Sunday, January 28, 2007

What: Homeschool Science Fair
When: Sunday, January 28 3 PM
Who: ALL HOMESCHOOLERS (preschool to teens and anyone in between)
Cost: None
Where: Jr. OUAM Hall in St Bernard (directions sent upon RSVP)
Number of participants: Limited to 36 children
RSVP to: Deanne
What to Bring: Your project and a dish to share (See * below)

Each child picks their own topic, creates their own hypothesis and presents their conclusion. How they present their project is completely up to them. They can bring the actual experiment, write a report (on the experiment), make a display board, a photo montage, a video. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination. The great thing about this opportunity is that any age child can participate and present their research to the best of their abilities. No competing! Certificates of participation (and possibly ribbons) will be given to each participant. The hall has plenty of electrical outlets so feel free to use one (or more)!

Projects can be set up from 3-3:30 PM at which time we will give each participant a chance to present their project to the group. At the conclusion of the presentations, certificates (and possibly ribbons) will be given to the participants. Similar events have run until about 5 PM in the past.

*Please bring a nut-free snack to share. No popcorn please! It might be fun to try to tie your treat to the subject of your science fair project, for example if you did can you predict volcanic eruptions as your project, a volcanic chocolate cake might be a great touch! Plates, silverware, drinks, cups, and napkins will be provided.

What is a Science Project?
1. Choose a problem to solve.
2. State your problem as a specific question.
3. Research your problem.
4. Form a hypothesis.
5. Plan your project.
6. Set up a time schedule.
7. Make a list of all the materials you will need.
8. Collect all your materials.
9. Conduct your experiments, several times.
10. Record the data.
11. Organize the data in a more orderly form.
12. Draw conclusions from the data.
13. Prepare your report, graphs, drawings, and diagrams.
14. Construct your science fair display.

What is not a Science Project?
1. a collection of related or unrelated objects
2. a list of things
3. a report not supported by data or an experiment
4. a model, illustration, or piece of equipment unrelated to an experiment

Here are a couple of links you might want to check out:
http://school.discovery.com/sciencefaircentral/scifairstudio/handbook/scientificmethod.html

http://www.elmers.com/sciencefair/index.asp

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/science/logic.htm

What GREAT fun! 17 kids showed up with projects (the count would have been higher if 4 of the Riesenberg kids hadn't had previous commitments....the science fair was postponed from last weekend). Another family came (and brought some delicious bread) just to look at the projects. The kids were SO PROUD to present their projects.

Grant did his project on dice and probability. Poor Jacob tried 3 different projects with yeast and could only get one to work (and it only worked a little, not the dramatic results we had hoped for!). But he then conducted a project about why you shouldn't buy dented cans and it worked PERFECTLY! Sophie did a project about polymers (she made slime) and Will was her trusted assistant!

Here is the report from Grant's project:
Abstract
Why I chose this project is I wanted to know what are the most common sums of 2 dice. How Idid this was I rolled 2 dice and found out the most common sums. Why I picked this kind of a project is because math is fun.

Hypothesis
I think 7s are going to come up the most often as the sum. I think the number 12 will come up the least.

Materials
1) Data sheets
2) 2 dice
3) A table
4) A pencil or pen

Procedure
1) I rolled the dice
2) I recorded the sum of the digits
3) I repeated that 200 times
4) I graphed the results

Purpose
To figure out what are the most common sums of 2 dice.

Research
What is probability?Probability is a kind of math that deals with the laws of chance. It is used to predict the mostlikely outcome of uncertain events. Such as A is more probable than B. Or that getting a king ofspades in a normal deck of cards is less probable than getting a ace or a queen of spades which meansyou will have a better chance of getting a queen or an ace than of getting a king (meaning if I wanteda queen or an ace, and either one would do, I would have more of a chance of getting one or the othermore than a king). Or say I needed a 3, 4, 5, or a 6 to win my dice rolling game, but if I got a 1 or a2 I would lose. What’s the probability of getting a 3,4, 5, or a 6? It’s 4/6, because out of 6 possibilities,4 of them are winners, and it's only 2/6 of getting a 1 or a 2 because only 2 of the 6 possibilities arelosers.

