P.S. If you need a last-minute Mother’s Day gift for a homeschool mom that you love, for only $1 you can purchase an instantly downloadable copy of this special poem that’s suitable for framing… hint, hint... or just buy one for yourself. ;)
Long-time homeschool mom, Susan Andresen, was critically injured in a car accident on April 30th. Although the doctors were able to reattach the artery to her heart, Susan went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday, May 5, 2008.
Please be in prayer for her husband Jeff and their children. Pray for peace for the family in Jesus' mighty name.
A memorial service will be held:
Friday,May 9, 2008
10:30 AM
City of Grace
655 E. University Dr., Mesa, AZ 85205
(On University Drive east of Mesa Drive)
I've been told that anyone who would like to bring food for the reception following may deliver it to the Family Life Center between 9:00 and 10:00 AM (just east of the worship center). You may want to check with City of Grace to see what types of food would be best to bring.
EVCHE (East Valley Christian Home Educators) has offered to deliver cards to the family. Cards may be mailed to:
This is so cool! Go tohttp://www.azpbs.org/arizonastories/thenandnow.htmand roll your cursor over the images. Watch in amazement as early century images transform into contemporary photographs right before your eyes!
Homeschooling on a budget, or want to homeschool but think you can’t afford it? This workshop is for you!
Desert Hills Christian Homeschoolers
& Tami Lopez of The Salt Seller present…
Frugal Homeschooling Workshop
A common-sense guide to help parents develop an inexpensive curriculum that reflects their own educational philosophy while meeting their children's individual educational needs.
Starting at 7:00, Tami will be sharing her tips and practical advice on how to save money by choosing curriculum wisely, purchasing materials inexpensively, using the library, options that fit your family’s budget, and where to get free resources. These money-saving ideas can be used by homeschool families using ANY curriculum. The workshop will also cover how to save money for field trips, and top ten supplies needed for your school room.
Free handouts, magazines, door prizes, and goody bags!
Children are welcome as always. Bring a friend too!
Refreshments will be provided, and of course it’s FREE!
About the Speaker:
Since 1994, Tami has blessed the Arizona homeschool community with her hard work and dedication – first with The Salt Seller’s Used Curriculum and Book Fair, and now with her homeschool workshops and high school support group. Visit her website at http://www.thesaltseller.org .
About Desert Hills Christian Homeschoolers:
DHCH has been faithfully serving area homeschoolers since 1986. Learn more about the group at http://www.dhch.org .
P.S. We understand that many families are financially stressed these days. So in keeping with the theme of this workshop, any new family that registers with DHCH at the meeting will receive ONE FREE YEAR of membership including all benefits! You will also get a free copy of our informative 65-page resource booklet. We hope that you will take advantage of this special offer and we pray that it will be a blessing to you and your family!
Join us tomorrow, APRIL 26, for two important events!
Hi friends, two really awesome events are happening on April 26th. The first is called Reign Down USA. It’s a day of repentance and prayer for our nation. Please visit www.reigndownusa.com to see the incredible testimony of how God visited Shawn Marie Cole, daughter of GlendaleAZ pastor Walt Kalestad with visions of multitudes praying to put God back in the center of our lives and country.
The main ReignDown USA event in Arizona will be held on the Capitol lawn in central Phoenix, located at 1700 W. Washington St. from 3 - 7 p.m. on April 26, 2008 (a blanket or chair and bottle of water is suggested). An optional prayer walk of the Capitol lawn will be held from 2 – 3 p.m. During the first two hours of ReignDownAZ we will join the worship and prayer meeting at the Washington Mall in WashingtonDC through a satellite feed. After that time, we will continue to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit whether to stay with the feed from the Washington meeting or do some specific prayers locally, allowing time for individual repentance throughout the prayer meeting. You may come at any time and may stay as long as you like.
