Laura Ingalls Wilder Homestead Fieldtrip

Yesterday 2 of the girls and I went to a funeral in south Missouri.  On the way back, we stopped in Mansfield MO and toured the Laura Ingalls Homestead.  We stayed for 3 hours, but you could easily make a full day of it.

Little ones are free, children are $4 and adults are $8.  For this, you get to tour the museum, and 2 of her homes (one is just down the road from the other).  They have lots of benches and picnic tables in the parking area and at the rock house and farm house. They welcome people to picnic there before,  or after their tour.  We also got to see Pa's fiddle, some of Lauras needlework, books, writings and much, much more.

They do not allow any inside pictures, but you can take all you want outside.

This house took them years to build.  They built it all themselves, except for the last addition .  The fireplace was made of 40 wagon loads of rock taken from the farm.

Both locations had lots of wild flowers in bloom, and redbud trees.

The rock house

The twins sitting beside the front door at the rock house.

The garage at the big house.  When Rose built this house for her parents, she also bought them a car and taught them how to drive.  This is where the car was kept. 

The back porch of the Rock House.  Each of the gutters empties into a small cistern, which then goes to  a larger one.  They only used the well water for drinking and cooking.  The rain water was used for all other purposes.

Notice the insulators for the electric.  Rose paid over $3000  to have the electricity  brought to the house from Mansfield.

Floor to ceiling windows opened during the summer to bring a breeze through the house.  This is the house Laura lived in when she started writing the Little House books.

Even though they had a refrigerator, Alanzo used this spring house to  store the milk from his goats in.

Gleaning

Gleaning America's Fields ~ Feeding America's Hungry
Karin Page, Gleaning Coordinator, SoSA West
EndHunger.org/sosawest ~ GleanKC@EndHunger.org

We need volunteers for a GLEANING this Friday, March 23rd.

9:30a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Red Ridge Farm, 978 NW 1101 Road, Odessa, MO

Spinach, lettuce, and greens

DETAILS & DIRECTIONS:

Wear close-toed shoes and layers.  It could be 30 degrees warmer in the hoophouse and you’ll be comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt.




Bring gloves and scissors if your have them, and a water bottle.

Map with directions:  http://g.co/maps/sn8nw    FYI:  MO 131 South doesn’t have numbered streets until after you cross into Lafayette County, and you’ll turn left very shortly after that onto a gravel road (1000 Road).   This road will dead end and you will turn right onto 1101 Road.  The farm is the second set of buildings.  Park in the driveway to the house by my blue Toyota Yaris.

Please fill out the gleaning sign-up sheet (attached) and bring it with you.

If you can transport some of the produce to a local food pantry, please let me know.

We will need 8 people for this gleaning and have the following jobs available:  picking the greens, weighing produce, putting it in bags and labeling the bags, transporting them in wagons to our vehicles.

Please CALL Karin Page @ SoSA West, 816-921-0856 or 816-985-8155 (c ) if you can attend OR reply to this e-mail.

Thanks and I hope to see you soon!

Karin Page
Gleaning Coordinator
     

Society of St. Andrew

Gleaning America's Fields

Feeding America's Hungry

               

PO Box 300323

Kansas City, MO 64130



Off: 819-921-0856

Cell: 816-649-8166


The Society of St. Andrew is a national nonprofit hunger-relief ministry that rescues 25-30 million pounds of fresh, nutritious, excess produce each year that would otherwise go to waste for various marketing reasons. This food is then distributed to critical feeding agencies across the country at no cost to the agencies or the hungry people they serve.

               

More information about the Society of St. Andrew and its hunger-relief programs - Gleaning Network, Potato & Produce Project, Harvest of Hope and Hunger Relief Advocate Initiative - is available online at EndHunger.org.

Eagle Cam

http://www.wvec.com/eaglecam
Check out the above link to watch this years Eagles on their nest!

It’s not too late to have a Spring Break! The next home schoolday at CoCo Key Water Resort is Friday, March 30.



Water Resort tickets are only $5 each (tax notincluded) from 11apm – 4pm.



Space is limited, go online today to http://tickets.cocokeykansascity.comand login with your store name HOME to save $13 off admission perperson or simply mention ‘Home School Day’ to the front desk to get thisamazing discount.



Q: When’s your next home school day?

A: Participants for this home school day can pick-up ourcolorful new Home School calendar that highlights every Home School Day scheduled for the rest of 2012!



Don’t forget to bring your own towel!