Where is Probability used?It is used in insurance and also in physics. Insurance companies have to use it to calculate howmuch they charge their customers. How they do it is if they calculate that a car has a 10% chance ofgetting wrecked then they charge 10 people 1/10 of the value of the car so they can pay for the one carthat gets wrecked. It’s also used in predicting the weather. They use probability to tell us what wouldprobably happen tomorrow and next week. Such as what is the chance of snow on Tuesday?

How long it took to do the Experiment
I rolled 2 dice and I think that is the perfect number of dice to roll if you’re doing this experiment. For me it took about30 minutes. I rolled dice 200 times. If you do it twice compare the results, see how close they are, and if you totally got weirdresults you might have done something wrong.

Possibilities with 2 dice
There are 36 possibilities with 2 dice. They are: 1 and 1, 1 and 2, 1 and 3, 1 and 4, 1 and 5, 1 and6, 2 and 1, 2 and 2, 2 and 3, 2 and 4, 2 and 5, 2 and 6, 3 and 1, 3 and 2, 3 and 3, 3 and 4, 3 and 5,3 and 6, 4 and 1, 4 and 2, 4 and 3, 4 and 4, 4 and 5, 4 and 6, 5 and 1, 5 and 2, 5 and 3, 5 and 4,5 and 5, 5 and 6, 6 and 1, 6 and 2, 6 and 3, 6 and 4, 6 and 5, and 6 and 6. And there are fewer sumsthan possibilities. The sums are, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12. There are only 11 sums.

Predict Probability?
You can calculate probability and probability can be used to predict events. How probabilitypredicts is it gives you a general view of what might happen. Like if I wanted to know what theweather is going to be like tomorrow, I could watch the Weather Channel to see what might happen,or I could look at the newspaper in the morning. Each uses probability to get what it might betomorrow. A way they do this is they use old records to find out what it was like this time of year lastyear. Also they send up little weather balloons that go really high in the sky and report on things liketemperature, humidity, and wind speed. In fact if I am correct 200 weather balloons go up everyhour. Satellites also send down reports that are used to calculate the probability of the kind of weather.

How do you test out probability?
A couple simple ways of testing probability are flipping a coin, rolling dice, or picking from ahand of cards. I’ll show you how to do the dice experiment. How you would do it is get a die and rollit 100 or 200 times. What’s the probability of getting a 6 on the die any time you roll it? It’s 1/6 justlike for 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, because there are six sides on the die and each one is equally likely to come up.

How many Sums?
How many sums of 5 are possible with 2 dice? 1 plus 4, 2+3, 4+1, and 3+2 are the four ways toget five. Although 4+1 and 1+4 look the same, as well as 2+3 and 3+2, they are still 2 differentpossibilities.

Observations and Results
Of the possible combinations there are 36 possibilities as shown in the chart below. Howeverthere are only 11 sums, because there is more than one way to get some of the sums. So the probabilityof getting a 2 is 1/36 because as shown in the chart below there’s only 1 combination that adds up to2. But the probability of getting a 3 is 2/36 because there are 2 different combinatons that add up to3. In this way, by counting how many times a sum is shown on the chart, and dividing by 36, youcan find the probability of getting that sum. So the probability of getting a 2 is 1/36 (2.8%), 3=2/36(5.6%), 4=3/36 (8.3%), 5=4/36 (11.1%), 6=5/36 (13.8%), 7=6/36 (16.7%), 8=5/36 (13.8%), 9=4/36(11.1%), 10=3/36 (8.3%), 11=2/36 (5.6%), and 12=1/36 (2.8%). The sum of all the probabilities is 1 or100%. It is 100% because you have to get something on the chart!

