Register Now for the 2011 TEACH Convention

http://teachct.org/2011convention.shtml
T.E.A.C.H. is excited to be offering the highly acclaimed Worldview Academy at
our 2011 Homeschool Convention on June 10th & 11th, featuring a teen* integrated
program with keynote speaker Bill Jack! * intended for ages 12-20 and parents

Why Worldview Academy?
In a culture buffeted by widely divergent philosophies, Worldview Academy stands
on the solid foundation of scripture, training students and adults to understand
their faith as a total worldview and enabling them to be able to give a reason
for the hope that they have. (1 Peter 3:15)

Bill is especially known for his ability to connect with teens and families and
is passionate about raising up youth who have a vision to reach their culture
with the gospel. We encourage families to attend sessions together.

Ideal for non- homeschooling church schools and youth groups too!

Additional Featured Workshops:
* Homeschooling Through High School and Transcript Preparation with Diane
Kummer

* Homeschooling with Special Needs -- Kathy Kuhl and Carol Barnier
* "Special Needs Panel Discussion" to address your unique questions
* Getting Started and Homeschooling 101
* "Veteran Mom's Panel" to encourage you on your journey
* "Parental Rights Amendment" - HSLDA Attorney Dewitt Black
* Graduate Recognition - free admission to the public -- Contact Cheryl Blough
at 860-683-2944 or bloughfamily@sbcglobal.net before May 20th if you have a
senior who would like to participate in graduation.
* Exhibit Hall -- offering the latest in curriculum and supplies.
* Free Curriculum Consultants available to guide you.
* Why Attend? Information and Inspiration are the primary reasons to attend
the homeschool convention. Our speakers come prepared to communicate, encourage,
and inspire parents in their commitment to the Lord, their families and to home
education. The information they impart is invaluable, and the personal contact
and fellowship is something you cannot obtain from a homeschool catalog or the
internet. Whether you are a veteran or just beginning, we invite you to come
and enjoy a time fellowship, be refreshed, inspired, and blessed by attending.

FRIDAY, JUNE 10
11:00 am Doors Open for Registration / Exhibit Hall Opens
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm Session 1
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Session 2
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm Session 3
6:15 pm Exhibit Hall Closed
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Graduate Recognition; Keynote Speaker Bill Jack
SATURDAY, JUNE 11
8:30 am Doors Open for Registration / Exhibit Hall Opens
9:00 am - 10:30 am Session 4
10:45 am - Noon General Session
Noon Lunch Break & Exhibit Hall
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm Session 5
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Session 6
4:30 pm Exhibit Hall Closed / Convention Ends
* visit our website -- more detailed schedule coming soon.
We look forward to seeing you June 10th & 11th -- Pre-Registration Deadline June
3rd -- Don't Wait -- Register Today!

Free Bonus CD of useful resources worth $250+ to all attendees!

Thank you and may God richly bless your family! -- The T.E.A.C.H. Board
10 Moosehorn Rd, West Granby, CT 06090
860.938.6765 (phone) / 860.653.6263 (fax)
General Inquiries: teachct@teachct.org
Membership: teachct.membership@sbcglobal.net

FVHE Used Curriculum Fair (and tag sale)

Passing this along from Kris McCue......(she has a few tables left.  Let her know if you'd like to reserve a space for yourself.)

Mark Your Calendars!

     Tell a Friend!  ....  Bring a Friend!    

FVHE Used Curriculum Fair 

(and tag sale)

 Friday, May 13th, 2011

3:00-7:00 p.m.

(I will be there at 1:00 to set up tables, vendors can begin set up anytime after that)

Location:  Scout Hall Youth Center

28 Abbe Road, E. Windsor, CT

Who:  Open to all homeschoolers, in and out of FVHE Group

Fee:  $5 rental per 6’ table 

 ( there are 40   6' tables and 3   3’ tables available )

              

RSVP to me, Kris McCue, at fvhegroupis@hotmail.com

 Let me know how many tables you will need.

I will reply back with where you can send payment.

