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HEAV's Virginia Homeschool Update

January 21, 2009

Above the Fold
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A Charlotte Mason Companion January's Top Pick - Free Shipping!
A Charlotte Mason Companion
By Karen Andreola
Reviewed by Linda Trumbo, homeschool mother of five and past publisher of the "How to Homeschool Newsletter."

"A Charlotte Mason Companion is more than just an education book. It is a book that will challenge and encourage you to grow in your love for home and for your responsibilities there. You'll find yourself seeing beauty in unexpected places and giving thanks that you have been privileged to share them with your children." Read the entire review.

Get free shipping on A Charlotte Mason Companion for the month of January! Order your copy here for $17.99(members)/$19.99(non-members).

Save $450 on Colonial Williamsburg Electronic Field Trips Save $450 on Colonial Williamsburg Electronic Field Trips
Bring history alive for your students with a subscription to Colonial Williamsburg's award-winning Electronic Field Trips. Enjoy LIVE video presentations, Q&A with real historians, lesson plans, student activities and more. A subscription normally costs $500, but is available through the Homeschool Buyers Co-op for only $50.

http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/colonial-williamsburg/


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Supermom's Simple Steps to Healthier Eating 101 Ready to Reach Your Health Goals in 2009?
Do you want to eat more healthful foods, but don't know where to begin? Have you tried healthful eating plans, but weren't able to keep up because it was too hard, too extreme, or too weird? Are you afraid that your husband and kids won't want to eat anything "healthy"? Do you wish you had someone to coach you along the way toward eating more healthfully and achieving your goals?

Have no fear. . .Supermom is here!

By popular demand, "Supermom" Erica Johns is now offering an online class to help you achieve your goals!

What you'll get:

  • E-mail-based lessons you can read and work through when convenient.
  • Assignments that will help you take the leap into trying new recipes and products that can help your whole family eat more healthfully.
  • Convenient access to healthful eating products that can be difficult (or impossible) to find in regular stores.
  • Tons of ideas on how your family can eat the kind of foods they like, while improving the healthfulness of their diet.
  • Many thrifty, quick, easy, and healthful recipes even the busiest family can put together.

Supermom's Simple Steps to Healthier Eating 101 will help you:

  • Learn how many people can lose lots of extra pounds without changing what they eat!
  • Learn how you can tweak the foods you like to eat and make your diet more healthful.
  • Learn how to eat more healthfully without having to eat expensive, hard-to-find, or just plain weird foods.
  • Try super-healthful recipes your whole family will love!
  • Learn strategies for making your healthful eating resolutions easy habits.
  • Taste and try many of the recommended products at a discount!

Normally this 10-week long class costs $49.95, but Erica has agreed to let HEAV offer class membership to you for a super-low price of just $9.95! Watch for the link to purchase in next week's Update.

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Essential Learning Objectives Quick Assessment ONLY TWO DAYS LEFT TO GET A FREE E-BOOK WITH PURCHASE!
Essential Learning Objectives Quick Assessment

Reviewed by Yvonne Bunn, HEAV's Director of Homeschool Support

Are you considering home education, but you're not sure where to begin with curriculum? Or are you taking your child out of school because he's struggling academically, and you don't know what level curriculum to purchase? Perhaps your child is advanced in one subject, but you think he may be behind in another subject--how can you find out?

If you want to know where to start with the basic-skill subjects, Essential Learning Objectives Quick Assessment can give you the information you need to start homeschooling at your child's level of success. The ELO (Essential Learning Objectives) Quick Assessment is an evaluation tool designed to show what your child knows for each grade level.

This easy-to-use assessment tool is administered by the parent at home. It includes a student and teacher book with answer keys and evaluation summary forms for quick feedback. The ELO Quick Assessment measures precise learning outcomes and delivers accurate, understandable results.

Get Your Copy Today! The test is available for grades 1-6. It can be downloaded in an e-book version or ordered from Basic Skills. The cost is $14/e-book or $22/physical version.

Buy Now and Get a FREE E-book! If you place your order before January 23, 2009, you will receive a free e-book of Essential Learning Objectives ($5 value), which shows the learning objectives for grades 1-8.

