Issue No.
14
May 2009
Welcome
to
the CHN online magazine!
Are you a CHN member?
Help support homeschooling!
CHN is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that needs your support
CHNzine Features
CHN Board of Trustees Election
Egg Hunting
Antelope Valley Roserock
Ready to go!
A basket of eggs!
Friends
One for me, two for you
The plan
Helping sister
"You
can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn
by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as
he lives. "
~Clay P. Bedford
Bubble time!
It's green and slimy!
Can we go now?
Got em!
Are they escaping?
Eggs, eggs everywhere..
The welcoming committee!
Is this really an egg?
It's a big chocolate Kiss!
CHNzine
from
California Homeschool Network
Happy
Anniversary?
By Kellie
Green
2009 marks my ten-year anniversary of homeschooling. I wouldn’t call myself a veteran yet; I’ll use that word when my children have graduated out of the house. I’ve noticed quite a few acquaintances of mine in CHN have moved on to veteran status. Part of me can’t believe their children are that old! The other part of me wishes them well with their new adventure. How exciting for all of you!
If you will, follow me on a little trip down my memory lane…
Since my oldest was a toddler, I had been researching homeschooling. I am a planner by nature. So, I read everything – books on the failures of public education, magazines on how to homeschool (from unschooling to schooling at home), listening to radio shows, and digesting websites for and against educational choice. There wasn’t nearly as much material in the mid 90’s as there is today. That’s probably a good thing – I’m not fond of information overload.
That pivotal day approached in 1999 - I decided not to take my 5 year old to Kindergarten. I felt great! I felt free! (And I think I joined CHN too…)
Since then…
I’ve homeschooled being pregnant for what seemed like forever. I’ve homeschooled with 3 babies in diapers under the age of four. I’ve homeschooled solo, when my husband’s job kept him from home 4-5 days a week and I had no transportation. I’ve homeschooled running a full time daycare. (Transportation didn’t matter, I was stuck at home anyway!) I’ve homeschooled when finances were fine, and I’ve homeschooled under public assistance and food stamps.
I homeschooled with a mother-in-law in the house; which didn’t go very well. I homeschooled through my mother’s fight with breast cancer. That had a much better outcome because she’s now cancer free. (Go Mom!)
I homeschool with two special needs children. I’ve learned many abbreviations like ADHD, PDD, ASD, GAD, BPD, and SPD. (Although most of these end in “disorder”, I really don’t think that’s a fair assessment. We aren’t disordered; we’re unique!)
I’ll have to say, that special needs children have been my biggest obstacle. Had I known this was to happen, I could have started reading about it back in the 90’s! (What do they say about hindsight?) There were many days when I wanted to give up and hand them over to the schools. It would be untrue to say the thought never crossed my mind. I’ve learned it’s ok to admit this too….
I’ve learned patience. I’ve learned humility. I’ve learned to accept the unpredictable. (Well, almost, I still try to plan.) I’ve learned that homeschooling isn’t what history book you read or what grammar program you use. Sure, they are important, but the root of homeschooling is learning about life.
So for those of you out there, either very new, or alone, or scared, or worried, or nervous… Be excited! Even if you feel you accomplished nothing today, you really have. At the risk of sounding cliché: If I can do it, you can too!
Oh wait! Not only have I hit a 10 year anniversary, but it’s also my “half way there” anniversary. Yes, in about 10 years, my youngest will be graduating on to bigger things. I don’t know what is in store for us for another decade, but I am pretty sure we’ll make it. Then I’ll proudly wear that prestigious Homeschool Veteran Hat; maybe even earn a few stripes along the way.
Happy Homeschooling!
Kellie Green
Mom of four
Half way there…
Michael's Bread
By Michael
Mascarenhas
Hi my name is Michael. I am 14 and I have had three businesses. When I was 8, I swept porches for my neighbors. But that was something that I couldn’t do every day. I had to have an adult go out with me. When I was 10, I baked cookies and sold them to friends and neighbors. But that ended because that required too much work.
Usually my businesses don’t last because they take up too much of
my time. But with my new business, I can still do other things because
it only takes me a few minutes and then a machine does the rest of the
work. For this business, I sell bread.
I started this business with a friend last August. I had one bread oven
and three customers. My friend had a bread mixer that makes four loaves
that he had to bake in the oven, and he sold them to neighbors around
his house. Now we have 5 bread ovens between us and make at least 20 loaves
a week! That is about $40 a month each.
I like having my own business because I like to have money to spend and
to feel like I have earned it.
We welcome stories from other homeschooling entrepreneurs for upcoming
issues of CHNzine!
The first year I attended CHN Expo was in 2006, when I was fifteen.
In the three years since, the Expo has grown in size and in fun.
I am now eighteen, and I have many great memories from CHN Expos and CHN Campouts.
The Expo is at the Marriott Hotel, which I think is great because everything is within walking distance; your hotel room, workshops, the pool, and other places to hang out with friends.
The teenagers get their own hangout room, the Concierge Lounge, where there are couches, tables to play games on, and lots of space.
There are lots of activities planned for the Teen Room; a Get Acquainted Gathering (GAG), Improv games, a big group “Apples to Apples” game, and a number of workshops.
This year some of the Teen Workshops are Jim Weiss Story Telling, College Planning, Anime Art, Self Defense, and Photography: Creative Elements; one I definitely plan to attend.
My favorite part of the Expo is by far the Teen Dance on Saturday night. It’s always fun to dress up (if you want to), dance, hang out, and appreciate the music. My friend, Alex Gouin, is going to be the D.J.
If you just want to hang out, there are plenty of places to do so, aside from the Teen Room. There are couches and chairs all over the three-floor hotel, and the pool has tables and chairs around it. You can even go swimming with your friends.