ReignDown USA in Arizona
Flagstaff: Flagstaff City Hall, Route 66
Heber/Overgaard: Heber/Overgaard Park Phoenix: State Capitol, 1700 W. Washington St. Phoenix: Phoenix Prayer Pavilion of Light, 13613 N. Cave Creek Road Prescott: Prescott Territorial Courthouse, South side Safford: Center for the Arts, 985 S. 15th Ave. Surprise: Surprise Park, 15930 N. Bullard Avenue
Find out more at www.reigndownusa.com. Please pray for this nationwide effort!
ALSO on Saturday, April 26th Bound4LIFE and TheCall will be gathering Christians to pray at supreme courts in all 50 states along with the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, DC. Will you answer this most urgent call to prayer and join with thousands from around the country on this day when we will be holding a simultaneous Silent Siege of every Supreme Court? The blood of the innocent cries out from our ground, but God promises to heal the land if His people will respond in humility, prayer, hunger and repentance. Stand with us before the doors of our justice system as we cry out for mercy and apply the blood of Jesus to the doorposts of our national guilt.
The Mercy Seat - April 26, 2008 A Nationwide Silent Siege on Passover 10 AM - 2 PM
Located at:
Arizona Supreme Court
1501 West Washington Phoenix, Arizona85007-3231
We urge you to make the journey either to Washington, DC or to the Supreme Court in your own state.
I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it. (Ez 22:30)
William Shakespeare was born on this date, April 23rd, in 1564 in Stratford, England.
Shakespeare, one of the greatest literary geniuses in all history, was largely self-taught.
He never attended any university or institution of higher learning.
Legend has it that at the tender age of eleven, young William saw the pageantry associated with Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Kenilworth Castle near Stratford and later recreated this scene many times in his plays.
William was married at the age of eighteen to Anne Hathaway, who was seven or eight years older than the young playwright.
The couple had eight children, including twins Hamnet and Judith. Hamnet died at the age of 11, in 1596, and was buried at Stratford. The other children all lived into adulthood.
Shakespeare lived through the time of the Black Death, an epidemic that killed over 33,000 in London alone in 1603 when Will was 39. The plague later returned in 1608.
Shakespeare was a prolific author, writing his first play Henry VI, when he was 25. Altogether, he wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets.
William was also an actor who performed in many of his own plays as well as those of other playwrights, including Ben Jonson.
Not a one of Shakespeare's plays was actually published during his lifetime. They were apparently written only to be performed.
Fortunately, two of his fellow actors, John Heminge and Henry Condell, gathered 36 of Shakespeare's plays and published them in 1623 in a collection known as The First Folio. This collection is the source from which all published Shakespearean plays are derived.
Shakespeare died in 1616 at the age of 52.
Unlike most famous artists of his time, he did not die in poverty.
His will contained several large holdings of land.
You can listen to a couple of programs based on Shakespeare's plays "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Macbeth" at Jim's site: http://www.homeschoolradioshows.com
Also, Jim's "Shakespeare for the Ears" collection may be seen for a limited time (just a few more days) at:
Jim, who by the way is a homeschool dad, has put together some great stuff in this collection and I can personally recommend the Shakespeare set. While you're there, check out his other unique resources!
Have you heard the news? Origin Science, and the heroes of the movement working to open hearts and minds to a designed universe, are coming to a theater near you.
For the first time in American history, a nationally-released movie is challenging the secular-materialist-evolutionist stranglehold on academia and the press. Can you believe it? What’s more: a nationally-known and respected public figure is courageously spearheading the effort.
The movie: Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed The star: Ben Stein The date: April 18, 2008 (Freedom Friday) and beyond See the trailer: www.expelledthemovie.com
Rarely have mind-altering, nation-changing events taken place in which American citizens could personally participate – events where the locked-in orthodoxy faces a bold, principled challenge. One such event was Martin Luther King’s civil rights march on Washington in August, 1963.
This movie presents another watershed event. Each of us can participate in the nationwide demonstration of support for the ideas of intelligent design and creation – just by watching Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed and telling everyone we know.
