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Happy Winter! Given the adverse weather conditions today, I have decided to cancel tonight's meeting on "Homeschooling High School." However, Kim Wolf has graciously agreed to speak at next month's meeting instead. Please plan to come to the meeting on March 9, at which time Kim will address the topic "Homeschooling High School." Stay safe and warm and I'm truly sorry for any inconvenience. Kirstin |
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Just a reminder -- At the NDCHEA meeting on Tuesday, Februray 9, Kim Wolf will be speaking on the topic "Homeschooling High School." Kim has homeschooled two children through high school. She led McCHEO for 11 years and is a writer/Ohio Coordinator for "Old Schoolhouse" magazine. Please spread the word, as many homeschooling parents have questions about how to homeschool through the high school grades. All homeschooling parents are welcome. The meeting will be held at Tim Horton's on Rt. 48 in Englewood, from 7 - 8:30 p.m. on February 9. Hope to see you there! Kirstin |
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Wow! I suppose I've been busy to not update the site for over 3 months. One would think that I've been homeschooling or something! I hope you are having a great 2010 so far. If you have some time for fellowship or are in need of encouragement, please drop in to one of our meetings. They are held from 7 p.m. - 8:30(ish) p.m. at Tim Horton's in Englewood (Rt. 48 just North of the I-70 interchange). All homeschooling parents are welcome. There are no fees. January 12 -- Share a book -- This meeting topic is repeated this year because we all had so much fun doing it last year! Please bring your favorite book(s) on homeschooling, parenting, or Christian living and share why you enjoy them. There are so many books out there to read. This really helps us to choose which books we should add to our reading lists (and possibly find someone to borrow them from). February 9 -- Homeschooling High School --Kim Wolf, former leader of McCHEO and writer/Ohio Coordinator for Old Schoolhouse magazine will be addressing us on how to homeschool through high school. Please come with your questions and invite your friends. March 9 -- Favorite Curricula -- Bring your favorite curricula with you for others to see, or just tell us what it is and what you like about it. This is not only a good way to get ideas for what you might want to use next year, but since it is scheduled before both Ohio homeschool conventions, you can have an idea of what you want to buy before you go to a convention. April 13 -- Fellowship -- As the year winds down, that doesn't mean that questions or problems stop. Come for encouragement and refreshment, and feel free to bring your questions with you. Even if all is going well for your family, remember that you may be an encouragement to others, so please come and share your wisdom. May 11 -- Organization -- Wow! We've made it through one more school year (or close to it). Yet it is a good time to look ahead to next year. What improvements do we want to make? What could we do to help our year flow more smoothly? One thing that always helps is organization. If you have some ideas for how we could organize our homes or school days more efficiently, please bring them to share. If you are in desperate need of some organization tips, please come and get some ideas. One of the best ideas I ever received for organization came from another mom at this meeting a couple of years ago, which is why I anticipate being done with our school year and beginning summer break when this meeting takes place! (Thanks, Rhonda!) I hope to see you at one or more meetings this spring. Happy schooling! Kirstin
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This has nothing to do with NDCHEA, but since I keep the blog, I am going to post it anyway. Our family went to a great Metroparks class for homeschoolers recently. However, there were a few children who completely disobeyed the Metroparks employee who was our instructor. They would not stay on the path when she told them to do so. They picked up a snake after she repeatedly asked them to leave it alone. After the class, I apologized to her that the class was so difficult. She replied that she was used to it. I inquired as to whether she had problems with all children or with homeschoolers specifically and she replied that it was mostly homeschoolers. OUCH! Do you ever find yourself humiliated by your children's behavior in public? Me too! Over the years, I have learned some ways of preventing that. Here are some things that have helped our family. First, prepare your children before they ever get out of the car as to what your expectations for their behavior are. "I want you to be attentive to the information in the class...I want you to listen to your instructor and do what she says...I want you to share the equipment with the other children..." Whatever is important to you, convey that before the situation arises. Secondly, if your children cannot behave themselves, perhaps they should not be allowed to go to other classes for a while. Our children's Sunday School teacher was mortified when they were not allowed to attend Sunday School the week after they disrupted her class. But we felt that Sunday School was a privilege and they could spend one week sitting with us in church listening to the sermon if they could not behave properly for their teacher. They have never disrupted their class again (that we know of ). Thirdly, if your children need training, the place to do that is at home, not in public. They practice their spelling words at home many, many times before they go to the spelling bee. Manners are the same. Practice makes perfect. Fourth, look at families with children who are older than yours. If you would like your children to behave similarly, talk to those parents. Have them recommend books to you or mentor you. Listen every time they talk about parenting. Families such as these have been a great blessing to us over the years. Proverbs 13:20 says, "He who walks with the wise grows wise..." I think that people are able to respond to these, although no one has yet (sigh). However, if you have any ideas to share that may be helpful to others, please note them here if you can or e-mail them to me and I will try to post them. Happy homeschooling with your bright, shining, and obedient children! Kirstin