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DON'T MISS VIRGINIA'S LARGEST HOMESCHOOL CONVENTION!
26th Annual HEAV Homeschool Convention &
Educational Fair
Home Education: Turning Our Hearts Toward Home
June 11-13, 2009
Greater Richmond Convention Center
Richmond, Virginia

Get ready to be encouraged and inspired at one of the most well-attended conventions in the country! View the largest array of homeschool resources in Virginia. Listen to some of the best homeschool speakers: Voddie Baucham, Carol Barnier, Joel Salatin, Inge Cannon, Jessica Hulcy, Steve Demme, Dianne Craft, Debbie Strayer, and others. Browse the Used Curriculum Sale for great bargains, and explore Virginia homeschooling at four FREE introductory workshops on Thursday. Qualifying parents of preschoolers and non-homeschooling grandparents can attend the convention for free! View more details about this year's homeschool convention and register today.

[ Photo credit: Seth Fisher, Through My Lens Photography ]

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Florence Fieldman DO YOU WANT PEACE AND ORDER AT HOME?
Creating an Orderly Home
Richmond, Thursday, January 29, 2009

Peace--not perfection--is the key to an orderly home. Find out how to declutter, create an environment conducive to learning, and have the type of home you've always wanted by learning to let go, categorize, use space efficiently, and maintain order. You can even have fun in the process! Come to this inspirational and informative workshop, led by Florence Feldman, HEAV's beloved convention director and a professional organizer with more than 25 years experience.

Cost is $20/HEAV members; $25/non-members; spouses are free.

New online registration! You can now register for most Homeschool Success Seminars online! Please visit the Homeschool Success Seminar page to view more details and to register.

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Vicki Bentley COMING TO NORTHERN VIRGINIA!
High School 101: Blueprint for Success

Springfield, Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Vicki Bentley, mom of 17 homeschooled students, shares the secrets to mapping out a successful high school course of study, and shows why the high school years are the most important years to homeschool. She covers planning; recordkeeping; preparing for college admission and/or apprenticeship, military service, or other options; and much, much more. Don't miss this you-can-do-it seminar!

Cost is $25/HEAV members; $30/non-members; spouses are free. Visit the Homeschool Success Seminar page for more details and to register!

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Yvonne Bunn COMING TO LYNCHBURG!
How to Begin Homeschooling: What You Really Need To Know!

Lynchburg, Saturday, February 7, 2009

Are you ready to begin homeschooling? Get your questions answered and use the information from this seminar to get off to the right start! What are the first things you should do to get started? What does the law say? Where can you get curriculum? What kinds of records should you keep? Where can you get help? Maximize your success with practical ideas from Yvonne Bunn, a veteran homeschool mom who has helped thousands of families begin homeschooling.

Know someone thinking about homeschooling? Please let them know about this workshop!

Cost is $25/HEAV members; $30/non-members; spouses are free. Visit the Homeschool Success Seminar page for more details and to register!

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Homeschooling Grows!
A recent report from the National Center for Education Statistics confirms that homeschoolers now have lots of company! See the links below for more details.

1.5 Million Homeschooled Students in the United States in 2007 - The National Center for Education Statistics' report

U.S. Homeschool Population Size and Growth: Comments - Comments from long-time homeschool researcher Brian Ray, PhD

Homeschooling Grows Rapidly - Press release from HSLDA

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Homeschooling Around the World Brazilian Homeschooling Update
Despite the fact that the teen sons have passed law school entrance exams and multi-subject examinations the teachers themselves admitted they could not have passed, a second Brazilian civil court has convicted Cleber and Bernadeth Nunes for homeschooling even as legislators consider legalizing homeschooling in Brazil. See the full article on HEAV's Virginia Homeschool Blog and prayerfully think about writing to encourage the family or to ask the authorities to reconsider.

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Certified Teachers and Homeschooling Certified Teachers and Homeschooling
Are you a certified teacher and thinking about homeschooling? Or are you interested in teaching other parents' children? If you are, you may want to comply with the certified-tutor statute instead of the homeschool statute. Want more information? See our Certified Tutor Option page.


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Correction: Bridgewater College Open House - January 31 and February 21
The Bridgewater College Open House for prospective students and their parents will be offered on both Saturday, January 31 and Saturday, February 21, 2009. There is no registration deadline; you may register even on the day of the event. See the updated item from last week for all the details. We regret the error regarding dates and registration in the original notice.

