Feb. 7, Bham: Jefferson County Beekeepers Beginner Course

The Jefferson County Beekeepers Association is now taking applications for the 2012 Beginner's Beekeeping Course to be held at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Class begins on February 7, 2012 at 6:30-8:30 PM and continues for seven consecutive Tuesday nights through March 20, 2012. The cost of the course is $45 for an individual or $65 for a couple sharing books. Books are included in the cost. Please print the registration form, complete it in its entirety, and mail it with payment to the address listed on the form. Registration is limited to the first 60 applications received. Registration forms/payment received AFTER January 30 will be placed on a waiting list. For more information, email jeffcobees@jeffcobees.org.

If you would like to learn more about honeybees, we encourage you to come to our monthly meetings, meet our members, and learn more about beekeeping. 

For questions about our group, email to jeffcobees@jeffcobees.org (click here to email)

Feb. 16, Huntsville: FREE Screening of "August to June"

We wanted to invite all area homeschool families to a free community screening of the much heralded education documentary, "August to June, Bringing Life to School". It will be held on Feb. 16 at the Chan Auditorium on UAH campus. It will start at 6:30 pm and will have a roundtable discussion following the film. You can view a trailer of the film on YouTube by searching "August to June trailer". I would really appreciate your getting the word out for us. Seating can be reserved by going to www.country-day.com and clicking the "August to June" icon on the homepage. I know homeschool families will really like the film and what it suggests to better educate all students. If anyone from your group wishes to be on the discussion panel, please let me know. Thanks for your help in getting the word out.

Sherri Naff

The Foundation for Educational Progress

256-837-5266

The Country Day School

www.country-day.com

(256) 837-5266

May, Alabaster: AP Testing

Evangel is once again offering its students, and any students in the local homeschool community, the opportunity to participate in AP testing for college credit. You do not have to be taking a certified AP class to test in a subject. Tests will be given in early May and are offered in a wide range of subjects. Each test is $87 plus a small proctor fee determined by the number of students taking each test. If you are interested in testing or have further questions, please contact Brandy Dahlen bldahlen@aol.com as soon as possible. You can go to apcentral.collegeboard.com to find out more about exams offered.

March 6, Experiencing Shakespeare

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. “EXPERIENCING SHAKESPEARE” March 6, 2012 NOON- 1:00 PM CST PREPARE FOR THE MARCH 6TH LIVE, ELECTRONIC FIELD TRIP!   REGISTER: Click on  Shakespeare to register for the FREE, live electronic field trip to the renowned Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C.  It’s an adventure you don’t want to miss. Register to obtain information on participation.  The performance may be yours!  PREVIEW THE FIELD TRIP: Click on Shakespeare preview to watch an introduction to the exciting journey that awaits your students as they experience Shakespeare. Explore one of the world’s largest Shakespearean collections to enliven the literary genius of the famous author. WATCH THE FIELD TRIP LIVE ON AIR OR ONLINE ON MARCH 6TH: Click on viewing options to access details on viewing options for the live event on your television set or online over the internet. PARTICIPATE: Engage your students in the heritage and history of the Folger Shakespeare Library through interactive opportunities including Google Moderator and Poll Everywhere.  The link to these applications will be sent via e-mail to registrants in response to registration. T00LS FOR TEACHERS: A FREE teacher’s guide and interactive Click-Learn-Teach module provide classroom resources and instructions to help teachers introduce, explain, engage, and evaluate the field trip learning experience with their students. The link to these resources will be sent via e-mail to registrants in response to registration. REGISTER NOW! DON’T MISS THIS MEMORABLE JOURNEY INTO HISTORY TO EXPERIENCE THE GENIUS OF SHAKESPEARE!

Trussville: Express Oil Change FREE Tire Plugs & Travel Inspections

As a Birmingham-based company, Express Oil Change and Service Center is focused on helping our community recover from Monday morning's disaster. Our stores are open and offering Free Tire Plugs because we know many of you are traveling through debris-filled areas. We also have Free Travel Inspections to give you peace of mind on the roads. Finally, this location is being set-up as a collection point for donated items needed for disaster relief, including: * Batteries * Cleaning Supplies (Paper towels, gloves, etc.) * Canned Foods * Flashlights We are focused on doing our part to aid recovery. Express Oil Change & Service Center  Trussville #2 425 Main St Trussville, AL 35173 (205) 655-9690 Hours of Operation Mon: 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM Tues: 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM Wed: 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM Thurs: 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM Fri: 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM Sat: 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM Sun: Closed

Posted January 27, 2012

FREE Historical Truth 101 Membership

Join Historical Truth 101's FREE Membership!

