I recieved an eMail last week, while I was off, from John Sheridan. He wanted to personally reach out to Canadians (specifically Montreal, Southern Quebec) to come down to Vermont and attend a camp called Camp Common Ground. (He was quick to point out that he's NOT a paid salesman for the camp. He serves on its board of directors, he's simply interested in keeping this center open to families, and is trying to get the word out!)! The following is from their About Us page...
"Few things shape our lives, influence our dreams, exhaust, thrill, and challenge us more than family. We remember time spent with our families as children—swimming together on hot summer days, singing a silly song with a favorite aunt, racing to embrace Grandpa after a long trip. Or perhaps we recall not-so-happy times and want to create a new, stronger kind of family.
Our vision for a better world begins with healthy families and communities in which diversity is honored and celebrated. Join us in creating a place where families—in all their forms—will come to learn, play, and grow together. A place where families of different economic and cultural backgrounds will have the opportunity to become part of a shared community, connecting and learning from one another. A place where stereotypes and prejudices will be dissolved and where individual and family wellness will be nurtured."
'Created to take a stand against the greatest threat our planet has ever faced, Earth Hour uses the simple action of turning off the lights for one hour to deliver a powerful message about the need for action on global warming.
This simple act has captured the hearts and minds of people all over the world. As a result, at 8pm March 29, 2008 millions of people in some of the world’s major capital cities, includingCopenhagen, Toronto, Chicago, Melbourne, Brisbane, Montreal, Vancouverand Tel Aviv will unite and switch off for Earth Hour.'
"J'invite les Montréalais et les Montréalaises, de même que les entreprises situées à Montréal, à emboîter le pas et à participer à ce mouvement mondial en éteignant eux aussi leurs lumières le 29 mars prochain de 20 heures à 21 heures. Eteignons nos lumières et démontrons notre engagement à combattre les changements climatiques!", ditAlan DeSousa.
One of the reasons I wanted to homeschool my children, was that I wanted to influence their hearts and minds, by creating socially conscious people with them. Even if your community isn't participating...you can make a difference! Have a party by candle light! Have a fondue! Make it a family games night! Ask all your friends and neighbors to join you in your quest to make a difference!
Look at what they have planned in Kitchener, Ontario...Turn the lights & power off at home and come down toKitchener City Hall! Visit theKAIROSwebsite tolearn moreand download Earth Hour resources they've provided for FREE!
To watch an Earth Hour video (narrated by ACTOR JEREMY PIVEN of HBO's "Entourage") and learn what's happening state-side for Earth Hour, check out:http://www.earthhourus.org/
Want to know what other celebrities are supporting Earth Hour? Go to Ecorazzi.com and read all about it.They'll give you a hint...
If you are looking for curriculum to purchase, consider Earth Education... the world's alternative to agency- and industry-sponsored supplemental environmental education! (I am not affiliated with this program in anyway! It just looks like a fun way to learn to care more about this Planet of ours!)
Yesterday, I received this eMail describing an event taking place in the United States, from Joy, volunteer coordinator for Homeschool Nations - Maryland! It sounded like such a good idea that I had to pass it along! Should your group decide to pick up the ball and run with this idea, let me know, so I can get the word out!
Plan an Annual Homeschool Hiking/Biking Event in May
The woods and trails are gorgeous in the spring of year, so come join
all homeschoolers across the US and World in a national hike/bike
event. Here is all the info, but if an event has not been set up in
your area, please just go out and get involved on your own.
The Homeschool Hiking/Biking annual event began in May 2005 as a way
to gain recognition for homeschooling, as well as getting some
exercise, group involvement, and introducing other homeschooling
families to hiking and biking in the great outdoors and meet
others!! It is an annual event now and will be held each year the
last full week in May. We are asking for individuals and groups
involved in homeschooling to set up events in their areas. You may
make your event in varying skill levels if you would like, for
homeschoolers with varying skills. Maybe one person or group in your
area can set up a hiking event and another can set up the biking
event. Or you may want to work with many homeschooling groups to
have one big event. The possibilities are many and I would love to
hear your ideas. This year's dates are the week of May 25-31. The
woods and paths and trails are beautiful in the spring, so please
join us.
Les Jeunesses Musicales du Canada (JMC) et la Banque Laurentienne, en étroite collaboration avec le Réseau Accès culture de la Ville de Montréal, sont fières de présenter la semaine de la musique, du 1er au 9 mars 2008.
Au total, pendant toute la durée de la relâche scolaire, 85 concerts et ateliers pour le jeune public seront présentés dans différentes maisons de la culture, bibliothèques, centres de loisirs et centres culturels, d’un bout à l’autre de l’Île de Montréal et en périphérie. Parents, grands-parents et amis des enfants peuvent se préparer: cette prochaine édition de la Semaine de la musique sera faste !
13 concerts jeunes publics
total de 47 représentations
4 ateliers / présentés au total 40 fois
29 lieux de diffusion.
