Final Word ~
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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Questions & Answers is a readers' forum in the print version of Home Education Magazine, a section to share our concerns, experiences and insights. Each issue highlights questions proposed by our readers along with a sampling of answers that reflect a wide range of perspectives. To answer a question or propose your own question, please write to Laura Weldon via ReaderResponse@homeedmag.com or Questions & Answers, c/o Home Education Magazine, PO Box 1083, Tonasket, WA 98855. Your responses must meet our deadline of November 10th. Please recognize that your submission may be edited for length or clarity. Indicate how you prefer your question or answer signed.
Questions for the upcoming issue:
"I have 2 daughters, ages 3 and 4. I know I am jumping the gun a bit but I am a researcher at heart and I have been exploring schooling options even before my kids were born. Homeschooling is the option that makes my spirit sing and most resonates with my values. My concern, however, is that I have a high need for personal freedom and am a fairly self-absorbed person with a passion for my own explorations. I am afraid that this will lead to a hands-off, lazy approach to homeschooling. Can someone like me reasonably lead two young girls to homeschooling success?" -Kirstin
"My husband doesn't agree with me about homeschooling. I can't imagine our little boy having to start kindergarten next fall. My husband thinks we'd be gambling with his future success on an 'experimental education.' I don't know any adult homeschooled people to change his mind. Is there an organization of homeschool graduates? Do any of you have success stories to share?" -Vanessa, South Carolina
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HEM TAKES A CLOSER LOOK
HEM Takes a Closer Look is an ongoing project that focuses on specific topics, compiling an easily accessed collection of the best writing and resources Home Education Magazine has made available online. The latest topic is “Older Children”
For the latest edition of "HEM Takes a Closer Look" visit http://www.homeedmag.com
You can access past topics here: http://www.homeedmag.com/blogs/closer_look/ (topics are listed in the menu on the right)
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KEEPING HOMESCHOOLING FREEDOMS ALIVE
Keeping Homeschooling Freedoms Alive by Larry and Susan Kaseman
It's happened again. September. Back to school. Even though we're homeschooling, we can feel it in the air. Time to get going.
We start planning, organizing, preparing. Whether we're new or experienced homeschoolers, we can easily feel overwhelmed. How are we going to get everything done? How do we know the kids are learning enough of the right things? What about all those things we worry about in the middle of the night?
With so many things to think about for our own family, it's tempting to decide that that's all we can do about homeschooling. No time (or money, for that matter) to join a local support group or a statewide homeschooling organization. No time to make sure we're up to date on current homeschooling issues. No time to even think about things that might affect our homeschooling freedoms.
But such an approach is a mistake. We need to be aware of ways in which choices we make will affect our homeschooling freedoms, strengthening them or weakening them. Big rewards come from putting just a little thought into things we can easily do, that take little time (or money), but that make a significant difference in our ability to homeschool the way we want to, the way that will work best for our family.
You can read the rest of this free article from the latest issue of Home Education Magazine here: http://homeedmag.com/HEM/255/takingcharge.html
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HOME EDUCATION MAGAZINE INTRODUCTORY OFFER!
An Introductory Subscription for only $20.00 (reg $32.00)
For just $20.00 we will send you a year of homeschooling support and encouragement with a subscription to Home Education Magazine.
New subscriptions start with the upcoming Nov-Dec/08 issue.
Allow 6-8 weeks for delivery.
http://www.homeedmag.com/ord/so0826.html
Need an issue sooner?
Subscribe to Home Education Magazine for only $26.00 and you'll receive a full year's subscription starting with the upcoming Nov-Dec/08 issue. Plus you'll get the Sept-Oct/08 issue shipped via First Class Mail.
Sept-Oct/08 shipped immediately! Sub starts with Nov-Dec/08 ($38.50 value)
http://www.homeedmag.com/ord/so0826.html
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HEM'S CURRENT ISSUE
In the September-October Issue of Home Education Magazine:
In "Waldorf Meets Unschooling," Angela Chenus explains how she incorporated the influence of Waldorf education in her unschooling family to bring "intentionality to the moment".
Family Time All Day Long - by Agnes Penny - reminds of of the joys of being at home with children. She writes:
"I can enjoy kissing the toes of my toddler while I dress her, instead of frantically tying shoelaces and searching for mittens. No rushing around looking for a recent photo of Johnny for his project tomorrow. Just family time."
