Featured Student: Hi! My name is
Hannah. I am 9 years old and in the 4th grade. I like being in 4th grade. I am
doing a lot of fun new things. This year for P.E. I get to go to Coral Ridge Ice
Arena and take ice skating lessons. My mom says I am the best one in the class!
Written by Hannah and her teacher, Robin |
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Beginning of the Year Picnic On September 11, 2004 TEECH had their annual Beginning of the Year Picnic, this year at the South End Park in Wapello. Robin took pictures. We had a good turnout as you can see. |
Book Reviews By You
Help! Does
you life get out of control sometimes? I know mine does!
submitted by Robin |
Book Reviews by You
Read a good book lately? Read a bad book lately? Tell us about it. We'd like to know. This can be a children's book or an adult book. |
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Label Collection Update:
Be sure to check your CAMPBELL'S label sheet and save them for the TEECH Homeschool group. So far we have purchased a giant parachute and plastic softball bases. The next item will also be something we can use for gym day. Go to http://www.labelsforeducation.com/eligible_products.asp for specific labels that are eligible. Any homeschool or church group is welcome to use them. This year we are also doing the TYSON project. For every label we collect we will get 10¢. So far we have 24 and we need at least 100 to send in at one time. The money will go to Solid Rock Church for their generosity in letting us use their church throughout the year for classes and play group. This link - http://www.tyson.com/projectaplus/labels/products/default.asp will show you some of the products, mostly meat products in the freezer section. |
My Summer
My summer was fun. In June I went to Camp
Eastman for Boy Scouts. I liked shooting BB guns and bows and arrows. I
also went fishing and Mom took a picture of me holding up the first fish
I caught, pretty little. We saw a lot of frogs and turtles kept eating
the bait off my hook, but I still caught several fish. We threw them all
back into the water. We also got to go canoeing and did some art and
nature study.
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Why Public Schooling is
Better Than Homeschooling
Count down to #1 reason. This was found on the internet and contributed by Julie. 10. Most parents were educated in the under funded public school system and so are not smart enough to homeschool their own children. 9. Children who receive one-on-one homeschooling will learn more than others, giving them an unfair advantage in the marketplace. This is undemocratic. 8. How can children learn to defend themselves unless they have to fight off bullies on a daily basis? 7. Ridicule from other children is important to the socialization process. 6. Children in public schools can get more practice "Just Saying No" to drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol. 5. Fluorescent lighting may have significant health benefits. 4. Publicly asking permission to go to the bathroom teaches young people their place in society. 3. The fashion industry depends upon the peer pressure that only public schools can generate. 2. Public schools foster cultural literacy, passing on important traditions like the singing of "Jingle Bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg..." 1. Homeschooled children may not learn important office career skills, like how to sit still for six hours straight. |
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Wanted: Julie is collecting unsharpened pencils and postcards identified with Iowa town. She will reimburse. |
Can't I put this off
until college? Not too long ago, I was speaking at a home education conference in Knoxville, Tennessee. During the question/answer part of my talk, a parent told me that she had heard a speaker who said that homeschoolers should not bother to science at the high school level. After all, the speaker said, homeschoolers simply do not have the laboratory facilities to "properly" teach the sciences. Thus, homeschoolers should simply put it off until the student will be free to learn science "properly". It turns that this notion is rather popular in some homeschooling circles. I understand why it is popular. Certainly, many parents send their students to public or private school during the high school years primarily because they are afraid of teaching science. Also, science probably takes more time to teach than any other subject, especially at the high school level. It is easy to see, therefore, why some parents might be happy to embrace such a misguided philosophy. If they choose to do so, however, it is the student who will suffer the consequences. What consequences? First of all, if a student puts off learning the sciences until college, he or she will, most likely, never learn them. You see, the main difference between a college class and a high school class is the volume of information covered. In the introductory chemistry and physics courses I taught at Indiana University and Ball State University, I covered, on average, one chapter each week. These classes met only three hours per week: thus, we covered an entire chapter in three hours of class time! Because of this excruciating pace, few students were able to pass my courses unless they had taken the relevant high school class. The next consequence I have already written about in a previous issue of the informer. If a student is not allowed to sample the three basic disciplines of science (biology, chemistry, and physics) in high school, the student will never know if he or she has a talent for the sciences. Thus, the student will have lost some valuable career exploration and, as a result, might miss the very career for which he or she is most suited! Finally, the whole misguided notion of putting off science until college simply ignores those students who choose to go straight into the work force after high school. Can anyone reasonably assert that a person entering the work force today does not need to know science? The National Safety Council doesn't think so. In a recent