JeffHirst

SalesManager

Holiday Inn SE Hotel - CoCo Key Water Resort

9103E. 39th St., Kansas City, MO 64133

Direct: (816)737-4727 | Fax: (816) 737-4745

www.holidayinn.com/kansascitymo | www.cocokeykansascity.com 

Kansas City Curfew Update

From the HSLDA e-lert service…


















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You can only do so much…
No one can be everywhere at once. And you can’t be at home, teaching your children, while monitoring Congress and state legislatures. Through electronic legislative services, HSLDA is monitoring legislation for you—watching and listening carefully for any proposed laws that could erode your freedom.

Join HSLDA today—we’ll watch out for your future.  We also provide 24/7 legal assistance and some great money-saving benefits!
More reasons to join HSLDA…

Join 17,000 others...

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You Can Help!
The Home School Foundation supports homeschool families in need. Whether it's a widow or a family suffering after a natural disaster, HSF is there to help. You can give directly, or through our Clicks For Homeschooling program; online merchants contribute to HSF when you shop!
Start shopping here to contribute to HSF at no cost to you!






Full Force Needed March 21 against Kansas City Daytime Curfew





Please stand up for freedom on Wednesday.






Scott Woodruff answers questions and assists members with legal issues in Missouri. He and his wife homeschooled their children. Read more >>


Dear HSLDA Members and Friends,

The gauntlet has been thrown down to you. Councilman Wagner has submitted a new draft curfew ordinance that is just as bad as—or worse than—the original one.

But taking a stand for freedom, Councilman Sharp has submitted an entirely different plan: one that involves enforcing existing attendance law rather than making it a crime for a young adult to be in public.

The proposals of Councilman Sharp and Councilman Wagner represent two different ways of life.  Wagner’s ratchets up government power and creates a disgraceful atmosphere in which young adults may be intimidated into hiding during the day.  Sharp’s, on the other hand, makes the protection of inalienable rights a priority.

One of these two ways of life may prevail on Wednesday at the next committee meeting.

And it cannot be doubted that if a daytime curfew becomes ensconced in Kansas City, other towns will try to follow suit.  After all, the current proponents of the curfew are saying Kansas City should follow the examples of daytime curfews in some smaller nearby towns.

Councilman Sharp needs your help!

Action Requested

If you live in Kansas City, or ever plan to visit there with your children, please attend the meeting of the Public Safety and Emergency Services Committee Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.  The location is City Hall, 26th floor, 414 East 12th St., Kansas City, MO.

Remember to be calm and courteous. A respectful attitude sends a powerful message. Small children (strollers, diaper bags) should not be brought.

Parking will be difficult, so allow extra time.  Consider car pooling.  No knives, pepper spray, etc., may be brought in.

Background

Wagner’s new draft is known a “V1.”  Sharp has submitted two drafts: “V2” and “V2b.”  They can be viewed online.   The version known as V2 is best.  We will be asking Sharp to urge the adoption of V2.

Daytime curfews never live up to their promises.  And they hurt homeschool families more than others because we allow our children free time while public schools are in session.

Homeschoolers have been harassed and frightened by policemen who treat them like suspected criminals for doing nothing more than being in public.

Families for Home Education and HSLDA are united in opposing daytime curfews. Thank you for standing with us for freedom in Missouri!

Sincerely,

Scott A. Woodruff

Petition to sign--time sensitive

Sign Petition to Support Alberta, Canada Homeschoolers
Dear HSLDA Members and Friends:




J. Michael Smith is president of HSLDA. He has been an advocate for homeschooling for more than 30 years.Read more >>

Our homeschooling brothers and sisters to the north are facing the possibility that they will be banned from teaching during schooltime that the Bible is true. The law would require that homeschoolers’ academic content contain politically correct views such as tolerance for controversial lifestyles.
The vote could be as soon as Tuesday, March 20, 2012.  Alberta homeschoolers have rallied, called and written to legislators, to no avail.  Last week, thousands of U.S. homeschoolers called and e-mailed the premier and education minister, to no avail.
HSLDA of Canada is calling for thousands of homeschoolers to come to Edmonton to protest on the steps of the legislature building on Monday, March 19, 2012.
You can also show your support by signing this petition, which we will deliver to Paul Faris, president of HSLDA of Canada on Monday.





And please  share this petition with as many friends as you can (you can do that right from the petition page).  We need to make our voices heard in the cause of homeschooling freedom!
Sincerely,

Michael Smith
HSLDA President

African Americans Should Not Homeschool?

Subject: African Americans Should Not Homeschool?


Hello from NHERI.


One professor has firmly opposed African Americans homeschooling their children. Writing of blacks home educating, majorities, social movements, white conservatives, and more, he claimed, "Individualized atomistic decisions to school one's child at home--while thoroughly understandable--cannot build momentum for the large scale transformations that are necessary." (note 1)




One must wonder: "Is this true? Does not doing well for many families' children of color do well for all of society?"