I rolled the dice 200 times. I got the following data for the different sums, which is shown on thegraph. I got a sum of two 6 times (3%), a sum of three 10 times (5%), a sum of four 12 times(6%), a sum of five 22 times (11%), a sum of six 25 times (12.5%), a sum of seven 44 times (22%), a sumof eight 20 times (10%), a sum of nine 20 times (10%), a sum of ten 29 times (14.5%), a sum of eleven 8 times(4%), and a sum of twelve 4 times (2%).

Conclusion
I concluded that my hypothesis was right. 7s came up the most. I was right on the part that 12s would come up the least. Also 2s, 3s, 10s and 11s did not come up not very many times.

I decided to take the project one step further and tried it with 2 20-sided dice. I guessed that 20 would come up the most and I was right.
Architecture by Children Program:

Melodie wrote: On Wednesday January 31 from 10:30-12 , I wanted to cover the basics on the first few handouts... water, garbage, reusing materials, that kind of stuff. Basically an overview of Phase 1. There are all kinds of experiments and activities listed. Most of them are fairly simple and don't take up much time. I will ask that anyone who would like to, that they can do one of the activities that from the papers, and document the results to share with the group on Wednesday. Please let me know if you are interested in doing an experiment so I can make sure we have them all covered for the class. We will brainstorm on all kinds of ideas for the projects. We will spend some time discussing what would be green (or not) about our brainstorming. What would work the best (or not) and why.

February 12th (this is a Monday)we will meet again, same time same place. I picked this date so we will be fresh from the Green House Trip, the Architect Visit, and the Imago Center Caretakers Class the week before for any of us that are attending some or all three of these events related to this ABC Architecture Program. Since our projects will already be underway, I am going to be focusing more on Cincinnati, the surrounding locations and how they can incorporate the needs of the city into their project. I have ordered the book ArchiGames(50 Activities to Build Creative Thinkers) recommended by the ABC Resource List. Hopefully it will be in by this time and we can utilize it in the group, as well.

The last day will be February 21st. Since we are close to the date of the ABC Architecture Fair we will close this program discussing what we have done and why. What changes we have made throughout the process. How we feel that our own project fits into Cincinnati. And for those of us that are still working on our projects, we will be putting the finishing touches on our ideas.

I would like to say that I feel the curriculum for this year's ABC architecture project is geared more toward the older kids (middle school and up maybe?) And I am gearing the work I do with my kids toward that age group as well. The younger kids may not find this stuff interesting and fun. In my opinion (and since my boys will be each paired up with a younger sister for the project) my girls are not old enough for this. I will get a movie for them to watch or they can engage in quiet play while I am working with the older kids. All of the young kids are welcome to watch the movie or also engage in quiet play if they are not interested in the group discussion.

Let me know if your kids are interested in coming over and working with us. We would love the company.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Bread Recipe from a friend:

a.d.'s Zucchini Bread
3 eggs
1/2 c. oil (I used a light olive oil)
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. applesauce
2 c. zucchini - coarsely shredded & firmly packed
1 c. shredded carrots
8 oz. crushed pineapple, drained
2 cup flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. nutmeg, ground
1 1/2 c. dried cranberries, raisins, cherries (whatever mixture ofdried fruits appeals to you)
1 c. cashews, broken

