Apples of Gold Home School News

Edifying Homeschoolers Along the Way

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Volume 13                                                                                                                                        apple

    Welcome to Apples of Gold Homeschool News!

Scroll Down for the latest news, updates, and ideas.                 Click on An-Apple-a-Day to join in the discussion on these most recent topics/articles:

*Let's Go Shopping at a Used Book Sale! (Joys of Book Sales)

*Thwarting Our Common Enemy, Remembering Our Common Goal (Passing Judgment on Others)

*Homeschool "Daily Scales" Practice (3 Life Principals to Keep Us Limber)

*GPS (Guilty Parent Syndrome)  

*Dear . . . Blog? (Journaling)  

 

It's the Apples of Gold Used Book and Curriculum Sale!

Apples of Gold will be sponsoring a used book and curriculum sale on Monday evening, July 28th, from 6-8 p.m. at North Bay Community Church in east end, Superior. The church is located on 1316 E. 5th street, only 3 blocks off Hwy. 2 (or) 2nd Street.

Now is the time to find those back-to-school resources you've been looking for and some really great gems to enhance your homeschooling venture.

Interested in selling your used curriculum? There are a very limited number of tables available. If you need a table, call early, or you'll have to supply your own. Reserve a space by calling Naomi at 715-399-2207 (leave a clear message). Sellers are responsible for managing their own table and sales. There is no fee, but donations to support our web site (domain) and activities are appreciated. Sellers are responsible for cleaning their space behind them and removing any "free" or other unsold items.

Homeschooler's Writing Contest
Little Blue School: Book Arts Bash
The Little Blue School is opening up this new and exciting writing contest for homeschoolers of all ages (and even their parents!).

According to the website, "The purpose of the Book Arts Bash is to have fun writing and illustrating books, and to help students and teachers reach across the curriculum to include writing and art in other areas of study. Any homeschooled student or homeschooling parent can enter. Prizes include the usual stuff you can hold in your hand plus invaluable critiques from people in the writing and illustrating biz."

There are twenty categories and you can enter one or all. They include:

*Picture Books - Original stories, familiar tales, ABC books, Pop-Up books, etc.
*Fiction & Poetry - Enter stories, fables, legends, single poems, a collection of poetry, etc.
*Multi-Media - Comic books, Dramas (skits too), and Blogs.

As explained at the website, "There are five different grade levels in each category: K-2nd, 3rd-6th, 7th-9th, 10th-12th, and Adult. Homeschooled college students and homeschooling parents are encouraged to enter the adult category."

The deadline for all entries is October 1st. There is a LOT more information on their web site: http://www.littleblueschool.com/bash/

News from Wisconsin CHEA
 
Hello, friends of home education and Wisconsin CHEA,
 
    I am writing to remind you that in THREE SHORT WEEKS Wisconsin CHEA will be hosting its first-ever FAMILY FUN FAIR featuring the CHEA CHARITY AUCTION.
   By now, all of you should have received a postcard alerting you to this event. If you have not, please go to our website to check out the information.
   Now, to my question:  do you believe in home education?  Of course you do, or you wouldn't be making the sacrifices you are making to be sure that your children have the high quality education you are giving them!!
   If you do believe in home education as a tool to allow you to exercise your parental freedoms here in Wisconsin to choose the education your child receives, and to allow you to teach your children what you believe God is directing you to teach them, then it is VERY IMPORTANT for you to support your statewide home education ministry!!
    That is where we come in. We are here to SUPPORT and PROMOTE home education in the state of Wisconsin. We are here to help you and to make sure that home education not only stays legal here in Wisconsin, but we are here to help the general population see that home education is a great choice for educating children here, and that it is working!! Home educators are scoring high in not only academics, but socially as well!!
      I know that most of you think of CHEA when it comes to spring conference, where we give you loads of great speakers, good curriculum choices, and help you to save money through our statewide used book sale.
     But, please remember that CHEA is here working behind the scenes ALL YEAR LONG!! We field thousands of calls per year-- from the press, legislators, school officials, and most importantly, the home schoolers themselves. We continue to sound the cry that HOME EDUCATION WORKS, and that God is directing His people to continue to choose home education to guide children from their childhood to adulthood as they become godly, honest, hardworking, intelligent, patriotic citizens in their communities.
      In order for us to continue to operate all year long, we realized that it takes more than just the income from spring conference to do this. Costs are going up all over the place, from transportation, to printing, to phone, to supplies...
     The board of directors has done everything in their own power to cut corners in many, many areas, and they have decided that they DO NOT want to raise prices- not for the attendees, not for the vendors!! So, they have come up with some ways to earn money for CHEA outside of the conference.
    
So, here is your chance to show your support and love for Wisconsin CHEA.
     By spreading the word about the Family Fun Fair to others, the burden of contributing finances to Wisconsin CHEA can be spread around to a great number of people. That is why we made sure that we would have activities and get auction items that would be attractive to ALL people-- so that your friends, neighbors, relatives, and church family could enjoy a family-friendly activity day, and help to support us at the same time.
    