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Our September meeting was filled with great information about activities that are available to homeschoolers right here in the Greater Dayton area. Many of them are free. At the time, we did not have a listing of the K12 Community Events, but I have since received that in the mail, so here is that information: Oct. 2 -- Germantown Metropark -- "Animal Friends, Domestic and Wild"...Oct. 10 -- Boonshoft Museum -- "Voyage on the Parkway"...Oct. 17 -- Possum Creek Farm Metropark -- "Harvest Festival"...Oct. 31 -- Vineyard Church in Beavercreek Funfest...Nov. 27 -- Grand Illumination...Nov 29, Dec. 6, 13, 20, 21 -- Schuster Center -- Winter Garden...Dec. 31 -- Riverscape New Year's Eve Bash...May 14 -- Urban Nights...Memorial Day Weekend -- Riverblast at Riverscape...July 4 Weekend -- Cityfolk Festival...July 17 -- Wright-Dunbar "Summer Music Series" |
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For those who took a summer break, it is time to start thinking of school again. Of course, we all take time to plan (to different extents) our children's schooling, but we may sometimes neglect our own "schooling." NDCHEA exists as a group of homeschooling parents who learn together, teach one another, and support each other in this adventure of homeschooling. All homeschooling parents are welcome to our meetings. There are no fees or forms. Please feel free to join us for any or all of our meetings, and especially if you find yourself in a rough time with school. We have all been there and want to encourage you through it. Our meetings will be held at Tim Horton's in Englewood, on Rt. 48 just North of the I-70 interchange. We will meet from 7 - 8:30 p.m. in the evening. Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month, and alternate (somewhat) between topical meetings and simple times of fellowship. Child care is not provided, so parents only, please. Our tentative meetings schedule is as follows: September 8 -- Community Resources -- NDCHEA member Debbie Jones will present information on what events, activities, museums, farms, etc. are available to homeschooling families. For those who want an extensive listing of possible field trip destinations or are looking for specific activities to match this year's curriculum, this is a meeting that you'll want to attend. October 13 -- Fellowship -- Come and be refreshed by Christian fellowship with other homeschooling parents. Feel free to bring questions or concerns to discuss, or to share the successes you've had this month. November 10 -- Learning Styles -- NDCHEA member Kirstin English will present information on the different ways that children learn. Taken mostly from books by Cythia Tobias, this information will help you to tailor your teaching to best help your children learn. It may also shed some light on why you and your children are having difficulties in certain areas of learning and life. December 8 -- Fellowship -- As we are in the midst of the Christmas season, it is easy to feel rushed and harried. Come for a quiet evening of Christian fellowship, laughter, and rest. January 12 -- Share a book -- This meeting topic is repeated this year because we all had so much fun doing it last year! Please bring your favorite book(s) on homeschooling, and share why you enjoy them. There are so many books out there to read. This really helps us to choose which books we should add to our reading lists (and possibly find someone to borrow them from). February 9 -- Homeschooling High School -- We are working on arranging a speaker who has homeschooled through high school and can offer advice and ideas to those who have children who are approaching, or in the midst of, high school. March 9 -- Favorite Curricula -- Bring your favorite curricula with you for others to see, or just tell us what it is and what you like about it. This is not only a good way to get ideas for what you might want to use next year, but since it is scheduled before both Ohio homeschool conventions, you can have an idea of what you want to buy before you go to a convention. April 13 -- Fellowship -- As the year winds down, that doesn't mean that questions or problems stop. Come for encouragement and refreshment, and feel free to bring your questions with you. Even if all is going well for your family, remember that you may be an encouragement to others, so please come and share your wisdom. May 11 -- Organization -- Wow! We've made it through one more school year (or close to it). Yet it is a good time to look ahead to next year. What improvement do we want to make? What could we do to help our year flow more smoothly? One thing that always helps is organization. If you have some ideas for how we could organize our homes or school days more efficiently, please bring them to share. If you are in desperate need of some organization tips, please come and get some ideas. One of the best ideas I ever received for organization came from another mom at this meeting a couple of years ago, which is why I anticipate being done with our school year and beginning summer break when this meeting takes place! (Thanks, Rhonda!)
