I am in search of enthusiastic people to join the Homeschool Nations Team to represent your state!
This is a volunteer position but you will receive free copies of The Old Schoolhouse each quarter - one for yourself and one copy to share with friends, family, and families who are thinking of homeschooling, or to place at local libraries and/or at homeschool group meetings. If you are selected to become the coordinator for your state, you will be responsible for posting updates and special state information on this state blog -Information such as:events, homeschool conventionsn, state laws, special meetings or speakers coming to the area.The events do not have to be all inclusive, just a good overview of things that are of interest to homeschoolers.You may also post field trip ideas/reviews and places of interest in your state. You can also blog about your personal experience with homeschooling from time to time. Writing prompts are sent out each week to help people who don't have much to post on their blog that week.
You are also allowed to gift 3 one-year TOS subscriptions each year to area libraries, area support group leaders or new homeschoolers - those people who you think could benefit from TOS! Basically, you become a contact person for people in your state and we help you get the word out about LOTS of info related to homeschooling through our magazine.
The Nebraska Sandhills are a unique part of Nebraska's geology. In fact, it is a true "sand sea," covering 20,000 miles and representing the largest sand dune field in the Americas.
And coming up May 30, a full day of birding activities is set in Cherry County. There is no charge, and experts will be on hand to answer questions and help identify birds. It includes research and birding at two sites. What a wonderful way to give your children some hands on experience! Several other locations have birding activities planned in different dates (check the bottom of the linked article).
I've "known" Lisa for almost two years now through the internet and she has helped many Christian homeschoolers in their journey. If you are in North Platte, this might be worth checking out!
Saturday June 9, Lisa Hodgen of Me and My House ministries will be teaching all all day seminar on Biblical home education, in North Platte, NE. We will cover the philosophy, methodology, and practical application of teaching all of life and learning for a Biblical view of God and this world. The seminar is called "The Freedom & Simplicity of Lifestyle Education through Discipleship" We teach that Real Books and Family-friendly Natural Methods + Biblical Principles and Reasoning for Excellence = L.E.D.
I've had some difficulty logging in recently...the page keeps coming up blank for me. And I've been busy with "other" things. Everything seems to be working normally, now, and if you want to see a picture of my beautiful, newborn baby, here she is.
OK, maybe not everything is working normally...I can't seem to be able to get the picture to upload. You'll just have to visit the link above to see her.
Also, VisitNebraska.org has a new website design. Check it out. I can't decide whether or not I prefer it, but there appears to be some information that wasn't there before.
This weekend, we went to see the sandhill cranes south of Kearney. We greatly enjoyed the experience, and I am already looking forward to next year. The cranes should hang around until April, but the next week or two will afford the best viewing opportunities.
I hosted the Carnival of Homeschooling at my blog this week, with the theme, Celebrate the Journey. Take some time to check out the great entries, and share in some of the excitement of the spring migration. There is even a link to listen to the cranes and one to watch them via a web cam at Rowe Sanctuary near Kearnery.
"U Crane" by Greg Holden is part of the Cranes on Parade exhibit at the Museum of Nebraska Art and Rowe Sanctuary, coming up March 30-31, 2007.
I didn't mean to have so many birding related posts in a row, but I just got this from the Wild Bird Habitat Store newsletter:
Bluebirds Workshop:Although the cold winds of winter have us locked in its grip, it won't be long before the bluebirds will be returning for another nesting season. If you are interested in attracting bluebirds to your property, or you want to increase your success, then another great mid-winter activity is BAN's, Bluebirds Across Nebraska, "Country Lane's Workshop" on attracting bluebirds. BAN has created the most successful bluebird recovery program in North America and they want to share that knowledge with you. Two workshops have been scheduled. February 25, 1:00 to 3:00pm, at Crooked Creek Golf Course in Lincoln, 130th and East O Street. The other on March 4, 1:00 to 3:00pm, at SchramState Park, just 5 minutes east of the I-80 exit at Gretna.
After a brief introduction to bluebirds, there will be a viewing of an informational slide presentation, followed by a discussion on various bluebird nest boxes, mounting poles, installation and monitoring you bluebird boxes for greater success. The workshops will wrap up with a question and answer session.
Although there is no fee to attend the workshops, you might want to take the opportunity to become a member of BAN while there. You will receive two nest boxes with poles, and a 3 year membership to Bluebirds Across Nebraska, all for just $20.00, (a $110.00 value). Nest boxes will also be available at the workshop at reduced prices.
If you have one acre or 180 acres, chances are you can attract nesting bluebirds. So drop in at either of the Country Lane Bluebird Workshops. Shake-off the cold, enjoy some refreshments, and learn how easy it is to become a bluebird landlord.
If the metro area is a bit far for you to travel, but you are interested in more information, feel free to contact Bluebirds Across Nebraska.
Also, it is the season to begin planning those beautiful spring gardens. A great resource for anyone planning on making a bird and butterfly friendly environment in their backyard is the Audubon Workshop. We just received their spring catalog and it is full of beautiful plants and garden ideas. This is the one I want!
