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March's Top Pick - Save More than 20%!
The Socialization Trap
- by Rick Boyer
Reviewed by Vicki Bentley, mom of 17 homeschooled students, speaker, and author.

While most of us like to think that schools exist to teach children the "Three R's" over a twelve-year period, did you realize "John Holt has found that it only takes about thirty hours for a person to learn to read," and "John Taylor Gatto claims that plenty of evidence exists that people can learn to read, write and do basic arithmetic--in other words, learn to be self-educators--in about one hundred hours"? So what is the purpose of the other 11½ years of compulsory "education"? Rick explains why you, as a homeschooling parent, should still be concerned about what is taught in public schools, and how society's paradigm still affects your family.

Read the rest of the review and order your copy today!

For the month of March, we are offering The Socialization Trap for only $6 (members)/$7 (non-members), plus shipping. That's a savings of more than 20%!

Free 45-Minute Online Science Seminars For Students and Parents
- "There's Life in the Blood"
- "God's Incredible Creation - the Pancreas"
- "Top 10 Academic Homeschooling Mistakes"
- "SAT and ACT - Strategies and Information"
- "What I've Learned from Human Cadavers"
- And more! Visit their site to register for free.

http://www.HomeschoolScienceAcademy.com

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Let Your Internet Surfing Count - A New, FREE Way to Support Homeschooling!
How would you like to support the work of HEAV at the same time as you search the Internet...with no cost or extra effort? Well, now you can!

Simply download HEAV's new benefit bar and use it for all your Internet searches. This toolbar sits on top of your web browser (Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox) and allows you to quickly search the web using the Yahoo! Search engine. Every time you click on a sponsored link in the search results, HEAV will receive 10 cents from Yahoo! If you search the sponsored links three times a day, on average, that is 30 cents per day. And if 100 of you click three times a day, HEAV will earn $900 a month! That's $900 extra dollars we can use to help families in need, provide scholarships, produce materials, and work to defend the rights of families.

Downloading the benefit bar is simple and only takes a few minutes. Simply visit http://www.funditbenefitbar.com/2621 to download the bar and begin generating dollars to help make a difference while searching the Internet!

[This benefit bar is fairly non-intrusive and you can still keep a Google search window open and available. I've tested it on my computer for a week and it works very well. -Anne Miller]

COMING TO NORTHERN VIRGINIA!
Creating an Orderly Home
Chantilly, Thursday, March 31, 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. You can view more about her on her organizing site.

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.

Check Your Inboxes - Day at the Capitol Information Has Been Sent!
If you called the HEAV office and registered for Day at the Capitol, you should have received an important e-mail containing all the details--directions, parking, tours, lunch, where to meet, what to wear, etc. You'll want to take a look at these details soon, as the registration to order box lunches, should you choose that option, is THIS Friday (March 13).

If you have registered for Day at the Capitol but did not receive the e-mail, please call the HEAV office at 804-278-9200.

This year we had an overwhelming response to Day at the Capitol. We regret we are unable to register additional families due to limited space on the tours. We wish we had been able to accommodate everyone who expressed interest in attending.

IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO ATTEND, PLEASE LET US KNOW AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE SO WE CAN CALL A FAMILY ON THE WAITING LIST. Call the HEAV office at 804-278-9200.

We Could Use Your Help!
We need help during registration! If you could volunteer for about an hour during Day at the Capitol registration, we would greatly appreciate it. Please contact Yvonne Bunn at support@heav.org.

Reminder - Graduation Packets Are Now Available!
Celebrate this milestone in the life of your student at the HEAV graduation ceremony! The ceremony, held during the June convention, is a wonderful way to include family and friends in a special, God-honoring celebration. Graduating seniors who would like to participate need to contact the HEAV office at office@heav.org, or 804-278-9200, to request a GRAD (Graduation Registration and Details) packet. This year, you can also download the GRAD packet directly from our website!

To participate in the graduation ceremony in June, you must fill out and return the packet forms to HEAV by April 3, 2009. See www.heav.org/convention/graduation for graduation FAQs.

[ Photo © Seth Fisher, Through My Lens Photography ]

Volunteers Needed at Graduation
We're looking for able-bodied men who would be willing to put on a suit and tie and help with crowd control on Saturday, June 13, 2009, just before the graduation ceremony. There are always a lot of people (graduates' families and friends) during this time who would definitely appreciate a friendly face and someone to point them in the correct direction. If you would be willing to serve in this way, please contact Wendy Fish at graduation@heav.org or 804-278-9200.

UPCOMING HOMESCHOOL DAY EVENTS
REGISTER BY THIS FRIDAY!
Homeschool Day 2009 at New Market Battlefield State Historical Park
Saturday, March 28, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Register by Friday, March 13, 2009. Save BIG at this HEAV-co-sponsored event! Although admission to the park is normally $9/adults and $5/youth, admission for homeschoolers on homeschool day is only $10 per vehicle containing 1-8 passengers and $20 per vehicle containing 9 or more passengers. Registration is required to receive these rates, so be sure to RSVP soon. You can register online at www.vmi.edu/newmarket or by phone (866-515-1864). For more information, contact Stacey Nadeau nadeausr@vmi.edu or Troy Marshall marshalltd@vmi.edu. You can also view pictures from last year on the HEAV website.

REGISTER BEFORE SUNDAY FOR BEST PRICE!
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. See the website for all the details, and be sure to note the new time for the RoboCamp. You can register online, or contact Supercharged Science at 805-617-1789. The first 100 HEAV members to sign up will receive a bonus DVD retailed at $25!