Americans stand for freedom and the Bill of Rights. We believe in freedom to speak, freedom to write,
freedom to think, and freedom to worship (or not). We believe in education that opens minds. We oppose brainwashing and indoctrination.
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed may shock you as an American. The film exposes numerous,
serious violations of academic liberty and freedom of speech and conscience. Top flight professors and researchers who question materialism and neo-Darwinism – just question those doctrines – have found themselves insulted, persecuted, isolated, and fired.
As Americans – and especially as proponents of honest, open scientific inquiry into Origins – we need to understand the persecution and stand with our intellectual brethren, many of whom are Christians as well.
Greater Metro Phoenix:
Chandler Fashion 2, 3159 West Chandler Blvd, Chandler AZ 85226
Gilbert Stadium Cinema, 1012 S Gilbert Rd, Gilbert AZ 85296
Westgate 20, 9400 West Hanna Lane, Glendale AZ 85305
Palm Valley 14, 1325 N. Litchfield Road, Goodyear AZ 85338
Gateway 12 & IMAX, 1935 S. Signal Butte, Mesa AZ 85209
Mesa Grand 24, 1645 South Stapley Drive, Mesa AZ 85204
Superstition Springs 25, 6950 E Superstition Springs Blvd, Mesa AZ 85207
Arrowhead Fountains 18, 16046 Arrowhead Fountains Ctr Dr., Peoria AZ 85382
Park West 14, 9804 W. Northern Ave, Peoria AZ 85345
Ahwatukee 24, 4915 East Ray Road, Phoenix AZ 85044
Arizona Center 24, 465 North 3rd Street, Phoenix AZ 85004
Deer Valley 30, 3033 West Agua Fria Freeway, Phoenix AZ 85027
Desert Ridge 18, 21001 North Tatum, Phoenix AZ 85050
Norterra 14, 2550 W. Happy Valley Rd, Phoenix AZ 85085
North Valley 16, 3420 East Bell Rd, Phoenix AZ 85032
Frontier Village, 1771 Highway 69, East Prescott AZ 86302
Arizona Mills Luxury 24, 5000 Arizona Mills Circle ,Tempe AZ 85281
Tucson:
AMC Foothills 15, 7401 N La Cholla Blvd. Ste 144, Tucson AZ 85741
Century El Con 20, 3601 E. Broadway, Tucson AZ 85716
This book by James Clavell should be subtitled “A Chilling Tale for Parents” – because once you read this shocking story you will never look at public schools the same way again. It clearly depicts the power an authority figure can have over impressionable young children. Click on the link and read my review to find out why this book is just as important today as when it was written in 1963.
Environmental Education ~ Science ~ Nature Study ~ Gardening ~ Charlotte Mason ~ Living Curriculum
~Gardening for Wildlife~ How to Create a Backyard Habitat
-Do you enjoy hearing birds chirping in the trees, seeing butterflies fluttering among the flowers, and watching rabbits hopping through the grass?
-Do you like going on nature hikes and field trips?
-Do you prefer gardening or raising animals?
-Do you care about natural resources and the environment?
If you answered “yes” to one or more of the above questions, you will love this e-book. It explains how to create a wildlife habitat for birds, butterflies, and other creatures in your yard!
This illustrated step-by-step guide includes:
-how to get started
-planning checklist
-required habitat elements
-plant recommendations
-maintenance methods
-helpful habitat hints
-scripture references
-educational benefits
-how to certify your habitat
-related books for children
-additional resources
“Gardening for Wildlife” makes a great
homeschool project and/or family activity.
Think of it as a year-round unit study!
AFHE Thank You Picnic - You're Invited to a Homeschool Picnic in Thatcher
Homeschooling families in Graham County and surrounding areas are invited to join us for a "Thank You Picnic" hosted by AFHE.
As part of our 25th Anniversary celebration, AFHE board members will be traveling to different parts of the state over the next 12-18 months to host "Thank You Picnics" in various counties/cities ... starting with Thatcher in Graham County.