As a history teacher, I often hear how boring history is and how it's NOT relevant to the life of a young person. I am always trying to figure out how to develop a love for history or simply learning as a whole.

I have found no better way to ignite a love for knowledge than introducing my students to a person - not just any person, but a person that seems average yet has done extraordinary things; a person who has made choices that has affected everyone around them.

In the recently released movie We Bought a Zoo Matt Damon makes a momentous statement; "Sometime we need to find 20 seconds of insane courage!"

Most of the men and women in the Historical Truth 101 interview archives have found themselves in that position - they needed and found insane courage. With this courage they made decisions and did things that affected not only everyone around them but our history. Many of those decisions and acts of uncommon valor are still affecting us today. Meeting these people will make an enormous positive impact on a young person's life.

Historical Truth 101 has an extensive archive of interviews with people with rare historical stories. I'm always looking for true historical accounts to share with my children and students. What better way to make young people feel history is relevant and relateable than introducing them to an interesting individual that has lived the stories that are being told or that has lived through the historical event they are learning about! 

Historical Truth 101 is committed to the collection and preservation of rare personal stories of historical significance. We are also committed to connecting these stories to the individual that should have access to this rare history.

When Historical Truth 101 was initially conceived the intent was for it to have a paid membership - like paying to see the exhibits at a museum. However, we feel so strongly that these personal histories need to be shared and that they can kindle a love for history that we have made the site a FREE membership site like many of the social media sites available today. You simply join Historical Truth 101's FREE membership program and then sign into your account to view the interviews.

To get access to the interviews just go to www.historicaltruth101.com and sign up for your FREE membership and then sign into your account to begin viewing the interviews.

Sincerely,

Angela Broyles

Teaching the next generation, lest they forget.

Huntsville: 2012 Spring High School Baseball

2012 Spring Baseball: The spring baseball season will be here before we know it. The Covenant Christian Academy baseball program is looking for young men interested in playing competitive baseball. To be eligible, a player must be homeschooled or attend a Christian school without a baseball program. CCA still has openings on its high school team for experienced players. For more information, please contact Jerry Seemann at baseball@seemannfamily.net.

Class Dismissed Documentary

We need a family! The time has come for us to find the right family for the next step of our film and we need your help. Many of you know that over the past year we’ve been focusing on interviews with individuals and families who are already homeschooling, including many who have shared valuable knowledge and wisdom from years of experience.  But if you’ve read our synopsis, you’ll also know that a big part of our film is centered upon documenting a family who are just starting out; a family who are making the transition from public or private school into the world of alternative education. We’d like to follow their journey and we believe that documenting their experiences will be an effective way for people in the general public to gain a real understanding of what it means to make the commitment to homeschool. There are a lot of preconceived notions within the general public about what homeschooling is, who does it and for what reasons. We hope that the average person watching the film will be able to relate to this family and by doing so, will have many of their questions answered. They may even be inspired to do the same thing! So if you know of someone who is considering pulling their kids out of school to homeschool them who might be interested in being involved in our film, please let them know about our film, or ask them if we can contact them. Or if you have recently started homeschooling or are considering doing so, please contact us directly by visiting our website and filling out this form:http://www.homeschoolfilm.com/get-involved/family-filming-application/ Thanks, and we look forward to hearing from you. Jeremy, Dustin, Roy and the Class Dismissed Team.

Feb. 25, Bham: Educator Workshop on India

Hi Deb,

The Birmingham International Center is holding a teacher's workshop as part of our Spotlight On India campaign, and we invite any home school teachers to participate in the event. 

Thank you so much!  We have met many of your homeschool moms at our events that I have been having at the center over the past months - they have been eager and active participants, and we look forward to meeting more of them!