There is no admittance charge for lookers and shoppers.

This year I want to do something different.  As we have so many more tables and so much more space I will allow people to bring tag sale items as well, as long as they are child- or schooling-related.  If you have desk- or work-space items, art and craft supplies, kids clothes and toys and such, feel free to bring them along with your curriculum if you wish.  Last year a few of you had asked and I had to say no as the church was too small.  The scout hall we will use this year is quite roomy so we can add more items.

Children most welcome!  My kids have always loved used curriculum fairs, and always manage to find neat-stuff like science kits and models, leisure reading materials, games and more.

The sellers set their own prices.  Please make sure you label carefully or put up signs.  Any kind of educational materials are acceptable, from kits to books, everything from art to science and more.  Shoppers who are new to these kinds of fairs, you will find games, puzzles, toys, books, videos, study guides, text books, workbooks and other traditional curriculum materials.  There are usually many free items as well.

If you are done with your Sonlight, Oak Meadow, Saxon, Critical Thinking Press, Charlotte Mason, Montessori, A Beka to name a few, bring them along and turn them into cash.  

SHOPPERS:  Plan to bring cash.  With many items at tag-sale prices it doesn't make sense to write a check for a couple dollars.  Also, some vendors cannot take personal checks, so cash is best.

Please tell friends about this used curriculum fair.  The vendors go to so much effort packing up all those books and things and then hauling them to the fair.  

VENDORS: I will designate an area for “Free” materials.  You can leave any items that you are donating in this space, but make sure to take the unclaimed items home with you at the end of the evening. 

Also, vendors, I will get a menu from Henry’s Pizzeria, which is located a half a mile from the scout hall.  I am told they have good pizza, subs and salads. I will pass around a clipboard with the menu(s) and we can call in one group order.  You are also welcome to bring your own dinner if you'd like.  There is a kitchen with a refrigerator, oven/stove, and microwave that we can use.

Let me know if you can come early to help set up tables and chairs.  You will be responsible for putting away your own tables/chairs at the end of the fair.  You should plan to bring a dolly or hand-truck if you own one.  It makes getting all those boxes moved so much faster.  

Hope to see you at the Used Curriculum Fair!

Kris McCue

BIBLE READING MARATHON at State Capitol

BIBLE READING MARATHON

STATE CAPITOL BUILDING, North Steps

Monday, May 2, 11am-2pm for Homeschoolers

DECLARING GOD’S WORD OVER OUR

STATE SEAT OF GOVERNMENT

YOU ARE INVITED TO READ THE WORD OF GOD OVER CONNECTICUT!

Twenty-five teams will be reading the entire Bible from Genesis thru Revelation in 68-75 hours from Saturday, April 30 through Thursday, May 5 (the National Day of Prayer).  Each person will read approximately 3 chapters in succession (this is flexible depending on how many readers we have).  We have reserved the timeslot of Monday, May 2nd, from 11am to 2 pm for homeschoolers (all ages) and their familes to come to the State Capitol to proclaim the Word of God over our state. 

 

Please contact Kim Cashman 860-875-0799 or kcashman3@snet.net.

http://cthouseofprayer.com/WHYABIBLEREADINGMARATHON.aspx

Writing classes offered in the Manchester/South Windsor area

Writing classes offered in the Manchester/South Windsor area, grade 4 and up!

-Classes taught by Kate Brown, home school graduate and CT certified teacher-

 Writing Explorer A

6 Wednesdays, starting May 11- June 15, 3:15-4:45
(possible Friday class: 6 Fridays, starting May 13- June 17, 2:45-4:15)

Children are little researchers before they can even speak, continually searching for answers. In this class, they will be given the tools of organization to further satisfy this curiosity and learn to communicate their findings through writing. Students will be given a topic to research, locate information from various sources, take notes, and write paragraphs with topic and concluding sentences. These paragraphs will form five paragraph essays, which they will express through oral presentation to the class.