article, they stated that many workplace accidents could be avoided if the workers had even a rudimentary knowledge of the science behind their jobs. Clearly, high school students need to learn science. But can we effectively teach science at home? The answer is an overwhelming "YES!" Study after study indicates that even with "inadequate" laboratory facilities, homeschoolers educate their students at high school science better than public or private schools. For example, a nationwide study concluded that homeschooled students who took the ACT (a college-entrance exam) consistently scored higher than their peers in science. Other studies on a state-by-state basis come to the same conclusion. Despite the notion that high school science education requires sophisticated laboratories and "expert" teachers, homeschoolers still get the job done, and they do it better than anyone else! Dr. Wile holds a PhD in nuclear chemistry and a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Rochester. He has won several awards for excellence in teaching and has presented numerous lectures on the topics of Nuclear Chemistry, Christian Apologetics, Homeschooling, and Creation vs. Evolution. He has published 30 articles on these subjects in nationally-recognized journals. His teaching credentials include: The University of Rochester, Indiana University, Ball State University, and The Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics and Humanities (a high school for gifted and talented students). Currently, Dr. Wile writes curriculum for homeschoolers as well as Christian apologetics material. He has written 5 high school science textbooks designed specifically for homeschooled students as well as one Christian apologetics book. |
Corliss and Hannah enjoy the playground equipment at the TEECH Back-To-School Picnic in September. Photo by Robin. |
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THANKS to TEECH Mom's who, for their October Mom's Time Out, sorted baby and maternity clothes, sewed, and decorated the storage room at the Birthright of Wapello Office. Robin, Julie, and Eunice. |
Family Museum of Arts and Science (Bettendorf) Traveling exhibits is "Grossology, The (Impolite) Science of the Human Body" Explore the good, the bad, and the downright UGLY about how your body works. This will be on display from September 25, 2004 through January 2, 2005. The museum also has ongoing classes, including dance classes. Information about these classes can be obtained from their website. |
Putnam Museum (Davenport) "Putnam Explorers" is a drop-off program for ages 6-10. This program includes hands-on activities as well as museum exploration and is from 10am to 12 noon. Cost is $6 for members and $8 for non-members. Class size is limited to 15 persons, so call (563) 324-1054 ext. #208 to reserve a place. November 16, 2004 class is "The Harvest". Discover the fruits of the earth and rhythms of the seasons. Children will learn about early food propagation, cultivation, and storage methods. Hands-on activities practice the methods used by our ancestors. A lab activity investigates the anatomy of real local products. The program will encourage an appreciation of the work that goes into the food that we are so thankful for. |
Putnam Museum (Davenport) The current changing exhibit is "Building a Railroad, Building a Dream, The Rock Island Line" now through January 2, 2005. |
Playcrafters Barn Theatre (Moline, IL) Lowe's Kids Clinics Saturday, November 18, 2004. Build a "Salt & Pepper Turkey Caddy". These clinics are free and are geared toward kids grades 2-5. A parent helping his/her child is appreciated. The kit and tools are provided with directions enclosed and given verbally. Visit their website below to determine the nearest store http://www.lowes.com/lkn?action=clinicSchedProcessor&rn=none You can sign up online or get contact information at that site. They also have several classes monthly for specific tasks geared to adults and to teenagers on a variety of subjects. This month they include Installing Ceramic Tile, Faux Finishing Techniques, How to Create a Holiday Wreath, Decorate with Outdoor Lighting, and Create a Designer Holiday Tree. Check out the website for dates. |
Nahant Marsh Educational Center (Davenport) November 2, 2004 from 9am - 11am OR 1pm - 3pm "Bird Brain". Join them to investigate what birds are doing to prepare for the cold ahead. Take a hike, dissect owl pellets, and make a bird feeder. This is outside so dress appropriately. $2.00 per child. This program is set up for middle-aged children accompanied by adults. Contact Jody Patterson, Nahant Marsh Naturalist, at (563) 323-5196 or patterson-at-putnam-dot-org. Directions to Nahant are at http://www.putnam.org/school/resources/Homeschoolflier.pdf |
Playcrafters Barn Theatre (Moline, IL) presents "A Christmas Story," a comedy, from Friday, November 5 through Sunday, November 21, 2004. Opening night tickets are only $6, with all other performances $8. Call 762-0330. The address is: 4950 35th Ave.Moline, IL The cast includes kids, some of which are homeschoolers in the Quad Cities area. |
November 8, 2004 - 2:00 Play time at the Solid Rock Baptist Church in Wapello. All ages. | December 2, 2004 - 1:30 - 3:00 Christmas Crafts for the kids at the Free Methodist Church in Columbus City. $1 per child. Eunice coordinating. | |
November 18, 2004 - 1:00 Art Class at the Solid Rock Baptist Church in Wapello, grades 3+, $1 per student per class. | December 2, 2004 - Field trip to the Hoover Museum in West Point to tour the museum and see the special exhibit of Christmas Trees. Mary coordinating. | |
November 19, 2004 - 6:30 pm Mom's Time OUT at Robin's house. Bring snacks to share. Contact Robin for directions. | January 20, 2005 - 6:30 pm Mom's Time OUT at Sue's house in Columbus Junction. Bring snacks to share. | |
December 2, 2004 - 1:30 - 3:30 Play time at Solid Rock Baptist Church in Wapello. All ages. | January, 2005 - Date not set - State Fair display by the kids. Contact Mary to reserve one state per child and for more details. |
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