Sue Heavenrich tells how her family's meals take flight into the realm of language arts and math, as they play their invented Word Birds game and challenge one other with conversational puzzles around the table in
"Word Birds and Other Games."
David H. Albert offers a progress report on his children and shares his daughter's essay in "Mohammed and Me".
In Two-Jar Ant Farm, Kathy Ceceri writes that an ant farm is a great way to learn about the lives of insects and ants are real low maintenance pets!
Easy, Affordable, Adaptable: It's Pasta! by Christine Gable tells us that pasta is a versatile food that almost everyone will eat, including kids.
In "Homeschoolers between a Rock and a Hard Place? The 2008 Presidential Candidates' Education Platforms"
Linda Dobson provides important information on the major presidential candidates' education platforms as the 2008 election approaches.
Mary Nix Interviews world traveler Carol Reinhard organizer of the first Unschoolers Winter Water Park Gathering.
Other columnists include Laura Weldon, Tamra Orr, Larry and Susan Kaseman, Jeanne Faulconer and Becky Rupp
HEM's Homeschooling Photo Album - Pictures of homeschoolers in their natural environment.
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PICTURING AMERICA
America's history through our nation's art
http://picturingamerica.neh.gov/
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THE AMERICAN HOMESCHOOL ASSOCIATION
The American Homeschool Association has been serving homeschooling families with advocacy, support, networking and more since 1995. The AHA promotes an approach to homeschooling in line with the earliest advocates of home education, John Holt and Dr. Raymond and Dorothy Moore. This approach is best exemplified by two of their quotes:
"All I am saying in this book can be summed up in two words: Trust Children. Nothing could be more simple, or more difficult. Difficult because to trust children we must first learn to trust ourselves, and most of us were taught as children that we could not be trusted." -John Holt, in How Children Learn
"As adults, we demand our freedoms. Children should have some freedoms too, within the framework of adult wisdom and love. This is not indulgence, not even close to it! The greatest freedom they can enjoy is a chance to grow naturally under the guidance of their parents, who do not create academic or social straitjackets, but rather move with them in creative work, study and play which make the most of their own inventive genius." -Dr. Raymond and Dorothy Moore, in The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook
Current AHA services include an email discussion list and online forum which provides news, information, networking and resources for homeschooling families, support group volunteers, and other advocates of homeschooling.
To join the American Homeschool Association's online forum visit the AHA forum at the following URL: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AHA_Forum or to subscribe via email send a blank message to the automated YahooGroups system: AHA_Forum-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
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GOOD BOOKS
Whenever we discover a new interest or new passion in real life, at our house, we always start searching for a good book that might provide some more information or insight.
Here are a few new science picture books that look really interesting that I found when I came upon “Science Books & Films Online” under “The AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books.”
“Babies in the Bayou” written and illustrated by Jim Arnosky
“Being Caribou: Five Months on Foot with a Caribou Herd” by Karsten Heuer
“The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring” by Richard Preston
“Stellar Science Projects about Earth's Sky” by Robert Gardner
You can check out the site and the prize winners here:
http://www.sbfonline.com/prizes
Enjoy!
~ Mary~
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OCTOBER WEB AND PODCASTS
Dr. Robert Drewes -Curator, Department of Herpetology, California Academy of Sciences
Dr. Robert Drewes has an abiding fascination with the continent of Africa, having conducted field research in 30 different African countries since 1969. His interests include the comparative physiology of frogs and he serves on the board of the Kenya Wildlife Service. http://www.calacademy.org/academy/heroes/rdrewes/
Brewster Kahle: A digital library, free to the world (very interesting Ted Talk)
Brewster Kahle is building a truly huge digital library -- every book ever published, every movie ever released, all the strata of web history ... It's all free to the public -- unless someone else gets to it first.
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/brewster_kahle_builds_a_free_digital_library.html
Space Station's view of Hurricane
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/news/space-technology-news/space-hurricane-apvin.html
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YOU'RE THE ANIMATOR
“Some of the earliest cartoons were made with flipbooks, which contained images in sequence, flipped by the viewer to simulate movement. You can make a "cartoon" like this yourself by using a pad of paper and drawing a stick figure "walking" across the bottom edge of the paper. How are modern cartoons made that we see on television and the movies? “
Click here http://www.americaslibrary.gov/sh/game2/dud_game.html to make your own animations on the web.
