Virginia Homeschool | February 17, 2009 HEAV Update

HEAV's Virginia Homeschool Update

February 17, 2009

Above the Fold
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February's Top Pick - Free Shipping!
How to Get Your Child off the Refrigerator and on to Learning
By Carol Barnier
Reviewed by Linda Trumbo, homeschool mother of five and past publisher of the "How to Homeschool Newsletter."

"If you have a fidgety, wiggly, or ADHD child, this book will provide practical ideas as well as encouragement from a mom who has learned God's wisdom for homeschooling her own ADHD child....I found this book to be 'a keeper' because it has so many creative ideas for teaching and loving." Read the entire review.

Get free shipping on How to Get Your Child off the Refrigerator and on to Learning for the month of February! Order your copy here for $15.29 (members)/$16.99 (non-members).

Hear the Author at Convention!
Carol Barnier, the author of How to Get Your Child off the Refrigerator and on to Learning, will be speaking at the HEAV convention this June! Her workshops will not only leave you laughing, they will leave you with practical use-it-when-you-get-home suggestions you'll be able to implement right away. Check out her picture, bio, and workshop descriptions online.

Colonial Williamsburg presents Homeschoolers Experiences

Colonial Williamsburg presents Homeschooler Experiences
Explore Colonial Williamsburg's Historic Area during February 21-March 8, 2009, and discover a variety of activities and special programming for homeschoolers. Take time to experience Revolutionary City®, our interactive, outdoor street theater! For more information, see the link below.

http://www.history.org/History/teaching/groupTours/SchoolandYouth/homeschools.cfm

College Admissions Info Night for Homeschool Families
Join us Tuesday, February 24th at 7 pm at Regent University in Virginia Beach to hear insider tips specific to homeschool families about identifying and choosing the right school, filling out admission and financial aid applications, calculating GPA, how to search for scholarships, and more.

RESERVE YOUR SEATS TODAY

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NOW ONLINE!
Convention Workshop Descriptions
Take a look at this year's convention workshops, and check back later for more! The 2009 Virginia Homeschool Convention will have workshops on preschool, high school, college and career, special needs, character training, home organization, culture wars, and much more! Mark your calendars, register today, and tell a friend!

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

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Homeschool Success Seminar The Advantages of Homeschooling Struggling Learners
Richmond, Thursday, March 5, 2009

Come hear Kathy Kuhl, author of Homeschooling Your Struggling Learner, share important tips that can help you work with your struggling learner! See how you can adapt the home-learning environment for your child's psychological and social needs and learn how to customize your curriculum, plan effectively, work with professionals, handle testing, and avoid common mistakes. Kathy will also minister to you as a parent, addressing common struggles parents of struggling learners have and helping you deal with attitudes and ideas that make it harder for you to encourage your child, keep reasonable goals, and keep going. If you're a parent of a struggling learner, you won't want to miss this seminar!

Read more and register today!

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Homeschool Day Events - New Market Battlefield and Supercharged Science Camps
Visit our Homeschool Day Events page to view two exciting HEAV co-sponsored events! Join us at New Market Battlefield State Historical Park on Saturday, March 28, 2009, for a fun and educational day at a significantly reduced price, and sign up for exciting hands-on science camps held on June 15-17, 2009.

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New Homeschool Website
Former HEAV Update editor, Michael Grice, and his family, recently launched home-schooler.com, a new website offering classified ads, forums, and other resources for homeschoolers. It is free to use the site and free to join the forums. When you sign up for your free membership, please enter "HEAV" in the "Referred by" field.

To mark the launch, there are weekly cash drawings from now until the end of February. Top prize is $250!

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A Big Congratulations to Jared Mann!
Jared Mann, a sixth-grade homeschooler from Christiansburg, Virginia, has been selected as a top three finalist in the first ever Rubber Band Contest for Young Inventors!

Renewable energy was the theme of Jared's invention- -"The Power Tree." This invention makes use of rubber bands to generate electricity from the wind, even when the wind speed is below what can be used by a regular wind turbine.

