SPLASH 2011

SPLASH at MIT - Do you want to take a class about...

- Design and Analysis of Roller Coasters
- Paradoxes of Democracy
- Fun with Fractals
- Aircraft Jet Engines
- How to Make a Pixar Movie
- The French Revolution
- Stage Fighting
...or any of 400 other awesome topics(*)?

Then you should come to MIT ESP's SPLASH! SPLASH offers a series of short classes and workshops like the ones listed above, and you can take up to 20 hours of classes. SPLASH takes place on November 19th and 20th at MIT in Cambridge, MA, and costs $30 for the entire program. Student lottery registration will open in late October; after the lottery is run, a first-come, first-served round of registration will open to fill any remaining empty spots. For middle & high school students. Homeschoolers must be at least 11 years old. It is always the weekend *before* Thanksgiving.

* - for more ideas about courses, check last year's online catalog.

You can find out more at http://esp.mit.edu/learn/Splash/index.html, or email them at splash@mit.edu.

Boston College Splash
This November, Boston College will also be opening its doors for its own Splash program. With a concentration on liberal arts, course topics will range from music to math, political science to computer science. BC Splash is a no-fee program designed to instill a sense of excitement in students about academia and have fun doing it! For more information, visit their website, https://bcsplash.learningu.org/. Registration will begin in early October.

(Madison's) Shakepeare Theatre Schedule

Shakespeare Theatre, NJ Fall 2011 - selected shows:

1) (7pm Monday evening) Play readings in the fall. Readings (not stagings) of plays, followed by discussion with the director. Tickets are $10 for students, $15 for adults.

• Sept 19, Eves of Ides (see above, although of course you can buy on your own!!)
• November 14th, The Winslow Boy

2) Something Wicked This Way Comes -- Monday, 10/24, 7:30 p.m.
$32/ticket. Readings from classic ghost and horror stories, accompanied by a theremin artist. Sold-out last year, buy tickets early.

3) Something Merry This Way Comes -- Monday, 12/12, 7:30 p.m.,
$32/ticket. Holiday readings, new this year on the heels of last year's successful Halloween event.

4) Student matinees. 10:30 a.m.on the following dates, $17/ticket. (2-3 hours, expect one intermission). (Optional) Q&A session with director and actors after the show.

Othello, September 21, 22(* above), 27 - 29
To Kill A Mockingbird, October 19 and 26; November 1-3, 8-10, 15-18
A Christmas Carol, December 7, 14, 15, 20(* above)

Shakespeare at Community Theatre of Randolph

*has anyone heard of this place before? I know we have Shakespeare fans...
Community Theatre of Randolph

"The Wars of the Roses: Henry VI, Part I" at Brundage Park Playhouse,
Sept. 30 through Oct. 9.* Talk about ambitious! This adaptation by The
Shakespeare Initiative combines "Henry VI Part I" with the first three
acts of "Part II." The Initiative promises drama on par with "Game of
Thrones" in this story of power, battles and politics as Henry tries to
maintain the power achieved by his father.

BrundageParkPlayhouse.org

Biology - middle & high school - week 1

We are looking at Quirks and Quarks Biology curriculum and McLeod Biology Assignments and some other things too. Real need to list the "other things". Again, a blog is not the right place for this!

Primary Texts:

• Exploring the Way Life Works: The Science of Biology (Mahlon Hoagland, Bert Dodson, Judy Hauck, 2001) (We started with The Way Life Works by Hoagland, Mahlon B.(1995) from the library -- but that is a different book and NOT just a different edition!)
  
• Biology: Concepts and Connections (Campbell, Mitchell, Reece)
• D.I.V.E. Biology (from the DIVE into Math folks)
• syllabus to use DIVE with Campbell & Reeves (online from DIVE)
  

Websites on "Scale" - add to the "week one" websites

• Gravity Wells (neat graphics - sense of scale, not directly related to biology!)
• Universe Scale (Extremeties of Space)
• Scale of the Universe
  
• Cell Size and Scale
• Not assigned: 20 minute video "How large is the universe?"
  

