May 5, Anniston: "Chocolate the Exhibition" tour

Where does chocolate come from? How is it made? And how has it sweet-talked its way into our hearts? Take a walk with us through the highlights of the exhibition and learn a bit more about this sweet treat we all love to eat!

Chocolate the Exhibition




Location:  Anniston Museum of Natural History
               800 Museum Drive, Anniston, AL 36206

Date:  Thursday, May 5

Time:  1:30pm

Cost:  $5.00 per person, age 4yo & up*
   includes admission to the permanent exhibit hall afterwards ~ open until 5:00pm
*this is a special group rate and must be prepaid, if you do not sign-up & pre-pay through me, then you will be expected to pay the full price for special exhibit tours.

Sign-up & Payment Deadline:  April 30 / non-refundable after May 3rd
                                          [payment info. provided upon sign-up]

Contact:  Briana Moore ~ self-educated@earthlink.net

This event is open to all homeschoolers, regardless of cover.

Please review the Everest Academy Participation Policy before attending any of our events.

Madison: Homeschool Teen Book Club

Madison Homeschool Teen Book Club

at Madison Public Library

Mondays

3:00 p.m.

Cost:  FREE


Book Club begins Monday the 16th of May, with the book "Huckleberry Finn", with subsequent books to be decided by the group.

The book club will be led by the Youth Services Librarian, Mandy Pinyan. Ages range from 13-17. 

Madison Public Library is located at:

130 Plaza Drive

Madison, AL 35758

If you have any questions please contact Mandy Pinyan the Youth Librarian at 256-461-0046 or via email at mpinyan@hpl.lib.al.us

FREE Center for Homeschool Liberty

FREE Center For Homeschool Liberty

A Gift for You - Peace of Mind

FREE Benefit - $65 Value!

Code will be provided when enrolling with Everest

Each member of Everest Academy is eligible to receive a complimentary First-Year Membership in CHL! That’s a $65 value – absolutely FREE! (See Member Benefits below)

CHL is an outreach of the Christian Law Association http://www.christianlaw.org/cla/ (CLA). The CLA has faithfully served churches and families since 1969, and has successfully defended over 8,000 educational freedom-related cases.

CHL provides homeschooling families with every legal service that any other homeschool legal organization provides. Additionally, they provide a free will for both Mom and Dad, represent homeschool organizations, help working parents with workplace issues related to their Christian faith, serve local churches and pastors, and do it all on a suggested donation model.

You may wish to note that the CHL team includes a large group of full-time attorneys and an additional 200+ affiliated attorneys throughout the United States. 

BENEFITS of MEMBERSHIP in CHL 

As a member of Center For Homeschool Liberty http://www.ncll.org/liberty-centers/center-for-homeschool-liberty/, you are given the telephone number of an attorney who is available to answer any legal question related to homeschool issues. 

Center For Homeschool Liberty http://www.ncll.org/liberty-centers/center-for-homeschool-liberty/ members receive all homeschool related legal representation free of charge. CHL pays for all attorney fees, expert witness costs, travel expenses, and court costs allowable by law. 

In addition, CHL members receive free legal representation from the Christian Law Association http://www.christianlaw.org/cla/ for religious liberty issues even if the cause of action is not related to homeschooling. This includes matters such as workplace discrimination, Christian employer obligations, the right to witness, public prayer, and any other matter related to Christians in matters of faith. 

Most legal matters related to homeschooling and Christian liberty are resolved quickly without court action. Often, CHL and CLA attorneys can successfully defend an attack by contacting local officials on behalf of a member. If a homeschooling court case is necessary, Center For Homeschool Liberty http://www.ncll.org/liberty-centers/center-for-homeschool-liberty/ provides full representation every step of the way. Members can take comfort in knowing they enjoy full legal protection for homeschooling and Christian liberty issues. 

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS 

* A last will and testament drafted by an attorney that will thoughtfully distribute your estate to your heirs and outline your wishes for your children. 

* Access to a comprehensive website with homeschool laws for your state. 

* Legal alerts and a monthly CHL newsletter. 

