SONORAN DESERT HOMESCHOOLERS
Tucson, Arizona
October 2000 Newsletter
MISSION STATEMENT
Sonoran Desert Homeschoolers is an open, not-for-profit home education network, providing social and creative outlets for homeschooling families. We are not devoted to any one homeschooling approach, political platform, religious outlook, or philosophical ideal. Our homeschooling community supports all families, regardless of their personal lifestyle or educational choices in the area of home education. Our motto is "Hohzo," a Navajo word meaning "harmony" or "walking in beauty or
friendship."
**PLEASE NOTE** Park meetings begin at 9:30 AM. **PLEASE NOTE**
OCTOBER 2000 CALENDAR
(check below for related articles)
Tuesday, Oct. 3 --- PRE-TEEN GROUP
Tuesday, Oct. 3 --- CLOTHING EXCHANGE
Tuesday, Oct. 3 --- PROJECT REPORT CLUB
Tuesday, Oct. 10, 8:45 AM --- EARLY READERS GROUP
Tuesday, Oct. 10, 8:45 AM --- MIDDLE READING GROUP
Wednesday, Oct. 11, 7 PM --- PARENTS' MEETING
Thursday, Oct. 12, 7 PM --- EASTSIDE PARENTS MEETING
Tuesday, Oct. 24 --- DEADLINE FOR ALL OCTOBER NEWSLETTER ARTICLES
Tuesday, Oct. 24, 8:45 AM --- EARLY READERS GROUP
Tuesday, Oct. 24, 8:45 AM --- MIDDLE READING GROUP
Wednesday, Oct. 25, 7 PM --- CRAFTY LADIES
Tuesday, Oct. 31 --- HALLOWEEN POTLUCK
ARTICLES
CLOTHING EXCHANGE
Join us under the ramada after announcements for the Second SDH Clothing
Exchange. If you have any clothing or linens that you don't need, just drop them off at the ramada (we are especially looking for cold-weather items). If you have nothing to swap, don't worry. There are no requirements for participating .We will have clothing for infants, girls, boys, women and men, plus household items like sheets, pillowcases, etc. If you see something that looks appealing, please take it home with
you. Everything is free of charge! So be sure to stop by and find some surprises!
(All items remaining after the meeting will be donated to Tucson Shalom House.)
RECREATIONAL/P.E. SWIMMING
Once again, Ft. Lowell Pool is allowing us to use their facilities on Tuesday morning. Beginning October 3rd, 11:00-11:45, we will have a recreational/P.E.-type swimming session that will run for several weeks (tba). Parents are invited to swim with their
children.You can bring pool toys, but we are responsible for keeping track of them. Bring your own towels, etc. Also the baby pool is available for our use as well. Please see Danetta during announcements to sign-up or see Alayna at 11:00 (the earliest I can arrive). We need your name and number of children for the pool supervisor.
PROJECT REPORT CLUB
Project Report Club will meet under the ramada the first Tuesday of every month immediately following announcements. Any child may present a topic they have been studying, and presentations may include pictures, experiments, or demonstrations. This is a great chance for your child to practice speaking in front of a group. Questions? Call Alice G.
HALLOWEEN POTLUCK
Kids in our group are invited to prepare desserts for the October 31 Snack Potluck at the park meeting. Adults will be setting up and running games after the feast. Costumes are optional, but having a good time is mandatory.
CRAFTY LADIES
Meet to sip, talk about the travails of homeschooling and parenting, and catch up on projects. If you have a project you just can't get to, or you just need time to get away and recoup, please join us the last Wednesday of the month at 7 PM at Borders on Oracle. There is indoor and outdoor seating, depending on the weather. Please contact Sybelle V. for more information.
EASTSIDE PARENTS' NIGHT OUT
The next eastside parents' night at Park Mall Borders cafe will be on Thursday, Oct. 12 at 7:30 pm. (Note the later time.) We meet the second Thursday of the month. Join us for an evening of socializing with other homeschoolers! It is cooler than the park...
EARLY READERS GROUP
If your child has not started to read on his/her own, then we welcome you to join us for story time. We have rotated the stories by families, each choosing one of their favorites or a seasonal choice. It has also been an option to follow up with some sort of craft, drawing, snack, or activity, depending on the story. We meet 45 minutes before our park starting time. See Mary M. if you have any questions.
MIDDLE READING GROUP
If you have readers aged approximately 8 - 12 who enjoy reading chapter books, please join us! This month, the Middle Reading Group will be discussing Bridge to Terabithia, by K. Paterson on October 10 at 8:45 am at the park.
On October 24, the discussion will be about Call It
Courage, by Armstrong Sperry. Copies are available at the libraries.
