Dear Friends,
I'm happy to announce the dates for our Thinking About Homeschooling Meetings, 2011. Please save these dates on your calendars! All the meetings are FREE and will be held at 7 PM-8:30 (or so) at my home, 3210 Monache Meadows Drive, 93313 (directions to follow.) THERE IS NO CHILDCARE, but nursing babies are welcome....husbands are welcome, too, and especially encouraged to come for (at least) the first meeting.
Please remember to invite any friends/family who are "thinking about homeschooling" or those "experienced" homeschoolers who need refreshment/encouragement to "keep on keeping on."
Tuesday May 10: Making the Decision {please come even if you've already decided. This meeting will encourage you, give you facts and information to share with friends/family who are critical of your decision, AND information that will help you "detox"; that is, step out of the usual way of thinking about education and its goals/purposes and find GOD's ways. It will also help you define your goals for education and your beliefs about how education works. This will help you (later) choose your curriculum and methods.}
Tuesday, June 7: Legalities and record keeping/planning: {some states make homeschoolers jump through lots of hoops to homeschool legally, but we are blessed to live in a state that keeps it easy. Learn about your 4 different legal options, and which I recommend; learn how to get started and discover important resources to help you, etc. Learn which records you need to keep, and see different ideas for how to keep them; get lesson planning tips. NOTE: If we get done early, we usually go ahead and start introducing curriculum, since there is so much to cover on that topic.}
Tuesday, July 12: Choosing and using curriculum {learn about different homeschooling methods and the curriculums that go with them. Learn what you should know before you choose curriculum, what you should do before you choose curriculum, and how to use your curriculum once you've got it. I will also introduce the major curriculum suppliers, and let you in on money saving tips. Curriculum catalogs and curriculum samples will be available.} NOTE: This is usually our longest and most popular meeting.
Tuesday, August 9: Teaching Preschool and Kindergarten: {Learn about "homepreschool" and Kindergarten. Specifically, learn about what your preschoolers really need; the importance of readiness; routines, and how long to spend in a day/how long to spend on each subject (for Kindergarten); how to organize your day, etc. Get tips and ideas developing a balanced approach that includes plenty of play, art, music, and reading aloud.
Tuesday, September 14: Group choice OR question and answers: {For our last meeting, I will let you choose the topic. We might have a question and answer time, OR we will choose a topic ahead of time (choosing/using good literature, hands-on activities/games, art and music, or whatever is of most interest to the group.) Sometimes we pitch in for food, or bring desserts to share.}
Final notes: I will email notes to you before each meeting. You should print them up and have them ready to go for note-taking. If you don't have a printer available, please let me know. (It might be a good idea to put your notes into a binder.) Due to printing costs, I will have only a few copies available, so please be sure to remember to bring your notes. I will also email recaps of the meetings, in case you can't attend--but the recaps are no substitute! Finally: Finger-foods/snacks are always welcome!
I will send reminders around before each meeting. RSVP'S are appreciated, but not required (it is helpful to know how many chairs to drag out.) Please spread the word, and I look forward to meeting you soon! For more information, contact Susan at (661) 827-0540, email me at mentormom@bak.rr.com , or comment on my blog at www.susanlemons.wordpress.com
Please contact Susan for directions!