HEM NEWS - November 2007

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HEM NEWS - November 2007

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Welcome to THE HEM NEWS! For more information on Home Education Magazine, see the end of this newsletter or visit our web site at http://www.homeedmag.com

Send your comments and questions to editor Mary Nix at Newsletter@homeedmag.com

In the November issue:

~ HEM Takes A Closer Look ~
~ Poetry Resources ~
~ Encyclopedia Mythica ~
~ Directing a Homeschool Play ~
~ Home Chemistry Blog ~
~ Questions & Answers ~
~ HEM'S Current Issue ~
~ Club Historian~
~ Two New Books by Homeschoolers ~
~ American Homeschool Association ~
~ November Webcasts ~
~ The Geometry Center~
~ Audio Books ~
~ HEM Blogs ~
~ HEM Discussion Lists ~
~ Classified Ads ~
~ The Final Word ~

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HEM TAKES A CLOSER LOOK

HEM Takes a Closer Look is an ongoing project that focuses on specific topics, compiling an easily accessed collection of the best writing and resources Home Education Magazine has made available online.

HEM Takes a Closer Look has examined the topics of Unschooling, Science, Libraries, Homeschooling Dads, Educational Games, Reading, Blogs, Gardening for Kids! Math, Diplomas, Writing, Older Kids, Physical Education, Getting Started, Learning Disabilities, Geography, Lesson Planning , Foreign Languages, Music and Virtual Field Trips.

For the latest edition of "HEM Takes a Closer Look" visit http://www.homeedmag.com

You can access past topics here: http://www.homeedmag.com/blogs/closer_look/ (topics are listed in the menu on the right)

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WEB ENGLISH TEACHER - POETRY RESOURCES

This website offers lesson plans and activities for teaching specific types of poetry or poetry in general. http://www.webenglishteacher.com/poetrygeneral.html

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ENCYCLOPEDIA MYTHICA

"Please enter the award-winning internet encyclopedia of mythology, folklore, and religion. Here you will find everything from A-gskw to Zveda Vechanyaya, with plenty in between.

The mythology section is divided to six geographical regions: Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Middle East, and Oceania. Each region has many clearly defined subdivisions that will ease your search.

The Folklore section contains general folklore, Arthurian legends, and fascinating folktales from many lands.

In addition, we feature special interest areas to enhance and refine your research. A Bestiary, legendary heroes, an image gallery, and genealogical tables of various pantheons and prominent houses.

To bring our entities to life, we have created an image gallery, where you will find hundreds of images of all kinds of deities, heroes, and strange creatures of every description.

The encyclopedia will serve the serious researcher, the student, and the casual reader with equal success. Come in and enjoy! Think mythology, think EM!" http://www.pantheon.org/

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DIRECTING A HOMESCHOOL PLAY - NATHAN COLPITTS

Direct: to request or instruct with authority; to show or point out the way.

That's the Merriam-Webster definition. It looks easy when it's written out like that and I've had my share of direction. That's why, when the mothers of our homeschool group found a script online, they asked me to direct a homeschool group production. I thought, Why not? I know what a play should look like on stage and I know these kids, almost as though I'm a big brother to them. So I took the project on.

Before we began rehearsals, the moms asked whether I'd want help. Not to diss parents or anything, but homeschool moms tend to take control, and because I'm "rebellious," I decided I didn't need or want any help. I could do this on my own. The kids would take my direction. I knew what I was doing, and we could pull together everything we needed on our own.

We began rehearsals in mid-October with high hopes of a performance in mid-December. Since we'd had the script all summer, everyone knew what parts they wanted, but we were still missing some principal characters. I volunteered to be one, and we managed to double up roles until we filled all the parts. We were off.

I quickly realized it would be nearly impossible to direct this by myself. I enlisted the older kids and those who had acted before to help me with the younger, less experienced kids. Ages ranged from seven all the way up to me, seventeen. For the younger, ones, as I look back, it was quite a burden to give them. They had mostly never acted before and a few of them couldn't even read.