PARENTS' MEETING
The first parents' meeting of the new year will be on Wednesday, October 11, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at Woods Library, 3455 North First Avenue. The topic will be: What Kids Need To Know And When. As a starting point, I will bring some of the curriculum requirements established by the public school system and also suggested guidelines from E.D. Hirsch, a professor at the University of Virginia, author of CulturalLiteracy and contributor to the Core Knowledge Series. But more importantly, all of us will bring our individual educational goals for our own homeschools, i.e., raising moral kids, happy kids, musical kids, artistic kids, independent minded kids, etc. There's a lot we can learn from just talking to each other. Any questions, call Brian M.
HOMESCHOOLERS' SKATING PARTY
There is a city-wide roller skating party on October 20 at Skate Country North, 2700 N. Stone Ave, from 1 to 3 PM. The cost per skater, including skate rental, is $3.00.
Other city-wide homeschooling events this year include ice skating at the Gateway Ice Center, a spelling bee, a science fair, a homeschoolers' prom, and a homeschoolers' graduation ceremony. Information on these upcoming events will be printed in SDH newsletters as soon as it is available.
PRE-TEEN GROUP (ages 10 - 13)
The first Tuesday of each month, during park time, the pre-teens will meet for board games for approximately an hour. Please bring a game to share if you can. For more info, contact Becky L.
QUOTE OF THE MONTHIf you think in seasons, plant cereals. If you think in decades, plant
trees. If you think in centuries, educate your children.
~~~ Chinese Proverb
ADVICE COLUMNDear Homeschool Guru,
Does anyone know if there has ever been a study of either distance schools or certain curriculum that has been rated and approved or disapproved? It would be helpful to have some of those available (if only by parents evaluation) for people just starting out. Signed, I. M. A. Newbie
Dear I. M. A.,
The short answer is NO.
The long answer is, "By what criteria would the curricula be evaluated? By what was best for a hands-on learner? By what would get the highest college entrance exam scores? By what offered the best technical and computer learning?"
There are Catholic curricula, evangelical Christian curricula, hands-on learning curricula, classical education/great books curricula, secular curricula... Each curriculum has the potential to be the best for any individual family's goals and philosophy and any individual student's temperament and interests. Mixing and matching or using no curriculum may also be a best fit for some.
What do you hope to accomplish by homeschooling? Then look for the curriculum (or make up your own) that will help you best reach that goal and fit your child's temperament and abilities. In other words, find out the best one for YOU. Listen to others' suggestions, but don't let anyone make that important decision for you, especially not some "evaluation committee."
Best wishes,
H. Guru
FYI...SDH CELEBRATES 11th ANNUAL TED WALKER DAY AT OLD TUCSON
by Debbie G.
Ted Walker Day honors the local philanthropist and founder of the Tucson Square and Compass Clinic. The Pima County Parklands Foundation sponsors the event every September, providing 4th, 5th and 6th grade county residents the opportunity to spend a day at Old Tucson Studios free of charge.
Eighteen people from SDH participated in this year's event on September 18. We were thrilled by the Old Tucson shows, served lunch by county volunteers, and entertained with wagon, auto, train, mine and carousel rides, not to mention Mad Science and a visit to a replica of a gold and silver mine. I thank everyone who braved the heat and made our visit to Old Tucson a success.
TRIP TO WASHINGTON, D.C.
Do you have a Homeschooler age 12, 13, 14, who would like to take a school-directed tour of Washington, DC and the surrounding historical area? For the 16th year, my husband is taking his eighth graders on the five day trip from April 26 to May 1st. It is an extremely well-organized tour with chaperones and experienced directors! Homeschoolers have been invited to participate this year with his students. If you want more information, please contact Alayna V.
TEN THOUSAND VILLAGES
Ten Thousand Villages is a great place to visit or shop if you are learning about peoples around the world. The store is non-profit, with the purpose of providing a market for third-world artisans and craftspeople who would otherwise be unemployed or underemployed. You can find musical instruments from around the world, textiles, Christmas ornaments and nativities, world music, jewelry, pottery, picture frames,
cards, handmade paper, coffee and much more. Over 30 countries are represented, including India, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Peru, El Salvador, Haiti, Kenya, and Cameroon. Educational brochures tell about the people and materials behind each craft.
Ten Thousand Villages is committed to providing its craftspeople with a fair wage for their products and to minimizing environmental impact. The store is located at 3069 N. Campbell, on the west side of the street, just south of Ft. Lowell. See Mary Beth if you have questions.
IDENTIFY YOURSELF!