Kindest regards,

Rebecca Kinney

(205)542-6165

Professional Development Workshop for Teachers

Saturday, February 25, 2012

8:30 am - 4:00 pm

Discover Incredible India Professional Development Workshop

 

Description:  The Birmingham International Center's educational program will focus on India this year.  Presenters from India, along with local and national experts, will present India's history and culture through a wide range of activities.  Activities will be hands-on workshops, discussions of current affairs and lesson plans for various academic units.  Additionally the lunch provided for attendees will feature cuisine from the different regions of India.  Attendees will receive continuing education units, web site and literary resource materials as well as materials supplied by the Indian government that can be taken back and used in the classroom.  The curricular materials are aligned with the Alabama State Standards by subject and grade level.  Teachers from grades K-12 are invited to attend. 

Date:                  Saturday, February 25, 2012

Time:                 8:30 am – 4:00 pm

Location:           Oak Mountain Intermediate School

                          5486 Caldwell Mill Road

                          Birmingham, Alabama 35242

                          Shelby County Schools

Also a Taste of India, a special session and a tour of the 

Temple Hindu Temple and Cultural Art Center of Birmingham

200 North Chandalar Drive, Pelham 35124

  

Fees:               $25 per person

                        $15 per student

 

Sessions may include: Aloha Math, The Influence of Ramanujan, the Mathematician, Culture/History of India, Geography, Sights of India, Education in India, Business in India, Languages of India, Geo Politics, Dance, Story Telling, Health Benefits of Spices/herbs, Fashion and Costumes, Rangoli, Laws from India and Civil Rights, Economic Growth in India, Henna Art, Literature and Poetry, Online Resources about India, and List of Literary Recommendations.

Register Online HERE (Credit  Cards)

or

download our registration form
HERE (Purchase Order or Check)

Deadline Feb. 29, Scholarship Opportunity

Enter for a chance to win a $5,000 Regions Riding Forward Scholarship.

In honor of Black History Month, Regions is proud to offer the Regions Riding Forward Scholarship Essay Contest. Twenty-five $5,000 scholarships will be awarded to high school seniors in Regions' banking areas who will attend college this year. To enter, write a 500-word essay about an African American, past or present, who has inspired you. Enter online now.

Contest Ends February 29, 2012.Open to High School Seniors in: 
AL, AR, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MS, MO, NC, SC, TN, TX, and VA
No Purchase or Banking Relationship is required to enter or win. Purchase or Banking Relationship will not increase your chances of winning. Void in Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, U.S. Territories and Possessions, States other than the Eligible States and where prohibited or restricted by law. For full contest and eligibility details.
Full Info Found Here

March 1 Deadline: Scholarship Opportunity

Our goal is to encourage your students to pursue science and engineering while making them aware of the career opportunities in the metal casting industry. We are now offering a one thousand dollar scholarship to a high school senior. We would like you to make your students aware of this scholarship opportunity. An application is available on our website. <afsbirmingham.org>

Ken Murphy

Manufacturing Engineer

AMERICAN Ductile Iron Pipe

kmurphy@american-usa.com

205-325-7828 office

205-965-4225 cell

Resources to study Animal Habitats

Websites:

1. Draw a habitat- my favorite from PBS!
2. Plant and Animal Habitats from BBC has students working with the Sarah Jane Adventures team to complete a habitat interactive activity where students match aliens with the best habitat based on clues about both creature and habitat.
3. Learn about habitats with this virtual text from BBC.
4. Create a butterfly habitat by adding and removing plants.
5. Explore the Deep Sea habitat with this interactive from National Geographic.
6. Explore the Antarctica habitat with National Geographic’s Critter Cam.
7. Build an online habitat with Switch Zoo.
8. Design a Habitat with ARKive education.
9. The Great Habitat Match with the Magic School Bus Gang.
10. Walk in the Forest helps students learn about layers of habitats in the forest.
11. Animal Homes (this is a good one for kindergarten or younger).
12. Frog habitats- students help a frog find a new home.
13. e-Learning for kids habitat interactive.

Activities:

• Remember cootie catchers? Or fortune tellers?  They are easily folded out of a regular 8.5×11″ piece of paper.  Students can use cootie catchers to show their knowledge, and quiz each other, about habitats.  Ask students to each choose a different habitat to create their cootie catcher about.  Each flap can have a different word that describes the habitat (for example: desert might say “dry”, “barren”, “extreme temperatures”, “low vegetation”).  The next flap can have a type of animal that lives in that type of habitat.  The last flap can include a fact about why that habitat is perfect for the animal.  To play with the cootie catcher, one student chooses a word and the other spells the word out while opening and closing the cootie catcher.  The first student chooses a new word and the second student spells the word out while manipulating the cootie catcher.  On the final turn, the student chooses a flap to be opened to reveal the fact.
• Create a complete ecosystem: photosynthesis, rain, decomposition, life cycles http://cranberrycorner.blogspot.com/2010/07/summer-fun-ecosystem-edition.html 

There are SO many fun ways to explore habitats and animals…send your children outside to explore the habitats they walk right by every day.