Other academics continue to alleged that research has shown the public and policymakers almost nothing about the effects of homeschooling. (note 2)

The National Home Education Research Institute and I are glad to announce that a study is underway - of African American homeschooling and public schooling children and families - to help address the claims of critics of homeschooling and advocates of government control of private education such as those mentioned above, and to allow all blacks and others to see the evidence for themselves.



This study will offer sound, scholarly evidence.

NHERI would like your help in any or all of three areas:
If you are an African American single parent  or couple with an African American child between the ages of 9-14 who has been   homeschooled all or most of his or her school years, please contact NHERI by   e-mailing study@nheri.org to participate in the study.
If you   know of an African American family who has a child either homeschooled or in public school who may want to   participate, please ask them to contact NHERI by e-mailing study@nheri.org.
Please   consider making   a donation to support NHERI's research on this unique, landmark study. Any   amount - $10, $25, $100 - will help. Thank you!

This study is considered solid in design, important, and pioneering by organizations and individuals such as National Black Home Educators (NBHE), the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), and state- and private-university professors.

Please immediately forward this entire message to anyone you know who might be able to help with this study.

Brian D. Ray, Ph.D.
National Home Education Research Institute
http://nheri.org/

P.S. Please feel free to send us your questions about homeschooling and we will try to answer them in upcoming messages.

If you would like to tangibly support our work reporting on think tanks, professors at university schools of education, court decisions, doing research, collecting research, disseminating research, and helping homeschool families around the world, please see "Two ways to help" below.

Two ways to help:
1. Send a check to: NHERI, PO Box 13939, Salem OR 97309 (using a check puts the largest percent of your gift to work at NHERI)
2. Donate online.

NHERI, PO Box 13939, Salem OR 97309, USA

Notes:
1. Apple, Michael W. (2006, December 21). The complexities of black home schooling. From www.TCRecord.org. Retrieved first paragraph 5/25/07 online http://www.tcrecord.org/Content.asp?ContentId=12903.

2. For example: Reich, Rob. (2005). Why home schooling should be regulated. In Bruce S. Cooper (Ed.), (2005), Homeschooling in full view: A reader. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing, pp. 115 & 117.

NHERI, PO Box 13939, Salem OR 97309, USA

Garden update

Since I just returned from Joplin late Friday night, the potatoes didn't get planted on Saturday (Saint Patty's Day).  They are going to have to wait until Tuesday to get into the potato bed.

While I was in Joplin the last time, I dug up and brought home yucca plants that had taken over a yard at a house we were working at.  The homeowner considered them to be weeds and wanted them gone.   They now live along one side of my driveway to help slow down the snow from drifting onto the driveway.

This time, I brought home a grocery bag full of wild chives.  This afternoon after church and lunch, I got them planted into a 3 x 4 bed. Chives can take over quickly (like garlic), so they are best planted in a container or raised bed.

They are kind of whimpy right now, as they were in a bag a few days, but they will come back quickly.  They are a very hardy plant.

I also removed a layer of straw off of my 2 strawberry beds.  I added the straw before we left, in case it froze.  It didn't freeze, instead it was in the 80's....Unusual March weather.

Since the winter was so mild, I have volunteers coming up--onion, garlic, cabbage and broccoli.

Inside, my tomatoes are looking rather spindly.  They might pull out of it.  Also have peppers and leeks looking good!

Leeks

Garlic

Joplin MO

Last Sunday after church, we traveled to Joplin MO to work with  I.D.E.S.  This is the second time I have gathered up a team to go assist in Joplin.  The majority of our group were homeschoolers, graduated homeschoolers or moms of homeschoolers.  OK, 99% of the group--we had one young adult along who was a public schooler.

This trip, we painted the exterior of a home--siding and trim, hung garage doors, painted a 3 bay garage, did some clean up, hung sheet rock, moved insulation and supplies, dug holes for deck footings, put up furrowing strips, helped put up window trim, checked for water leaks prior to an inspection and a lot more.  We had 18 in our group this time, consisting of 1 male adult, 5 adult women, and 12 older teens.  We had a great time, the kids learned some new construction skills, and found out we had some muscles we didn't know we had.

Of an evening, we came  back to the Westside Christian Church--the church that hosts us (it turns into a dorm for IDES volunteers during the week) to shower and eat.  After a wonderful nightly dinner, our routine was board games and bringing out the guitars, piano and violin.  One of our volunteers, Maggie, did the majority of the nightly cooking--we even had pork loin one night!!!

Farm Update

Yesterday was a busy day here at the farm.  We hired a couple of boys to help with fencing the top layer of the chicken pen.  We are now past the halfway mark on this ongoing project.  We have one side left to fence the top layer of (bottom layer is done), a new gate to make, and then to throw the net over the top.  And it will be done.

