purplebar


$Account.OrganizationName

HEAV's Virginia Homeschool Update

January 28, 2009

Above the Fold
~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~
Prefer a text-only page? Click Here!

~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~
Supermom's Simple Steps to Healthier Eating 101 THREE DAYS ONLY - SAVE $40!
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!

Click here to read more about the class and to sign up today!

(Hurry! This offer is only good for three days. Don't miss it!)

Free CollegePlus! Mini-Course: Your Degree in Two Years or Less! Free CollegePlus! Mini-Course: Your Degree in Two Years or Less!
Homeschoolers across the nation are completing their fully accredited bachelor's degrees for less than $15,000! Join us for three free web events in early February! Sidestep liberal professors and complete 25% of your degree for $400! Endorsed by Jeff Myers, TeenPact, and Anne Miller, President of HEAV.

http://www.collegeplus.org/minicourse


RISE Homeschool PE: Spring '09 Registration NOW OPEN!!

Our homeschool classes will be in a structured environment, enabling children ages 5-16 to be introduced to a variety of games and activities in a safe, FUN, and positive environment. We will have two age groups--ages 5-11 and ages 12-16. Classes begin Thursday, February 5, and will run for 8 weeks.

www.RISEindoor.com


~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~
A Charlotte Mason Companion January's Top Pick - Last Week to Get 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).

~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~
Homeschooling Around the World International - A Toehold in Lithuania
Meet the Juoniais family from Lithuania, one of a very small number of homeschooling families known in this eastern European country. They pray they can raise their children for God's glory and share their six-point "Family Discipleship and Academic Excellence" philosophy with others in Europe. Visit HEAV's Virginia Homeschool Blog to read more.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~
Need Curriculum Ideas?
Check out the recently updated Homeschool Curriculum Resources section on the HEAV website! You'll find help to sort through curriculum choices and decide what is best for your family, listings of curricula resources by subject, articles to help you navigate used curriculum, and more.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~
Speaker Bios and Photos Are Now Online! CONVENTION SPOTLIGHT
Speaker Bios and Photos Are Now Online!
Although we're still finalizing details, we couldn't wait to tell you about some of the speakers coming this year! We have a great line-up including Voddie Baucham, Carole Barnier, Joel Salatin, Inge Cannon, Jessica Hulcy, Steve Demme, Dianne Craft, Debbie Strayer, Mike Snavely, and many others! Take a look at their bios and photos, and be sure to register today for the convention!

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

~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~
Upcoming Homeschool Success Seminars

Why should I attend a Success Seminar? Success Seminars give you the opportunity to learn from experienced moms on important topics. Our goal is for you to leave the seminar equipped to put what you've just learned into action. So whether you're feeling overwhelmed, discouraged, or just confused about where to begin or what to change, an afternoon at a Success Seminar might give you just the encouragement, ideas, and jumpstart you need!

What seminars are being offered? We've been busy scheduling new seminars, so if you haven't looked in a while, please visit our Homeschool Success Seminar page. Below is some basic information about a few upcoming seminars.

Note: We experienced some difficulty with our online registration process last week and apologize if you encountered problems. We believe the errors have been fixed, and invite you to register for seminars online!

Florence Fieldman COMING TO RICHMOND THIS THURSDAY!
Creating an Orderly Home
Richmond, Thursday, January 29, 2009
Do you know you need to get organized, but aren't sure where to begin? Unsure if you even can get organized? Join Flo Feldman, HEAV's beloved convention director and a professional organizer with more than 25 years' experience. Flo has a unique way of dealing with the root issues of organization, encouraging you to get started and find ways to organize that work for you. Read more and register today!

"I truly felt like I was sitting in someone's living room and gleaning from her lifetime's worth of experience." - Katherine, 2007 organizing seminar attendee. Read more here.

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! Read more and register today.

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. Read more and register today!

Janice Campbell GET READY FOR THE SAT!
SAT Essay Prep Workshop - Are you ready for the SAT essay?
Richmond, February 12, 2009
Is your high school student preparing to take the SAT this year? Is your student intimidated by the new SAT essay? Would he or she benefit from learning and practicing writing strategies for timed college essay question? If so, Janice Campbell's Beat-the-Clock Essay workshop offers just what your student will need to overcome writer's block and create an easy-to-read, well-organized essay--within a short time! Read more and register today!

~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~
Boxtops 4 Education Box Tops for Education - Now Is the Time to Submit Your Labels!
Through the Box Tops for Education program, you can turn the box tops found on certain cereal boxes and soup labels into cash for your homeschool support group--and HEAV! The February 15 submission deadline is fast approaching, so it's time to send the tops you've saved to HEAV!

More details are on our website at www.heav.org/events/boxtops/index.html.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~
Supercharged Science Camps Register Now for June Supercharged Science Camps!
Richmond, Monday through Wednesday, June 15-17, 2009

Enjoy three wild days of hands-on science at these camps co-sponsored by HEAV and Richmond Regional Home Educators, and led by real mechanical engineer, airplane pilot, astronomer, university instructor, and rocket scientist Aurora Lipper.

