Homeschool Nations - Massachusetts - Homeschool Blogger

Black Friday TOS subscription special

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:39:00 -0600

Very cool sale, but sadly available only for US subscriptions. One year for $7.95 Get it while it lasts! :-)

Click the banner for all the details:

Western MA Children's Performing Arts performances

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:30:00 -0600

This is an email sent to us at Homeschool Nations for you, our readers. I am happy to be able to pass it on to you as it sounds like a fun field trip idea. Please click on the link to learn more.

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Hello,

I work in the performing arts department at MASS MoCA, where we host a series of children's performing arts programs that might interest members of your organization as field trip opportunities. We present four school-time performances each academic year -- the first performance of this year is scheduled for December 17. H.T. Chen and Dancers will present Eight Strokes and the Moving Word, an innovative one-hour performance with live narration, audience interaction, video presentation, and vibrant excerpts of traditional and contemporary dance. H.T. Chen and Dancers de-mystifies the process of choreography while providing a valuable lesson in Chinese history and culture.

Because these performances are attended primarily by school groups, we present each performance twice - once in the morning at 9:30 and again at 12:30 PM. Usually, younger children (K through 3rd grade) attend in the morning and older kids (grades 4 through 8) attend in the afternoon. Tickets must be purchased in advance from our Box Office which can be reached at 413.662.111 or apelletier@massmoca.org. The price of admission is $5 per child, with one adult chaperone free per group. Two or three weeks prior to the performance we mail out curriculum guides with pre- and post-performance activities and topics to help students make the most of their experience.

I would like to get the word out to home educators about the H.T. Chen performance and the rest of our student programming series. If you think it is appropriate, I would greatly appreciate any help you could provide in spreading the word to the families associated with your organization. There is information about the series at our website: http://www.massmoca.org/teachers.php and I've attached a document with some details about the upcoming show, but please feel free to contact me if I can provide any additional information or address any questions. Thank you very much for your time!

Best,

Rachel

Free Museum Day again

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:25:00 -0500

The Smithsonian Museum is having their Free Museum Day again. Please make sure you download the card and listings from their site. This is a wonderful way to check out a museum you haven't been to yet, or a favorite local museum.

Support group listings

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:10:00 -0500

I hope your September is going well. While I always expect September to be a calm continuation of our relaxed homeschooling schedule, it never seems to be! There are new things happening all over the place with the local homeschool groups. Are you looking for one in your area? Please go to the Old Schoolhouse MA state page for a small listing of groups across the state, or you can check out the AHEM support group page for a larger listing, and also the MHLA group page.

Fall Festivals and Fairs

Fri, 5 Sep 2008 10:36:00 -0500

It's Fair and Festival time again! I love this time of year for this reason. Not only are these events entertaining and full of tasty food, but they can be amazingly educational for our children and ourselves. (Which is probably why my parents made sure we traveled for hours to get out of the city to go to the NY State Fair each year.)

Are you looking for Fall Festivals? Craft Fairs? There are a number of listings of these here in MA right on the web. Here are a few that I found to help you get started on your search for one near you, starting with one that is going on today thru Sunday:

The Sterling Fair Friday thru Sunday Sept 5th-7th. At the Sterling Airport, Greenland Rd. Sterling, MA

* Fall festival listing in MA: NewEnglandUSA.com

* Agricultural Fair listing in MA: Mass.gov

* Craft Fairs and Music Festivals in MA: FestivalNet.com

And in case you're interested in celebrating your Scottish heritage, there is the New Hampshire Highland Games (not too far outside of MA, and well worth the drive, IMHO) at Loon Mountain coming up Friday to Sunday Sept 19th - 21st. There are the Historical Highlanders, Sheepherders, traditional athletic events, traditional dancing, and my favorite - plenty of MUSIC! I hope you get plenty of chances to celebrate the upcoming season, whether you get to a festival or stay in your own neighborhood. New England is a wonderful and unique place in Autumn!

AHEM - Not Back to School Events list

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:55:00 -0500

AHEM keeps a nice list on the Not-Back-to-School get-togethers across Eastern MA. Please see their website for the list as well as a a listing of homeschooling groups in your area.

AHEM - Education Without Schooling Conference

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:18:00 -0500

Passing on this email about this great informational event:

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AHEM presents: Whole Education Without Schooling Conference: Family, Community, Freedom

Join us for a dynamic and provocative day of ideas and discussion!

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Park Avenue Congregational Church, 50 Paul Revere Rd., Arlington, MA

Schedule

9:30 - 10:00: Registration

10:00 - noon: Welcome & Panel: Patchwork of Days What's it like to actually homeschool your kids? How do philosophy and reality intersect in the practical, day-to-day world of homeschooling? Experienced homeschooling parents talk about their successes, challenges, and the life of a home educator. This panel is designed to cover frequently asked questions about homeschooling, while providing inspiring testimony on the homeschooling lifestyle. Panelists will represent a range of homeschooling approaches and methodologies. Time will be set aside for audience questions.

noon - 1:30: Lunch & Focus Groups

1:30 - 3:30: Panel: Grown Homeschoolers "How do they turn out?" is one of the perennial homeschooling questions. Our panel of four homeschooled young adults helps address it. They'll talk about homeschooling from the vantage point of the kids, the experience of forging their life paths, and what it's like to live in a mostly schooled society. Another perennial question - "What about college?" -- is looked at through the lens of homeschoolers representing a range of possible choices. The session winds up with a Q&A with the audience.

Food: We will provide light refreshments. There are many places to buy lunch a short walk away, or feel free to bring your own non-messy food and drink.