I have now planted my ginger, some lettuce, and have 64 strawberry plants coming up.  Since it could still freeze (It snowed and sleeted early Thursday morning, but was gone by noon) I put a not too thick layer of straw over them.  My plants inside are coming up as well too, and should be ready to transplant outside at their proper time.  I have some volunteer onions and garlic coming up (due to the mild winter, and 2 heads of cabbage).

It appears my blueberries made it, so I will try and add a couple more bushes this year, as well as more grapes in the orchard.

Strawberry bed

My helper.  In her feline mind, the only reason I filled the wagon with straw was strictly for her lounging pleasure....When I would go to pull some out, she would try and hold it down with her paws....

Strawberry bed after it was covered with straw.  We could easily get more snow, ice or another freeze.

Everything this year will be raised beds, unless I decided to keep the corn out.  I haven't decided on the corn yet.

Venturing Scouts in Liberty MO

The below is from my friend Maggie.  If you are interested, let me know and I can get you in touch with Maggie..........

I wanted to make you aware of a co-ed scouting program in Liberty, Missouri, Crew 883 (Hosanna! Lutheran Church, 2800 N Church Road, Liberty, MO----just 1/2 miles from Rogers and across from the new high school)
They meet every Tuesday at 7p.m.
This program is open to youth between the ages of 13 (out of the 8th grade) and 21.
We accept youth of all faiths/denominations.
Plus, this is a homeschooling friendly crew.
Venturing is a high adventure scouting program and the teens call all the shots which means the adults are there in a supervisory position.  Adults are always welcome, but are mainly needed for events to ensure safety.  Those adults who do attend are expected to have fun and let the kids run the show---mistakes, successes---the whole works!
This group is part of Boy Scouts of America as part of the Venturing segment so they hold all the same values of BSA.

Crew 883 earned the #1 Crew award for their district in 2011 and #1 troop or crew flag ceremony presenters in 2010.

Their members consist of a Gold Award recipient from Girl Scouting

2 Eagles

1 Ranger and Bronze Award earner in Venturing and several youth getting close to earning their awards.

+2 youth are heading down to Joplin on a mission trip and will pursue their Trust Religious Awards at that time
Our upcoming activities include spending the night in World of Fun and conducting a conservation project in the Cameron area.
In Venturing the awards are more secondary to the activities.  Venturing also understands that even though awards and activities are important, the youth are encouraged to go as far as they want to go without cutting into school, family, or religious activities.----This is a very flexible program in which the youth get to pick and choose.
The adult leader/crew advisor is a commissioner with Boy Scouts of America, a veteran of the military, and assisted in taking a crew the teens to Philmont last year.  (60+ miles of mountain backpacking bliss).  The crew advisor has also been actively involved in scouting programs for 13 years in various leadership positions.
FYI:  Crew members who belong to other scouting programs are encouraged to continue with them to soar high into Eagle, earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, and continue to support their home programs.   The same expectations extend to other scouting/youth organizations.
We invite your entire family to check us out sometime.

Please contact me with any questions or if you would like to attend.

Maggie Jackson
883 Crew Advisor
North Star Roundtable Commisioner
BSA Leave No Trace Master Educator
Philmont Trekker who wants to go back!
Former Girl Scout Leader and current mother of a Gold, Eagle, and Eagle in training scout.

Whats for Sunday Dinner?

At our house, we are having Rebekah's taco soup.  (Actually a version of it, as she feeds 2 adults with it, and I am feeding 2 adults and 3 teens, 2 preschoolers.)


Rebekah's Taco Soup Recipe

Quick and easy to make.  Just adjust the quantity for your family size, and tweak the ingredients for how your family likes it--mild or spicy, or different beans....  It can be made in the crock pot to keep ready and hot, or at the last minute.  Your prep/cook time is only about 15 minutes.


2 lbs lean ground beef or turkey OR diced chicken
3 cans ranch style canned beans
3 cans rotel
3 cans corn


Cook meat (I drain if beef, but some people don't drain it).  Add in all other ingredients.


Add tortilla chips and top with cheese.  (Some people do while on the stove, but I like my chips crunchy so I add mine right before I serve it)

Homeschool Spelling bee for Kansas City area

We have done this for the past 4 years and love it.  You do NOT have to be a member of  CPHE  in order to participate.

CPHE's Regional Spelling Bee will be held Friday, May 4 at 10:00 am at
Northland Christian Church at  6120 NE 48th Street, Kansas City, MO 64119.  (THIS IS A NEW LOCATION.)

This church is a peanut-free facility. No peanuts or peanut products will be allowed under any
circumstances.



For rules and lists
to study, you may go to http://cphecorp.org/spelling/ .  Any homeschool
student in grades 1-12 is welcome to participate in the bee.

FTo have a successful bee we really need judges, so please consider serving your homeschool
community in this way. Parents of participants may serve as judges.

