Tuesday, September 27, 2011

local art classes, taught by a Vintage Mom!

Two moms from Vintage Faith Church have daughters in these classes, and they praise them highly. 

All I know is that I have long been impressed with the work of 4 year old Analise, one of the students:






From her mom Nini's blog.

Those pictures do speak louder than words!  The classes must be so fun for the kids.


Here is the site:
http://blueapplestudios.blogspot.com/

Storytelling with Jim Weiss

Some of us did this last year, and the kids really enjoyed it!  Is anyone interested in going again this year?  (this is strictly an Ocean Grove event)

lisa
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Contact your ES if you wish to attend.
________________________________
CP22339 - Jim Weiss- Storytelling      Friday, October 14, 2011                  10am-4:30pm
Registration opens September 19th and closes September 30th at 4:30pm.
Mr. Weiss is a nationally renowned storyteller who will give our students a day of storytelling and storytelling skills. He will concentrate on stories for K-5 from 10:00 - 12:30 and 6-12 from 1:30 - 4:30. Lunch is on your own form 12:30 to 1:30pm. It is recommended that students bring sack lunches with which to picnic on the grounds of the Resource Center, fast food options are limited in the area.
Location - Ocean Grove Resource Center, 16900 Highway 9, Boulder Creek, CA, 95006
Cost - To Be Determined (The cost of the event, $950, will be distributed among the students. 10 students = $95, 100 students =$9.50. Last year the cost was $11 per student)
The scheduled sessions will not exclude the other age groups, but are for parent knowledge and preparation. Parents with pre-school age children may attend, but are asked to remove children who become restless. There is a play area on the premises.

Pine Mountain Arts FYI

Lisa here--

Another email from my inbox, sharing what sounds like a FABULOUS class.  I don't think the program would accept Ocean Grove funds (but I guess it would never hurt to ask), but it sounds just so cool!  And the woman who posted it is interested in carpooling!

(Even if none of you want to do the class right now, I strongly urge you to check out their website below, so you know what they offer. SO COOL.)

------------------------------------------------------------------
I would like to send my son to the Wednesday class (descried below) for 9 to 12 year olds. They need just three more students, bringing it to the minimum 5 students to make a class. Is anyone interested, but hesitant because of the drive? Let's talk about carpooling, we're in Soquel.
Thanks,
Tese


Let your child become one with the beauty of nature, we not only experience the journey through changing elevations and micro climates, but are immersed in the mysteries of nature itself. As we explore the different regions, build observation shelters, hunt mushrooms, pick berries, track and observe wildlife, we become aware of the daily and seasonal changes in nature and in ourselves.

In these 8 week courses your child will participate in several activities each day the class meets, such as archery, forging copper or iron in an iron age forge, working with stone, wood and bee keeping. Drawing and modeling of objects in nature are also part of the activities. The exact course content is worked out in accordance with the need of the individual students and the group. Some activities change during the course of the year / seasons. In occasional parent meetings, Bodo Langen will give feedback to parents and discuss plans for activities. Social activities include building consensus for decision making, sitting at times in council  to practice active listening and expressing ones feelings and thoughts. This practice may also be used to resolve conflicts or plain misunderstandings. Working as teams or in partnership will be practiced as well.

In this 8 week course, your child will also learn archery, bee keeping, copper smithing, forging, stone arts, clay arts, wood arts and jewelry making. We will meet every Thursday from 9 to 2:30 in Davenport. The classes are styled in 8 week blocks and are taught by teacher Bodo Langen, a Waldorf Teacher with 28 years of experience teaching arts and practical arts to students grades K-12.

This class is available to children ages 6 to 8 1/2. A class for children ages 9 to 12 will be on Wednesday.

We're planning on having an introductory meeting with the parents, during which we will also talk about the structure of the first block (8 weeks), once we have a group of 5-7 children to start the class. We hope to start this class between middle and end of September.

For more information about Pine Mountain Arts, go to http://www.pinemountainarts.org/

and for more information about joining the Wednesday or Thursday Homeschool Day, contact:


Paola Rodarte
paolarodarte+pinemountainarts@gmail.com
650
223 5690

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Handwriting resource online

More from my inbox:

Here's a nice resource from Handwriting Without Tears-- some letter
formation charts for both print and cursive.  They show the letter in
various stages of being formed and use the vocabulary for describing the
strokes that HWT uses.


http://www.hwtears.com/files/Letter%20Formation%20Charts.pdf

Heddi (of the Discovery Learning Center)

MONDAY AFTER-SCHOOL SCIENCE SERIES

The Mad Molecule Science Store
presents

MONDAY AFTER-SCHOOL SCIENCE SERIES


The Mad Molecule Science Store is pleased to announce a new after-school science program. Every Monday young scientists will participate in exciting and instructive lab activities. On the second through fifth Mondays in October, we will explore the periodic table and a variety of chemical reactions including spectacular color-changing chemicals, huge eruptions, and many more amazing experiments. Ages from 5 to 14 are welcome. Older and younger students will be organized into separate groups.
Labs will be led by Steve "The Science Guy" Heuer.

