What should be learned?

It seems fitting that after mentioning AP courses, I would bump into this article from 2006: Things You Really Need to Learn By Stephen Downes (August 30, 2006)

"Your school will try to teach you facts, which you'll need to pass the test but which are otherwise useless. In passing you may learn some useful skills, like literacy, which you should cultivate. Guy Kawasaki last week wrote an item describing 'ten things you should learn this school year' in which readers were advised to learn how to write five sentence emails, create powerpoint slides, and survive boring meetings. It was, to my view, advice on how to be a business toady. My view is that people are worth more than that, that pleasing your boss should be the least of your concerns, and that genuine learning means something more than how to succeed in a business environment."

Click for the rest...

Introduce a Girl To Engineering Day

The official day is 2/18 (for Engineering Week?)- but events may take place before, on or after.

Events are all over the USA, but the closest listed for many of us may be in Brooklyn.

PA homeschoolers goes interactive

Pennsylvania Homeschoolers (offers classes for those outside PA as well as support for those homeschooling in PA) has now begun the transition to a fully online and interactive magazine publication at www.pahomeschoolers.com which will replace their print magazine. The 1st first week of articles is up online now, and they think you’ll really enjoy reading and browsing. All articles are archived in easy to use categories, so you’ll always be able to find postings of special interest to you—so if you have a high schooler and you’re primarily interested in our AP Online classes or other topics related to teens, such as college admissions or scholarships, you’ll be able to quickly find that information. And if you have younger kids, or want ideas for different curricular areas or general encouragement or family organization ideas, you’ll be able to find those pieces, too.

And for this two weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day, they’re also have a ‘special’ of an additional series of articles to inspire you to help keep the sparks alive in your primary relationship with your spouse—something that can be a real challenge for busy homeschooling parents!

So far they have the following articles posted:

• An intro on why we are moving to an online format
• Writing clubs for homeschoolers—why to start one, and a sample assignment
• ‘The Great Paper Chase’ from Cassandra Frear, on a great way to tame the ‘paper monster’ in your home
• A parent’s view of PA Homeschoolers AP (Advanced Placement) Online classes
• How to sign up for AP exams for your homeschoolers—one mom’s saga
• New research from Dr. Gary Welton on homeschoolers and socialization

  You can also now subscribe via RSS feed – and of course the whole website magazine is free. There will be at least one new piece posted each week day. And you can also respond to any articles posted, at any time, sharing your thoughts and experiences—you’ll be a part of the learning and sharing here, and they look forward to hearing your voice, too!

Montclair HomeSchool Meetings

Monthly Get-togethers
The Montclair Public Library Youth Service Department hosts local Homeschooling Families once a month from October through May. These informal meetings will be held on the first Thursday of each month from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm in the Main Library's Auditorium on the first floor. Come network, share experiences, meet other homeschooling families, and learn about the Library.  Please bring your favorite board game to share with friends old and new.

Thursdays, February 3
March 3
April 7
May 5


All meetings will be held from 11 am to 1 pm in the Auditorium on the first floor of the Library.
For more information contact:
Enola Romano enola.romano@bccls.org 973-744-0500 ext. 2262 (voice mail) ext. 2284 (Mondays only) ext 2236 (Tuesdays - Fridays)

The Montclair Public Library is located at: 50 South Fullerton Montclair, NJ   07042 http://www.montclairlibrary.org

March at Old Strubrudge Village

Friday, March 5, Home School Day
Registration opens on February 5 for the next Home School Day, with a focus on maple sugaring.

"On Winter Home School Day we offer you and your children the opportunity to visit the Village and join in hands-on activiities and participatory programs. This is a great opportunity for children to gain exposure to many aspects of 1830s New England life in an interactive way.

On this Home School Day, learn about traditional winter work and play activities. See maple sugaring as it was done in the early 19th century. Learn about the history of maple sugaring from Molly Geet, an 1830s traditional Native American Doctress. Observe maple sugar being made and learn about how it was used in cooking."

They have a nice "explore and learn" section online whether or not you visit.

Also coming: Scout Days: Boy Scout Day, March 20; Girl Scout Day, March 27
Calling all Scouts! Online registration opens February 12 for Boy Scout Day, February 20 for Girl Scout Day. Got non-scouting siblings? Bring them, too!

Crafts - Ideas from Cub Scouts

String Art Circle (step one: cut wood, sand edges; measure & hammer nails...)
Toy Rubber Band Gun & target (may require scroll saw, band saw, jigsaw?)