Prepare 2 loaf pans by either lining along long sides and bottom &light coating of cooking spray on short ends, or by the grease & flour method. I do the first.Bakes in preheated 350^ oven.Beat eggs, oil, applesauce, sugar, and vanilla together until wellmixed. Stir in by hand: zucchini, carrots, pineapple.In separate bowl, sift (I just sprinkle everything else over the flourin a bowl w/the spices on top & stir & flip til the color is even)flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder & spices.Mix dry ingredients into zucchini batter until just blended. Don'toverdo it. Gently stir in the dried fruits and nuts.Pour into two prepared pans. Bake for approx. 1 hr. Doneness can be determined by toothpick test or when the top cracks and is no longermoist.The slices are moist, colorful, tasty, and hold together well w/ofalling apart. I bet you could replace the applesauce w/smashedbananas w/o problem. My homemade applesauce is slightly tart. (Well,it's actually cherry applesauce, applesauce w/cherries blended in.)The original pineapple/zucchini bread recipe that I started outw/called for 1 c. of oil and 2 c. sugar. I reduced the oil by usingapplesauce & cut the sugar because the dried fruit & carrots don't need to be drowned by that much sugar.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

4-H Dog Clinic:

January 24th - Open House, 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Dog Clinic, 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. (1st year ONLY, parent mandatory)

Hannah was eager to learn about what types of dog projects 4-H offers as this is the first year she has had a dog! The woman that coordinates the program seems nice enough on the surface, but a few things she said didn't seem to sit right with Hannah. Hannah is going to do some more research and see if she really wants to do any of the projects with Louie.

The thing that struck us a the most odd, was her saying Louie was overweight. According to our vet, he still has about 10 lbs to gain, before he will reach full size. Yes, he isn't the typical scrawny American Boxer, he is from a German bloodline and BIG, but solid muscle, not an ounce of fat. For this woman to tell Hannah that he needed to loss 10 lbs, at least, because he was "too big" for a boxer makes us wonder if she knows what she is talking about. Her comment that he was "bigger than her golden retriver" makes about as much sense as her saying "your apple is bigger than my orange"...comparing two dogs of different breeds, with different builds doesn't make any sense.

Since she is the one who does all the training, that didn't start things off on a good foot. She was hard on Hannah the entire night (but not anyone else, including the people whose dogs were walking them or whose dogs pooped all over the floor) but I suspect it is because she realizes that Hannah is the most likely the win the category because with minimal training Louie does so well.

Who knows...we have 3 weeks until the next meeting.....

Thursday, January 11, 2007

I was looking for something this morning and came across something I had written about 5 years ago. Thought I would share it. I tweaked it a bit, a better reflection of where we stand now.

Now when many people think of homeschooling, they think of traditional school at home, where the children are pouring over textbooks and mom is standing over them teaching from some preset lesson plan. That was what I envisioned before we ever embarked on our homeschooling journey over 6 years ago. At the other end of the homeschooling spectrum there are those who unschool or, better put, believe in child-led, interest driven life learning. Unlike the image the word unschooling conjures in many people's minds, it is not children running wild all day (although it happens on occassion!) , eating ice cream for dinner (well, only if they didn't eat it for breakfast and lunch too!), watching TV until all hours of the night (turn the volume down, dad's asleep, and move over so I can have some room on the couch) and not being able to read when they are 12 years old (Grant mastered this on his own at 10!). It is parents and children working together to explore their interests. It is hands on learning. Through our homeschooling adventures we have evolved from traditional school at home (which lasted a week ...the end marked by the 9-11 tragedy....and drug into a month of more relaxed school at home) to a much more relaxed unschooling family.

As I tell the district each year, we strive to have a curriculum that is interest driven; that is, based on the interests of our children (and whose to say that baseball or dance can't be as much of a teaching moment as reading a geography book?). With our gentle guidance (read this as hands off, no pushing from mom or dad) our children choose what, when, and in what manner they learn. We want them to be active participants in their learning, not passive receivers. It is our belief that through this process our children's self-esteem will be preserved, they will value learning, and they will be empowered to make decisions that are best for themselves throughout their lives. We believe that the most developmentally appropriate curriculum for them is one based on their interests and needs. We feel we need to be flexible enough to change as they change. Because children do not naturally divide the world into subject areas (language, math, art, etc.), our curriculum is inherently integrated. Our children may pursue their interests as in-depthas they desire and for as long as they remain interested (hours to months). We find that one interest will lead naturally to another or that manycohesive interests may be pursued simultaneously. We encourage them to set goals and follow them.