Registrations are due April 20th. We need to have at least two spellers in a level to hold the bee
for that grade. If there are not enough registered spellers in a particular level the speller will be
notified by April 25th and will be given the option of competing at the next highest grade level.

To register, volunteer, or ask questions you may contact Lori Camper at: spellingbee@cphecorp.org

* CPHE defines a Missouri homeschool as one that is in full compliance with Missouri homeschool law for ages 7-16.
Students outside this age group must receive at least 50% of their education at home, exclusive of enrichment programs and/or college courses. Students from other states should be homeschooled according to their state law.

Low 70's on Thursday, woke up to SNOW today

That is right.  We had temperatures in the upper 60's and lower 70's on Thursday.  When we went to bed last night it was starting to cool off - a lot.  This morning when I woke up, it was starting to snow, and the flakes just got bigger as the morning progressed, and it was sticking in many areas.  It was a wet snow and rather slick.

We had been planning on doing some fence work around the chicken coop, but I called that off for today.  The fencing we need to put up is the top row of chicken wire (its a 7 foot fence, the bottom 4 foot is done, so we just have the top 3 foot to fence.  But, that will require ladder work and I didn't want on a ladder when it was slick, trying to balance a roll of wire.  Hopefully we can get it done in the next few days.

If you have been following the Kansas City curfew, it has been put on hold for two weeks.  I will try and keep you updated on it.

• ...I received this email today, and I realize that not everyone is a member of HSLDA, but this is VERY important to ALL of us in the KCMO area. Please call if you feel led to do so. This affects ALL of us that homeschool, regardless of if you belong to HSLDA or not. Thanks!

  It also affects those of us who do not live in KCMO by 2 ways-

  #1, other towns will follow

  #2 Do you go to KCMO during the day for field trips? or business and take your kids?  You could be stopped and quetioned.

  
  

  
  
  Urgent Action Needed to Stop
  Kansas City Daytime Curfew
  Daytime curfews do not accomplish what the proponents claim.
  
  Dear HSLDA Members and Friends,
  
  Your help is urgently needed to block an effort in Kansas City, MO, to pass an ordinance that would make it a crime for young people to be in a public place during public school hours.
  
  The city council’s Public Safety Committee may vote on the ordinance at 10:30 this morning. If they vote in favor, the full city council could vote on the bill on early as tomorrow. Time is short! All members of the city council need to hear about your opposition.
  
  Daytime curfews do not accomplish what the proponents claim. They have a disproportionate impact on homeschool families because we allow our children free time while public schools are in session.
  
  Homeschoolers have been harassed and made fearful by policemen who treat them like suspected criminals for doing nothing more than being in public.
  Action Requested
  
  1. If you live in Kansas City, please stand up for freedom by immediately calling the city council members listed below to express your opposition to the daytime curfew. Your message can be as simple as: “Please vote NO on ordinance 120180, daytime curfews. It will reduce freedom, but it will not reduce crime.” Or you can express your opposition in your own words.
  
  2. If your last name begins with A through H, call those numbered 1-4 below. If your last name starts with I through P, call those numbered 5-9 below. If your last name starts with Q-Z, call those numbered 10-13 below.
  
  3. Please pass this on to other families, as well!
  Contact Information
  
  1. James, Jr., Sylvester Chair, Mayor
  816-513-3500
  
  2. Wagner, Scott
  816-513-6503
  
  3. Davis, Dick
  816-513-6505
  
  4. Ford, Ed
  816-513-6507
  
  5. Johnson, Russ
  816-513-6509
  
  6. Curls, Melba
  816-513-6511
  
  7. Reed, Jermaine
  816-513-6513
  
  8. Glover, Jim
  816-513-6515
  
  9. Marcason, Jan
  816-513-6517
  
  10. Circo, Cindy
  816-513-6519
  
  11. Brooks, Michael
  816-513-6521
  
  12. Taylor, Scott
  816-513-6523
  
  13. Sharp, John
  816-513-6525
  Background
  
  1. Daytime curfews do not deter juvenile crime. A recent California study compared the juvenile crime rates of counties that enforced curfew ordinances and counties that did not. The crime rates were the same. The curfews had no effect on juvenile crime.
  
  2. Daytime curfews allow searches without probable cause. The Fourth Amendment forbids any investigation of a citizen without a “probable cause.” The proposed ordinance allows policemen to stop and interrogate a person merely because he looks young enough to be violating the curfew. It is an invitation to harass homeschool families.
  
  3. Daytime curfews assume a person is guilty until proven innocent. In several incidents where homeschool students were stopped by police, they had done nothing to arouse suspicion. There was no evidence they had committed a crime or intended to. Nonetheless, the police interrogated them and treated them like criminals until they had proved their innocence.
  