Make Your Own Weather Station

Racks for pinewood derby cars:

• Two different styles
• step by step for one
  
• keep scrolling down for the picture at http://www.grampasworkshop.net/gerhartprj.html
• I love this stand - not sure how to make it one's self...
• love this one too, for multiple cars - but one should be able to figure it out...
  

neckerchief slide

• flapping owl
• wooden whistle
• http://www.e-scoutcraft.com/moving/weightlifter.html
  

websites I'm looking at now

JANUARY 2010 websites:

HTML question on browsers
>http://www.webdevelopersnotes.com/design/variability_in_web_page_displays.php3

Humanities

• More Latin classes online
  http://www.lonepineclassical.com/online_index.asp
• Reliable links for Roman Military History
  http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Periods/Roman/Topics/Warfare/home.html
• Course in March 2010: Leadership in the Medieval world
• Art, Music & Museum Resources
  

Math

• (new to me) Math program
  http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mep/default.htm
• cheaper way to get ALEKS Math
  http://www.tjedacademyandprepschool.com/shopping_cart/product_info.php?products_id=83

Steps of the Scientific Method
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentoring/project_scientific_method.shtml

TED lecture to view: Derek Sivers: Weird, or just different?
http://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_weird_or_just_different.html

What was this for?
http://www.criticalthinking.org/

Improve Working Memory -- to help all learning?
How-to-Improve-Working-Memory ?&id=468030
http://searchwarp.com/swa290347.htm

The Procrastinator's Guide to the Galaxy,
and Other Important Spots in the Universe (article) by D. Lovecky
http://www.grcne.com/procrast.html

Where is the TMBG Montclair concert for 2010?
http://www.facebook.com/notes/they-might-be-giants/hello-from-flansy-links-hot-links-and-ticket-links/284350457079


= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
JUNE 2008:
events listing I had not seen before:
http://search.dailyrecord.com/sp?skin=100&aff=1001&advanced=Search&catIds=109000

Service Projects: There are so many possibilities. Current question: How would we make a project self-sustaining?

There may be ideas at Ripple Kids. You can see ideas for the months at: http://www.ripplekids.com/email_blast.php?id=15 but to see more, one must register.

Simplifing, Cleaning, De-Cluttering: Many of these say the same things:
http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/content/0,21770,1020737,00.html
http://zenhabits.net/2007/02/keeping-stress-free-clean-house/

field trip quote (from ;leaping from the box blog "Occasionally the children and I will head out the driveway for places unknown. Someone just tells the driver "go right" and "turn left up ahead" and we see where we end up! Other times I'll hand one child the road map and tell them "We're going to ___ and it's your job to get us there. I don't care what route we take.""

Movies:
outdoor movies
Hulu
http://www.onlivingbylearning.com/2008/06/27/friday-find-hulu/

Kids "enrichment" & contests:
resource: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/
http://www.moems.org/
Sally Ride Toy Challenge
http://www.odysseyofthemind.com/
http://www.onlivingbylearning.com/2008/05/20/a-wish-for-students-imagination-in-action/

other homeschool blogs include:
(her son just entered "4th grade")
http://soaringmountainsacademy.wordpress.com/
http://lifewithoutschool.typepad.com/


Blog Tip
http://blogger-tricks.blogspot.com/2006/05/tip-how-to-make-permalink-more.html

Prufrock has a great annual clearance sale on books in May:
http://resources.prufrock.com/GiftedEducationBlog/tabid/56/Default.aspx

for teaching:
http://newsmanager.commpartners.com/nagc/issues/2008-12-17.html#5

real kids - real research
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2008/12/real-kids-real.html

MATH

NYC

• Children's Museum of Manhattan $10 admission
  http://www.cmom.org/exhibits/gmmpop2.html

shows

• at new vic
  http://www.newvictory.org/ -- what TomTom CLub is it...in June?
• http://www.theatermania.com/new-york/shows/tom-tom-club_145936/
  
• STOMP
  http://www.theatermania.com/new-york/discount-tickets/stomp_39/
• http://www.theatermania.com/new-york/discount-tickets/percussion-people_128017/
• 
  

Summer programs:
http://www.cee.org/
http://cty.jhu.edu/summer/catalogs/ys/yscatalog.html


tights for Greta:

• Lands End & check water shoes
  http://www.landsend.com/pp/MeshWaterShoes-78381_179640_1055.html?cm_mmc=Shopping_com-_-null-_-LIQ-_-
  
• http://www.bodenusa.com/en-us/Girls-Skirts/32216/Girls-Raw-Edge-Gypsy-Skirt.html?Add=358344
• Hannah
  http://www.hannaandersson.com/basket.asp?bguid=GLD600WER2L28JUS9W6VL0M49PXE5J5F

January conf
>http://www.heroesgifted.com/programs.html#jan09