Resources from ilearntechnology.com .

Hwy 280 & Hoover: Art Classes

Would you mind forwarding this to the members of Everest Academy?  This art program is taught by a homeschool mom in Birmingham.  It is a wonderfully unique art program new to our area.  It offers a classical approach, teaching technique & art history with a Christian focus.  Various time slots are available with 2 different locations--Hwy 280 & Hoover.  Thanks~Melanie Singleton

Hi Friend, well it's official - my Art Program launched today! For ages 5 to adult - classical training in fine arts.  This isn't your average art class. here's why... drawing technique - we teach students how to 'see', visually interpret utilizing art elements and realistic drawing techniques. art history - the Masters of Art are introduced each week relating to the technique the student is exploring. encouragement - children are nurtured along their journey. we reference the original Artist, Creator and His limitless devotion, love and provision for them.   we believe you were born an artist and our highest honor is teaching, encouraging each person to reach their full potential. what people are saying..."Jenna is a gifted artist, with the rare trait of helping others discover their unique talents. She is a committed and reliable person with great integrity...read more children's classes start Feb. 13th! @ Hobby Lobby Lee Branch & Hoover questions? we'd love to chat! info@young-artist.org

Feb. 24 & 25, Bham: The Great Gluten Free Expo

Birmingham Kids and Family ,  Gluten Free Birmingham, and the BCDSG are teamed up to bring you

The Great Gluten Free Expo!

February 24th and 25th, 2012

“Happy Tummies. Healthy Families.”

The Jeff State Culinary Arts and Hospitality Institute, Hoover, AL

This event is a celebration for all people living gluten free PLUS anyone interested in learning more about various food intolerances, autoimmune disorders, Celiac, Autism, and healthy living through diet (GF, CF, EF, SF, even SCD and GAPS!).

This is more than your average vendor fair! Join us for our Gluten Free Gala, 5K Race, Seminars, Cooking Demonstrations, and opportunity to meet dozens of vendors that offer the best in gluten free living!

Entrance is only $5 at the door, ages 12 and older. NEW UPDATE!! The first 100 families will receive a FREE loaf of bread, provided by Rudi’s! And, childcare will be available, upon reservation, by Care with Flair!

The Great Gluten Free Gala!

Led by the wonderful Chef Sean Butler of Food Studio B, this fundraiser not only helps local charities but it will be a worry free dinner that caters to your dietary needs! Menus and entertainment will be updated soon. Proceeds from the dinner will help Celiac research, The Bell Center, ARC of Shelby County, and The Therapy Ranch. Friday, February 24th, 2012. Guest Speaker: Dr. Fasano of the University of Maryland, leading world expert on Celiac Disease!

For information, purchasing tickets, or to volunteer, click HERE

Making Tracks for Celiacs 5K!

All runners and walkers welcome! On Saturday morning, February 25th, 2012, come out to Veterans Park in Hoover, Al and race for prizes and help proceeds that will benefit the Center For Celiac Research and the Birmingham Celiac Disease Support Group. The one mile fun run will take place after the 5K. And, of course, all post-race snacks are Gluten Free, provided by the Center for Celiac Research.

For information, to enter, or to volunteer, click HERE

Great Gluten Free Seminars!

All day long, February 25th, 2012, educational seminars will complement the on-going vendor fair. Whether you are a beginner, lifelong Celiac, health care professional in need of CEUs, or just curious, do not miss our seminars! Check back soon for the schedule. Excellent speakers such as : Jules Shephard from Jules Gluten Free!

Click HERE for information.

Great Cooking Demos!

Could this day get any better? Well, of course, with our cooking demos designed to complement our vendor fair and seminars. Stay posted to learn about our developing list of experts eager to share baking and cooking secrets that fit the GF (and beyond) lifestyle. Excellent demos by: Chef Sean Butler, Jules Shepherd, and the Jeff State Culinary School students!

Click HERE for information