  4. The ordinance allows some exceptions. Unfortunately, the only way for a policeman to determine if an exception applies is to stop and interrogate the frightened young person. By then the damage has already been done. The child may be afraid to go outdoors again. The right to homeschool includes the right to be free from fear—especially for young people, who are most vulnerable to feelings of fear.
  
  5. The ordinance pressures homeschool families to follow the public school schedule. Those who dismiss their kids while public schools are in session could face harassment.
  
  6. HSLDA and Families for Home Education are united in opposing this ordinance.
  
  Thank you for standing with us for freedom in Missouri!
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Scott A. Woodruff
  HSLDA Staff Attorney

Seeds started

I started my garden today--inside with seeds.  I have 25 beefsteak tomatoes, 25 cherry tomatoes, 25 green bell pepper plants, 25 hot pepper plants (for the husband and a couple of daughters who like hot stuff), and a few garlic cloves.

Outside some garlic is trying to come up from last year, but I do wish it would hold off awhile longer.

I use the planting guide on  http://www.sproutrobot.com/ to know when to plant what, but I don't order my seeds from them.

I also went on ebay and bought 25 strawberry plants.  They should arrive in about 10 days.

Last week, I got a little portable greenhouse, which I set up in the dining room.  It seemed to be the best location as it has a south window, and since we spend a good amount of time there, I will be able to keep an eye on the plants and remember to water them.   I have my jiffy trays in there (although one seems to be missing...so I am using its top as a second tray).  Since the greenhouse is a greenhouse, I won't need to have the lids on the trays this year.

You can make a greenhouse out of about anything--store bought cake/pie pans with the clear plastic lids are great.

Check out this blog for field trips

http://www.hsclassroom.net/.  This has some real good links!

You know your a redneck when...

Or, at least that you live in a small farming town when.....The local high school has a drive your tractor to school day.  The FFA started it years ago, and today was the day for this school year.  We went by the high school a few minutes after school let out, to see the parade of tractors leaving the parking lot.  Staff and students alike drove their tractors to school for the day.  This morning on her way to school she sent me a text saying the bus just passed the high school secretary on her way to school on her tractor.  Daughter number 3 goes to the local high school (the other 2 still at home are homeschooled).  

Here is a few pictures of the parking lot after a good part of them had already left.  I missed getting the camera out in time to get the parade as they left.

This last picture makes me wonder...Was this a staff tractor or a student tractor, and what was parked first??  The cars on either side?? or the tractor??  If that was a kid backing in between the two cars, they did some pretty fancy backing.

Young Eagles--Free Airplane Rides for Kids

Young Eagles is a national program, designed to let kids aged 8-17  (strictly enforced) experience flight in an airplane.  Our family participates in this at the Lee's Summit MO airport, which just announced this years schedule.   If you are not in the Kansas City area, check with your local airport to see if they participate, or google Young Eagles to find an airport near you that does.


Young Eagles is run off of donations only and by volunteers.  Various pilots donate their time, fuel expenses and airplane to give kids free rides.  They do have a donation bucket you can drop money into.  (FYI, plane fuel is higher priced than auto fuel...).  At the Lee's Summit airport, they have a fundraiser breakfast at each event.  We always make that a special treat and arrive early eat there.  You can also just go for the breakfast and not fly, but watch.  Please, if you fly, donate--even if only a couple dollars to keep this wonderful program going.  


Kids do need an adult to sign for them to fly.  Go early, as they sometimes have more kids than available flights, and they go in order in which you sign up.  Some planes can take only one one passenger, and others are four or six seaters.


This is a great treat when you study aviation, transportation, or weather/clouds.  Also a great way to work on a scout badge or 4H project.


Kids are given a flight log book and information about flying.  Cameras are welcome.  On a rare day, when riders are light, pilots will sometimes even ask if a parent wants to fly as well (but if you have other children they can't be left on the ground unattended.)


Safety is important, so during bad weather, all flights stop. 

Opportunity for Kansas City area homeschoolers to care for wild birds

• I got this as an email, and no nothing more than what the email says, but I'm sharing!
  
  "Wild Bird Rehabilitation Needs Volunteers
  Hello, I am a homeschool mother. I am also a volunteer at the Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center in Overland, MO. I was asked by the director to put the word out about our birds and to make others aware of a need we have. Every spring we have a huge influx of rescued birds. Many are babies rescued after falling out of nests or rescued from cats or dogs. Some of the birds are injured after having been hit by cars or flying into windows. We get all manner of songbirds (which are the only ones we can care for) and are usually overwhelmed with starlings. The director would like help with caring for the baby starlings, as these are very hardy birds, and we have an overpopulation of them anyway. She will make up a booklet that explains how to care for a baby bird and then give the bird to homeschool families to take them home and raise them. The family can provide all the care and then release the birds when they are ready. It would be a wonderful learning experience for children, and Wild Bird Rehab will help and direct the care as needed. The director says that March is the month when our “season” of caring for the babies begins, and we are making you aware of this wonderful learning opportunity early so we can plan over the winter how to implement this. If you have any questions, please contact Carolyn Bast at 314-839-1399 or mailto:carolynbast@sbcglobal.net ."