So you are now sitting here reading this and scratching your head wondering how in the heck we know if our children are learning anything. We know theyare learning because they show us and tell us they are. We know they are learning because they can tell you about the things they have been exposed to. How can you doubt they are learning geography when they take plastic planes and fly them across the map hanging on the wall and tell you the names of the places the plane visits or when they can pinpoint the city that each major league baseball team plays in? How can you doubt that they understand animals and their habitats as they walk quietly through the woods, gently flipping overlogs and rocks in the hope that they will see a family of salamanders? A visit to a pioneer village with frontier re-enactors sticks with my children much longer than any chapter in a history book, and when my young child relays to my husband that the "man weared no shoes" I know that at least something from our outing has stuck with him (for those of you who don'tknow, because I certainly didn't until I went to the re-enactment, pioneers in the Ohio area rarely wore shoes because they were too time consuming to repair each day. It was much easier to go barefoot than to spend your evening mending your animal hide shoes). I have learned more hands on with my children than I ever learned as a child sitting in a classroom, this coming from a woman who graduated from high school with a 4.0 GPA and in the top 5% of her class. I read books because I was told to but retained little of their essence, memorized formulas for tests but since they were never related to anything in the "real" world, I quickly forgot them. The only things I remember well where those things I touched, enteracted with (like on the rare fieldtrip) or actively participated in (like the Havard Model UN). Why for one minute, would I assume my children would be any different.

Given our philosophy on learning, it is probably easy to understand that we don't believe in tests. If I want to know if my children have learned and mastered a concept I do not need a piece of paper to prove it to me. I can ask them, I can watch them. Unlike a teacher in a traditional classroom that needs to use a test to gauge if her entire class (or most likely half of her class) has learned the concept she has presented,I am afforded the luxury of being able to see, one on one, that mastery has taken place. So in the life of an unschooled child, testing holds no meaning.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Live and Learn Unschooling Conference:

http://www.liveandlearnconference.org/index.html

The prices aren't up yet, but this looks like it could be so much fun......according to mapquest, it would be a 6 1/2 hour drive from my house to the conference. Wonder how hard it would be to make the trip with the kids? I don't think Jay would go for 5 days with unschoolers he doesn't know! I am on an email list with many of the families hosting workshops and they seem so wonderful.
Great Deal at the Newport Aquarium

So I was looking into field trip ideas and I went to the Newport Aquarium's website. Can't say I have a burning desire to do this, but the current special might make it worth is, especially since Cade wants to go, he has wanted to see that sharkray since they got it..

Here's the deal! 2 kids get in free with one paying adult Jan 7-Mar 4.

Newport, KY – The winter months in Cincinnati can be cold, dreary and downright boring, but the Newport Aquarium’s Winter Family Hours can perk up your dull winter routine. From January 7th through March 4th, two kids (ages twelve and under) get in FREE with each adult paying full price.And new this year: Each kid will get a voucher for a FREE Kid’s Meal from participating Bob Evans Restaurants.*This offer will be valid all day, every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. There are no coupons to cut and strollers are welcome during this event.

General Admission Pricing
$17.95 Adults
$15.95 Seniors (65+)
$10.95 Children (ages 3 through 12)
Children 2 and under are admitted free

From what I read, the school rate is $6 for anyone 3 years old thru grade 8, $7 for 9th thru 12th grade, $12 for adults.....For me, that comes out to be $62. So, using buy one adult get 2 kids free, I can buy tickets for me, Brett and Hannah for $53.85 and get everyone in. Certainly not a cheap day, but better than paying full price!
Places to visit in and around Cincinnati:
Cincinnati Museum Center: http://cincymuseum.org/ 1301 Western AvenueCincinnati, OH 45203(513) 287-7000(800) 733-2077 (toll free)Museum Hours: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Heritage Village Museum at Sharon Woods: http://www.heritagevillagecincinnati.org/

Cincinnati Recreation Commission: http://www.cincyrec.org/CRC currently has 31 recreation centers, 41 swimming pools, over 2,500 acres of outdoor athletic and playground facilities, tennis attractions, seven premiere golf courses, athletic leagues, seniors' programs, therapeutic programs, before-and-after school programs, summer day camps, and special public events on the Waterfront and around the city. Check out their facilities for classes and open gym times. Most centers are willing to work with homeschoolers to set up classes.

