A place to share information about events, deals, freebies, and whatever else might interest my friends & local homeschoolers.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Virtual Field Trip to Plimoth, MA
Sounds neat! Check it out! And my apologies for no posts in 2+ weeks. ! AND - I totally spelled Plimoth right...I know it's Plymouth now, but it didn't start out that way. ;-)
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Another tailgate sale - Friday, October 7, 2011
If you are interested in selling, either join the Chester County Homeschoolers Yahoo! Group and find the thread, or you can contact me here through blogger (right, I guess?) and I can give you the organizer's contact info. She will collect payment there or you can mail her a check -- though at this point giving her the $5 there is probably easiest!Sell your curriculum or browse and buy used while your kids participate in Board Game Day Friday October 7th, 10am-12pm (rain or shine). Come play a game or bring one if you have a favorite.
Located at the corner of Rte 82 and Fairview Rd, (1080 Manor Rd., Honeybrook, PA right up the road from Springton Elementary School in Glenmoore) the Vagabond Acting Troupe has offered to let us use their large parking lot and pavilion for a used book sale and let the kids play board games inside.
We will hold it on Friday, October 7 from 10 am to 1 pm. (Raindate will be the following Friday)
Cost will be $5.00 per car to sell, free for those coming to just buy, of course.
The $5 per car will go to Vagabond to help bring theatre to even more children.
She says so far 5 families are selling...if I wasn't still early on in homeschooling I'd totally be selling! Someday...no need to rush...;-)
Saturday, September 24, 2011
PA Family History Day - Saturday, 11/5/11 in Exton, PA
The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania is hosting an all day Family History Day on Saturday, November 5, 2011 from 8AM till 4PM in Exton, PA.
It does cost $95 for a non-GSP member, like me, but if you are a member it's only $75. Looks like there are three tracks - Ancestry.com, Methodology, & PA - but I don't think you have to commit to a single track, though they do want you (at least online) to indicate which specific lectures you're going to attend for each time slot. Note: they add a fee for paying by PayPal on their site.
I'm planning on signing up for all the lectures in the Methodology track. I have an Ancestry.com subscription and I know the ins & outs of it pretty well (though I'm sure there is plenty I don't know -- but figure if I ever really want to learn more I can learn about it online). And my family's history isn't in PA...so that would be of little interest.
This is so neat! I can't wait.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Worksheet Websites...The First of Many Such Posts
Also, I just found out about FreeMathWorksheets.com today. I haven't explored the site much yet, but bookmarked it for later. On the home page they have links to basic math, pre-algebra, and puzzle worksheets. (Sadly no complex differential equations or integration by parts & partial derivatives. Boo.) (I'm joking you know.) (Well, sort of.)
Last, my friend recently told me about this Dynamic Paper website a day after I busted out the compass and ruler to cut out a perfect hexagon for a 1st grade lesson. hahaha I haven't fully explored it, but it looks really cool and whatever you create can be saved as a .pdf file. Nice!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Today's LivingSocial Deal: Half-off at Please Touch Museum
I've never been there before but want to go...I am going to have to rework the budget to fit this in. We could never afford $72 for the 4 of us...but $36?? We can eat peanut butter for dinner a few nights I think...;-)
The voucher will only be available for purchase until 11:59PM tonight, 9/20/11. And remember to always read & understand the terms & conditions of any deal before making a purchase!
Monday, September 19, 2011
2011-2012 Friends of Valley Forge Speaker Series
Check out the schedule of speakers here. The programs begin at 7PM and are held in the Washington Memorial Chapel on Rt. 23 in Valley Forge.
The first program is scheduled for Tuesday, October 4 when Glenn F. Williams, Author and Senior Historian and Team Chief of the Commemorative Office, at the U.S. Army Center of Military History, Fort McNair, DC will present "The Siege of Yorktown: The Decisive Engagement of the American War for Independence."
Amazingly enough, these presentations are FREE! They do have a donation box at the Chapel ...but there is no admission fee.
I've gone to many of these presentations in the past and have never been disappointed. And just a note -- it can get chilly in the chapel...so take a jacket or sweater if it's a cold night!