Painless Ways to Support HEAV
Ukrop's Golden Gift Period - Only a Few Weeks Left!
From March 2 through March 28, 2009, Ukrop's customers can help support HEAV while shopping! No registration is required--just use your UVC card when you shop. If you need a UVC Card, stop by the Customer Service counter at any Ukrop's retail location. You will earn one Golden Gift Point for every $1 spent. At the end of the program period, a Golden Gift Certificate that details your household's points will be mailed to you, provided you spent at least $100 during the period. To donate your certificate to HEAV, simply send it to the HEAV office at 2248 G Dabney Road, Richmond, VA 23230!

Earnings depend on the number of Golden Gift points contributed--with enough participation, HEAV can earn up to $4,000!

Food Lion and Bloom customers can also support HEAV while they shop! View more details here. Check out the other ways to effortlessly support HEAV every day!

CONVENTION 2009
Home Education:
Turning Our Hearts Toward Home
June 11-13, 2009
Have you been wondering if you should attend the convention? Grab a cup of tea, sit down, and let Marilyn Rockett, a veteran homeschool mom of four grown sons and "Mimi" to six home-taught grandchildren, share with you why, after twenty years and numerous conventions, she still wouldn't miss the "refreshment, fun, and fellowship" of a convention for anything. Click here to read the article.

And here's a note from a new homeschooler who attended a previous convention--and was blessed!

Last year was my first year homeschooling and every other homeschooler I had met said that I would really enjoy the convention. I went to the HEAV convention in June for the first time...I loved it! I relished every word. It was so inspiring and energizing! Of course I was encouraged by the testimonies, the history, the speakers, and the other families. I loved hearing my own prayers and convictions being spoken out loud by others, an overwhelming confirmation of God's call in my life. - Stephani Plocharczyk

Read more and register today at www.heav.org/convention!

Please Help Us Spread the Word!
We're excited about the FABULOUS convention that's coming together for this year, and we really want everyone to come and be blessed! Would you help us share the word by letting your friends know about convention? If you have a blog, please blog about convention. If you're on Facebook, please join the convention event and share a link to it to your profile. Thank you for your help and your prayers!

The "Me Time" Myth - FREE Copy
Need a respite from motherhood and wifely obligations? Do you find yourself running on empty--fuming and sputtering for some breathing space? Is "Me Time" the answer?

This author says "NO! ...'Me Time' is a myth. It is an unattainable, always interruptible, never satisfying piece of junk psychology." Expect a blessing and acquire new insight from this free gift from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine--the "Me Time" Myth--A WeE-book(TM) by Amy Roberts. Simply use the coupon code WEEBOOK195 at check-out, and you'll receive this WeE-book(TM) FREE!

Click here to visit the Schoolhouse Store and get your FREE WeE-book(TM).

Homeschool Discrimination Fixed in Byrd Scholarship
The Byrd Scholarship, "one of the few national, merit-based scholarship programs funded through the U.S. Department of Education," has been providing significant financial aid to qualified high school graduates for more than 20 years; however, the language kept homeschoolers living in states where homeschools were not classified as private schools from qualifying. In August of 2008, the scholarship language was adjusted to include all homeschoolers, largely due to the work of the Home School Legal Defense Association. Read more on the Home School Legal Defense website.

1) Homeschool Items
View All Homeschool Items
1.1 Home School History Days: Dumbarton House - Washington, DC - March 11; April 2
1.2 Lighthouse Lore for (Pre-K-Grade 1) - Newport News - Register by March 20
1.3 Aesop's Fables Mini-concert - Norfolk - March 20
1.4 New Home Educators Meeting - Roanoke - March 23
1.5 HSLDA High School Symposium - Purcellville - Register by March 27
1.6 Curriculum "Swap" - Harrisonburg - Register by March 27
1.7 Article - "Driving Away Fear" by Chuck Missler

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2) General Interest Items
View All General Interest Items
2.1 SAT Writing Workshops - Warrenton - Register by March 18 or April 17
2.2 Essay Contest - Virginia - Deadline Is March 21
2.3 Nauticus Spring Break Camp - Norfolk - Register by April 1

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3) Cool Sites for Homeschoolers
View All Cool Sites for Homeschoolers
3.1 Free Devotional: Keys for Kids
3.2 MoneySavingMom.com
3.3 March Idea Calendar Says "Harriet Tubman Day: March 10"
3.4 Learn the 50 States and Capitals

4) Parting Thought - Bad Science

Don't use these answers on your science tests. You'll get them marked wrong too.

"The pistol of a flower is its only protection against insects."

"Mushrooms always grow in damp places and so they look like umbrellas."

"H20 is hot water; CO2 is cold water."

"To collect fumes of sulfur, hold a deacon over a flame in a test tube."

"Three kinds of blood vessels are arteries, vanes and caterpillars."

"To remove dust from the eye, pull the eye down over the nose."

"The alimentary canal is located in the northern part of Indiana."

- From http://grif.net, a free daily e-mail humor list

5) Worth Repeating
"Our schools have been scientifically designed to prevent over-education from happening. The average American [should be] content with their humble role in life..."
- William T. Harris, U.S. Commissioner of Education in the late 1800s.

6) Verse of the Week
A wise [man] will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels.
- Proverbs 1:5 (KJV)

Taken from the Official Book of Homeschooling Cartoons (www.familymanweb.com). Reprinted with Permission.

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), Sarah Kohrs (update manager), Katherine Loop (assistant director of publications & marketing), 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).

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