* A 20 percent discount on legal and educational resources from the Christian Law Association. 

Visit Center For Homeschool Liberty http://www.ncll.org/liberty-centers/center-for-homeschool-liberty/. Click on JOIN NOW and supply the requested information. At checkout, use the coupon code COVERAL for your first-year membership, which includes a FREE last will and testament. You will receive a confirmation email that also includes instructions on how to ACTIVATE your Homeschool Legal Advantage membership and download forms to begin your will preparation.

This is our gift to you – Legal peace of mind. Join us as we celebrate nearing the 20,000 member milestone.

It is a privilege to be of service.

Center For Homeschool Liberty 
http://www.ncll.org/liberty-centers/center-for-homeschool-liberty/

Christine Field

Attorney at Law

Center For Homeschool Liberty

Gibbs Law Firm

5666 Seminole Blvd., Suite 2,

Seminole, FL 33772

Office: (727) 399-8300, ext. 1003

FAX: (727) 398-3907

Shelby County: FREE Ice Skating Lesson

Hey Debbi,

Samantha takes ice skating at the Pelham Civic complex and they are trying to increase enrollment in the Wednesday morning class (mostly homeschoolers).  They have given me 60 coupons for a free intro lesson for new students (one per skater of course).  I'm not sure the best way to get the word out (or get the coupons to folks).  Would this be something you could put in the newsletter?

Lessons are in a group and are 30 min long with another 30 min of free skate/practice ice time.  Skate use is included in lessons which are normally $12 per session.

Thanks,

Liz

lizmasoner@bellsouth.net

May 20 & June 20 - 24, Gardendale Tennis

 Gardendale Tennis

Coach Marie Zassota will continue to offer the following classes through the end of May.

Mondays and Wednesdays at 2:00

Pizza Night for Homeschoolers

May 20th

$20.00 per student for the evening

Along with the events of the evening, pizza and drinks will be provided.

(Future Pizza Nights for July & August to be announced)

Camps Offered:

PeeWee camp June 20, 21, 23 & 24 (no class Wed.) from 4:00 - 6:00, ($8.00 per day)

Old Kids Camp June 20, 21, 23 & 24 (no class Wed.) from 10:00 - 1:00 *bring lunch* ($20.00 per day)

Pay in full for the first child; then, any siblings will be 1/2 off

Snacks, drinks and prizes provided

Please sign up or call Marie at 365-7019 to get on the list

No classes the month of June and July due to camps in progress.

You are welcome to come to any of the camps offered.

If we have enough response, Marie will start us back in August with a brand new format.

She will run as many classes as we need.

As always, we thank you so much for your participation in Gardendale Tennis!!

April 22, Pinson: Earth Day Bash 2011 ~ Recycling and Repurposing [updated info]

Earth Day Bash 2011

2nd Annual Homeschoolers'
Earth Day Celebration!

Friday, April 22 / 12:00 - 4:00pm

at

Turkey Creek Nature Preserve
Pinson, AL

See the details below about the crafts and activities we'll be doing to celebrate our planet!

Be sure to help out with our Recycle Challenge and bring your items for a Free Cycle event!

The theme for our Earth Day Bash 2011 is "Recycling & Repurposing"!

We will have four craft activities for the children to do: recycling the top half of drink bottles into cute flowers for decorating your flower garden or to make an indoor bouquet and using the bottom half to plant Marigolds; repurposing egg shells into decorative egg candles*--just in time for Easter!; and recycling used coffee grounds into "fossils" for decorating your flower garden.

Take the Recycle Challenge!!!

We challenge families to save their "garbage" this week to see if we can fill up this trailer with recyclable items. Please bring all the items from your "garbage" that can be recycled in a garbage bag. This would be everything but food scraps--all paper packaging, all plastic packaging, glass, aluminum, other metal, and don't forget paper from your school/office work and junk mail! We will also collect other BIG recyclable items like electronics! Remember everything can be recycled, if in doubt bring it...but save your food scraps for the compost! ;-)

We will also have lots of activity books and hand-out information to help your children and family learn how to be more environmentally friendly and earth conscious! Plus, we'll have some demonstrations and presentations about how and why to recycle and repurpose: 

• How to identify recyclable items
• Ideas and examples on repurposing
• Composting--how and what
• What is TerraCycle? ~ the difference between recycle & upcycle
• Take the Plastic Ring Pledge

Don't forget to bring your items for a Free Cycle event ~ clothes, books, toys, etc.,...anything you have that needs a new home!