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It's getting to be the time to register with our school districts again. We've had many questions about how to do this over the years at our meetings. Cheohome.org has a notification form that you can print out for your family. The top of it is pretty basic -- names, address, etc. For the rest of the questions, I simply check the line which is at the beginning of the description of each item. For number 6 (the intended curriculum for the year), I have heard of several ways of doing it. A couple of families I know photocopy the tables of contents out of the books they use. I write a brief paragraph about what our family will be doing. Here is an example: My children will be following Year 1 of the classical education program described in The Well Trained Mind by Wise and Bauer. We will use the Story of the World, Vol. 1, as well as supplemental project books and materials from the library to study the ancient civilizations. We will study biology using How Nature Works and How the Human Body Works, as well as supplemental materials and experiments. They will be using the grade appropriate levels of Saxon Math, Rod and Staff Grammar, and Spelling Workout. For art, we will use How to Draw with Children. Don't forget to include your assessment report from last school year. If you still need to get an assessment, there is still time. Please see the March 27 entry for information. Happy schooling! Kirstin |
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Hello! I just wanted to let you know that the upcoming homeschool swimming dates at Troy Aquatic Park are Tuesday, July 7 and Thursday, August 6. With our large group of area homeschoolers, we are able to get a discounted rate of $2.50 per person. (Moms have to pay too, even if they don't swim.) The park opens at 12:30. When you go to pay, just tell them that you are with the homeschool group to get the discount. Thanks again to Tina Witters for arranging this for us. I hope to see you on July 7! Kirstin |
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I hope that everyone is enjoying these rainy June days. We are on a little summer break, as are most of the homeschoolers we know. However, for those concerned about physical education requirements, about ten homeschool families met this last Tuesday afternoon at the Troy Aquatic Park. We got the group rate of $2.50 per person and everyone had a great time! We will meet again in July and August. I am still checking the dates for those, but all homeschooling families are welcome. Check back here for the dates. I will also be updating the blog with information about our fall meetings before the end of the summer. |
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A group of homeschool parents are gathering together to adminster the CAT test on May 28 from 10-4 at Grace Brethren Church on Rt. 48 in West Milton. Please respond to me if you would like to join us. Tests cost $25 and must be ordered from the following site: http://ebiz. netopia.com/ clpress/pageofli nks/. I don't know how long shipping will take, so I would recommend ordering them as soon as you are able. Have them sent to your own home. On testing day, please pack a lunch, your test(s), your child(ren), and a smile! See you then! Kirstin |
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It's again time for our monthly meeting. We will be meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the Cappuccino Room in Englewood, tomorrow, April 14. While this is to be an open meeting, a time of fellowship and support, I would also like to take some time to plan our meetings for next year. If you would like to give some input into next year's format, topics, etc., please come tomorrow evening or send me an e-mail before then with your ideas. Bobbi said she would have a quiche available for those who would like to eat. Hope to see you there! Kirstin |
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I know it is the time of year for people to begin thinking about assessments because I'm now getting e-mails from the assessors to let me know their pertinent information! I'm glad to post the information for anyone who might need it. Lisa Cox is our family's assessor. She does not do standardized testing, however, only narratives. She charges $30/child with a family maximum of $80 if you have your assessment done in June. If you wait until August, the charge is $40/child. Lisa homeschools two children and organizes the Waves of Mercy Co-op. She has a BS and MS in education and special education, as well as Montessori Training. She has a permanent teaching certificate and has been doing assessments for five years (total of over 200). She has also authored both a spelling and phonics curriculum. You can reach Lisa at bri9c@aol.com for assessment information or about her spelling and phonics programs. Mary Lisec and Ruthanne Risser have been NDCHEA members for many years. They do both standardized testing and narratives. Narratives cost $30 for the first child, $20 for the second child, with a family maximum of $60. There is an extra fee if they must come to your home for the assessment. They also will be doing the IOWA test on June 8-10 and Stanford on June 11-12. The fee for these tests is $40/first child and $10/each additional child if your family tests with one of the groups above. If you want them to test your children individually, the cost is $50/child. The tests must be ordered six weeks in advance from Bob Jones University Press. You can reach Mary at maryannlisec@yahoo.com and Ruthann at Akpsecretary@aol.com. Both ladies are certified teachers. Mary has homeschooled two children through graduation and Ruthann has homeschooled her four children through graduation. Happy day to see our efforts for another year coming to fruition! I hope your schooling is going well and that you are able to take some time to enjoy spring! Kirstin |
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Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, March 10 from 6:30 - 8 p.m. at the Cappuccino Room on Rt. 48 in Englewood (just north of the intersection with Rt. 40 W). We will be discussing our favorite curricula. All are welcome to come with questions or with ideas to share with others about the materials they like best for their family. I'll ask Bobbi to make a quiche for any who are hungry. Kirstin |