Parental assignment: Find microscope & clear space to call "lab table"
Then assign/do "microscope lab" from MacLeod's Biology: Week 1

ad: More from Horrible Ray

For books from these British children's educational series: Horrible Books, Del Sol Books, Galore Park Books, or the new Horrible Science magazines, Horrible Ray (a homeschooling dad who works for a bookseller) does at least quarterly orders. (He also sells Life of Fred book s- but check on the LOF website & see if there is a price difference it's a USA book)

Email Horrible Ray by midnight Sunday, August 28, 2011, for Late-September Delivery to you.

• Future Horrible Order Dates :
  November 13, 2011 for Mid-December delivery
  January 22, 2012 for Late-February delivery
  March 25, 2012 for Late-April delivery
  June 10, 2012 for Mid-July delivery
  August 26, 2012 for Late-September delivery
  November 11, 2012 for Mid-December delivery
  January 20, 2013 for Late-February delivery
  March 31, 2013 for Late-April delivery
  June 9, 2013 for Mid-July delivery
  August 25, 2013 for Late-September delivery
  November 10, 2013 for Mid-December delivery
  January 19, 2014 for Late-February delivery
  March 30, 2014 for Late-April delivery
  June 8, 2014 for Mid-July delivery
  August 24, 2014 for Late-September delivery
  November 9, 2014 for Mid-December delivery
  January 25, 2015 for Late-February delivery
  Dates subject to change Horribly.

• and books in stock too - so you might not have to wait!

He'll be accepting orders until midnight those days. You can see all of the gory details at : www.horriblebooks.com

20%-Off a 1.60 Exchange Rate 20%-Off Discount off the British Pound to US$ Exchange Rate of 1.60. So, if a Horrible Book is 5.99 British Pounds, the US$ price will be : $7.67 (5.99 x 1.6 x .8).

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We have not tried any Galore Park books (as far as I know) but Horrible Histories, Horrible Science and Murderous Maths books and magazines(!) have been gobbled up with joy in our house.

Dates subject to change Horribly.

My only relationship with Ray is as a happy customer.

Estimated Time of Your Horrible Arrival All of the Horrible Books and Magazines, Galore Park Books and the Life of Fred Books that are marked in yellow (In Stock) will be mailed to you immediately and you will receive them in about 1 Week. For everything else, I will be placing our Horrible UK Order the morning after our Sunday, August 28, 2011 Horrible UK Order, so Scholastic UK and Galore Park Books can begin packing up their respective books for the Saturday, September 10, 2011 Titanic Trip to the US. Then, barring any unforeseen events, I should have all of the Horrible Books in my hot little hands on Tuesday, September 13, 2011 and in the mail by Thursday, September 15, 2011 for Late-September Delivery to you.

A Field Trip List

I am no longer putting annual events in this list - check this month in the "annual" list below.

September 21, 22, 27, 28 and 29 , Othello, 10:30am. Shakespeare Theatre, Madison, NJ . Education Associate: Shayna Cooper, 36 Madison Avenue, Madison, NJ 07940. expect study guide. Recommended for grades 7 and up. Running time: 3 hours (approximate). Tickets $17 (one free adult ticket per 10 paid students) Reservations: call 973-408-3980 or e-mail

October 19 and 26, November 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17 and 18, To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee, Adapted by Christopher Sergel , 10:30am. Shakespeare Theatre, Madison, NJ. Education Associate: Shayna Cooper, 36 Madison Avenue, Madison, NJ 07940. expect study guide. Recommended for grades 6 and up. Running time: 2 hours, 10 minutes (approximate). Tickets $17 (one free adult ticket per 10 paid students) Reservations: call 973-408-3980 or e-mail

December 7, 14, 15 and 20, 2011 A Christmas Carol Adapted for the stage by Neil Bartlett, 10:30am. Shakespeare Theatre, Madison, NJ . Education Associate: Shayna Cooper, 36 Madison Avenue, Madison, NJ 07940. expect study guide, $17?, Reservations: call 973-408-3980 or e-mail

Tuesday, February 28, 2012 at 10 am /12:15 pm: Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, expect low price & study guide. "on school time" at Mayo Performing Arts in Morristown, NJ. For pricing and to reserve seats for Explorations programs, call Michael Dundon, Group Sales, at 973-539-0345 X 6517 or mdundon@mayoarts.org.