Writing Explorer B

6 Wednesdays, starting May 11- June 15, 1:30-3:00

Students will continue the process of organizing five-paragraph essays in a more defining way as they explore different types of essays such as comparison, cause and effect, example, process, and definition essays. Through practice, they will learn the steps necessary for gathering information, processing and organize it, as they use graphic organizers and outlines. Students will learn how edit their work, avoid plagiarism and finally, perform an oral presentation.

Writing Investigator

(Write a Research Paper!)

to be offered late Summer

Your child will review the writing tools previously learned in Writing Explorer A & B to become a literary detective, culminating what they’ve learned into a full-fledged research paper. They will narrow a topic, learn where to research for information, gather data, store, categorize, and analyze it and then learn to write with an organized flow by using well thought out transition sentences. Students will then share their acquired knowledge in an oral presentation to the class.

Book Report I

to be offered late Summer

Students will take the beneficial activity of reading and extend it further as they become closely acquainted with the characters, the setting, the plot, and the climax. Students will get a chance to delve more deeply into their imagination as they put these story elements together and learn to summarize and form opinions, both in written form and through an oral presentation of their choice.

A little about the teacher: Kate Brown is a home school graduate who began her teaching career teaching piano lessons throughout her high school years. She has earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Columbia International University receiving a double major in Elementary Education and Bible. She holds a teaching certification from the State of Connecticut for Grades K-6, and an Association of Christian Schools International certification for grades K-8. She has taught many grade levels in her three years teaching experience in the public school system. As an enthusiastic teacher, Kate is offering a series of expository writing classes to homeschoolers to begin preparing them for high school and college research papers!

--Class Details--

All classes are six weeks, 1 hour, 45 minutes per class

 Class fee: $75 per child (with 30% deposit at registration), $6 materials fee per child, per class

Contact by email: brownkate6@gmail.com or phone: (860) 268-1257

Please make checks payable to Kate Brown; send to 18 Wedgewood Drive, Manchester, CT 06042

Baseball on Wednesdays

 Anyone interested in playing a friendly game of

baseball on Wednesdays at Brookside Park? 

10:30 a.m. - 12 noon

Brookside Park Rt. 140, Ellington, Ct.

All ages including the parents are welcome! The next time we will meet is Wednesday April 27. You are welcome to join us every week or come whenever you can make it. Contact Ron Small roon48@yahoo.com if you are interested and so he can contact you if we have to cancel due to the weather.

Baseball is on for today!

It may be cloudy and a little damp out, but baseball is on for today!

Brookside Park, rte. 140  Ellington 10:30a.m.-12noon.

See you there!

Third Annual TEACH Used Curriculum Sale

COME ONE! COME ALL!!

Want cash for your used books?? 

Want next year's books for less???  

Third Annual TEACH Used Curriculum Sale

This Coming Saturday, April 23, 2011

10 am - 1 pm

Waterbury Christian Fellowship

1 Dube Lane Waterbury - Directions  

This promises to be our biggest sale ever with 68 registered sellers ~ twice as big as last year!! 

Bring your friends - homeschooling or otherwise - who like buying books at a discount -- there is sure to be something for everyone. Fun for kids too! 

You won't want to miss the bargains. Spread the word!

Thanks and God bless you ~ TEACH 

Contact info:
860-938-6765
www.teachct.org
teachct@teachct.org

NO homeschool Programs this week at Star Hill

There will be NO homeschool activities this week at Star Hill Family Athletic Center in Tolland due to school vacation. Star Hill has April Vacation Camp running this week. There will be no Homeschool swim on Wednesday and no homeschool gym on Friday. (There are 3 weeks left of the Friday session: April 29, May 6 & 13). 

Star Hill Family Athletic Center
Gerber Rd.
Tolland, Ct.
http://www.starhillsports.com/ 

FVHE First Park Day at Salmon Brook Park

Passing this along from Kris McCue.....

Hi All!