We are excited about the opportunity to get out and fellowship with homeschooling families around the state! Other locations and dates will be announced as they are scheduled and the details are worked out.
Lunch will be provided including beverages - all at no charge. We will have door prizes and give-aways, too!
DATE: Saturday, April 19, 2008
TIME: 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
COST: Free!
PLACE: Thatcher Park, US Highway 70, Thatcher, AZ
RSVP: Please RSVP to let us know how many from your family will be attending so that we are prepared with enough food.
CONTACT: Nancy and James Manos, AFHE 25th Anniversary Events Coordinators, homeschool@afhe.org, 602-235-2673 (voice mail)
WHAT TO BRING: Bring chairs or blankets to sit on and games or activities for the kids.
There is a playground, lots of sidewalks for anything with wheels, and a field for soccer, baseball, football etc. Bring balls, scooters, etc. for your children to enjoy at the park.
AZ Republic Editorial - comments needed in favor of homeschooling
A formerly homeschooled student submitted a thoughtful, well-articulated opinion about homeschooling to the ArizonaRepublic yesterday. The newspaper followed with the question, "Should home-schooling parents have state-certified teaching credentials?" They invited people to enter the conversation by sending in their thoughts using 100 or fewer words. If anyone has time and can think of something to say, please write to them. It would be great to see some more positive comments on there in favor of homeschooling without governmental oversight. Last time I checked their site, they had few if any. ;(
P.S. When I first went to this page they asked for my gender, year of birth, zip code, and e-mail. But I didn’t give them my e-mail address and it let me in.
Here’s a shocking twist on Horton Hears a Who. While it wonderfully supports the pro-life movement (“a person's a person... no matter how small”) it also includes an ANTI-HOMESCHOOLING message! Click on the link to read an article about it:
Lisa, another homeschool mom who saw the movie, had this to say:
We went to see Horton Hears a Who last night and it was an overall cute movie but SHEESH! the writers have a BIG PROBLEM with homeshoolers.
The villain is a kangaroo who is an arrogant, controlling nearly abusive non believer. This is established in the very first scene that she is in. As soon as this is portrayed we see many little jungle animals running around enjoying their day and her little joey says, "Gosh, Mom...why can't I play with the other kids?" and she says, "Because the jungle is no place to behave like a wild animal and that is why you are pouch schooled." Then with a smug, superior grin, she shoves him down into the pouch and says, "Now go to your room." Then, too many times to even mention, she covers his ears, covers his eyes, doesn't let him experience life and even says to the other animals, "But what will Horton be teaching the children? We need to protect the children!"
It wasn't subtle. My oldest leaned over and said, "This is just wrong." He's 10 and he noticed it.
We are just SO THE OPPOSITE! Sorry- didn't mean to yell, but I'd love to have some good publicity some time, ya' know?
Hmm, I guess we’ll have to stick with the original book! The kangaroo was mean, but she never said anything like that. It's too bad they had to spoil an otherwise good movie.
Teri
P.S. If you don’t have the book, you can go to www.kidthing.com and sign up (you will need to create a user ID and password but they don’t ask for your e-mail address or anything). Then you can download a free interactive version of Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss. It looks just like you’re reading the real book but you turn the pages online as a voice reads the story to you.
Our homeschool group went on an archeology hike last week, which also turned into a wildflower hike. I wrote up a report and saved it as a PDF document with lots of photos included. You can take a look at it if you're interested in Indian ruins and desert wildflowers:
I didn’t have a chance to look up the names of all the wildflowers that we saw along the way, but I took pictures of most of them which you can see in my report. The ones that I remember are gold poppy, lupine, purple mat, brittlebush, ocotillo, and wild onion. (I never saw so many fields full of wild onions before!) Oh, and globe mallow was there, too, but I didn’t get a picture of that.