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1) Homeschool Items
View All Homeschool Items
1.1 Gunston Hall Plantation Educational Programs Discount - Northern Virginia - January and February
1.2 Pocahontas and Powhatan Nation - Richmond - January and February
1.3 Classical Conversations Group - Charlottesville - February 2
1.4 Homeschool Football Meeting - Hampton - February 20
1.5 Homeschool PE - Winchester - Ongoing
1.6 HSLDA High School Symposium - Purcellville - Register by March 27
1.7 Educational Contests and Scholarships Database

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2) General Interest Items
View All General Interest Items
2.1 Architecture Activities - Richmond - January and February
2.2 Maryland FIRST LEGO League Tournament - Maryland - January 31
2.3 Prepare for Darwin Day - February 12
2.4 Chemistry Calculations Workshop - Williamsburg - Discount by February 18
2.5 Egg-Drop Contest Hampton - February 28

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3) Cool Sites for Homeschoolers
View All Cool Sites
3.1 Chinese New Year - January 26
3.2 Wessels Living History Farm Website
3.3 Real Trees for Kids - Free K-12 Study Materials
3.4 Home Education Resource Directory
3.5 Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?

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4) Parting Thought - Mystery Visitor
An older, tired-looking dog wandered into a lady's yard; she could tell from his collar and well-fed belly that he had a home and was well taken care of.

He calmly came over to her, so she gave him a few pats on his head; he then followed her right on into her house, slowly walked down the hall, curled up in the corner, and fell asleep! She didn't have the heart to disturb him. An hour later, he went to the door and she let him out.

The next day he was back, greeted her in the yard, walked inside, resumed his spot in the hall, and again slept for about an hour. This continued off and on for several weeks.

Curious, she pinned a note to his collar: "I would like to find out who the owner of this wonderful, sweet dog is and ask if you are aware that almost every afternoon your dog comes to my house for a nap."

The next day he arrived for his nap with a different note pinned to his collar: "He lives in a home with six children, two under the age of three. He's trying to catch up on his sleep. Can I come with him tomorrow?"

- Author Unknown

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5) Worth Repeating
"'Parent choice' proceeds from the belief that the purpose of education is to provide individual students with an education. In fact, educating the individual is but a means to the true end of education, which is to create a viable social order to which individuals contribute and by which they are sustained. 'Family choice' is, therefore, basically selfish and anti-social in that it focuses on the 'wants' of a single family rather than the 'needs' of society."
- Association of California School Administrators

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6) Verse of the Week
Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
- Matthew 18:10 (KJV)

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7) Homeschool Laugh of the Week - 20 Great Reasons You Homeschool

Homeschool Laugh of the Week
REASON #13
"You Don't Have to Worry About What Your Kids Learned in School Today..."

Written and illustrated by Jim Erskine. Reprinted with permission. Jim Erskine also manages www.HomeschoolFreebieOfTheDay.com, where you can find a new free homeschool resource every weekday.

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Submit an Item
Know of an event, contest, or resource that would be of interest to homeschoolers? Please submit it using our online form at www.heav.org/update_submit.html.

Note: We compile information for publication at least two weeks prior to send-out date, so please submit items as early as possible (preferably one month in advance). HEAV reserves the right to accept or reject any material submitted.

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Disclaimer
The Virginia Homeschool Update is produced by Kathleen Dillie (copy editor), Chris (editor), Anna Dykhoff (graphic designer), Katherine Loop (update manager), and Anne Miller (director of publications & marketing).

HEAV does not necessarily endorse the above-mentioned resources, nor guarantee the accuracy of information found on any external resource we may mention. If you find anything wrong on our website, please let us know so we can correct it.

HEAV diligently researches each link prior to publication. However, we recommend you, the parent, fully examine websites before allowing your children to surf them without supervision.

Copyright © 2009 by the Home Educators Association of Virginia. All rights reserved. You are free to pass along all or part of this Update, but please include the following credit line when you do: "Taken from HEAV's Virginia Homeschool Update, a free newsletter for Virginia homeschoolers. You can sign up at www.heav.org." You may modify this credit line if needed, but please credit HEAV and link to the HEAV website (www.heav.org).

Home Educators Association of Virginia - Supporting Homeschooling in Virginia Through Information, Legislation, and Resources


Home Educators Association of Virginia

e-mail: update@heav.org

phone: 804-278-9200

web: http://www.heav.org