Cincinnati Nature Center: http://www.cincynature.org/CNC is a willing to set up programs for homeschoolers. The trails are also available for hiking with daily admission. No food may be brought onto the property.

Hamilton County Parks:http://www.greatparks.org/Hamilton County Parks are a wonderful resource. They will set up programs for homeschooler (contact the naturalist, usually a minimum of 10 students required) and regularly offer educational programs throughout the year. The parks are great for play and hiking. Great place to set up a park day and invite other homeschoolers to join you. Yearly permit required ($5)

Clermont County Parks: http://www.clermontcountyohio.gov/parks/default.htmAnother park district willing to work with homeschoolers. Contact naturalist about setting up programs or check out the schedule of already existing programs. There is no admission fee for these parks.

Cincinnati Parks: http://www.cinci-parks.org/ or go to http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/cityparks/pages/-4417-/ for Nature programs. Cincinnati Parks regularly offer programs for homeschoolers call "Habitiat for Homeschoolers". Preregistration required for most programs.

Cincinnati Art Museum: http://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.com/Offer programs for youth and adults. Willing to set up tours.

Ohio Historical Society: http://www.ohiohistory.org/ Sites in SW Ohio include Fort Jefferson, Dunbar House,Miamisburg Mound, National Afro-American Museum, Glendower, Fort Ancient, Harrison Tomb , Stowe House,Grant Birthplace, Grant Boyhood Home, Grant Schoolhouse, Rankin House, Davis Memorial, Serpent Mound, Fort Hill, Seip Mound, Adena, Story Mound. Be sure to call ahead as hours and days of operation vary.

Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County: http://www.cincinnatilibrary.org/

Clermont County Public Library: http://www.clermont.lib.oh.us/

Kenton County Public Library: http://www.kenton.lib.ky.us/

Campbell County Public Library: http://www.cc-pl.org/

Kenton County Parks (Kentucky): http://www.kentoncounty.org/departments/recreation/index.html be sure to check out their Wild Wednesday Program (offered May through September). They even offer free lunches during some of the Wild Wednesday programs.

Five Rivers Metro Parks (Dayton): http://www.metroparks.org/
Offer programs for homeschoolers throughout the school year. (http://www.metroparks.org/_home/eventResultsHomeSchool.aspx)

Sunwatch Village: http://www.sunwatch.org/

Contemporary Art Center: http://www.contemporaryartscenter.org/6th and Walnut Streets.Downtown Cincinnati, Ohio513-345-8400Hours:Monday: 10 am-9 pm (5 pm-9 pm free admission), Tuesday: Closed, Wednesday - Friday: 10 am-6 pm, Saturday & Sunday: 11 am-6 pm
Will set up free educational tours for groups. The sixth floor, Unmuseum, is wonderful for toddlers and young school aged children and include a hands on activity at the conclusion of the tour.

Taft Museum: http://www.taftmuseum.org/316 Pike Street at the east end of Fourth Street, across from Lytle Park, in downtown Cincinnati. Parking garage available onsite.

Imago Earth Center: http://www.imagoearth.org/700 Enright AvenueCincinnati, OH 45205(513) 921.5124Will set up educational programs for a fee

Cincinnati Fire Museum: http://www.cincyfiremuseum.com/The Cincinnati Fire Museum is located at 315 West Court Street near Plum in downtown Cincinnati. Hours now through December 31, 2006:Tuesday through Fridays, 10AM-4PMSaturday & Sunday Noon - 4PMClosed Holidays Great place to visit in October for Fire Safety Month.