*We are using funds earned from the Alabama Homeschoolers TerraCycle group to cover as many of the craft/activity expenses as possible; however, we have only earned a minimal amount to date. :-(  The egg candles will be made with environmentally safe soy wax and cottom wicks, so we must ask for $1.50 to participate in this craft. We will have enough to make 50 egg candles on a first come, first serve basis and collect money at the event. Please bring exact change if your child would like to make this craft. We will also demonstrate how to make the craft for those who may not get to participate or would like to do it at home.

This event will be open to ALL homeschoolers, regardless of cover! And, with the exception the egg candle craft, it's all FREE! There is no charge to enter Turkey Creek Nature Preserve and all information is free!

Click here for directions to Turkey Creek Nature Preserve

Feel free to contact Briana Moore ~ self-educated@earthlink.net if you have any questions!



NASA

What it is: NASA’s 50th Anniversary Flash feature is a website that is absolutely not to be missed.  Seriously, it won’t even hurt my feelings if you skip reading my post and just head right on over to dig in and check it out yourselves!  This interactive timeline highlights each decade in our space program from 1950 to 2000.  Until we get time travel sorted out, this is a pretty good substitute! The site encourages exploration and discovery as students move decade by decade through the site.  I love that this site goes so far beyond just space exploration.  While students explore, they will hear music representing each decade, see animations, listen to virtual radio broadcasts of actual news headlines (including NASA news and other news from the decade), original video, listen to speeches of the decade and even launch rockets.  I can’t tell you how happy it made me to hear Johnny Cash mixed in as I was playing on this site (in the upper left corner of the site you will be able to change songs on the jukebox, record, tape, CD or mp3 player).  First thing I heard when I clicked on the 80′s “Tonight on Dallas find out who shot J.R.”. *LOVE THIS SITE!*  This blog post took me about 2 hours because I got sucked right into exploring and playing.  The site reminds me of Epcot’s Tomorrow Land, complete with robot guide.  This is what online learning should look like, when I close my eyes and dream, this is the experience I imagine for kids.  Can you imagine if there was a site like this for history? How cool would that be?!

Review from www.ilearntechnology.com

FREE Magazine

Free Focus on the Family "Thriving Family" Magazine Subscription

By Christie Dedman -- The Birmingham News 

Go here to register for a free Thriving Family magazine subscription from Focus on the Family.

Thanks to MoneySavingMom for the tip.

BBM NOTES --

You'll register, then select checkout, you'll then register one more time.  You do not have to enter any credit card or paypal information.

Keep following the prompts until you're done.  At the end you'll see a confirmation status and order number. 

Your subscription will take about 6 to 8 weeks to start.

--------------
If you don't have a child, but know someone who does or is expecting, then you could order it as a gift for them.

Tim Tebow Bill

Hi, friends! (from April Finney) I am going to Montgomery on Wednesday morning to support the "Tim Tebow" bill which is in favor of homeschoolers being able to play public school sports.  My son, Lucas, really wants to play football with his friends!  It takes less than a minute to help.  You just go to the link below and look at the buttons on the left.  Click on the bottom one which says "sign the petition".  It will ask you to list your rep in the AL house.  Put Allen Treadway.  Then, it will ask for your Senator which is Scott Beason.  Be sure to put a check in the box at the top because this says that you are in favor of it.  Thanks so much for your help!  (Please pass this along to anyone that you think would be interested in helping.)  http://www.timtebowbill.com

Teen Driving

In the Birmingham area, teen clinics are offered at: www.alscca.net for April and May; www.carcontrol.com for April and May; and www.montevallo.edu/atsc for April.