I stressed the fact that lines needed to be memorized, and by the fourth rehearsal everyone had learned them reasonably well with little or no goading from me. Even those who couldn't read, with the aid of their parents, learned the lines well. I was surprised.

You can read the rest of this must read article at this link:
http://www.homeedmag.com/HEM/246/directaplay.html

You can access other articles and columns from HEM at the link above, but you will want to get the magazine--the one you hold in your hands--to read them all! See subscription information directly below or visit your local bookseller to get your copy today.

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HOME EDUCATON MAGAZINE INTRODUCTORY OFFER!

Subscriptions: Home Education Magazine is offering a one year introductory subscription for $20.00! (reg $32.00) To take advantage of this price HEM Online News readers should mention this newsletter when contacting us. To order write: Home Education Magazine, PO Box 1083, Tonasket WA 98855; call toll-free 1-800-236-3278. Or use our secure online form at: http://www.homeedmag.com/ORD/_hemonline.html. MC/Visa/Disc cards accepted

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HOME CHEMISTRY BLOG BY HEM COLUMNIST KATHY CECERI

The blog description states:

"This is the year I have decided to finally tackle lab science with my homeschooled kids (14 and 11). Despite horrendous memories of my own experience in public high school chem (mostly centered around experiments that didn't work and savvier classmates who made out their observation charts first, then invented the data to fit), I'm hoping that - freed of state testing requirements and other barriers to having fun - we'll all get to enjoy the excitement of science without the angst."
http://www.homechemistry.blogspot.com/

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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Do you have questions that Dear Abby just can't answer? Questions about homeschooling and other issues that affect your family? Help is as close as your keyboard. HEM offers advice from a seasoned homeschool mom in every issue. Just send your questions to AskCarol@homeedmag.com . Of course, Carol can't answer every question in the magazine, but she will try to respond even if your question isn't published. Why wonder and worry? Send your questions today!

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HEM'S CURRENT ISSUE

In the November-December issue of Home Education Magazine

In "Pladdy World" Heather Henderson discovers that we're never too old to play and in "The Incredible Edible Map," Audrey M Smith shows how to make an edible map of the USA. Teresa Bondora traces her love of rocks--and her children's--back to a surprise gift in "Sneaky Science." Seventeen-year-old Nathan Colpitts describes his experience directing a group of homeschoolers in a play in "Directing a Homeschool Play."

Column topics include:

In "Ask Carol,"Carol Narigon explains that "Hard Times Call for Flexibility to Create Curriculum" and when homeschooling families suffer financial difficulties, it's time to put on the creativity hat and find alternative routes to the same destination of a fun learning year. "Questions & Answers" columnist Laura Weldon discovers help for blind homeschoolers is plentiful, and that replacements for retiring state homeschooling group leaders is questionable. Tamra Orr writes that an entertainment bag allows kids of all ages to have a hand in their own education in "The Entertainment Bag." In their "Taking Charge" Column, Larry & Susan Kaseman show ways in which a few studies are being seriously misused to push for more preschool. It examines what's behind the increase in preschool. Then offers actions we can take in "Why Professionals and Politicians Are Wrong About Preschool and What We Can Do About It." Valerie Bonham Moon reviews the homeschooling news from Egypt's pyra
mids to Hogwarts in her "News and Commentary" column.

Other Columnists include: David H. Albert, Kathy Ceceri, Christine Gable, Linda Dobson, Mary Nix and Becky Rupp.

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CLUB HISTORIAN

There site description reads:

"This is a site where individuals or groups can create their own history projects. It is a great way to archive and preserve things for future generations to enjoy and learn from. It is our goal to create a collaborative record of past events using the entries of all of our members. The more entries you make the bigger impact you will have on the project. You can use Club Historian to document the history of your country, state, city, town, school, group, class, club or team. You can even create an oral history project or a history project about yourself. This is a chance to record history as you see it.