      So, what can you do to show your support and love for Wisconsin CHEA??
 
1-  PRAY for us-- pray that the Lord brings lots of people to this event, and that we have a beautiful day!! Also pray that the Lord gives us the strength and time to complete all the tasks we have in front of us to make this a success.
 
2- Be sure to ATTEND the Family Fun Fair-- Saturday, July 26 from 10 am to 7 pm at Fox River Park in Waukesha, WI-- we know that gas prices are ridiculous right now, but if you can only take ONE trip this summer-- and do ONE exciting activity-- make it this one-- spend the whole day with us-- come prepared to support us by buying concessions, eat a meal with us-- hot dogs, hamburgers, brats-- treat the kids to our treats- cotton candy, sno- cones, popcorn!! Come prepared to bid on some items in the auction-- we have over 100 items- from home school items to vacation packages to sports memorabilia, and everything in between!! Folks have been VERY generous in their donations-- and now we are praying that all of our CHEA supporters will get behind this effort, and be very generous in their attendance and their dollars!!
 
3-  Bring someone with you, and TELL AT LEAST 10 PEOPLE about this event-- as I said before, we don't want to put this entire financial burden on the home schoolers in Wisconsin. We all have family members, neighbors, church family and friends that would LOVE to take their children to a FAMILY-FRIENDLY event such as this!! So, spread the word!! And, please, don't focus on JUST families with children- tell folks whose kids are grown- be sure to tell grandma and grandpa-- because these folks will definitely be interested in our auction items-- we have SO MANY wonderful items for everyone!!!
 
4-  Help us to advertise-- again, I can't stress enough how important it is for you to promote this event-- the more people we get to attend, the HIGHER SAVINGS it will be for you in the future-- the proceeds from this event will help us to KEEP OUR COSTS DOWN at each and every conference in the future. If this event is successful, we would love to do it each and every year!! We have a poster and a flyer on our website. Please, go to our website at www.wisconsinchea.com and go to the Family Fun page-- there you will see all the latest information-- and you will see a link that will enable you to print out our flyer and poster. Hand them out around the neighborhood, hand them out to your family and friends, and PLEASE go to your church and ask if they would help to support us by allowing you to hang the poster on the bulletin board, and perhaps even to put it in the bulletin!  If you have the time, please go to some local businesses and ask if they would hang the posters- many businesses will be willing to do this!!
 
5-  Encourage children from ages 11-14 and 15-18 to ENTER OUR CONTESTS!! Right now, we have very few entries!! We have wonderful prizes in each contest- in 1st, 2nd and 3rd place for each individual age group listed above.
Our categories are:  ART,   PHOTOGRPHY,   CREATIVE WRITING,   and   BAKING!!
 
WE NEED ENTRANTS!! WE WANT TO GIVE AWAY THE GREAT PRIZES WE HAVE FOR THE WINNERS!!
 
The deadline for contestants to send in their entry forms is NEXT MONDAY, JULY 14.  Contest packets are available on the website!!
 
Please pray about this event and pray about how you can support CHEA through this event.
 
Remember that this event will take place RAIN OR SHINE!! We have lots of great games planned for kids of all ages. The children from ages 3-10 will each take home a quality prize, and every child is guaranteed a nice prize, while supplies last (we have purchased 700 prizes, so we don't think we'll run out, but you never know!!)
 
The older kids won't be bored, because we have sand pit volleyball, football toss, and Milwaukee Brewer bean bag toss games.
 
Check the website periodically for updates. We will be able to publish a schedule of events soon. We are still waiting for some groups to let us know if they are going to be doing presentations.
 
If you have a group of home schoolers that would like to put on a presentation of music, drama, etc. please let me know. We do have a few time slots still available.
 
Again, thank you for your time, and PLEASE MAKE THIS A PRIORITY IN YOUR SUMMER PLANS!!
 
Don't forget-- THREE WEEKS FROM TODAY-- SATURDAY, JULY 26-- FOX RIVER PARK IN WAUKESHA, WI.
 
 
www.wisconsinchea.com
 
In Christ,
 
Jan Gnacinski

Anatomy Camp Interest in Your Area?

We're considering holding Anatomy and Physiology Camps in these areas and are trying to assess the interest from homeschooling families:

Arizona
Montana
Alberta, Canada
Nova Scotia, Canada
California
Oregon
Nebraska
Texas
Ontario, Canada
Missouri
Wisconsin
New York
Maine

If you live in one of these areas, is this something you may be interested in? If you live in one of these areas, would you please forward this to other homeschooling families who may be interested. In order for us to offer a camp in an area, we need to know that there is sufficient interest.

If you live in an area not listed above, would you like us to consider offering an Anatomy and Physiology Camp in your area? If so, please forward this to other homeschooling families in your area who may be interested.