Consignment Sale in Oaks, PA - Saturday, 9/24/11
I went a couple years ago and the line was way out the door, so if you go early don't be surprised to see that!
I always check PlaygroundBuzz.com for consignment sale dates & coupons, so if you're not near Oaks, you can check out their site to find one near you. They're happening pretty much every weekend from now till the end of October it seems.
Hurricane Hill Farm Corn Maze Half-Off Deal, available now through 9/25/11
I've never been there before, but according to their website admission also includes a corn slide, train ride for the little ones, a smaller corn maze, hay bale climb, pedal carts, and hay rides to the pumpkin patch. (Any additional pumpkins beyond the 4 small ones in the deal would cost something.) I read some good reviews of this place online...now I'm debating buying this, when I only came here to post about it. Aigh. Check out their website for photos and more information.
If you buy this deal, remember that it will only be valid through October 31, 2011 and it looks like they are only open on the weekends! Please always be sure to fully read all the terms & conditions before buying any deal.
Longwood Gardens Homeschool Day - Thursday, 9/29/11
Cost is $5 per student. The site says they encourage parents to explore the gardens while the students are in the class and then meet up again with their children for lunch at 11:30. Preregistration is required -- to do so call the School & Youth Group Reservations Office at 610-388-5210.
Just a note -- the description of Operation Pollination says "Students discover the connection of living systems as they investigate why flowering plants have co-evolved with their pollinator partners for millions of years. By identifying adaptations of plants and pollinators students will gain an appreciation of this delicate relationship."
Being a Christian, and knowing God created the whole universe and everything in it, I am passing on this one. But I wanted to post about it in case anyone else wants to go - Longwood Gardens is a beautiful place, and their upcoming events don't seem to indicate an evolutionary slant.
"For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist." Colossians 1:16-17
More information about this event and the three additional homeschool days can be found here.
I'm personally holding out for the "Go Figure" event on April 10, 2012. Go figure!
Friday, September 16, 2011
Michael's 20% off total purchase - tomorrow, 9/16/11 from 12PM-6PM ONLY
Michael's has a coupon for 20% off your entire purchase, sale items & all, but it's only good tomorrow, September 16, from 12PM - 6PM. Click over to Mama Cheaps to get the details and the link to the coupon. (I am not HTML-coordinated enough yet to know how to do that, plus I love the Mama Cheaps site and have gotten many tips/coupons/deals from her site.)
She's a local blogger, too, which makes it even sweeter!
Homeschool Week at Cherry Crest Farm, Ronks, PA - September 19-23
Next week, September 19-23, they are going to be having their Homeschool Week. As they describe on their website:
Home School families are invited to visit Cherry Crest Adventure Farm from September 19-23 for Homeschool Week.
Bring your family or homeschool co-op to experience the fun and educational components of our farm at your leisure. Venture into our 5 acre corn maze for an unique adventure. Explore the Farm Animal Center, hold a baby chick in our Farm Education Center and relax on our educational Farm Tour Wagon Ride. A Butter Making Lesson will be available at 12:15. Students will learn how to make their own butter, as well as facts about dairy cows and the production of milk. At 1:15 students can attend a Corn Lesson, where they will learn all about all the products that are made out of corn. Students will make putty out of corn products as part of the lesson. Not all lessons available everyday.
For this week only, home school families will be admitted at the school field trip rate of $8.00 per person. There is no need to pre-register, simply visit our farm between September 19-23 and tell our admissions staff that your family is here for Homeschool Week. Your group is welcome to visit during other times our farm is open, but will be charged the A"Maze"ing Fun Admission of $15.00 for adults & for children (ages 3-11).
Cherry Crest Adventure Farm is open 10am to 5pm weather permitting. Please check our homepage if weather is questionable. In the event of rain, we will announce our closing on our website.
If you have any questions, please call our office at (717) 687-6843 or (866) 546-1799.
The theme of this year's corn maze is "Once Upon a Time...A Corny Tale." We took the teens from church to the flashlight corn maze...apparently in 2004 because I remember the maze was called "Giddy Up." My husband was insistent on finding e v e r y s i n g l e puzzle piece for his map so the girls and I finished up and sat and waited for him & the guys for over an hour or more!! It was insane. Even so...it is a fun place, so if you have time to go with your children definitely check it out!