Farmington Valley Home Educators first park day will be on Monday April 18. As with all our events, it is open to all homeschoolers. We will meet at Salmon Brook Park on Rt. 10 in Granby, Ct. for 1:00-3:00 pm. (For those who have been coming steadily over the years, please note we are going back to the old time.)

 For those of you who are new to the group, this park has picnic pavilions, a large fenced in area with multiple playscapes, basketball courts, baseball diamonds, and a great brook with a sandy beach area, and hiking trails. Feel free to bring beach toys, nets, ride-on toys and balls and such.

We will meet either at the picnic tables at the playscape or the pavilion near the brook.

Please let me know if you will be able to meet then.

See you then!

Kris MCcue

fvhegroupis@hotmail.com

Workshop on Lap Booking

Passing this along from Karen Cupit........

Come join Tammy Choleva, a Christian homeschool veteran of more than 18 years, as she leads a workshop on lap booking. Lap booking is a term used for turning an ordinary file folder into a creative "book" filled with mini-books that a child has made to showcase what he/she has learned.  Lap books are an awesome alternative to traditional worksheets.

As this is a workshop, each participant will be able to go home with a sample lap book template.  Please be sure to bring a pair of scissors, a stapler, clear packaging tape, a glue stick, and two-sided tape (or scrapbooking double-sided photo splits or tape-runner).

The workshop will be held at the Presbyterian Church of Manchester on Saturday, May 7 from 10:15 to 11:45.  

Please R.S.V.P. to Tammy at teecee@snet.net or 860-643-9852 no later than Thursday, May 5. 

Baseball anyone?

Passing this along.......

Kellie Ryan and Ron Small were discussing how it would be nice to get a group of kids together to play T-Ball and/or baseball.

So they decided they would meet at Brookside Park on Rt. 140 in Ellington this coming Wednesday (April 20) from 10:30 to noon. Please come and join them if you are interested!

Home School Day At Old Sturbridge Village

Home School Day: Going West - May 3 Registration is now open for the next Home School Day. Children will learn about why some 19th-century families left their homes and relatives to make the dangerous journey west - and that the "west" at that time was Ohio.  The day's highlights include more Hands-On Studios and meeting Laura Ingalls Wilder. See the full schedule and register today. http://www.osv.org/orders/listprograms.html?ID=14&G=T

The Education Department at
Old Sturbridge Village
508-347-0285
osved@osv.org

SERVICE PROJECT FOR OUR TROOPS

Passing along from Maureen Arbogast.......

Can you help me with a

SERVICE PROJECT FOR OUR TROOPS???

My son is a MARINE and is currently deployed to Afghanistan. My support group is trying to collect as many cards of support as we can to send to all of the 3rd Battalion 2nd Marines division. Many of these men and women receive nothing from back home and we would like to thank all of them for fighting for freedom. As homeschoolers, you and I know how important our freedom is here in this country.

Here's what I am looking for:

ASK all of your friends, family, co-workers, classmates, teammates, etc., if they would write out a card (or two) of support to a MARINE thanking them for their sacrifice and for protecting our country. The greeting should be "TO A MARINE" or "DEAR MARINE". Let them know that MARINES are NOT addressed as soldiers. Also, please ask that political views toward the war be set aside in what is written in these cards. They are meant to uplift our troops and make their time away from family and friends a little brighter.

WRITE a few cards yourself and have your children join you! Cards can be store bought or homemade. All will be greatly appreciated by me and by the MARINE who receives it.

COLLECT as many cards as you can and bulk mail them to me by May 1, 2011:

Maureen Arbogast

10 Spier Ave.

Enfield, CT 06082

QUESTIONS about this SERVICE PROJECT can be sent to maureen@agenerationinneed.com.

The goal is to collect 1000+ cards to bless some of our MARINES serving overseas. 

     THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!

Hulbert Outdoor Center’s homeschool week

Passing this along from Erin Moody........