Please use the "comments and questions" form on the site to let us know of your interest and to suggest locations..

http://www.HomeschoolScienceAcademy.com

If you have questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.. office: 828-265-4101 cell: 828-964-1662 or LandryGL@appstate.edu

Thanks!
Greg

Greg Landry, M.S.
12 Year Veteran Homeschool Dad
Director, Human Anatomy and Physiology Lab
Appalachian State University
LandryGL@appstate.edu
office: 828-265-4101
cell: 828-964-1662

How Does Your Church Support Home Schooling?

Jonathan Lewis, editor at Home School Enrichment magazine, is trying to collect some ideas on what churches across the country are doing to support the homeschoolers in their congregations, in terms of support groups, co-ops, activities, etc. If your church has any kind of support for homeschoolers whatsoever, he’d be interested in learning more about it. You can email him at jonathan@HomeSchoolEnrichment.com .

Take Me To The River ~ Summer 2008

Take Me To The River ~ Summer 2008
St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, part of your National Park System, is celebrating 40 years as one of the nation’s first wild and scenic rivers.  Working cooperatively, the National Park Service, the University of Wisconsin-Extension, and the University of Minnesota Extension are creating opportunities for people throughout the area to share in this celebration.  Their joint effort, called Take Me to the River, involves summer service-learning projects that will allow young people to promote stewardship and understanding of the Riverway, its watershed and unique resources.  To learn more about Take Me to the River, please visit www.wildrivers40.org and Douglas County residents should contact Sarah Wilcox.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Learn to Write a Resume the Right Way, Right Away

Nowadays, one of the most important things our high school graduates will need to know is how to craft a good resumé. No matter what they plan to do—go to college or land their first job right out of high school—being able to put together a resumé and keep it tuned up during the years ahead should be a priority for homeschooling families.

Do you have a high school junior or senior, or a graduate who's thinking of writing their first resumé (or spicing up an old one)?

Did you know that employers generally make a judgement about your resumé in 5 seconds??

Are you aware that the purpose of a resumé is not to land a job, but an interview???

What are all the do's and don't's to know to make your resumé stand out among the rest????

Here is a site you should visit:

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/resume-writing-tips/

Here you'll find answers to your resume questions, and guidance to helping your high-schooler, college student, or even yourself to craft a knock-out resumé!

New Project Spotlights Life in the Nest

NestWatch project takes off, seeks participants

 

Ithaca, NY —What could be cuter than baby birds all atwitter in the nest? But amid the “oohs” and “aahs” are real data about the rhythms of bird biology and how they may be changing as the result of human activity. Combine the “wow” factor of the former with the scientific value of the latter and you have NestWatch—a new, free citizen science project developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in collaboration with the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and funded by the National Science Foundation. Participants visit nests during spring and summer to collect simple information about location, habitat, species, number of eggs, and number of young in the nest. Then they submit their observations online.

“NestWatch introduces birding and simple methods of scientific inquiry to families, children, retired adults—people of all ages and skills,” says project leader Tina Phillips. “It’s easy and fun. It helps people reconnect with nature in their own yard, nearby park, or nature preserve.”

Peter Marra from the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center at the National Zoo says, “Each and every observation is important because it helps scientists measure the impact of such things as climate change and habitat destruction. Without citizens across the country collecting this information for us it would be almost impossible to track these large-scale destructive processes.”  

The always-popular NestCams companion site has been revamped and is now up and running. Live cameras show the nesting activities of Barn Owls, Wood Ducks, and Northern Flickers in Texas and California . More cameras will be going online across the country in the weeks ahead at www.nestcams.org.

  All NestWatch materials and instructions are available online at www.nestwatch.org, including directions on how to find nests and how to monitor them without disturbing the birds.

 “One of the most exciting things about NestWatch,” says Phillips, “is that we’ll be able to take in data from as far back as 1900!” Anyone who’s been keeping nest records on their own will now have a way to put that important information to use. With all this information from NestWatchers, scientists will be able to track changes in reproductive timing and fledging success which may be linked to climate change.

For more information and to sign up, please visit www.nestwatch.org.

 

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The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a membership institution dedicated to interpreting and conserving the earth’s biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds. Visit the Lab’s web site at http://www.birds.cornell.edu.

 

What is a CLEP test?

If you are earning an undergraduate degree (e.g. an associate's or bachelor's degree) you may be able to accelerate your degree by taking CLEP tests. CLEP is an acronym for College-Level Examination Program. It is a test that you can take to demonstrate your knowledge in a specific subject.

There are a number of colleges that allow you to take CLEP test to accelerate your degree, especially if you enroll in an online program. The fee is US$65.00 per test, with testing sites all over the United States. You can take a CLEP test for a number of academic subjects, like: Composition & Literature, History & Social Sciences, Science & Mathematics, Foreign Languages, and Business.

Each college differs in its CLEP test acceptance policy. Talk to an Enrollment Counselor or Advisor about CLEP testing.

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