Karen M. is compiling a list of everyone who is "in charge" of running an event or activity for SDH. Please see her at a meeting soon, and get yourself listed. This is especially helpful to the newer members who will at least have a name, instead of no clue at all about whom to contact.
WEBSITE VOLUNTEER NEEDED
Suzanne F. is moving away! She constructed and maintained our SDH website.
So, we need a volunteer who is willing and able to do the same. Let Mary Beth D. know if you are interested...
FREE ZOO WEEKEND
Oct 14-15, 9AM-4PM, there will be free admission to the Reid Park Zoo,
compliments of US West.
OPERA OPPORTUNITY
Arizona Opera offers a new free program featuring a "behind-the-scenes" look at how opera magic is made. Demonstrations in sets, costumes, wigs & make-up, lighting, sound, stage management and more take the audience on a journey through opera stagecraft. This free program is designed for ages 5 and up and lasts for about 1 1/2 hours, including a juice and cookies reception afterwards. Reservations are required at least two weeks in advance for attendance. Available Opera Look-ins for the
2000-2001 season are:
In Tucson at the TCC Music Hall:
"Carmen", November 4th, 2000 at 1PM
"La Fille du Regiment" (The Daughter of the Regiment), February 24th, 2001 at 1PM
In Phoenix at the Phoenix Symphony Hall:
"The Barber of Seville", October 13th, 2000 at 11AM
"The Girl of the Golden West", January 27th, 2001 at 1PM
"Don Carlo", April 6th, 2001 at 11AM
Arizona Opera has a very informative website at http://www.azopera.com/index.html. It lists the opera days and times for the 2000/2001 season (Phoenix and Tucson), information about opera, a synopsis of each of the operas and other information. To make reservations, contact Deanna Hoying, Arizona Opera Director of Education
at (520)293-4336 or e-mail to deanna@azopera.com
GET POLITICAL!
Homeschoolers Legislative Day at the State Capitol Building in Phoenix has been set for February 19, 2001, in conjunction with Arizona Families for Home Education (AFHE) and members of the State Legislature. Contact AFHE for details. Their web address is http://www.afhe.org; email at afhe@primenet.com; or write directly
to: AFHE, P.O. Box 2035, Chandler, AZ 85244-2035
SDH WELCOME GUIDE
These packets are available to all newcomers to the group or to any current members who might want to pass them along to friends. See Sybelle V. or Eileen D. if you'd like to pick one up.
NORTHWEST SDH "BRANCH" MEETINGS by Sybelle V.
A few of us have decided to start meeting at Arthur Pack Park on Fridays at 9 AM, in addition to Tuesday park days. We will initially not have any structure and see how it develops. Maybe we'll be able to attract some people in the NW area for whom the drive to Ft. Lowell is just too much...Tell your friends! And of course, you don't have to live in the northwest to come. If you'd just like to get together an additional day,
you're welcome! For suggestions, call or see me at the regular Tuesday meetings.
YEARBOOK by Sybelle V.
There seems to be interest in a SDH yearbook. It would be really great if those who want to (kids, too!) would bring a camera to park days and other events once in awhile and take some pictures. Then give me a copy of any that you think would be good for our yearbook. I will save them all in a folder and then by spring, we will need some volunteers to start putting it together. Please, if you give me pictures, write your
name on the back along with the names of the people in the picture, when and where it was taken. This will be a great way to document all the things we do in SDH!
KID STUFFTHE FROG/SWAN PRINCESS a story by Tessa Y.
Once upon a time, there was a princess. This princess met a witch and the witch cast a magic spell on the princess! The spell made the princess turn into a swan in the daytime, and back to a princess in the night. The princess tried to break the spell and finally decided to go to the wizard named Blizzard. Blizzard could not hear very well and the princess decided to go at night.
"BLIZZARD," she yelled. "WAKE UP!" Finally Blizzard woke up and opened the door for the princess. "Blizzard," she said, "a witch cast a magic spell on me. Can you help me?"
Blizzard thought and thought and finally made a magic potion that he thought would work. The ingredients were: 10 frog legs, 9 lizard tails, 8 bird feathers, 7 dragon scales, 6 fish teeth, 5 cat hairs, 4 bat claws, 3 rose petals, 2 jewels, and 1 piece of GOLD!!! The princess drank the potion and went back home.
In the morning, the princess woke up and she was a frog! The princess hopped back to Blizzard's castle. This time, Blizzard reversed the potion from 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. The princess drank that potion and was a princess again. She also decided it was not so bad being a swan in the daytime and a princess at night. So when the princess got married, she told her husband about the spell. And if you see an old man talking to a swan, that might be the
princess and her beloved husband.