The people are friendly, and it’s almost impossible NOT to make friends. Everyone generally has at least one thing in common, whether it’s books, music, movies, hobbies, or games. It’s a great place to meet new people who may share many things with you.
On Sunday, there’s a used book sale, where you can find some cool stuff. Besides books, there could be jewelry, art, and other things that kids made to sell.
There is also the Graduation Ceremony that I’m participating in.
I’ve
made many new friends, reunited with old friends, had lots of fun, and
made great memories from the CHN activities, and I hope to continue to
attend as a volunteer after I graduate.
Expo 2009!
- Loren Mavromati
- CHN Expo Coordinator
The 2009 CHN Family Expo is quickly approaching! Our volunteer staff has put together an amazing array of sessions including some of your old favorites and some new sessions sure to catch your eye. This year, we have divided our sessions on the Expo web page into categories to better help you plan your weekend.
You will find a series of Homeschool 101 sessions presented by homeschool author Diane Keith. Diane will be presenting her classic series for the last time at the CHN Expo this year, so don’t miss it! These Homeschool 101 sessions are designed to help new homeschoolers navigate the waters, and also to help veteran homeschoolers sort through choices and resources. You may participate in the entire series beginning at 8am Friday morning and continuing all day Friday, with a follow up session on Sunday, or you may choose to join in on any single session of the series. You’ll also find Diane speaking throughout the weekend on topics like her famous Carschooling, Calendar Schooling, and a new sessions called A Chocolate Curriculum!
Our Paths to Homeschooling category contains sessions in the many different ways and methods to homeschool along with some sessions that cover specific interests and needs. Some of our most requested sessions fall in this category, such as our dads session which will be presented in panel form this year and the grandparents session which will be presented by Excellence In Education’s Martin Forte, a grandfather himself! You will also find several unique sessions in this category from author Tammy Takahashi who is well known for her fun and relaxed speaking style. Join Tammy to explore such diverse topics as the Secrets of Homeschooling Success and Zen Schooling! There are so many great sessions listed here you’ll have a tough time choosing what to attend.
We also have a Subject Specific category, one for Parents of Teens, and one for our Home Arts sessions such as knitting and crocheting. Home Arts will be in a new location this year on the third floor. The Teen Room will be in the usual spot –out in the pool side concierge lounge, and the Family Village will be out by the pool in the pavilion again this year. Both our Teen Coordinator, Vicki and Family Village Coordinator, Pia, have done a bang up job of putting together fun and educational activities for our young Expo attendees. The Expo Teen page and Expo Family Village page both have been updated with some of those sessions, and you’ll find more details popping up regularly!
If you haven’t registered yet, be sure to get it done by June 30th to get the early registration prices, and don’t forget to reserve your hotel room asap!
Choose one of these four ways to register:
Register Online at the
CHN Store
Print and Mail the
Registration
Form
(address at the bottom)
Print and Fax the
Registration
Form
(fax number at the bottom)
Call 1-800-327-5339
Once you have your hotel reservations secured and your Expo registration is complete, then you can sit back and relax and wait until the fun begins!
CHN Board of Trustees Election 2009!
- Rhonda Hamilton, CHN Election Chair
The
Results Are In!
The 2009 Board of Trustees Election is officially over.
As Elections Chair, I have tallied the votes and declare Karin Miller,
Pia Williams, and Melissa Zawrotny to be CHN's three newly elected Trustees.
They will begin their 2 year-term on July 1, 2009. The official results
will be published in the next issue of CHNews, Spring 2009.
Congratulations Karin, Pia, and Melissa!
Camping!
- Karin Miller
- CHN Camping Coordinator
We
have a camping trip coming up soon!
Join us June 5th - 10th at beautiful Lake Cachuma, in Santa Barbara County,
for some relaxing time, and fun activities camping with homeschooling
families!
Hiking, biking, fishing, nature walk, Junior Ranger Program, swimming
pool, horseback riding, boating, crafts, games and fun with homeschooling
families are just some of the many things that we can do at this fun camping
trip!
To register and for more details, see our February
CHNzine.
We still have plenty of space for more campers, so please join us!
California Homeschool Network is a statewide grassroots organization dedicated to protecting the fundamental right of parents to educate their children.
Forestry
Field Trip
Homeschooling in SCV
Charley, Bella and Elena wait for the Forestry Field Trip to begin...
The younger group splits off on a nature hike..
Counting the rings of the tree stump to determine the age of the tree
Listening to instructions
And go! Each team has to quickly dress in fire fighter gear, walk in the huge boots while carrying a pail of shavings, answer a question and then put out the *fire* with the shavings
..and the
first two are off!
Aren't homeschooling
kids wonderful! Here they are, helping each other!
Answering
the question
Posing with
a ranger, our new coastal oak and coloring books...incidentally, did
you know that your local forestry service will give you *Free* trees
to plant in your yard, along with firewood for the winter? Give them
a call and let them know what you need and your tax dollars go to work
:)
Please send us your stories!
We
love stories about homeschooling, anything written by kids, pictures of
homeschooling adventures and other inspirational homeschooling ideas!
Submit
articles, photos, ideas and comments to the
CHNzine
team
CHNzine
credits:
Karin Miller - editor
Photos:
Jen DiMonte
Karin Miller
Please
send us your pictures of homeschool activities, and you may be featured
in a CHN publication!
Pictures
Please!
We
need pictures of homeschoolers for our next issue!
CHNzine Archives
Let us know what you think of the CHNzine!
CHN Board of Trustees
Karin Miller—Vice President
Becky Maxwell—Treasurer
Karen Taylor
Ruth Pell
Dinah Williams
California
Homeschool Network
PO Box 1061 Mira Loma, CA 91752
1-800-327-5339
www.CaliforniaHomeschool.net