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HISTORY DETECTIVES
“History Detectives is devoted to exploring the complexities of historical mysteries, searching out the facts, myths and conundrums that connect local folklore, family legends and interesting objects.” http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/index.html
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ILLUMINATION'S CONCENTRATION
“Play by yourself or against a friend to form pairs. Match numbers, shapes, fractions, or multipication facts to equivalent representations. The game can be used to practice facts by using the clear pane mode, or for an added challenge, play the game with the windows closed.” http://illuminations.nctm.org/ActivityDetail.aspx?ID=73
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HABITAT GAME
This on-line game from Active-Science explores human and animal habitats.
http://www.activescience-gsk.com/module2/home.html
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CLICKABLE POEMS
Clickable Poems features visual poems, illustrations, and good old-fashioned column-building. http://www.clickablepoems.com/
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HEM BLOGS
HEM News & Commentary
http://www.homeedmag.com/blogs/newscomm
HEM Editor's Blog
http://www.homeedmag.com/blogs/editorial/
HEM Support Groups
http://www.homeedmag.com/blogs/groupnews/
HEM'S Guide to Homeschool Resources
http://www.homeedmag.com/blogs/resources/
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HEM DISCUSSION LISTS
HEM's free email discussion lists are a wonderful way to access the online homeschooling community, and you can choose whether to receive a list's messages in your email box or to read them at the lists' home page on the Internet. Either way, you'll meet lots of interesting people who care about the list topic.
HEM Networking
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HEM-Networking
General discussion list on homeschooling issues.
HEM New Homeschoolers
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HEM-NewHomeschoolers
Specifically for those new to homeschooling.
HEM Unschooling
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HEM-Unschooling
Explore this relaxed approach to learning.
HEM Writers
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HEM-Writers
Editors, columnists and those who want to write for HEM.
HEM-Recipes. The Homeschool Kitchen Online!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HEM-Recipes
This discussion list is an online extension of Christine Gable's column, offering an expanded collection of recipes, menus for family meals, tips and ideas about cooking, and most importantly, an online source of networking, information, resources, and friendship!
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HEM NEWS UNCLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
ASKING QUESTIONS FINDING ANSWERS
A Parents Journey Through Homeschooling by Tamra Orr
"An overview of the development of homeschooling, experiences of a stay at home mom learning with her kids, and essays by homeschooling kids, parents and advocates about their experiences learning together in their homes and communities. These stories are filled with anecdotes, factual information, and lots of resources for discovering your family's style of living and learning together!" - forward - Patrick Farenga
Visit here http://www.homeedmag.com/blogs/groupnews/?p=311 to listen to a phone interview with author, Tamra Orr.
Order the book here: https://homeedmag.com/ORD/frm_askfind.orr.html
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THE UNSCHOOLING UNMANUAL
The Unschooling Unmanual, newly published by The Natural Child Project, is a compilation of inspiring personal stories and essays by eight unschooling writers, including Jan Hunt, Rue Kream, Nanda Van Gestel and Daniel Quinn, and a chapter from John Holt's Learning All the Time. "A concise, readable and accessible manifesto for natural learning and trust in children." - The Parenting Pit. To read an excerpt and book reviews, or to order the book, please visit http://www.naturalchild.org/unmanual/
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REACH MORE HOMESCHOOLERS AND STICK TO YOUR BUDGET!
If you would like your ad to appear in HEM's Online Newsletter, where it will reach over 17,000 subscribers-and then be viewed by thousands more online-write to editor Mary Nix at Newsletter@homeedmag.com for details. Please use "Mary: Send Ad Info" as your subject line.
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THE FINAL WORD
Homeschooling parents can ignore what are for the most part government directives as to what shall be taught and when. Rather, parents and children can work together to develop courses of study that address long-term needs, interests, and capabilities in the context of what they, and not a bureaucracy of somewhat dubious credibility, deem important and necessary. - David and Micki Colfax, “Homeschooling for Excel”
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Thanks for reading The HEM News!
Pass it on to your friends!
To subscribe, visit our web site at
http://www.homeedmag.com/wlcm_hemnewsltr.html
Have a wonderful month!
Mary Nix, Newsletter Editor
Newsletter@homeedmag.com
Mark and Helen Hegener
Publishers of Home Education Magazine
http://www.homeedmag.com
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