Une trentaine d’artistes, parmi la crème de la relève Les spectacles
Les 7 trompettes de Fred Piston,
Barocambolesque,
Hänsel et Gretel,
l’Histoire du soldat,
Mon accordéon à moi,
Le monde merveilleux du Dixie,
Le musicien des glaces,
Nouvelle-France,
Pierre et le loup,
Rythmo-Rigolo,
Rythmo-syncro,
Skarazula et Une histoire de guitare.
De plus, les participants âgés de 3 à 12 ans aux activités de la semaine de la musique (concerts et ateliers) sont admissibles à un tirage.
Programmation complète au www.jeunessesmusicales.com
Découvrez la vie à la ferme en venant avec vos élèves explorer le cycle des saisons, faire du jus de pomme ou du pain, voir les technologies agroalimentaires en action et ressentir les beautés, sons et odeurs des étables. Les programmes du Musée stimulent diverses formes d'intelligence en rendant plus vivants vos programmes-cadres en sciences et technologie et en études sociales. Visitez le seul musée au cœur de la ville qui soit aussi une vraie ferme moderne.
En élaborant nos programmes scolaires 2007-2008 pour le Musée de l'agriculture du Canada, nous nous sommes assurés qu'ils soient directement reliés à votre programme d'études – y compris le Programme des sciences et technologies de l'Ontario et le Programme de formation de l'école québécoise. Nos programmes sont en fait un prolongement enrichissant de la matière étudiée en classe, donnant ainsi à vos élèves la possibilité de parfaire leurs connaissances de façon active et pratique.
Ces nouvelles trousses virtuelles vous donnent accès aux programmes du Musée où que vous soyez. Elles ont été développées pour accompagner les programmes scolaires et offrent des activités éducatives que les enseignants, les parents ou tout autre éducateur soucieux de l'éducation des enfants peuvent utiliser gratuitement. Dans chaque trousse, des renseignements sur le contenu du programme scolaire de même que le déroulement de celui-ci offrent aux enseignants toute l'information nécessaire à la participation à un programme au Musée!
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Did you know...you're pretty unique if you were born today? It’s estimated that roughly 1 in 1,500 babies will make their debut on Leap Day. And exactly how old are you anyway? Find out on LeapZine's teachers' page! Don't miss the Kids'Page, it's a lot of fun! Or if you really like math, here's the equation to use...
The three-part condition for a leap year (culled from the Canadian Institute for National Measurement Standards):
1. If divisible evenly by 4, a Gregorian year is a leap year, with a February 29 and 366 days (e.g. 1996/4 = 499, so 1996 is a leap year), UNLESS
2. If divisible evenly by 100, a Gregorian year is a normal year with 365 days (e.g.1900/100=19, so 1900 is a normal year of 365 days; as is 2100), UNLESS
3. If divisible evenly by 400, a Gregorian year is a leap year; so the year 2008 is a leap year.
And whose crazy idea was Leap Day anyway? You'll know the answer to this little bit of trivia after reading it, here! Looking for some fun Leap Day activities to do? There's lots of fun stuff to do at Child's Place and some great Leap Day book lists at The Leap Year Museum!
Thirty days hath September,
April, June and November;
All the rest have thirty-one
Save February, she alone
Hath eight days and a score
Til leap year gives her one day more.
Join in the 'celebration of numbers', as the world's children compete in a quest to answer as many arithmetic questions as they possibly can, in one day!
A total eclipse of the Moon occurs during the night of Wednesday, February 20/21, 2008. The entire event is visible from South America and most of North America (on Feb. 20) as well as Western Europe, Africa, and western Asia (on Feb. 21). During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon's disk can take on a dramatically colorful appearance from bright orange to blood red to dark brown and (rarely) very dark gray.
An eclipse of the Moon can only take place at Full Moon, and only if the Moon passes through some portion of Earth's shadow. The shadow is actually composed of two cone-shaped parts, one nested inside the other. The outer shadow or penumbra is a zone where Earth blocks some (but not all) of the Sun's rays. In contrast, the inner shadow or umbra is a region where Earth blocks all direct sunlight from reaching the Moon.
If only part of the Moon passes through the umbra, a partial eclipse is seen. However, if the entire Moon passes through the umbral shadow, then a total eclipse of the Moon occurs. For more information on how, what, why, where and when of lunar eclipses, see the special web page lunar eclipses for beginners.
For more fun activities and worksheets on the Moon and Lunar Eclipses:
It was announced this morning that two of our Canadian Astronauts will be going to the International Space Station in 2009. Julie Payette will be going for some 'space construction' work in April of 2009, and Tomatosphere's own Dr. Bob Thirsk will be going for a six-month sojourn in May of 2009. It is our hope that Dr. Thirsk will be able to bring back our next set of ISS seeds when he returns in November, 2009...just in time for the 2010 mailing.
Today, we are starting the mailing process for the seeds; as a result, if you are already registered for 2008, your seeds should arrive before the end of of February. Please remember that they will not deteriorate (as long as they are kept dry and cool), so, you can plant them whenever you are ready.