Nearby touring clinics include: www.streetsurvival.org for Chattanooga in April; and www.driversedge.org for Memphis and Nashville in May. Many race driver training organizations also offer teen driver courses at their home race tracks or their touring schools. They advertise in the top car enthusiast and racing-oriented magazines.

Student/Teacher I.D.s

Student I.D. & Teacher I.D.
FREE!!!  

Student and Teacher I.D.s can be used for different discounts in a variety of stores and venues.  Just send a self-addressed stamped envelope and a note with the number/kind of I.D. you would like.  

Please note:  These cards have basic Everest Academy info only on them.  You can add whatever you would like, including a picture, and then laminate.  I.D.s are for Everest Academy families ONLY.  

Send a self-addressed stamped envelope along with a note stating how many/kinds of I.D.s you would like to:

Everest Academy
1035 Jenkins Rd
Hayden, AL 35079

Solar Car Racing

Solar Car Racing is a great game and challenge from Try Engineering.  On the Solar Car Racing games students will virtually design and race a solar car.  Students begin by choosing the components for their car that will optimize the performance.  Next they test out their car in a desert and on a racetrack environment to find out how it performs.  Students can observe the performance and then modify their design based on feedback and race again.

Review came from ilearntechnology.com.

Good Grade Incentives

Updated Freebies & Rewards for Good Report Cards

Published: Tuesday, April 12, 2011, 9:45 AM     Updated: Tuesday, April 12, 2011, 9:53 AM

By Christie Dedman -- The Birmingham News 

Well I need to add two more freebies for kids with good grades -- TCBY Pelham & Publix.

First TCBY Pelham --
A & A/B Honor Roll students get rewarded for their hard work at TCBY in Pelham!! No purchase necessary, but highly recommended... obviously because our yogurt is awesome! Just bring your end of the year report card in to receive your FREE treat!

Here is the breakdown---A Honor Roll: FREE Kid's Cup of yogurt & a FREE topping

A/B Honor Roll: FREE Kid's Cup of yogurt GO HERE TO SEE THE INFO.

PUBLIX -- FREE COOKIES AND MILK WITH GOOD GRADES THROUGH MAY 8 --

ROCKETCITYSAVINGS.COM Spotted a sign in her local Publix promoting the new program for good grades. Bring in a good recent report card and the kids will get free animal crackers and milk.  Go here to see her post.

HERE ARE ALL OF MY ORIGINAL FREEBIES --
{With all of these you'll need to call and confirm with your location}
Here are some options for everyone:

Money it the best right? The Kid's First Credit Union program pays your child for good grades. Go here, even though the post is old -- I wrote it 2 years ago, it's still valid.

Donut Joes 3199 Lee Street, Pelham, AL (205) 663-6006
1 free donut for an A or A&B report card.

Coldstone Creamery -- Free kids ice cream with straight As. (They also offer every Tuesday a BOGO free kids ice cream.

Krispy Kreme locations give one donut for report cards with an "A" in any subject.  (It used to be per A but that changed)

Applebees -- Some locations still participate in the A is For Apple program. It's a card distributed to the schools for teachers to present the kids. It's valid for a free kids meal. You must ask your location for them.

iJump on US 280 offers rewards for good behavior and grades.  Go here for more info: http://www.ijumpinc.com/

http://blog.al.com/bargain-mom/2010/02/ijump_for_education_free_stude.html  

Topps for Grades is a free trading card program.  Go here to see how it works and locations in your area that participate:  http://www.topps.com/toppsoftheclass/index.html  

McDonald's - Give the schools certificates to award the students. Not all locations and schools participate. Check with your school to confirm.

Blockbuster -- Free movie rentals for good grades.  Go here: http://blog.al.com/bargain-mom/2010/03/blockbuster_offering_free_movi.html

Chuck E Cheese Free 15 tokens for good grades go here: http://www.chuckecheese.com/promotions/tokens.php

Chick-Fil-A offers freebies but it varies by each location call before you go.

Build-A-Bear -- Present the report card and you can ask for a card for a freebie to use in the online game Build-A-Bearville. (This may vary by location.)

