Home school families can visit Indiana Beach on August 27-31 to get special discounts and exclusive events! To begin, we give all
participants an unlimited Ride Pass valid from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Parents not wishing to ride may simply pay the $2.50 entrance fee when they arrive). Home school students may use the day to complete any number of our 50+ worksheets based on our rides & attractions. Enjoy all this and one of the following Special Events for only $9.00 per person.
 

SPECIAL EVENTS
Choose one of the following events for FREE, and add another for just $2.00 more per person:

 
NEW for Homeschool Week 2008 - Roller Coaster Model Contest
Students team up and build a roller coaster model to bring and compete in three categories: Safety, Thrill, and Visuals. With a golf
ball as a coaster car, no one gets hurt but everyone learns when things may go wrong! Download the official rules. Must have at least 4 Coasters to hold the contest.

Culinary Brainery
Our skilled Skyroom chef presents a cooking demonstration in a sure fire way to delight the audience while teaching some valuable how-to kitchen techniques. Including an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of our huge kitchen, the informative Culinary Brainery has been growing in popularity each year. Must have 15 to 20 people registered so call your friends and sign up early.
 

Whatever Floats Your Boat Recycling Regatta
In the afternoons of Homeschool Week, teams of 1 or 2 students will paddle, kick, or drift around the Action River in a race to the
finish (or maybe just a race to finish) aboard watercraft they have constructed out of recycled materials. Prizes will be awarded to
winners and to all teams that successfully finish one lap. A complete set of rules will be sent to all registered teams. Minimum of 8 boats for a race.

 
Photography Class
Learn some helpful tips for taking better pictures, then practice around the park. This 45 minute class will help you catch all you can
on a day of fun! Minimum of 15 registered students. Cameras not included.

 
The above special events all have minimum attendance requirements, so in the case that the minimum is not met, the event will be cancelled for that day. Indiana Beach does not offer refunds or rain checks. To qualify for this special rate, registration and payment must be in by August 11, 2008. For more information or to book today, call Lynn or Matt at (800) 583-4306, option 3.

 

http://www.indianabeach.com:80/homeschool/index.php

 

You are invited to:

The September 5-7, 2008 ICHE Family Camp at Timber-Lee in East Troy, Wisconsin.

Tenting and RV spots are still available.  Register now and attend a fun filled weekend with your entire family, teens and twenties too.  Enjoy the beautiful surroundings  of southern Wisconsin while building relationships with other home school families heading in the same direction.

Don't miss the ICHE Saturday Picnic Dinner included in your registration fees followed by – History Night; Remembering Heroes of the Faith.  You may come as you are or dress up like your favorite historical hero/heroine. 

Activities are multi-generational and families attend events together.  Activities include:  Camp fires – Games – Hands-on Science Workshops – Chalk Talk Presentation – Canoeing – Swimming – Volleyball – Music – Hayrides and more.   

We hope you'll join us and the many other kindred hearts at this delightful and relaxing family retreat.

For more information go to www.iche.org and click on events.  The registration form and workshop choices are available there.  If you have a question you can email the office at info@iche.org

What: 3^rd annual A-Maze-ing Corn Maze and Festival with this year’s theme of “Down on the Farm” cut out of a 4 acre cornfield.

Who: Auburn United Methodist Church – A-Maze-ing Corn Maze and Festival

When: Corn Maze only on weekends of Sept. 13-14, 20-21, 27-28, Oct. 4-5, 11-12 with the hours of Saturdays: 10-6, Sundays: 12-6 and Monday, Oct. 13^th, Columbus Day: 10-2. Cost of admission is only required for the corn maze, $5 per person (5 and under free) which includes free onsite parking. $1 Coupon for Maze only to be found on web-site. Other activities may have a fee.

Where: Located on the property of the Auburn United Methodist Church, 14100 State Route 4, Auburn, IL

Festival Dates: Sept. 20-21 and 27-28

Special Events added for one day or more of the festival includes: Garage Sale, Trivia Night, After Dark Maze hours, Free Children’s Area, Straw Maze, Food, Pumpkin Painting, Hayrides, Jacob’s ladder, Double Dunk Tank, Silent Auction, Ice Cream Social, Health Fair, Pedal Tractor Pull plus other events still in the planning stages!

Please visit our church’s website at www.auburn-umc.org for updated information, printable flyers, and the corn maze e-mail address for all questions.

2008 Auburn United Methodist Church’s  3^rd

A-MAZE-ing  Corn Maze

School Days “Down on the Farm”

Sept. 16-17-18

Teachers:

Explore the corn field maze, and learn about the many uses of corn in our lives! (A small hay maze is also available for the children’s entertainment.)

Speaker: Carrie Winkelmann, “Ag in the Classroom” Coordinator from the Sangamon/Menard County Farm Bureau

Tues: Sept. 16     Weds: Sept. 17     Thurs: Sept. 18

Choose your day, choose your start time.