Free spelling site

A free site I am using right now for one of my girls is http://www.spelling-words-well.com/.  It has games, worksheets, lessons and words for grades up through 9th.

Some of the words we pick out each week to look up as vocabulary words, requiring the dictionary.  Usually I pick words that have more than one meaning, or words we don't hear very often for that lesson.

One more crossed off the list

I got another craft project crossed off the list today.  When my husband and I married almost 6 years ago, I moved into his home.  I always love the idea of a large bulletin board in the kitchen of the house, and he had one that fit the bill.  But, it is a little bland.  So, for 6 years I have been meaning to add some sort of interest to it, and finally got it done today.

First, I'll say it stands across the hall from my large antique potato bin--so, I went with the potato theme, which fits a kitchen.

I measured the bulletin board, and went on the hunt to find a potato sack that would fit the board.  I found one on e-bay that was a good size.  It arrived today, and thankfully it didn't smell too bad.  Often, burlap will have a smell and need to be aired out well, or cold water washed and drip dry, or even dusted with baking soda for a few days before you can work with it-but not this one.

I then took the bulletin board off the wall.  I then discovered the frame on it could not be removed, so I couldn't  do my original plan of removing the frame, adding the burlap and then re-framing it.  So, I went to plan B.

I measured the inside of the board (inside the frame) twice,  as my husbands motto is measure twice, cut once.  I then cut the burlap bag, so that the back of the bag came off (saving it for a future project).  Then I centered (best I could--when the bag was printed it wasn't quite center--it was made for hauling potatoes, not bulletin boards in a farm house...).  I then laid it over the board and stretched it, and temporarily stapled it into place to hold it.  Next, I took a butter knife and poked the edges under the wooden frame.  Then I removed the staples, and put in new staples along the edge of the frame, where they can't be seen.

Then, I rehung it.  So far I have only put the calendar back on it--it will fill up soon enough.

This is the potato bin across the hall from the board.  I think it was probably made in the late 1800's.  I bought it last fall at an antique store in the city.  It is missing one size of tongue and grove which happens to be the same size of what is on our front porch, which we will be doing some repairs on when we get some warmer weather.  So, I can fix that with the wood we remove from the porch, and I have enough of the green stain left to make it match.

Monday we used a carrot for something, and I saved the top.  The two preschoolers like doing this.  I put the top in a jar with a small amount of water, then placed it in a sunny window.  (You have to keep an eye on the water-don't let it go dry).  In a few days you will start to see growth on the top, and depending on the carrot variety, it may grow up to a foot tall.  It is rather lacy and pretty to look at, and the little ones like checking its progress.

Inexpensive homeschooling fun and learning!  This makes a good science project for preschoolers or kindergartners--to see what fruits and vegetables this will work for, and which it doesn't.
.

Field Trip Day in Kansas City

Today we took a field trip to Union Station in downtown Kansas City.  We went and saw a free musical (today's morning show only was free).  As a homeschooling mom, I am always on the lookout for free or inexpensive field trips.  This show was a history lesson in cowboys of the old west.  Many don't realize that the majority of the cowboys were actually black.  Hollywood seldom portrays them correctly.  It followed the cowboy life of Nat Love, AKA Deadwood Dick, who was a real cow  boy in US History.  See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deadwood_Dick for more information on Deadwood.  We saw his adventures, work, and hardships and how it was changed when the railroad came across the west.  We are counting it as history.


Theatre for Young America (TYA), a non-for-profit,  has a musical running, featuring Danny Cox and his music.  The musical is "Black Cowboy in the Old West" at center stage.  It runs through Feb 25.   


They have several more shows coming up this year.  I highly recommend their shows.  You can find TYA on facebook to see what is scheduled.


Afterward we walked around for a bit before heading home.  The girls had fun checking out the ceiling--lots of interesting architecture, old fire equipment display from KCFD, and old trains outside.   We plan on heading back later for a visit to the planetarium.

I made 2 loaves of bread, Rebecca made a pineapple upside downcake, and we all pitched in to make some jambalaya.

On the way home we stopped at the store and bought shrimp and sausage for the jambalaya.  When I got home, I discovered my husband had the same idea on his way home from work and bought.....shrimp and sausage for jambalaya.  I guess great minds really do think alike???