School Bans Lunches from Home...

From Deb:  This is unbelievable to me that this school (or anybody) would think that they have the right to make a decision like this overriding the parents' wishes.  Have you eaten a lunch in a public school in the last few years (The lunches when I was growing up were awesome.)?  I have, and it wasn't pretty (or healthy).  This is just one more example of the school system taking away parental rights and one more good reason to homeschool.

Chicago school bans some lunches brought from home

To encourage healthful eating, Chicago school doesn't allow kids to bring lunches or certain snacks from home — and some parents, and many students, aren't fans of the policy

April 11, 2011|By Monica Eng and Joel Hood, Tribune reporters

• 

Monica Eng, Chicago Tribune

Fernando Dominguez cut the figure of a young revolutionary leader during a recent lunch period at his elementary school.

"Who thinks the lunch is not good enough?" the seventh-grader shouted to his lunch mates in Spanish and English.

Dozens of hands flew in the air and fellow students shouted along: "We should bring our own lunch! We should bring our own lunch! We should bring our own lunch!"

Fernando waved his hand over the crowd and asked a visiting reporter: "Do you see the situation?"

At his public school, Little Village Academy on Chicago's West Side, students are not allowed to pack lunches from home. Unless they have a medical excuse, they must eat the food served in the cafeteria.

Principal Elsa Carmona said her intention is to protect students from their own unhealthful food choices.

"Nutrition wise, it is better for the children to eat at the school," Carmona said. "It's about the nutrition and the excellent quality food that they are able to serve (in the lunchroom). It's milk versus a Coke. But with allergies and any medical issue, of course, we would make an exception."  Read more here...

History Channel Idea Book

	This week's educational programming update: • Special Offer: Sign up to receive The Idea Book For Educators (free bi-annual subscription) and receive a copy of Elvis 1956, a book of photographs by Alfred Wertheimer (while supplies last) • BIO Classroom Programming: Mark Twain: His Amazing Adventures, Tuesday, April 12th at 7am/6c • BIO Classroom Programming: BIO: Abraham Lincoln, Tuesday, April 19th at 7am/6c • A&E Classroom programming coming in May: Intervention: Huffing, Wednesday, May 4th at 4am/3c • Time to Talk from the Partnership™ at DrugFree.org: Free tools for parents and teachers

Montgomery: Golf Opportunity

Success Unlimited Academy in Montgomery is offering homeschoolers an opportunity to play with their golf team.  Players must be 14 or older.  If you are interested, please contact Eddie Eiland at 657-8466.

Decorah Eagles Hatching

Decorah Eagles

First hatch 4/2/11. Second hatch imminent. The Raptor Resource Project brings you the Decorah Eagles from atop their tree at the fish hatchery in Decorah, Iowa. The first hatch is here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8U_pme0dPhs ... and you can go to here to see the webcam ..http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles

Flamingnet Student Book Reviewer

Flamingnet Student Book Reviewer

Flamingnet has worked with hundreds of student reviewers from all over the United States, ranging from 5th grade to college. These students review new and advance books for us. They appreciate this opportunity and find reviewing for Flamingnet to be very worthwhile and fun (Please read comments from some of our student reviewers). We are always looking for good readers who can write coherent summaries and opinions about the books they read. Students must also be dependable and self-motivated. If you are interested in becoming a Flamingnet Student Reviewer, you can either apply online or apply by mail. Your application must include an administrative fee of $15.00 for membership to Flamingnet to help us with the costs associated with mailing books to you. This membership is good for one year and can be renewed for $10.00 per year after your initial year with Flamingnet. As a Flamingnet student reviewer member, each year you can request and review an unlimited number of books, one book at a time. And after you read and review a book, you get to keep it. All student reviewers under 18 years old must have an adult sponsor. Sponsors are asked to edit a student's reviews before the reviews are submitted to Flamingnet and are people we contact if students do not send their reviews back in a timely fashion. To learn more about our student reviewer program click here. To see Flamingnet books currently available for your review click here.