Here’s the link for Hulbert Outdoor Center’s homeschool week, May 22-27 (registration is open now). Since 1990, the Hulbert Outdoor Center has offered week-long residential programs for homeschooled children ages 9-17.  Hurlbert Outdoor Center is located on Lakes Morey and Fairlee at the eastern-most edge of Vermont, just off Interstate 91, approximately twenty-five miles north of White River Junction, VT, Hanover, NH and Dartmouth College. They currently offer programs in March, May, and October.

All three of Erin's children have enjoyed attending this camp during its homeschool weeks (3 times a year). 

http://www.alohafoundation.org/hulbert-outdoor-center/homeschool-program/homeschool-overview/

and recent press release:

http://www.vnews.com/03192011/7698122.htm

Any questions? You can contact the Director,
Becky Proulx becky_proulx@alohafoundation.org

Farmington Valley Home Educators Group Field Day

Come one!  Come all!

Join us for

Farmington Valley Home Educators Group

Field Day!

Date:  Friday, May 27, 2011

Time:  10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Place:  Granbrook Park, Rt. 189/Hartford Avenue, East Granby, Connecticut

Cost:  $4 per person  (includes picnic lunch and loads of fun)

RSVP:  by email to Chris Gorton at readabook2750@yahoo.com .  Chris will reply with where you can send payment.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:  

Let me know if you can help out with games, shopping for the food, beverages and tablecloths and paper supplies, manning the grill to cook burgers and such.

As in the past, we will have games like 50 yard dash,  relay races, ball games, sack race, 3-legged race, the awesome obstacle course and more!  Granbrook Park has tennis courts, a baseball diamond, horseshoe pits, playground, and a lovely large picnic pavilion for us to enjoy.  We will set up all the activities and let the kids roam at will.  Parents may need to help timing races or with directions at some of the games.  If anyone wants to bring basketballs for free-throw, or whiffle ball supplies, or tennis rackets and balls, that would be appreciated.  I will bring 2 sets of horseshoes for the pits.  There is a section of the Salmon Brook that runs along the back side of this park.  It has an inviting sandy beach area.  However, be advised, there are "Posted:  No Swimming" signs up.  You will need to supervise your own kids if they want to be by the brook.  I would recommend sneakers or watershoes/sandals for this park.  No activities will be planned near the brook.  (Although, the kids all congregate there anyway at some point.  :-)  Who can resist all that water and the critters to be found there?  :-)

We will have a barbecue picnic lunch.  We will supply the burgers and hot dogs and veggie-burgers and all the fixings, plus juice and water.  Please consider bringing a food item to share at the picnic, such as a salad or chips or dessert.  With each of us bringing a little something you don't have to make enough for an army.

RSVP by filling out the following registration (copy and paste it into an email) and emailing it to Chris Gorton at readabook2750@yahoo.com.  She will reply with where you can send payment.

I hope you can join us for a day that is devoted to pure and simple fun! 

  Kris McCue  

Field Day registration

1.  How many from your family will attend field day?

2.  How many of each of the following for your family:

     hamburgers             hot dogs             veggie burgers

3.  How many drinks for your family?

     water              juice boxes

     (This year I will bring large water jugs, gallons or larger.  There will be cups and pens for each to write their name on a            cup to reuse.  You can also bring your own water bottles from home and refill them as you need.)

4.  Will you bring a dish to share at the picnic?  Please tell if it will be a salad, or a dessert, or chips, etc...

5.  We need your email and phone number, in case we need to contact you regarding any changes to the plan.

6.  Can you help supervise a game, or bring any supplies such as balls and other sports equipment as mentioned in the announcement above?  We always need stopwatches so the kids can be timed at the various races and particularly the 50-yard dash.

Looking for Golf Lessons?

Passing this along from Holly Klein.......

Just wanted to let others know about this golf program in CT -  http://www.thefirstteeconnecticut.org/Club/Scripts/Home/home.asp?  The program is for ages 5 and up (3 different levels depending on age & skill), runs 7 weeks & costs $35 per child.  An incredible deal considering you are working with a golf pro in a small group lesson!  It is offered at many different locations around CT.  We had friends take these lessons last year with their young boys & they highly recommended the program. My 2 boys (ages 9 & 6) are taking the lessons Tuesdays, 4-5:20.  They offer these lessons Spring, Summer & Fall.  The lessons start this Saturday (or the following week, depending on the day you select). Hope this info is of some use to some of you looking for golf instruction!