History is happening right now! Start documenting it today"

Visit them at: http://www.clubhistorian.com/

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TWO NEW BOOKS BY HOMESCHOOLERS

Homeschool author, Mary Griffith has a new book, Viral Learning: Reflections on the Homeschooling Life

The introduction reads:

"Now that active homeschooling was coming to an end for our family, I found myself pondering its long-term effects: How different am I from the person I would have been if I'd not been a homeschooling parent? How have my interests and values changed because of our kids learning at home? How are my kids different from their peers?

Suddenly, after all these years, I realized there was another homeschooling book in my head. But this book isn't another guide to how to homeschool, nor is it meant to help homeschooling parents survive the empty-nest syndrome.

The book is personal. it's a reflection on how I (along with a few of my friends) came to homeschooling, how it affected us and our view of the world, and how those changes in us may spark changes around us."
http://www.marygriffith.net/Site/VL_page.html

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Homeschooler Ellie Willingham of Florida has recently published a new children's book, Wildwood. You can learn more about how the book came to be via the official press release here - http://www.keenebooks.com/Wildwood/WildwoodPressKit.pdf
Congratulations Ellie!

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THE AMERICAN HOMESCHOOL ASSOCIATION

The American Homeschool Association (AHA) is a service organization sponsored in part by the publishers of Home Education Magazine. The AHA was created in 1995 to network homeschoolers on a national level. Current AHA services include an online news and discussion list, which provides news, information, and resources for homeschoolers, media contacts, and education officials.
http://www.americanhomeschoolassociation.org

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NOVEMBER WEBCASTS

"Great Speeches in History"

"Great Speeches in History is a podcast devoted to the great thinkers, statesman and other public orators that have graced us throughout history with their words. Each week LearnOutLoud.com will offer up a new speech in audio format."
http://www.learnoutloud.com/Catalog/History/-/Great-Speeches-in-History-Podcast/21306

"Nature offers a lot of opportunities for families to bond.

"That's one message of "It's a Jungle Up There: More Tails From the Treetops." Margaret Lowman is a highly acclaimed tree canopy ecologist at the New College of Florida, and she co-authored the book with her two sons. In it, she talks about raising her family as a scientist-mom doing research together in the rainforest. Earth & Sky's Jorge Salazar caught up with her at the 2007 meeting of the Ecological Society of America."
http://www.earthsky.org/clear-voices/51811/canopy-meg

"Dansmathcast is math knowledge for the masses, from a real math nut. Each show has features, a textbook chapter, and challenge problems!

Dan Bach is a college math teacher, textbook author, and webmaster, and he's now a math podcaster!" http://www.dansmath.com/pages/podpage.html

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THE GEOMETRY CENTER

"Patterns, Shapes, Symmetry! You will find these themes everywhere in the Geometry Center. Browse through an exhibit, or jump right in and start experimenting!"
http://www.scienceu.com/geometry/

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AUDIOBOOKS

I have often wondered how we came up with the words homeschooling to describe what since most of the time we were usually NOT at home, but at the park, or the library or always on the way to somewhere! One of our all-time favorite resources as we were out and about have been books on tape. We could listen to them when our voices gave out from hours of reading, take them with us in the car or we could listen to them as we made gifts, cooked, played games or worked on crafts.

I suppose "books on tape" is now an outdated term and they should be called audio or digital books. There are many wonderful free books you can listen to on line that can be accessed as well as purchasing them or borrowing them from the library. If you don't want to buy an audio book from the many commercial vendors, at least browse through their catalogues to get some new audio book ideas to find at your local library.

Here are some audio book resources that I hope you will enjoy.

American Library Association - Selected Audiobooks for Young Adults - 1999- 2008
http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/selectedaudio/selectedaudiobooks.cfm

Audiobooks Blog
http://audiolibra.wordpress.com/category/juvenile/

Audiobook.com Comprehensive Catalogue
http://www.audiobooks.com/php/subject.php

Audiobook - Wikipedia
(Be sure to check out the resource links they offer)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_book

FUN Books recently sent some of the wonderful Jim Weiss recordings for an Ohio homeschool gathering. You can see some of his latest offerings here:
http://www.fun-books.com/specials.htm#New