(ANOTHER) QUOTE OF THE MONTHAs great scientists have said and as all children know, it is above all by the imagination that we achieve perception, and compassion and hope.
--Ursula K. Le GuinHOMESCHOOLING IN THE NEWS contributed by Danetta M.Kids Taught at Home Make the Grade
by Adrienne Mand
August 30, 2000
Peter Kowalke attended his first class and took the first test of his life as a freshman in college. And Kowalke, an aspiring journalist and quantum physicist, claims he couldn't have been better prepared.
Like a growing number of American youngsters, Kowalke was taught at home by his parents instead of attending school. As more of these children reach college age, there is mounting evidence that the controversial alternative education is a viable choice.
For the third consecutive year, ACT college admissions test scores are higher for homeschoolers than for other students. Homeschoolers' average composite score was 22.8, compared to the national average of 21, out of a possible 36. On the SAT, homeschoolers, who comprise less than 1 percent of test takers, earned 568 verbal and 532 in math. The national average, announced Monday, was 505 verbal and 514 math.
For the rest of this article, which describes unschoolers in college as well, please see: http://www.foxnews.com/national/083000/homeschool_mand.sml.
AND NOW, JUST FOR FUN...State Allows Eating At Home Effective July 1, 2099
Home Eating a Threat to Public Kitchens?
State Allows Growing Trend of Eating At Home
After much heated debate on the house floor, legislation was passed today to allow a growing number of families to cook meals for their families in their homes. The children must have annual physical examinations to assure proper growth and weight gain. Attempts to require weekly meal plans and monthly kitchen inspections were voted down.
A spokesperson from the National Association of Nutritionists (NANs) condemns this decision. "These children are being denied the rich socialization and diversity that is an essential part of the eating process. Without the proper nutritional background, it is impossible for the average person to feed their own children. We, as child advocates, see this as a step backward and speak out for the sake of the children
who cannot speak for themselves."
Homecooking parents say the benefits of eating at home include increased family unity and the ability to tailor a diet to a particular need. Elizabeth Crocker, a home cook, states, "We started cooking and eating at home when we realized that my son had a severe allergy to eggs. The public kitchens required him to take numerous medications that had serious side effects in order to counteract his allergy. We found that eliminating eggs was a simpler method and our son has thrived since we
began doing so."
After this experience, the Crockers decided to home cook for all of their children, and converted their media room into a kitchen. Elizabeth says, "We have experienced so much closeness as we have explored recipes and spent time cooking together and eating together. We have a dining circle with other families where we sometimes share ideas and meals together."
The Crocker children have done well physically under their mother's care, weighing in at optimum weights for their ages and having health records far above average. It should be noted that Mrs. Crocker, while not a professional nutritionist, has a family history rich with nutritionists and home economists. "Surely the success of the Crocker children is due to the background of their mother," responded the spokesman from NANs. "The results they have achieved should not be viewed as normative."
Mrs.Crocker counters that her background was actually a hindrance to the
nutritional principles she follows. "Our paternal great-grandmother was a home economist, but she prepared most meal from pre-made mixes. In our homecooking we try not to duplicate public-kitchen meals, but to tailor our meals to the needs and preferences of our children."
In a related issue, legislation is in committee that would provide oversight for the emerging homecooking movement. Says the Home Eating Legal Defense Association (HELDA): "We want to provide umbrella kitchens to aid parents in the complicated tasks of feeding their children. Many families lack the expertise of the Crocker family, yet desire to eat at home. As we have seen, the umbrella kitchens meet the needs of all concerned. We are happy to provide this service."
---This parody written by Angela Paul, Heir Board Member EDITOR'S FOOTNOTE by Michelle Y.By way of introducing the Kid Stuff column, I have shamelessly included the writing of one of my favorite authors, my daughter, Tessa. Not only do I love the story and its layers of meaning, but it serves as an invitation for YOUR children to write stories, poems, or articles to be included in our newsletter, too. I can edit for spelling and
punctuation if the child wants me to (Tessa did), or I will print it just as s/he
wrote it. In either case, I will try to leave the wording of the piece intact. Please encourage your kids to enjoy the process of writing and not to worry about doing it "perfectly." That's what editors are for!
I will be taking a class on Tuesday mornings for the next 6 weeks so will not be at the park meetings until the beginning of November. If you have articles or dates that you'd like included in the November newsletter, PLEASE E-MAIL OR SNAIL MAIL THEM TO ME. Although you will still see my children at the meetings (thanks, Debbie!), I cannot vouch for their reliability as couriers. The deadline is TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24. Publication date will be on or before the 1st of each month, barring any
catastrophes in either my life or Eileen's.