Writing Contest-homeschoolers are welcome-middle and high school

ST. JOSEPH WRITERS GUILD

presents

WRITING FOR FUN

The Fourth Annual Writing Contest

for Northwest Missouri/Northeast Kansas

Middle School and High School Students

Prizes awarded Saturday, March 17, 2012.

The Irish are said to be lucky.

In what way are you lucky?

Or how is your main character lucky?

     POETRY         SHORT STORY/ESSAY


Prizes include:

1stPrize                      $25.00 Cash

2nd Prize                      $20.00 Cash

3rdPrize                      $15.00 Cash

Plus Certificates of Participation and many more prizes.
One entry per student.
See Entry Guidelines for more details.

 http://StJosephWritersGuild.blogspot.com
All entries must be received by March 5, 2012.

 To be lucky, email your entry to:
StJosephWriters@gmail.com

 ENTRY GUIDELINES

Poetry
1.         The work must be your own.

2.         The subject matter must be appropriate.

3.         The poem must rhyme.

4.         The poem must have 24 lines or less.

5.         The poem must be typed or data formatted.

6.         The poem should be single spaced.

7.         The author’s name should not be under title of poem.

8.         Cover sheet information must include:

                       Name

                       Complete Address

                       Telephone Number with Area Code

                       Email Address

                       School

                       Grade in school

                       Category:  Poetry

                       Title of Poem

9.         Be sure to use grammar and spelling check before submitting.



Short Story and/or Essay



1.         The work must be your own.

2.         The subject matter must be appropriate.

3.         The short story or essay must be 500 to 1000 words.

4.         The work must be typed or data formatted.

5.         The work must be double spaced.

6.         Theauthor’s name should not be under the short story or essay title.          

7.        Cover sheet information must include:

                       Name

                       Complete Address

                       Telephone Number with Area Code

                       Email Address

                       School

                       Grade in school

                       Category:   Short Story or Essay

                       Title of Short Story or Essay

8.         Be sure to use grammar and spelling check before submitting.

New 529 College Saving Plan for MO residents

From http://www.digitalburg.com

State Treasurer says Missourians can take advantage of free college savings money starting March 1
Feb 20, 2012, 10:34 AM
JEFFERSON CITY – Starting March 1, college savers throughout Missouri might be eligible for up to $500 a year in free college savings money from MOST–Missouri's 529 College Savings Plan. State Treasurer Clint Zweifel said, for the first time ever, the direct-sold MOST 529 Plan will begin providing a dollar-for-dollar match on contributions up to $500 per year and $2,500 over a lifetime to the MOST 529 accounts of qualifying applicants.The MOST 529 Matching Grant Program, which is being funded with private money, makes Missouri the 12th state to offer such matching funds to college savers. Zweifel will mark the kickoff with events on March 1."Research and experience make it clear that when a family saves early for higher education, no matter the amount, it increases the likelihood a child will seek an advanced degree," Zweifel said. "The MOST 529 Matching Grant Program is about incentivizing and rewarding families who save and make that investment. Over the next four years, MOST 529 will provide up to $500,000 in matching funds to help Missourians save for college, technical schools and vocational institutions. I am excited about the prospects for families."At least $125,000 in MOST 529 Matching Grant Program funds will be available each year on a first-come-first-serve basis. Any unused matching funds will be rolled into the following year.*Missouri residents can qualify for the MOST 529 Matching Grant Program under the following guidelines:· Applicant must have a direct-sold MOST 529 account.· Applicant must be a parent or legal guardian of the beneficiary.· Account owner and the beneficiary must be Missouri residents.· Account owner must open a direct-sold MOST 529 account before applying.· The child must be 13 or younger when the Matching Grant is first approved.· The account owner's household adjusted gross income must be $74,999 or less, which includes 75 percent of Missouri households.· Account owner must reapply for the program each year.The availability of matching funds was announced in February 2011 as part of MOST 529's new management contract with program manager Upromise Investments. As part of the contract, Vanguard serves as the investment manager. The MOST 529 Matching Grant Program funds are distributed from contractually obligated funds, with no state funds being used."Not only did we cut MOST 529 fees by 44 percent and improve investments, we are now providing matching funds," Zweifel said. "These matching funds create an incentive that I believe will produce real results for children throughout Missouri. Long term those results are good for Missouri, its workforce and the economy.”To apply for the MOST 529 Matching Grant Program for 2012, Missourians can visit www.most529grant.org to download the application or call 1-800-992-8790 to request one. All applications must be postmarked by June 30, and applicants will receive notification of acceptance or denial by August 31. All Matching Grant Program funds for 2012 will be distributed into MOST 529 accounts by Jan. 31, 2013.To learn more about the MOST 529 Matching Grant Program, or to open a MOST 529 account, visit www.most529grant.org.