Community Blog

We loved the program KidPix, the old version that no longer works for our computer. So I was intrigued to see this software, Art Rage, starting at only $20.00. Apparently it’s easy to use, though best with a tablet and pen.

Read the review at Wired: http://www.wired.com/geekdad

For a simple web based fun to play art site, check out the games and activities at the National Gallery of Art website: http://www.nga.gov/kids/zone/paintbox.htm

There’s a great new program that just started this month and goes for one year — you can check out passes for lots of cool museums, including a zoo, children’s museums, Graue Mill, the arboretum, Oriental Institute and much more.

See the whole list and check if your library is participating here:
http://www.museumadventure.org

Many of the libraries where co-op families live are participating!

Members of the Schola Choir on Tour

Looking for an affordable way to incorporate music into your family’s life? Not everyone wants to play an instrument. Schola Choir is a high quality, affordable choir that’s also a music program.

The program administrator tells it better than I do, she writes:

The choir is a wonderful community, and the children make music with a lot of joy, while also receiving significant musical education. Rehearsals are lively and challenging — substantive but never staid. The choir sings in a variety of venues for community events and church services. In the spring, the more experienced choristers go on a 3-day tour, which is always tons of fun. The repertoire includes mostly sacred classical music, but also some music from a variety of world traditions. The children sing in many languages, and they learn theory and sight-singing. Church membership is not required and not pushed.

I am the administrator, and the conductor is Dr. Dennis Northway. Dennis (or Den-Den, as the kids call him) has an extensive background in conducting choirs for all ages, in addition to being a noted organist, composer, singer, and teacher. He loves the kids, and they love him. No audition is required, just a love of singing. The atmosphere is warm and accepting of all children.

We are committed to keeping the choir affordable for all families. If your child wants to sing, we will find a way! We depend on the church’s sponsorship, donations from Schola families who are able, and volunteer work by choir parents. We do charge a moderate administrative fee, and tour expenses are additional, but tuition is free, and scholarships are always available.

The choir rehearses on Wednesday afternoons during the school year at Grace Episcopal Church, 924 Lake Street, Oak Park. Younger and less experienced choristers rehearse from 3:30 to 5:00, and older or more experienced choristers rehearse from 4:00 to 5:30. (For the hour of overlap, they are all rehearsing together.)

I hope very much that you and your children will consider giving it a try. We would love to have you join us!

Questions? Contact the administrator, Randi: randi (symbol) woodworths.net

We loved this book! We used it to supplement our introductory study of ancient history. What we liked about this History Pockets was that it provided some very easy hands on projects to bring our study to life for my oldest (when she was younger).

The book explains how to set up your project “portfolio.” Each pocket in the portfolio focuses on a different ancient culture. You can do all the projects or choose the ones you prefer (we liked them all). As we completed a project, we displayed it for awhile in our family room and then later it would go into the corresponding pocket. By the end, my daughter had a wonderful book of memories which she would pull out and talk about just for fun. This was instant review, hitting the highlights of what we had studied.

I found it key to run off all the copies needed ahead of time and get any unusual supplies ahead, as well (I think we needed popsicle sticks and large construction paper in addition to “typical supplies” such as scissors, markers, and glue.) For me, having the whole thing ready to go makes all the difference in our really using it. We also found that there was too much coloring, so my daughter just colored certain aspects of projects and left the rest white. It still all looked fabulous! On the other hand, if your kids love coloring, coloring while listening to a book read aloud can work beautifully.

Check it out at Amazon where you can “look inside.”

Wondering where to get all the handy supplies for your lunch so you can reduce your use of plastic bags?

Here’s a link to a how-to for making your own. You can also find ready-mades to buy at etsy.com.

Here’s how to sew your own reusable snack bag, with downloadable pdf option: http://wewilsons.blogspot.com.

You can buy a sandwich wrap here: http://www.wrap-n-mat.com. You can also find the Wrap ‘n Mat locally, at Green Home Experts.

Here’s a helpful post on the topic: http://www.thekitchn.com.

Want to go waste-free and Japanese? There are lots of great bento ideas at Bento Yum. An affordable place to shop for bento supplies online is http://www.ichibankanusa.com.

One co-op mom has this terrific tip: need help carrying all those water bottles and your own travel mug for coffee or tea? The Trader Joe’s wine bottle tote is just the right size for your eco-friendly and healthy steel water bottles. And only 99 cents!

Have you seen these? A handy new item for transporting hot food. Perfect for avoiding microwave use, and a way to have a hot meal besides soup!

Here’s a book that is likely to be of interest to homeschoolers. You can get a copy of No Fear: Growing up in a risk averse society by Tim Gill, by downloading a pdf copy here:

http://www.gulbenkian.org.uk

via boing boing

Here are some learning websites for the littlest ones:

Starfall.com
Tumblebooks.com
Poissonrouge.com

For a longer list, with descriptions and info., check out Kids’ Central at healthy-family.org, where they are constantly trying out new sites and updating that page.

A guest post today from Leslie Contos:

Just put together a few resources together for geology for kids, and
thought I’d post here as well, in case someone else has an interest.

Have you taken him to the Field Museum to look at their collection of
gemstones and other geology related exhibits?
www.fieldmuseum.org/exhibits

We’ve used the Field Museum’s Harris Loans, fossil field trips, and
National Geographic Lectures with good success.
www.fieldmuseum.org/CalendarSystem

My son still loves Dave’s Down to Earth Rock Shop in Evanston. Make
sure to check out the basement too!
www.davesdowntoearthrockshop.com

The Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art in Elmhurst has some cool
stuff: www.lizzadromuseum.org/exhibits

Other Illinois Geology Museums
www.amfed.org

My son always loved the NASA education site links: here.

And interactive java applets are also high on the list of fun:
www.educypedia.be/education

If your child is a hands on kid, he or she will probably like to focus on labs:
www.sciencecourseware.org

Illinois Geological Survey
www.isgs.uiuc.edu

Geology Field trip sources:
http://geology.about.com/od/geology_il/Illinois_Geology.htm

I really loved participating in an archeological dig when I was in
high school and now the same place offers them for families with kids:
www.caa-archeology.org

Homeschool Buyers co-op has deals on Cyber Ed Earth & Space science.
Might be other geology type stuff as well:
www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org

Maybe your child would enjoy a geology club?
www.amfed.org

Spatulatta features videos with kids teaching kids to cook. This amazingly popular website has even resulted in a cookbook by the sisters. Check it out at: http://www.spatulatta.com.

Another site is for adults, but is aimed at total beginners: http://startcooking.com/blog.

Here are some resources for the important goal of teaching media and advertising savvy:

Don’t Buy It
pbskids.org/dontbuyit

AdBusters Magazine and Buy Nothing Day
adbusters.org/campaigns