Children: Because we are unable to make special accommodations for children, we ask that you leave at home children who will be as happy or happier there with a loving caregiver. Children over 12 months old who accompany you will need to register, pay the registration fee, and be supervised by you at all times.

Networking: Remember to bring cards to swap with people that you want to keep in touch with.

Early Registration Discount!

Envelope must be postmarked no later than August 15 to pay just $15.00 per person. After August 15, pay $20 per person.

Directions to Park Avenue Congregational Church:

From Route 2:

l Take the Park Avenue exit (Exit 58);

l Turn north into Arlington on Park Avenue;

l Continue to the top of the hill, past the water tower on the right, and down the long, steep hill just until you see the traffic lights at the intersection of Park Avenue and Massachusetts Avenue.

l The church is on the left, one block south of Massachusetts Avenue at the intersection of Park Avenue and Paul Revere Road.

Click here to print out a registration form in .pdf format.

If you received this message as a forwarded email and would like to be added to the Friends of AHEM list to receive updates on issues that may affect Massachusetts homeschoolers, as well as special notice of AHEM events and field trips, reply to this email (info@AHEM.info) with your name, address, town, and zip code.

If you choose to forward this email, PLEASE forward all of it, including signature below.

Thanks!

Advocates for Home Education in Massachusetts

PO Box 1307

Arlington, MA 02474

http://www.ahem.info/index.htm

AHEM is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

Audio Books

Mon, 9 Jun 2008 06:21:00 -0500

Planning on some summer travel? One of the pleasures of travel that my entire family enjoys, from Papa to Baby, is audio books in the auto. :-) We've listened to some great old classics, old time radio shows, Adventures in Odyssey, and best sellers. All on a tight budget, of course. If you are looking for some good audio stories, here are places I've picked up some excellent reads (listens? lol). Many of these sites have freebies or $2 specials; not all of them all of the time, but if you are patient and persistent, they will crop up.

Classics, best sellers and more):

Alcazar Audioworks

Blackstone Audiobooks

Librivox

Audible.com and AudibleKids

Free Classic Audio Books Yes, free!

Simply Audiobooks

Jim Hodges Audiobooks"> Henty books, Lamplighter books, old radio shows, etc

KayRay.org Classsics Adventures in Odyssey (Christian moral dramatizations):

Official Focus on the Family site

CBD's Adventure in Odyssey page Christian Book Distributors, located in Peabody, has some great warehouse sales twice a year if you can go. Old Time Radio Shows

http://www.homeschoolradioshows.com/">Homeschool Radio Shows A new free show each week, plus they have excellent compilation CD's; a great value, imho.

If you have iTunes or another way to download podcasts, there are a number of people recording classic books as podcasts as well. Just put 'audiobooks' in the searchbox. Happy reading/listening!

AHEM - Upcoming Morning Matinees at the Theater

Mon, 9 Jun 2008 05:41:00 -0500

AHEM has their schedule out for all the New Repertory Theater field trips for this upcoming school year. Please note that Dicken's Christmas Carol has a signup deadline in two weeks. For more information on any of the productions, please go to AHEM's website.

Here is the information email...

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Morning Matinees at the Theater

AHEM�s popular Morning Matinee at the Theater season continues with four stellar productions at Watertown�s New Repertory Theatre. Plan now to attend high quality, professional productions at drastically reduced prices. Tickets for all shows are $13 each. Please note upcoming June reservation deadline (due to high demand) for �A Christmas Carol.� All performances are at the Arsenal Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal St., Watertown, MA. All shows are for ages six and up.

New Rep on Tour productions are specially created (often abridged) for school audiences and last about 90 minutes:

l Othello by William Shakespeare: Monday, November 10, 2008 (checks must be postmarked by October 1, 2008).

l John Steinbeck�s Of Mice and Men: Monday, March 9, 2009 (checks must be postmarked by January 31, 2009).

On the main stage, AHEM is offering slashed prices for two full-length productions. These usually last 2-3 hours:

l Tuesday, December 23, 2008: Charles Dickens� A Christmas Carol (checks must be postmarked by June 20, 2008).

l Thursday, May 7, 2009: Chekhov�s Three Sisters (checks must be postmarked by April 1).

For more details on any of these shows, see http://www.ahem.info/FieldTrips.htm.

No food or drink is allowed in the theater. Panera Bread is next door to the theater, and will be open serving soup, salads, sandwiches, bagels, pastries, and drinks all day.

Cost: $13.00 per seat for adults or children (ages six and up).

If you want to go: Mail a check made out to Advocates for Home Education in Massachusetts to AHEM, PO Box 1307, Arlington, MA 02474.

Please include

l your name

l your address,

l email or phone number

l show(s) you are signing up for and for each one:

l the number of children and adults,

l ages of children.

Those with email will receive confirmation about a week before the performance.

Space is limited for all shows.

Checks must be postmarked by the following dates:

l June 20, 2008: Charles Dickens� A Christmas Carol (12/23/2008). No refunds after June 20.

l October 1, 2008: Othello (11/10/08). No refunds after October 1.

l January 31, 2009:Of Mice and Men (3/9/09). No refunds after January 31.

l April 1, 2009: Three Sisters (5/7/09). No refunds after April 1.

Email FieldTrips@AHEM.info for more information or call 781-648-5579.

Directions:

See http://www.newrep.org/directions.php.

Parking

After turning into the Arsenal on the Charles Complex, take a right after the stop sign and an immediate left into the six story FREE parking garage.

Field trip participants will be added to the Friends of AHEM list unless they specifically opt out.