Thanks- Holly Klein

Kidz Kare Drive

Passing this along.........

 Kidz Kare is an organization started by kids to help other
kids.  Each year, we hold a drive to collect items for children who are
living in homeless shelters and other children in need.  These children 

don't have many of the things they need and it is difficult for the shelters to provide
everything on their very limited budgets.  We try to bring children
some of the basics as well as art and school supplies. The shelters
send us wish lists of what the children need which we compile into a
larger list. We all photocopy this list and staple it on to plastic
grocery bags and leave them on the door of friends and neighbors. We

indicate a time in the next couple of weeks when we will return to
collect the filled bags.  We also collect from schools, churches, sports teams and
other community organizations.  Everyone who has collected items then
drops them off on a designated Saturday.  We sort these goods then deliver the
items to the shelters. For more information you can visit our website: www.kidzkare.org.

      Kidz Kare was started in 1999 and has grown each year to include hundreds of kids

helping.  We now help multiple organizations serving children in need in Connecticut.  Our

last drive, we also sent goods to a small village in Cambodia.

      We welcome children of all ages (we have had as young as 3 helping all the way up to college). 

We warmly welcome back those who have helped in the past in addition to those who want to get 

involved for the first time.  You can do as much or as little as you have time for.   In addition to 

knowing we are helping some kids who really need it, we always have a lot of fun.

      The first step in participating is to attend our annual planning meeting on April 8th at 

6:00 p.m. at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in West Hartford.  We will explain
everything and eat pizza and watch a movie.  If you have to miss this,
you can still participate by calling or emailing me and I will get you
everything you need.  Please RSVP for the planning meeting so we can
make sure to have enough pizza. Tickets for the planning meeting will
be $5 a person or $12 a family to defray the cost of the pizza.  Also,
if everyone attending the meeting could please bring a salad or
dessert to share. 

       Each year we have a Kidz Kare tshirt for sale .  It comes in two colors. Information 

about this year's t-shirts will be available soon; we're still ironing out the details.   We are 

hoping to have for the first time a fitted design for girls.This year at the meeting we will 

have some past years' shirts for sale as well.

      One final thing --  start saving your plastic bags.  We will have some to give you at
the meeting but you will need a lot.

      The dropoff will be April 30th, 2011, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
at St. Thomas the Apostle Church.  We will need volunteers to help
sort the goods received.  In addition to sorting, we have lots of fun at dropoff including

a lively soccer game and barbeque.  Food will be provided. 

      Feel free to give me (Caley Henderson) a call at (860) 233-6392 or my mom, Ann Walsh 

Henderson, at (860) 869-0513if you have any questions.

       Please RSVP for the planning meeting to Caley or Ann at
(860) 233-6392 or (860) 869-0513 or by email at Caleyhenderson@gmail.com or 

AnnWalshHenderson@gmail.com or you can RSVP at our website: www.kidzkare.org .
Please indicate how many people will be attending including the number
of adults and children.  Also, please let us know whether you will be
bringing a salad or dessert.  If you RSVP by phone, please be sure to
give us your email address as we will be communicating by email.

WHAT:  Kidz Kare Planning Meeting (with pizza and movie)
DATE:  April 8th, 2011
TIME:   6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m
PLACE: St. Thomas the Apostle Church
               872 Farmington Ave.
              West Hartford, CT 06119

RSVP:  Caley Henderson at  (860) 233-6392 or 

             Ann Walsh Henderson at (860) 869-0513

***PLEASE FOWARD THIS TO ANY AND ALL WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED***

Quassey Amusement Park Homeschool Day

To register go to:  https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?llr=7dv9qecab&oeidk=a07e3lah5qs50cacb4b&oseq=a02g6kglnz6x5j