Monday, March 19, 2012 at 10 am: The Magic School Bus -- Live!, expect low price & study guide. "on school time" at Mayo Performing Arts in Morristown, NJ

Tue., March 20, 2012 at 10 am/12:15 pm; Wed., March 21 at 10 am: Mathemagic, expect low price & study guide. "on school time" at Mayo Performing Arts in Morristown, NJ. March 20 10am and 12:15pm is for grades 4-7. March 21 10am is for K-3. For pricing and to reserve seats for Explorations programs, call Michael Dundon, Group Sales, at 973-539-0345 X 6517 or mdundon@mayoarts.org

Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at 10 am: Stolen Moments: The First 100 Years of Jazz, expect low price & study guide. "on school time" at Mayo Performing Arts in Morristown, NJ. For pricing and to reserve seats for Explorations programs, call Michael Dundon, Group Sales, at 973-539-0345 X 6517 or mdundon@mayoarts.org.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 10 am: Butterfly: The Story of the Lifecycle, expect low price & study guide. "on school time" at Mayo Performing Arts in Morristown, NJ. For pricing and to reserve seats for Explorations programs, call Michael Dundon, Group Sales, at 973-539-0345 X 6517 or mdundon@mayoarts.org.

Thursday, May 3, 2012 at 10 am: The House on Pooh Corner, expect low price & study guide. "on school time" at Mayo Performing Arts in Morristown, NJ. For pricing and to reserve seats for Explorations programs, call Michael Dundon, Group Sales, at 973-539-0345 X 6517 or mdundon@mayoarts.org.

Monday, May 7, 2012 at 10 am: Of Mice and Men, expect low price & study guide. "on school time" at Mayo Performing Arts in Morristown, NJ. For pricing and to reserve seats for Explorations programs, call Michael Dundon, Group Sales, at 973-539-0345 X 6517 or mdundon@mayoarts.org.

During the year / annual events:

Monthly:

• Montclair Art Museum Homeschool days - check dates, RSVP to bbalsimelli@montclairartmuseum.org, 973-259-5136
• during the school year: Montclair Homeschool meetings at the public library moved to Thursdays.

1. Jan
2. Feb - late Feb into early march - Colonial Williamsburgh (VA) Home Educator Days / Homeschooler Experience. Fall focus is on government & politics & ... For more info, visit their site or read the flyer.
   
3. March
4. April - mid-April: National Park Week - free entrance at selected National Parks, plan your visit from here: http://www.nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htm )
5. May
6. June - June 21 -First day of summer - free entrance at selected National Parks, plan your visit from here: http://www.nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htm )
7. July
8. August
9. Sept -
   
• Colonial Williamsburgh (VA) Home Educator Days / Homeschooler Experience. Fall focus is on government & politics & ... For more info, visit their site or read the flyer. Next dates: September 10 - 25, 2011.
• September 24 -Public Lands Day - free entrance at selected National Parks, plan your visit from here: http://www.nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htm )
10. Oct
11. Nov -
    

• Veterans Day weekend - free entrance at selected National Parks, plan your visit from here: http://www.nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htm )
• SPLASH, weekend before Thanksgiving at MIT

1. Dec -
• first weekend usually has lots of events in Morristown & Museums open and maybe a bus between locations
• Historic Landing - "Geo Washington Reenactment" Christmas crossing & also an earlier in Dec. "dress rehearsal"
• Trenton’s Patriots’ Week celebration of Trenton’s role in the American Revolution (about December 26 - 31), tours, lectures, exhibits, all week. some free & some $. INcludes events like: At the Barrack's Museum, Trenton: Old Barracks Museum. Special Events "Patriot's Week" Located in downtown Trenton, next to the New Jersey State House, and is easily accessible. Parking information is provided by Trenton Downtown Association.