Also, if you have Windows Media Player you can view a short butterfly movie that we took:
South Padre Island, Texas, March 18, 2008 -- Children all over the world can write and draw to win one of a dozen dude ranch vacations offered as prizes in the Children’s International Arts Festival. Kids ages 5-12 can enter by answering and illustrating Bible-related questions for an online book the festival organizer plans to publish. They may also write an essay telling why their teacher should win one of the trips.
“These trips are major prizes,” says Carey Kinsolving, organizer of the festival. “Each child winner and immediate family will get to spend a week at a dude ranch, including food, lodging, horseback riding and other activities.”
The Children’s International Arts Festival is sponsored by Kids Talk About God, an online ministry which grew out of Kinsolving’s syndicated column of the same name. He began writing the column after years of writing feature stories for The Washington Post and other major newspapers who received his stories through The New York Times News Service.
Kinsolving plans to publish the best children’s writing and art in the “Kids Color Me Bible Gospel of John.” This online storybook Bible will be patterned after his popular “Kids Color Me Bible.” Each chapter features children’s writing and art. Children who read the book can add their writing and art making each chapter a personalized keepsake.
“Children have a way of cutting right to the heart of a Bible story when they draw art to illustrate it,” said Kinsolving. “Their answers to Bible-related questions can be humorous and insightful. We’re hoping that the chance to win dude ranch vacations will motivate many children to share their insights.”
Why dude ranches?
Kinsolving feels that dude ranches capture the imaginations of children, and are one of the best types of vacations for families. “Kids love the horses and wide-open spaces, while parents enjoy the beautiful scenery and peaceful setting. It’s ideal for elbow room as well as for reconnecting with your family. When I tell grown-ups about the festival, they ask me if they’re too old to enter!”
Of the 12 dude ranches offering vacations as prizes, six are in Colorado and two are in Idaho. The other four are in Montana, Wyoming, Arizona and even east of the Mississippi in upstate New York. All abound with inspiring views, a wide variety of wildlife to observe and photograph, and plenty of horseback riding.
What one dude ranch owner wrote: "You’ll find that good riding, good food and good friends will leave you peaceful and content. You’ll discover the luxuries of silence, the wind on your face and the stars shining brightly.”
Children who wish to enter the festival can get their parents to download an entry form at www.KidsTalkAboutGod.org. There will also be a list of contest questions available to answer through writing and drawing, and instructions for how to enter.
KidsTalkAboutGod.org is a non-denominational, Christian ministry that empowers children by publishing their faith expressions and making them available without charge to website visitors. Its website features 60 Kid TV Interviews, Children’s Bible Art Gallery, “Kids Color Me Bible,” “Mission Explorers Streaming Video” and a Bible Lesson Archive. Visitors may download pictures from the Art Gallery and lessons from the “Kids Color Me Bible” for free. As a newspaper column, Kids Talk About God has been in syndication for more than seven years.
I received this statement from Arizona Families for Home Education,www.afhe.org :
As you might be aware, a California Court of Appeals case involving a homeschooling family has gained national attention because the ruling, if left unchanged, would make it illegal to homeschool unless performed by a tutor certified to teach in California. This would effectively eliminate the vast majority of parent-led home teaching. It would make homeschooling nearly impossible at the secondary level because to teach a high school curriculum the tutor would have to be certified in every subject area. The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) was not aware of this case before the decision of the three-judge appellate court was published on February 28, 2008. HSLDA is mounting a response, and you can go to their website at www.hslda.org for more information.
Please visit the HSLDA web site to sign a Petition to Support Homeschool Freedom in California.
You might wonder what ramifications this may have to homeschooling in Arizona. California's courts do not determine the law in Arizona. Our right to homeschool as a legal, alternative way of meeting the compulsory education requirements of the State of Arizona is found in A.R.S. §15-802. The term "home school" is defined by statute and the practice is recognized by that name. Therefore, we are distinct in this regard from California where homeschooling has been allowed in practice under their private school statute. AFHE has always encouraged Arizona parents to carefully monitor their rights and freedoms. Our laws are made by our state legislature, and can be changed. This is why AFHE has built a reputation over the past 25 years of having a presence at the legislature in the form of a lobbyist and allied ourselves with other pro-family organizations who aid us in keeping ahead of proposed legislation that might affect our ability to homeschool.