Jared Mann Jared was also a top 15 semi-finalist (out of more than 2,200 entries) in this year's Bubble Wrap Competition for Young Inventors for another invention, "The Pop-up Solar Cooker Book." This invention, which uses the insulating qualities of Bubble Wrap, combines two different types of solar cookers into one portable unit that literally pops-up for use. Jared has won $500 for being a winner in this contest. Jared is the first and only student in the United States to be a semi-finalist in both the Rubber Band and Bubble Wrap Contest at the same time! Jared's sister, Nicolette Mann, was a top three national winner in the Bubble Wrap contest just last year.

Our hearty congratulations to Jared! View the Rubber Band and the Bubble Wrap results, and explore the Rubber Band or Bubble Wrap contest websites for information about participating next time!

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Parental Rights in the 21st Century - Event Is THIS Friday; Register Now
The Center for Continuing Legal Education at Patrick Henry College is offering a conference addressing the critical issue of parental rights titled "Parental Rights in the 21st Century: Where We Are Now and Where We Are Headed." The conference is February 20, 2009, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cost is $400/day for non-members but may be as low as $60/day for HSLDA members and friends to audit; please call to confirm price and registration deadline. Cost includes lunch. RSVP to 540-338-8702 or by visiting www.phc.edu/cle_conferences.php as soon as possible.

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Hooray! GRAD Packets Are Now Available!
GRAD (Graduation Registration and Details) Packets are now available for download on our graduation page. If you have a graduating senior who would like to participate in the HEAV graduation, please download and complete these forms. Graduation is limited to 200 graduates, and registration will close either April 3, 2009, or when 200 graduates are registered, whichever comes first. Be sure to fill out your packet today!

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1) Homeschool Items
View All Homeschool Items
1.1 Symphony Discovery Concert - Richmond - Register by February 23
1.2 What about Testing? Free Meeting with Yvonne Bunn - Fredericksburg - February 24
1.3 Vote: Practical Homeschooling Reader Awards - Ends February 25
1.4 Black History Month: Free Mini-Concert - Norfolk - February 26
1.5 Mustard Seed Consignment Sale - Crozier - Consign by March 7; Event Is March 14
1.6 TEACH Prom - Virginia Beach - Register by April 24
1.7 Summit Oxford - Oxford, England - Apply by May 15 for September 2009 Term
1.8 Science Teaching Tips and Newsletter
1.9 Website: Single Moms Homeschooling Help
1.10 New Look for the Website - ParentalRights.org

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2) General Interest Items
View All General Interest Items
2.1 African-American Interest Sites and Events - Virginia
2.2 Engineering Career Day and Egg Drop Contest - Richmond - February 22
2.3 Critter Feeding Day - Chantilly - February 23
2.4 Free Worldview Weekend Resources and Rally - Richmond - March 14
2.5 Doodle 4 Google Art Contest - Register by March 17

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3) Cool Sites for Homeschoolers
View All Cool Sites for Homeschoolers
3.1 Free Creation Evidence Lessons for Kids
3.2 Homeschool Co-Op: Free Curriculum and Resources Page
3.3 International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day - February 23
3.4 Coral Ridge Hour Media Library - Faith of the Presidents
3.5 Student News Daily - Current Events Resource

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4) Parting Thought - Contentment and Liberty
I would not have the restless will
That hurries to and fro,
Seeking for some great thing to do,
Or secret thing to know;

I would be treated as a child,
And guided where I go.
Content to fill a little space,
If thou be glorified.

In a service which Thy will appoints
There are no bonds for me;
For my inmost heart is taught "the truth"
That makes Thy children "free."
And a life of self renouncing love
Is a life of liberty.

- Anna L. Waring. Read the rest of this powerful hymn, "Father, I Know That All My Life" on Cyber Hymnal. Miss Waring experienced great suffering in her life, yet wrote, "Who would not suffer pain like mine, To be consoled like me?" Read more about Anna Waring's life here.

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5) Worth Repeating
"The philosophy of the classroom today will be the philosophy of government tomorrow." - Abraham Lincoln, (1809-1865), sixteenth President of the United States. Hear the late Dr. D. James Kennedy present the heartening message, "Was Abraham Lincoln a Christian?" in two parts here.

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6) Verse of the Week
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, [who is] the health of my countenance, and my God.
- Psalm 42:11 (KJV)

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

REASON #17
"There's Always Time to Bake Cookies..."

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/resources/update/submit-event.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

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.

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