Watch for our four new optional units which will be on the website before the end of February.
We are at 9800 classrooms registered at the moment; if your colleagues wish to join us, now is the time!
It’s Groundhog Day! Aujourd'hui c'est le jour de marmot! According to rural American tradition, if the groundhog sees his shadow we will have six more weeks of Winter. If he doesn't see his shadow, we will have an early Spring. Can you believe that people are crazy enough to plan a trip, in the middle of the night, just so that they can see if ol’ Phil, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, will see his shadow? Visit his site for every exciting detail; don’t forget to check out the Teacher’s Corner!
If Phil lived in Quebec, he’d burrow back down into his pillow and get back to us in eight weeks! Poor Wiarton Willie, (Canada’s famous woodchuck) he’s going to see all this snow and think he got the days mixed up! Has anyone ever answered the question of how much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? We used to have so much fun with tongue twisters, eh? For more great tongue twister's ,
go here!
Have you ever wondered why the pioneers picked a groundhog to determine how much longer winter would hang over us? Or rather when spring would arrive? How did the Groundhog get a day of his own? The lowly groundhog, often called a woodchuck, is the only mammal to have a day named in his honor. Check out the Stormfax Weather Almanac for the interesting tale behind this day. And visit Mrs. Pohlmeyer's Kindergarten class for a one day mini unit for February 2.
Either way, winter is almost over, I can't wait to see the grass again! I'll bet our famous groundhogs feel the same way! Now to go shovel my walkway, too bad I forgot to bring in my shovel last night...
This article was written by KATHRYN GREENAWAY, it was published in
the Gazette on Friday, January 11, 2008Make a tin can do the cha cha or a paper elephant fly. Learn the animation secrets of the late animation innovator Norman McLaren or discover how sound effects are used in movies.
Reservations are required for all workshops and it is recommended that children participating in the Sunday family workshops be at least 7 years old. All children participating must be accompanied by an adult.
Each family workshop focuses on a different animation technique, be it sand animation (Jan. 13 and April 6), clay animation (Jan. 27 and March 23), animation using recycled objects (Feb. 3, March 9 and April 13) or paper cut-out animation (Feb. 10, March 16 and 30 and April 13).
Themes change for every workshop to reflect the season or a special holiday.
The CinéRobothèque is also offering Introduction to Video workshops: Jan. 20, Feb. 17 and 24 (as part of the Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois festival) and April 20.
Mini films are produced during each workshop. Participants can download the final results from the web, or the CinéRobothèque can email the results to participants' homes.
March break is busy at the CinéRobothèque with six workshops, including a March 5 workshop focusing on the animation techniques of the late, great McLaren and a March 6 sound effects workshop.
McLaren joined the National Film Board in 1941 to help train Canadian animators. The Scottish-born Canadian is considered one of Canada's foremost animation innovators. His short film Neighbours won an Academy Award in 1953. McLaren died in 1987.
The other March break workshops are sand animation (March 2), clay animation (March 3) and paper cut-out animation (March 4).
Adult and teen activities begin Feb. 16 and Feb. 23 with video-production workshops. The workshops are also presented as part of the Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois festival. Learn some film lingo and how to use a camera and then shoot some footage.
Another video production workshop is booked for May 3 and on March 22 a workshop focuses on finger painting on glass and animating the results.
A workshop during which participants synchronize sound with the movement of an animated clay figure takes place April 19. This one is very popular, so book early.
The NFB CinéRobothèque, 1564 St. Denis St., Berri-UQÀM métro station (english), offers Saturday workshops from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. for teens and adults, and Sunday workshops from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. for children and teens. Workshops cost $7 for adults and $5 for children, students and seniors. For reservations, call 514-496-6887. For more information, see www.nfb.ca/cinerobotheque.
Studentawards.com – Visit Canada’s largest free scholarship search site – we match Canadian students directly with thousands of scholarships, awards and bursaries.
Boursetudes.com.com – Visitez boursetudes.com, le principal service de recherche de bourses gratuit au Canada – nous trouvons des milliers de bourses d’études, subventions et prix s’adressant aux étudiants canadiens.
Bienvenue
Welcome to Homeschool Nations - Quebec, Canada! Your page for information and links to help you navigate the world of homeschooling! Serving both the French and English Homeschooling Communities in the Region of Quebec!
Bienvenue aux Nations de Homeschool - Québec, Canada! Votre page pour information et les liens pour vous aider à diriger le monde de l'ecole a la maison! En service pour Familles Francophones de Homeschooling et Anglophones dans la région de Québec!
This section will hold upcoming events in our Province! If you have an event, let me know! Email Me
Cette section tiendra des événements suivants dans notre Province ! Si vous avez un événement, me permets de savez! Signalez Moi
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1) Most things in this blog are compiled through articles and information I've found on the web. I have linked to the location where I originally found the information in each post.
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