Science Camp (for ages 7-12) - Blast rockets; wire up burglar alarms; play with lasers; build whirling, zipping, dancing robots; and more! Kids learn basics in aerodynamics, physics, electromagnetism, robotics, engineering, and astrophysics and take home everything they build. Cost: $140 plus $55 material fee.

RoboCamp (for ages 12-18) - Launch rockets, wire up homebuilt robots and sensors, build laser light shows, and much more during the three-day teen science-and-engineering camp. Kids learn basics in circuitry, robotics, engineering, optics, and astrophysics and bring home everything they build. Cost: $140 plus $85 material fee.

Special for HEAV Members: Registration price includes bonus DVD, which contains several additional experiments in aerodynamics, electricity, robotics, and optics you can do after the camp! Limited to the first 100 HEAV members to sign up. (Retail Value: $25)

View more information and register online today, or contact Supercharged Science at 805-617-1789.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~
Homeschool Recycling Champs Blog Update
The Wilds: Homeschool Recycling Champs

Mom Julie and daughters Gabrielle, 8, and Meredith, 6, of Portsmouth, have removed or collected an impressive amount of junk and donated it to their local SPCA. Read about it on HEAV's Virginia Homeschool Blog.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~
FREE EVENT - REGISTER NOW
Reagan Symposium: The Future of the American Presidency
Regent University has extended an invitation to homeschoolers 16 and older and their parents to attend the fourth annual Reagan Symposium, held on February 6, 2009, from 9 a.m. till 4 p.m. at Regent University.

At the symposium, eight of the nation's leading scholars will address what the future holds for the world's most powerful and prestigious office. Admission is free, and attendees can receive a free lunch courtesy of Regent University.

Note: Childcare is not provided, and organizers request parents not bring children under 16 years of age, as the program is not suitable for younger children due to its strong academic nature.

You can find out more and register for the symposium online at www.regent.edu/reagan. If you would like a free lunch, you will need to register online AND RSVP by Friday, January 30, to Shannon Kendrick at skendrick@regent.edu to reserve your lunch.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~
1) Homeschool Items
View All Homeschool Items
1.1 Beach Junior Athletic Sign Ups - Virginia Beach - February 1-March 7
1.2 Homeschool Gym Day - Virginia Beach - February 2
1.3 Say What You Mean Online Communication Convention - February 4-6
1.4 Beginner Fencing Class - Winchester - Register by February 5
1.5 Homeschoolers at the Memorial - Richmond - Register by February 11
1.6 Jump-Rope Team - Loudoun County - Forming Now!
1.7 Jamestown-Yorktown Homeschool Programs - Williamsburg/Yorktown - February 21-March 8
1.8 Vision Forum Inventory Sale - Others Too
1.9 Article - Dad Takes Over
1.10 Family Research Council - Is There Interest in Online Homeschool Seminars?

~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~
2) General Interest Items
View All General Interest Items
2.1 Science Museum Activities - Richmond - February
2.2 Beginner Youth Harp Classes - Williamsburg - Begins February 2
2.3 Meet an Astronaut and Tuskegee Airmen - Hampton - February 7
2.4 What Is a Trillion Dollars, Mommy?
2.5 Liberty Academy of the Arts Youth Orchestra - Hampton - Ongoing

~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~
3) Cool Sites for Homeschoolers
View All Cool Sites for Homeschoolers
3.1 Preschool Sunday School Central
3.2 Lesson Plans - Economic Influences on the Virginia Colony
3.3 Homeschool Patriot
3.4 MathTV.com

~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~
4) Parting Thought - Two Moms Meet at a Playground...
This humorous dialog between two moms who meet at a playground quickly turns to the almost inevitable topic--socialization; however, it may not end where you think. Read it here.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~
5) Worth Repeating
Webster's 1828 Dictionary, written by Noah Webster, a devout Christian, defines "educate" as, "To bring up, as a child; to instruct; to inform and enlighten the understanding; to instill into the mind principles of arts, science, morals, religion and behavior. To educate children well is one of the most important duties of parents and guardians."

In contrast John Stuart Mill, a Humanist ironically opposing public education at the time, stated, "A general State education is a mere contrivance for moulding people to be exactly like one another . . . [I]t establishes a despotism over the mind."

[Editor's Note: In the next few months we will feature quotes revealing the Humanist thinking and agenda behind today's secular education.]

~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~
6) Verse of the Week
How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
- Psalm 139:17 (KJV)

~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~
7) Homeschool Laugh of the Week - 20 Great Reasons You Homeschool
Homeschool Laugh of the Week
REASON #14
"You Don't Have to Raise Your Hand to Go to the Bathroom..."

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.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~
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.

~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~
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

Note: Your membership and donations to HEAV enable us to continue monitoring legislation and help us to guard and promote homeschooling freedoms.