Programs begin every 20 minutes from 9:00 am – 2:30 pm each day. Program and corn maze time is about 1½ hours per class. Each class will take home classroom “corn” lesson plans (information taken from the National Corn Growers Association web-site) to extend the learning and the fun!

Cost is $2 per child (which includes a small snack and drink) and teachers, bus drivers, and your chaperones will also be admitted for the same $2 admission.

Teachers: Please collect the fees

and present a total amount upon arrival at the maze.

Bus parking available on site.

For more information or to reserve your time, please call Donna Goodroe at 1-217-438-6767

14100 State Route 4, Auburn, IL

Thanks Michelle for sharing this with us!!!

Nikki

Illinois HS Nations Blog Coordinator

KidsCom at Chicago Field Museum

Kids: Tell your Parents about this FREE FAMILY FUN event in Chicago!
Come celebrate the launch of a new game on KidsCom.com - Animal Adventure - where you help save animals in trouble!!

• Be the first kids to do the Animal Adventures scavenger hunt at the Field Museum!
  
  
• Attend the free event and get COOL stuff!
  
  
• PLUS: First 100 families to pre-register & turn in their confirmation coupon at the event get a Free Hope Plant Baby Key Chain

August, 11th, 2008 at 10:30 a.m.

FREE ADMISSION!!!

Event Registration Link

Directions to the Field Museum

From May 19 - June 30, 2008 parents from all over the US logged on to PC Local to vote for the best family friendly resources in their city. We got thousands of votes (thanks!) and the results were pretty close right up until the last minute. It was a tough... wait a minute, enough of our blabbing... click on a city to find out who WON the 2008 Nickelodeon's Parents' Picks Awards!

CHICAGO:

Hi all~

I know this is not directly related to HS'ing, but this is an invaluable website that I wanted to share. This site lists all of the recent recalls with pictures of the products. You can also join their mailing list and they notify you via email when a new recall is out there. The sad thing, is I receive several emails from them a week. There are too many unsafe products out there!

http://www.cpsc.gov/

Nikki

Illinois Homeschool Nations Blog Coordinator

(Division of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine)

www.homeschoolblogger.com/Illinois

The Old Schoolhouse, America's largest homeschool

magazine

http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com

Homeschool Nations State Listings

http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com/Homeschool_Nations/State_Listings.php

Homeschool Illinois Support Group

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/homeschool-Illinois/

Experience this 10-day celebration in Springfield of all things Illinois, including agriculture and livestock showcases, Illinois wine tastings, carnival rides and concerts.
August 8 – 17, 2008 

Beautiful Words: Letters of Love from Mothers to Daughters

From our reviewer:

I so desire to communicate to my daughters (and sons, for that matter) that I love them extraordinarily. But as a homeschooling mother of six, I often feel my days have pressed me out of the opportunity. I had been praying about this recently, and God in His gentle providence saw to it that I would be reviewing Beautiful Words: Letters of Love from Mothers to Daughters, written by two homeschooling moms like me, Lorrie Flem and Wanda Gibert. Lorrie Flem is the mother of eight children, and Wanda the mother of six. They are busy doing the job of homeschooling, but they have both learned the art of communicating through meaningful letters written to their children and have endeavored to share the process through this helpful little book. Beautiful Words: Letters of Love from Mothers to Daughters is a lovely primer on writing meaningful letters of love to our daughters. (. . .)

The greatest portion of the book contains letters written not only by the authors but also by other mothers and grandmothers across time. If you feel you need inspiration, it's hard to imagine you wouldn't be able to find it in the appealing letters included here. I did find that the ornamental font used to print the letters was difficult to read, and I gave up halfway through several because I found it strained my eyes to read them. The remainder of the book, however, is printed in an easy-to-read script.

Read the complete review online and enter for a chance to win Beautiful Words: Letters of Love from Mothers to Daughters.

TO ENTER:
Email Deb with your name and mailing address and the subject, "Beautiful Words" for a chance to win*.

July 12-13, 2008

Beanie Baby Days

Don't miss Beanie Baby Days at Brookfield Zoo this summer!

July 20, 2008

July Zoo Tunes - Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers

Get ready to enjoy FREE live, outdoor music on the zoo’s East Mall on select Sunday afternoons all summer!

August 7, 2008

White Sox Player Appearances

Don't miss your opportunity to meet Chicago White Sox players!

August 24, 2008

August Zoo Tunes - Justin Roberts and Not Ready For Naptime Players

Get ready to enjoy FREE live, outdoor music on the zoo’s East Mall on select Sunday afternoons all summer!

September 20 – 21

Fiesta para Todos

Bring la familia to Brookfield Zoo and join in a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month at the “Party for All!”

October 18-19 and 25-26, 2008

Boo! at the Zoo

Brookfield Zoo’s annual Boo! at the Zoo festival is the perfect way to celebrate Halloween!

For more information go to their website:

http://brookfieldzoo.pmailus.com/pmailweb/ct?d=FdOxzAAEAAP-----AAH2EA

Brookfield Zoo * 3300 Golf Rd. * Brookfield, IL 60513 * 708-688-8000