Newport Aquarium: http://www.newportaquarium.com/Open 365 days a year, Standard Hours daily: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.Located at Newport on the Levee, just minutes from downtown Cincinnati

Young's Jersey Dairy Farm: http://www.youngsdairy.com/Located in Yellow Springs, OH

Greater Cincinnati Historical Police Museum http://www.gcphs.com/959 W. 8th St.Cincinnati, Ohio 45203Telephone : (513) 300-3664Open Tues, Thurs and Sat from 10 AM to 4 PM Admission is free!

Greenacres Foundation http://www.green-acres.org/8255 Spooky HollowCincinnati, Ohio 45242513-891-42278:30 AM to 5:00 PM M-FWill set up free educational programs for groups of 10 or more

Boonshoft Museum of Discovery http://www.boonshoftmuseum.org/
2600 DeWeese ParkwayDayton, OH 45414937-275-7431Great hands on museum that offers free admission to those who have a membership the the Cincinnati Museum Center. They also offer special classes for homeschoolers throught the year (http://64.38.58.151/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=92)
Metroparks of Butler County http://butlercountymetroparks.org/Motor Vehicle Permits are required in all parks in the MetroParks of Butler County system. Permits can be purchased from park staff at the parks or in advance from the Administrative Headquarters during office hours or by mail. Annual non-transferrable stickers sell for $5 each. Will set up programs in the parks for $4 per student.

US Airforce Museum www.wpafb.af.mil/museum

Kids Love Travel Series http://www.kidslovetravel.com/
Great books for planning fields in and around the surrounding states. Best-selling family travel guides available for: Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee & Virginia (includes Washington, DC).

Factory Tours USA http://factorytoursusa.com/index.asp great resource for setting up factory tours in and around the Cincinnati area.
Store/Businesses that offer disounts to homeschoolers:
B. Dalton Books
Barnes and Noble
Blue Marble Bookstore (Ft. Thomas, KY)
Borders http://www.borders.com
Half Price books
Holcomb's teacher store
JoAnn's Fabrics and Crafts (10% discount card)
John R. Green's (teacher discount card)
Joseph Beth Booksellers http://www.josephbeth.com/
Waldenbooks

Anyone know of any others? Post them in the comment section and I will add them!
Art Classes for homeschoolers:

Baker Hunt: http://www.bakerhunt.com/
Offers art classes for homeschoolers

Wyoming Fine Arts Center: http://www.wyomingfinearts.org

Carnegie Visual Arts 1028 Scott Blvd Covington http://www.carnegiearts.org
4-H is a huge part of our lives and a great resource for homeschooling families!

http://www.ohio4h.org/ There are numerous existing clubs in the greater Cincinnati area composed mostly (or totally) of homeschooling families. Contact your local extension office for more information.

Clermont County: http://clermont.osu.edu/4h_youth_development or
Kate Gross Gross.227@osu.edu
1000 Locust St.P.O. Box 670Owensville, Ohio 45160Phone: (513) 732-7070

Hamilton County: http://hamilton.osu.edu/4-h.htm or
Keebler HolleyExtension Educatorholley.20@osu.edu
110 Boggs Lane, Suite 315Cincinnati, Ohio 45246-3145Phone: (513) 946-8989

Butler County: http://butler.osu.edu/
Warren County: http://butler.osu.edu/
Brown County: http://brown.osu.edu/

For info on 4-H in Kentucky: http://www.ca.uky.edu/agcollege/4h/
Cultural Resources in and around Cincinnati:
Calico Theatre (UC Clermont) http://www.clc.uc.edu/calico_theatre_calendar.asp