Labs will be held at the Aptos Grange from 3:30 to 5:00 starting October 10 and continuing through October 31. One low tuition fee of $75 (plus $20 lab material fee) covers the four October sessions. The Aptos Grange is conveniently located near Cabrillo College at 2555 Mar Vista Dr., Aptos. Call The Mad Molecule Science Store at 688-ATOM (688-2866) to sign up.

The Mad Molecule Science Store
275 Center Ave., Aptos, CA 95003
688-ATOM      688-2866

FREE KITTIES

Just in case anyone out there has been wanting to add a cat to the family, here is something that came to my inbox today:

I am a volunteer at the SPCA and right now they are having a special promotion. All adult cats (ages 6 months & older) are FREE!!
The Monterey Co SPCA is in the process of building a new shelter facility, so they are trying to find FOREVER homes for as many of these animals as possible, before the big move in December.
All adoptable animals are vacinated, microchiped, spayed or neutered; they even come with a 10lb bag of Science Diet.
There are also feral cats available, so if you are interested in these animals be sure to ask.
The FREE cat promotion is ONLY til the end of September, btw.
Follow the Adopt link & then search adoptable animals:  cats/kittens to see available cats.  (The feral cats are not listed on the website, btw)
http://www.spcamc.org/index.html
Thank you all for your patience :o) Stephanie in Seaside

Monday, September 12, 2011

online chemistry resource

Another email that came to by inbox, from Suki (another local homeschool mover and shaker):

Hi all,

I'm doing middle school chemistry with my kids and happened upon an excellent, free resource. ChemMatters magazine, which is written at a MS/HS level, has many of their articles/issues archived online and downloadable for free! http://tinyurl.com/43qx4sa
 was planning a bit of work with thermometers, and I searched and found a great article on thermometers, how they're used, the history of thermometers, etc. Totally cool.

Suki


Susana (Suki) Wessling
blog.SukiWessling.com

Free comic strip generator, with idea for a comic diary

Here is the text of an email I received today from Heddi, over at the Discovery Learning Center:

Heddi writes, Here is an idea from Make Beliefs Comix about using their free comic
making site.  I thought it might be interesting to homeschooling families!


If you're looking for an exciting new literacy activity for the new school year why not start a daily 20-minute comic strip segment during which your students create a comic diary about something they learned or read or experienced that day? Creating such daily comix diaries provides a way for students to digest and integrate key material that they are taught as well as to reflect on their lives and experiences. And what better way for all students, including English Language Learners, to improve writing, reading and storytelling skills!

 To help educators, MakeBeliefsComix.com, the free online comic strip generator, has launched a Daily Comix Diary Page offering many ideas at http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Daily-Comix-Diary/
 Students can also draw their own comics with pencil or crayons and use stick figures or pictures cut from magazines. By making their own comic strips, students will realize that they can create stories and make art. They will learn that they, too, are capable of generating their own learning materials, their own memoirs, and that their `'take'' on the world is so very special – everyone sees things differently.

What to draw and write about?
For starters, why not have students create autobiographical comic strips about themselves and their families or summarizing the most important things about their lives? Let each student select a cartoon character as a surrogate to represent him or her. They might also summarize what their individual interests are or some key moments in their lives.
Maybe students create a comic strip with a new ending for a book that they've read, or an extension of the story, or a deeper exploration of a character in the book.
Maybe theirs is a comic strip using new vocabulary learned that day.
Maybe their comic is about a concept they learned in science or in social studies.
Maybe their comic captures an interesting conversation they overheard.
Maybe their comic is about something sad or bad that happened to them, such as someone bullying them. Or about something special, such as a birthday wish.
Maybe their comic is about something fun or wonderful that they or a friend experienced – perhaps an adventure they had. Or, about a great or important memory they will never forget.
Maybe their daily comic contains a joke they heard or something funny a parent said to them recently.
Maybe they're exploring a problem at home that's bothering them, such as a sibling who's driving them crazy.
Maybe their comic strip is a fantasy story that came to their imagination.
Or, how about creating a political comic strip commenting on some new development in government or a news event?

Now, imagine the student's comic-filled sketch book or folder containing daily diary entries created over the course of a year that will trace each child's thoughts and learning, that will reflect what was important to her or him. They'll have composed a comic book diary that they will treasure for the rest of their lives.

Most important, the 20-minute-a-day daily comix diary challenge offers students the chance to become creators as they find their voice, rather than just passive learners. What better gift can you give them?

Sincerely,
Bill Zimmerman,
Creator, MakeBeliefsComix.com
wmz@aol.com

Articles debating the value of homework

Ok, ladies, prepare for the onslaught.  I have been coming across so many interesting articles on education in general, on project ideas, on local events you might want to know about, etc. that I will be posting a lot this week.  You have been warned.

First, two articles on homework that came my way this week.  I wonder if there is a movement beginning in the intellectual/theorhetical realm of educational that would eventually trickle down to better practices involving homework in the nation-wide educational system. . . here's hoping!

#1: Rethinking Homework by Alfie Kohn.

#2: The Trouble With Homework by Annie Murphy Paul. Enjoy! If you like reading about educational movements, that is.