The Great Backyard Bird Count is an excellent opportunity to teach your children a little hands on science. We plan to visit a few different habitats and record what birds we see and compare the results.
The wonderful thing is that your results will be collected and used to further real scientific studies into North America's birds. I'll post our experiences afterwards, hopefully with some pictures.
It starts this weekend, there is no registration, but you will want to read through the guidelines to be sure you understand how to count the birds. You can also print count sheets off their website. The official dates are February 16-19.
It is about that time of year again. The Great Sandhill Crane migration will begin shortly and it is a good time to purposefully set aside some time to take part in this unique birding opportunity. Birders from around the country come here this time of year to watch the magnificent display, yet somehow we have missed it every year because we keep putting it off another weekend. We are planning to make a more concerted effort this year, and I'll share any pictures!
These magnificent birds nest to the north of us and winter to the south of us. But they appreciate Nebraska's unique wetlands for a needed stop in their Spring migration. And they usually begin arriving in mid February.
Of course, Sandhill Cranes are not the only birds who will be passing through. Over 250 species of waterfowl have been recorded in Nebraska wetlands during the Spring migration.
This site looks to be a good resource for keeping up-to-date on when the migrating birds begin to arrive. Last year, National Geographic came to photograph the migration. Clips and more information may be found here.
Homeschool legislation in Nebraska affecting single parents
According to current Nebraska law, both parents must sign the paperwork for Rule 12 or 13 to satisfy the requirements to homeschool in this state. This can be particularly difficult for single parent households, and if the parents disagree on the choice to homeschool (or to send their child to an unaccredited institution), the law currently favors the parent in support of public education. Erdman and Harms have introduced Legislative Bill 101 which would reduce the burden on homeschooling families, allowing only one parent to sign the parent. A summary of the bill, from NCSA:
Current law (§ 79-1601) seems to require statements from both parents (guardians) of a child who will be attending a private, denominational, or parochial school that elects not to meet state accreditation or approval requirements. The statement must be received by the Commissioner of Education and must state that:
Either specifically (i) the requirements for approval and accreditation required by law and the rules and regulations adopted and promulgated by the State Board of Education violate sincerely held religious beliefs of the parents or legal guardians or (ii) the requirements for approval and accreditation required by law and the rules and regulations adopted and promulgated by the State Board of Education interfere with the decisions of the parents or legal guardians in directing their child's education;
An authorized representative of the parents or legal guardians will at least annually submit to the Commissioner of Education the information necessary to prove that the private, denominational, or parochial school (i) met minimum requirements relating to health, fire, and safety standards prescribed by state law (ii) reported attendance according to law, and (iii) maintained a program of instruction designed to lead to basic skills in the language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and health;
The school offers the courses of instruction required by law, and
The parents or legal guardians have satisfied themselves that individuals monitoring instruction at the school are qualified to monitor instruction in the basic skills as required by law and that such individuals have demonstrated an alternative competency to monitor instruction or supervise children.
LB 101 clarifies that the authorization by only one parent or legal guardian is necessary to comply with these provisions. The complete bill can be viewed here. According to HSLDA, this is scheduled to be voted on today, January 22, at 1:30. If you would like to contact a member of the Education Committee, their contact information is below.
I have one question about the bill, which perhaps someone could clarify, if s/he knows a bit more about it. Section 2 states that "Such rules and regulations may include a provision for the visitation of such schools and regular achievement testing of students attending such schools in order to insure that such schools are offering instruction in the basic skills listed in this subsection."
I don't think this differs any from the letter of the current law, but at the same time, we seem to have an informal agreement with the Department of Education that homeschools will not be tested (scroll to the bottom). Will this change with this legislation?
I love the night sky. I used to spend hours gazing up at the stars, wondering what all was out there beyond what I could see, what brought it all about and just in awe at the majestic beauty of the night sky. I would stay up all night to see a meteor shower or a planet, and spent a good deal of the daylight hours reading books about astronomy.
Now we have our very own planetarium on our computer, thanks to stellarium. From their website:
Stellarium is a free open source planetarium for your computer. It shows a realistic sky in 3D, just like what you see with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope.
It is being used in planetarium projectors. Just set your coordinates and go.
You can set the coordinates for your town (or somewhere you are visiting), select the time of day you wish to view and even set the speed of the passage of time so you can watch the stars as they rise and set. There are several interesting features which allow you to see the sky as it appears, with lines for the constellations, labels for astronomical features or even with constellation artwork. We have been enjoying just playing around with the features, but I am looking forward to our first formal unit on astronomy even more now.
While you are enjoying the night sky from your desktop, another good site is The Night Sky This Week, which, as the name implies, lets you know of all the objects of interest in the night sky for the week.
Updates for homeschoolers living in or moving to Nebraska.
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I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness
--Ecclesisates 7:25
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--Deu 11:19
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Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come
--Eph 1:21
But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey: I am the LORD your God, which have separated you from other people.
--Leviticus 20:24
By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
--Heb 11:9-10
Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
--Luke 10:36-37