Children's Theatre http://www.thechildrenstheatre.com/

Cincinnati Arts Association www.cincinnatiarts.org/education/schooltime

Cincinnati Ballet www.cincinnatiballet.com

Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park www.cincyplay.com

Cincinnati Sharkespeare Festival www.cincyshakes.com

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra www.cincinnatisymphony.org/events/family.asp

Madcap Productions Puppet Theatre www.madcappuppets.com

Ohio Renaissance Festival www.renfestival.com

Techumseh! www.tecumsehdrama.com

UC Raymond Walters College www.rwc.uc/edu.community/art_cultural.htm

Victoria Theatre www.victoriatheatre.com
Field Trip Ideas in and around Cincinnati:

Turpin Farms Pumpkin Farm/Corn Maize http://www.turpinfarms.com/
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Krohn Conservatory http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/cityparks/pages/-3452-/
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Noah's Ark Petting Zoo http://www.noahsarkfarmzoo.com/
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Red's Hall of Fame museum and/or Great American Ball Park http://reds.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/cin/ballpark/museum/index.jsp

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Cincinnati Zoo - www.cincinnatizoo.org
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Cincinnati Water Works: 624-5651
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BB Riverboats : http://www.bbriverboats.com/
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Educational Raft Rides:
Morgan's Ft. Ancient Canoe Livery 899-2166 http://www.morganscanoe.com/ftancient/
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Loveland Canoe - 683-4611
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Bengals Stadium Tour - 621-3550
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SunRock Farm - http://sunrockfarm.org/
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Jungle Jim's - 674-6023 http://www.junglejims.com/
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Loveland Castle - http://www.lovelandcastle.com
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TV Station - Channel 48- 381-4033
Channel 19-772-1919
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Union Township Fire Department /WaterTower: http://www.union-township.oh.us/fire/index.aspx
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Dayton Daily News - 937-225-7412 Daytondailynews.com
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Perfect North Slopes - www.perfectnorth.com
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Big Bone Lick State Park: 800-255-7275 http://parks.ky.gov/stateparks/bb/index.htm
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Row Arboretum -
http://www.ci.indian-hill.oh.us/departments/rowe.html
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Civic Garden Center - http://www.civicgardencenter.org
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Pottery Class/ Tour: Annie's Mud Pie Shop
871-CLAY
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AIA - ABC Architecture by Children Program
www.architecturebychildren.com
www.aiacincinnati.org
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Childrens Theatre - 569-8080 www.thechildrenstheatre.com/
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Playhouse in the Park- 345-2242 or 421-3888 www.cincyplay.com/
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Renaissance Festival: 897-7000 www.renfestival.com
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Cincinnati Observatory Center: 321-5186
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Louisville Slugger Museum: 502-588-7228 www.sluggermuseum.org (Louisville, KY)
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Anthony Thomas Candy: www.Anthony-thomas.com
(Columbus, OH)
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American Whistle Tour: www.americanwhistle.com (Columbus, OH)
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UDF - 1-800-833-9911 http://www.udfinc.com/ (Norwood, OH)
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Kentucky Down Under:
http://www.kentuckydownunder.com/
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Danbarry Theaters:
http://www.danbarry.com/ will do behind the scenes tour
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Fire station: Contact your local fire station using the non emergency number listed in the telephone book. Remember that October is Fire Safety Month.
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Police Station: Contact your local policy station using the non emergency number listed in the telephone book
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National Underground Freedom Center: http://www.freedomcenter.org/
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Kentucky Horse Park: http://www.kyhorsepark.com/
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Wendell August Forgery Tour: http://wendellaugust.com/tour.asp
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Mammoth Cave: http://www.nps.gov/maca/

Monday, January 01, 2007

Positive Unschooling Article:

OK, let's face it, mainstream media view unschoolers as freaks....amazing to find a positive unschooling article in a mainstream newspaper!

http://www.suntimes.com/news/education/184566,CST-NWS-unskul24.article