TEECH newsletter HOME SWEET HOME

Featured Student:
Hannah

     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!
     We use the aBeka school curriculum for the most part. My mom supplements it with a wide variety of other resources.
     We have goats and chickens and cats and a dog. My goat's name is Baby Doll and we hope she will have twins in the spring.
     I love to watch movies on the monitor. My favorite is anything with Roy Rodgers in it! I love horses and hope to get one some day.
     I like to write and if you want to write to me, I will write you back!
     I hope you are having a great school year. I know I am!

Written by Hannah and her teacher, Robin
To God be the Glory

Interested in learning how to knit?

If anyone is interested in a knitting
class for adults and children,
contact Robin.

Book Reviews By You

Help!

     Does you life get out of control sometimes? I know mine does!
     Things happen to each of us that are totally out of our control and we get stressed. There is not a whole lots we can do about that, but we can take charge of some little things that have taken charge of us and get some measure of joy back in our lives.
     Sometimes the best treasures are lost ones that have been rediscovered. And sometimes another person's trash is our treasure. Such is the case with a recent book I read that I purchased for a quarter at a library book sale. This gem is How to Simplify Your Life, Save Time, Money, and Stress by Kathy Peel.
     Here are some quick tips from this helpful book:

Time-savers:
   Ten minutes a day spent searching for misplaced items add up to over sixty hours a year. Don't put things down, put them away.
   Edit your possessions. Weed out the things that are cluttering your life and wasting your time.
   Delegate whenever possible. One person can't do it all! This way others can find their niche, there is pride in "ownership" of a task, and children learn life skills.

Stress-Savers:
   When problems seem insurmountable, follow the advice Admiral Byrd used when his ship was locked in the ice in the Antarctic: "Give wind and tide a chance to change."
   One thing you can always count on is change. If you're in the middle of a difficult situation, see it as a temporary stage in your life. Remember now is not forever. (If you are a homeschooler who is feeling overwhelmed, Don't quit!! You will regret it and be unable to change the results of what happens to your children in public school.)

     No matter what your career, do it with a sense of high calling. You influence the atmosphere and character of everyone around you. You are a very valuable person!

submitted by Robin

New Bulk Store
in New London:

New London Country Bulk opened on October 20, 2004 at 103 West Washington Street. This has been compared to the stores in Kalona with bulk items repackaged in small amounts for purchase. Items for sale include "Flour--Rice--Nuts--Birdseed--Candy--And Much More!"

Call (319) 367-0201 for more information.

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.

In July I took swimming lessons. We had a family reunion at the Grandview Park. There was good food, of course. My brother John and my little sister Rose came for the reunion. We had Vacation Bible School at my church in Wapello.

In August we had a campout at Langwood for our Cub Scout pack and families. It was about the Middle Ages. Some people came dressed up like people from the Middle Ages. We even got to see a knight's armor ON a person. I got to try on the helmet. My mom taught astronomy and we played a game about astronomy. We lined up in a row as planets. I got to be Mercury and was close to the sun. I would only weight 20 lbs on Mercury. The temperature on Mercury is -300� to about +800� F. That is REALLY hot and REALLY cold. Pluto was REALLY, REALLY far away when we lined up. We painted a shield, fished, canoed, and did BB guns and bows an arrows. I even got a Bulls-eye and got a patch. I also completed the High Ropes Course.

We went to West Branch for a picnic and went through the Herbert Hoover museum. We went inside his house where he lived as a kid. It was a very little house. After his parents died he moved to Oregon to live with his Uncle. He was a geologist and worked all over the world before working for the government and then becoming President.

We went with Robin and Hannah to the Niobi Zoo.

We went to the Mississippi River Museum in Dubuque with some friends. There were little boats that we could drive. We had to buy a token to put into the machine to make the little boat run that cost $1. They had lots if fish and river animals. We saw some river otters swimming in circles. We saw a fish with a nose that looked like a spoon. We saw giant fish that had long feelers, they were catfish. There were lots of animals.

By Dominic

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.

Dominic and Hannah enjoying the Zoo.

Can't I put this off until college?
By Dr. Jay L. Wile
(Reprinted with his permission.)
Dr. Wile is the author of Apologia curriculum, a creation based science curriculum for high school level.

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.

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.

2900 Learning Campus Drive

Bettendorf, IA

(563) 344-4106

http://www.familymuseum.org/currentevents.htm

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.