Also...I know that my posts have been about events that happening right away...but I will soon get to the point of posting things further out. If I was reading my own blog I would be thinking, "boy, I would to have liked to known that a month ago!!" So no worries...I'm planner so if you're a planner we'll soon be on the same page! Please bear with me till then! (Because I have so many readers...hahahaha)
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
UPDATE: Coupon code for Scholastic -> potentially 10 free e-books
But there is also bad news -- the site is totally down right now (2:30PM Wednesday). When I first saw the coupon code I went to the site to try it out but got the "we are having technical issues" page. Now Google Chrome won't even connect to the site. So this may be a good deal...and it may be more frustrating than it's worth.
The dollar sale is through the 20th...I'm not sure how long the coupon code is valid.
I'm going to wait a few hours and try it again. If I get through I'll post an update. :)
Update 9:51PM - I got through tonight between 6 & 6:30PM and was able to order 10 books, and yes, the 10THANKS reduced my cost to zero! Left for church at 6:30 and when I got back to my desk at around 9PM the site was wonky again and I couldn't actually download them. It looks like the site is still not working now, so I'll wait till tomorrow to try again. Bah.
Varner's Tree Farm & Market - Harvest Festival - Saturday, 9/24/2011
They just reopened for the fall harvest season last week so we've already plowed through a gallon of cider and are looking forward to their fall festival on Saturday, 9/24/11 from 12-5PM. According to their website there will be apple butter making, quilters, weavers, puppets, etc. They also have apple picking ($1.19/lb - not much more than the grocery store and well worth it for the freshness factor!) and starting on the 24th (day of the festival) the pumpkin picking begins. For $3 you can take a horse-drawn wagon to the pumpkin patch to pick out that perfect pumpkin.
They also have a corn maze, farm market with butters & jams, potpourri, gifts, and have I mentioned the cider? ;-) You can also visit with their farm animals, which is always fun for my little guys.
There is just so much to do at this farm - we love it so much!
Just a note, they are closed on Sundays. Check out their hours & pricing here and have fun!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
It's Back! Scholastic Dollar Deals! Now through 9/20/11.
Scholastic is running their every-so-often Dollar Deals sale!
This means that most (if not all) of their .pdf e-books cost only $1 each. One dollar! I took advantage of this sale and bought 18 e-books back in February, eleven of which were books for each month (June & July are combined) that contain little crafts, stories, a "what happened today in history" fact...lots of neat stuff. These particular books are clearly geared toward classroom teaching, however, because they also include things like hall passes, forms to send home to parents, etc. Even so, the amount of things I find useful are well worth the $1 price tag.
I guess if you have a big house the hall pass might be in order...but I digress.
I also bought a book called Follow the Directions and have found it helpful in the last few weeks. Since my children are still elementary/preschool age I didn't look much past those level books...but they do have higher level material as well.
The sale runs through next Tuesday, 9/20/11. Be forewarned, the site can run super slow. It's running really slow right now, so you might want to try browsing during the day when the site traffic may be lighter.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Hawk Identification for Beginners - Saturday, 9/17/2011
Information about this and more upcoming events can be found on the Valley Forge Audubon Society's website.
Chester County Homeschoolers Tailgate Sale - Thursday, 9/15/11
Not only does the group share information within the Yahoo! group, but Claudia Joye publishes a comprehensive monthly (September through June) newsletter. When I say comprehensive...I mean that the September newsletter was 19 pages! This is not just a little flyer! You can subscribe to the newsletter via email for $8 or for a printed copy for $15. I subscribe and have found a lot of helpful information, especially as a new homeschooler. Ms. Joye handles the subscriptions and her contact information can be found on the Chester County Homeschooler's site here.
I went to the tailgate sale last year and picked up some things, but honestly with my oldest just in kindergarten most of the things people were selling were for well beyond where we were. We are set curriculum-wise this year, but now that we have some semblance of a plan for the next couple of years I'm hoping to find the books we will need. :)
Pottsgrove Manor Homeschool Day - Friday, 9/16/11
More information about the historic Pottstown Manor site as well as a downloadable .pdf Homeschool Day flyer can be found on their website here.