Librivox
http://librivox.org/

The Online Books Page
http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/

Digital Book Index
http://www.digitalbookindex.org/about.htm

Happy listening! -- Mary

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HEM BLOGS

HEM News & Commentary
http://www.homeedmag.com/blogs/newscomm

HEM Editor's Blog
http://www.homeedmag.com/blogs/editorial/

HEM Support Groups
http://www.homeedmag.com/blogs/groupnews/

HEM'S Guide to Homeschool Resources
http://www.homeedmag.com/blogs/resources/

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HEM DISCUSSION LISTS

HEM's free email discussion lists are a wonderful way to access the online homeschooling community, and you can choose whether to receive a list's messages in your email box or to read them at the lists' home page on the Internet. Either way, you'll meet lots of interesting people who care about the list topic.

HEM Networking
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HEM-Networking
General discussion list on homeschooling issues.

HEM New Homeschoolers
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HEM-NewHomeschoolers
Specifically for those new to homeschooling.

HEM Unschooling
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HEM-Unschooling
Explore this relaxed approach to learning.

HEM Writers
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HEM-Writers
Editors, columnists and those who want to write for HEM.

Short-Term Homeschooling
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShortTermHomeschooling/
Editorial group working on the new book by this title.

HEM-Recipes. The Homeschool Kitchen Online!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HEM-Recipes
This discussion list is an online extension of Christine Gable's column, offering an expanded collection of recipes, menus for family meals, tips and ideas about cooking, and most importantly, an online source of networking, information, resources, and friendship!

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HEM NEWS UNCLASSIFIED ADVERTISING

For information on purchasing unclassified advertising space in this newsletter, please contact the editor at Newsletter@homeedmag.com . Please use "Mary: Send Ad Info" as your subject line.
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Woza Books Announces The Call to Shakabaz
www.wozabooks.com

In a fantasy adventure of a different color, four children travel to the distant land of Faracadar to retrieve the powerful Staff of Shakabaz from the evil enchanter Sissrath. Set in an African American cultural context (featuring Black characters), this book delivers a magical climax that demonstrates the fundamental principles of nonviolence. Winner of an iParenting Media Award, this book will inspire deep discussion on many issues faced by contemporary youngsters.
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The Day After Graduation
WWW.TheDayAfterGraduation.com
What your parents and teachers did not teach you, written for ages 16-60.

Acclaimed by a Dean of Education, a Chancellor, academia and businessmen as a must
read. The book will guide you in the how to's to live a successful life, how to apply
for a job, how to sell a product, how to be financially independent, how
to stay out of debt, how to save and invest money.
Francis Brazeau, Author
E-mail francisbrazeau@comcast.net
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FUN BOOKS - Looking for unique family resources?
www.FUN-Books.com

We carry books, games, audio recordings, GWS magazines and more. To celebrate the owners' 25th wedding anniversary, we are offering incredible deals throughout our site. We have many items on sale, including the awarding-winning Rosetta Stone foreign language program. Owner of former John Holt's Bookstore. FUN Books, PO Box 1360, Pasadena, MD 21123-1360;
http://www.FUN-Books.com

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REACH MORE HOMESCHOOLERS AND STICK TO YOUR BUDGET!

If you would like your ad to appear in HEM's Online Newsletter, where it will reach over 17,000 subscribers-and then be viewed by thousands more online-write to editor Mary Nix at Newsletter@homeedmag.com for details. Please use "Mary: Send Ad Info" as your subject line.

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THE FINAL WORD

Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction. -- Albert Einstein

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Thanks for reading The HEM News!
Pass it on to your friends!
To subscribe, visit our web site at
http://www.homeedmag.com/wlcm_hemnewsltr.html

Have a wonderful month!

Mary Nix, Newsletter Editor
Newsletter@homeedmag.com
Mark and Helen Hegener
Publishers of Home Education Magazine
http://www.homeedmag.com

(c)2007 Home Education Magazine (All rights reserved). This newsletter is provided as a free service of Home Education Magazine. Readers are encouraged to forward this newsletter in its entirety, including headers and footers, to others who might also find its contents helpful.