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Waves of Mercy will be hosting a used curriculum sale on May 22-23 at the Christian Life Center in Dayton. They are opening up the sale to ALL area homeschoolers and can take up to 80 sellers. I have thought for years that it would be a good idea for all the area homeschool groups to participate in one big sale instead of everyone having their own small sale, and I am so glad that WOM has undertaken this endeavor. Anyone who is interested in selling should contact Lisa at bri9c@aol.com and she can give you all the details you need. Those interested in buying should mark May 23 on their calendars. (May 23 is the date open to the public, only sellers can buy on May 22.) Kirstin |
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I was recently contacted by a piano teacher who is interested in taking new students. Her name is Joni (pronounced Joanie) Reed and she lives near New Carlise. Her price is $18/30 minute lesson. Any homeschoolers who are interested can reach her at 290-0735. She limits the number of students she takes, and requires an interview beforehand. She does teach students to improvise and write their own music, in addition to more traditional teaching. |
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Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, February 10 from 6:30 -8 p.m. at the Cappuccino Room on Rt. 48 in Englewood (for detailed directions, see Jan. 13 blog). There is no topic, so it will be a time of fellowship and discussion about our own questions, concerns, joys, etc. All homeschooling parents are welcome. There are no fees. Kirstin |
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I received a phone call yesterday from a nice lady who was promoting the upcoming homeschool convention in Cincinnati. Here is the information that she e-mailed to me about it: It will be held April 16-18 at Duke Energy Center in Cincinnti. There will be about 200 exhibitors. Speakers include Susan Wise Bauer, Jim Weiss, Dr. Wanda Phillips, Dr. Mary Hood, Mark Hamby, Dr. Stephen Guffanti, Karen Braun, Amanda Bennett, Dr. Jay Wile, Richard "Little Bear" Wheeler, Dr. Christopher Perrin (he convinced our family to learn Latin!), David Gibbs, Esq. and others. For more information, you can see the website CincinnatiHomeschoolConvention.com. You may also be interested in the CHEO convention, which will be held on June 25-27 at Veterans Memorial Hall in Columbus. Their speakers include Andrew Pudewa, Phil Downer, Dianne Craft, Rick and Marilyn Boyer, and others. Their website is cheohome.org. Then click on events and select convention 2009 for more information. I have really benefitted from the conventions that I have attended. It is helpful to hear the speakers, who have so much wisdom to share. It is also helpful to be able to peruse the curriculum materials and ask questions about them BEFORE buying. I would encourage everyone to try to make it to one of these conventions this year. Carpooling is an added advantage, as it provides opportunity for you to deepen existing friendships with other homeschoolers or start new ones. Kirstin |
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This is actually my first time blogging, since Tina kindly posted the note regarding our last meeting that I had e-mailed to our members. I am slowly being dragged into our technological age, although I still am without a cell phone.. We had a great meeting last night (Jan. 13). Bobbi, the owner of the Cappuccino Room in Englewood, was a gracious hostess. We all enjoyed relaxing and soaking in the quiet environment as we talked and ate. I would encourage everyone to stop in and check out this relatively new business. So I don't forget to post in a couple of weeks, our next meeting will be on February 10. We don't have a planned topic, so it will be a simple time of fellowship. Feel free to bring up any questions or struggles you might be having, or come to encourage others if all is smooth sailing right now. As always, any homeschooling parents are welcome to our meetings. God be with you this month as you school your precious children. Kirstin |
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Hello everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that you are able to get back into the routine of school without too much difficulty. If your family is like mine and most of the others that I've talked to, it has probably been a rough week! We are slowly returning to normal, with much thanksgiving for breaks in routine, and hearts turning back to the work that lies ahead.
If you feel like you need some encouragement in this time of winter or difficulty, or if you would just like some fellowship with other Christian homeschoolers, please remember that NDCHEA will be meeting this coming Tuesday, January 13 from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Due to interest in a change of venue, we will be meeting at the CAPPUCCINO ROOM in Englewood. The Cappuccino Room is located on Rt. 48 (Main St.), just North of the intersection with Rt 40 West. To park, turn at the stoplight of the intersection of 48 and 40, as if you were entering the Englewood MetroPark (down). Turn left almost immediately onto ValleyView. You will park behind the building. I assume that the lot is marked.
I will order a quiche for us, which the owner makes daily. The quiche will be $12 (whole), so anyone who would like to eat can chip in towards it.
Since hopefully life is a little quieter during winter and you might have a little free time, our meeting will center around helpful homeschooling or parenting books. Please bring a book that you have found to be helpful and that others might be interested in and tell us about it, or just come and listen to what others have to say.
Hope to see you there!
Kirstin |
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We had our first book study meeting last week and it went very well! It's not to late to join us and read the book with us. "Homeschooling with a meek and quiet spirit". I personally am being challenged by what the author has to say and will use her wisdom to reflect and plan our next school year. The last chapter I read was "disorganization". I was totally convicted about how much I need to get organized. Not just school stuff, but house, car, etc.... lol!
Have a blessed summer,
Tina |