AFHE will watch the developments in the California case closely, and we encourage our membership to do the same. Dr. James Dobson dedicated his program on Friday March 7, 2008 to this topic and we encourage you to go to the Focus on the Family website at www.family.org and listen to the broadcast. We join in his call to pray for this situation. The case that prompted the ruling is atypical of the majority of homeschooling families and presents some serious legal issues because of a 20 year history of contact with the child welfare system on the part of the family involved. But the broader question is whether one family's problems should impact the personal liberty and educational choice of everyone else through the vehicle of a court decision? We want to believe that those charged with leadership -both at the Supreme Court of California and the California legislature---can and will see the difference.
Visit www.cheaofca.org to read the statement issued by CHEA of California (Christian Home Educators of California, state homeschool organization).
According to a recent state appellate court ruling, California parents without teaching credentials can no longer legally home school their children. "Parents do not have a constitutional right to home school their children," Justice H. Walter Croskey wrote in a Feb. 28 opinion for the 2nd District Court of Appeals. Noncompliance could lead to criminal complaints against the parents, Croskey said.
This ruling comes on the heels of Exodus Mandate's news release announcing California Exodus, a campaign directed at rescuing California children from a public school system that is now completely under the control of homosexuals and other assorted sexual deviants. Governor Schwarzenegger recently signed legislation mandating that public school children be indoctrinated to accept as normal the homosexual lifestyle and other forms of sexual deviancy.
http://www.missionamerica.com/agenda.php?articlenum=78 (This site has a list of Arizona schools that are observing the Day of Silence as part of a nationwide push to promote the homosexual lifestyle in public schools. You might think it doesn’t affect you because your children are homeschooled, but what if their future husbands and wives are being subjected to this?)
I think we need to PRAY about the state of our educational system, for homeschoolers in California, for children and families everywhere.
This blog features news, events, articles, field trips, educational opportunities, legislative updates, website links, and other resources for the Arizona homeschool community... from the Arizona State Coordinator for TOS Homeschool Nation. Happy Homeschooling! ~Teri
Our e-Newsletters give you wonderful, informative information about homeschooling, news bits, contests and PRIZES for homeschoolers, articles to encourage you, calls for writers, free unit studies and lesson plans, and just a lot of FUN. Bring the community to your inbox and no worries, we never sell, trade or give your email or any other information out to anyone.
Come join the homeschool party!
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I like to hear from home educators all around the state. If you have any homeschool news, events or other info that you would like to share, please feel free to e-mail me at
ATTENTION LEADERS!
If you would like your homeschool support group to be listed on the Arizona page at Homeschool Nation, please fill out and submit this form
Andros Books Publishing Susanne Bain, a good friend of mine and author of Home Schooling: A Better Education For Your Child, gives FREE homeschool workshops once per month at the Arrowhead Barnes & Noble bookstore in Peoria. Click here for schedule.
The Salt Seller Tami Lopez, another friend of mine, gives FREE homeschool workshops on the 3rd Monday of every month at the Fire Station on Belmont & 27th Ave. in West Phoenix. Click here for more info.
Do you live in Arizona? Do you have a homeschool blog? E-mail me at and I will add your blog to this list. Let's all keep in touch! Thanks!
* * *
See also Len Munsil's blog. Len is a Christian homeschool dad of many years who is running for governor.
HOMESCHOOL PIONEERS WANTED
If you were involved in the Arizona homeschooling movement during the 1980's or earlier and would like to share your story, please e-mail me at We are also looking for information about your homeschooling ancestors, and historical photographs related to homeschooling in Arizona. This is for a book on the history of homeschooling in Arizona.
on Amazon!
