CAROLINA RENAISSANCE
FESTIVAL
The Carolina Renaissance Festival offers three student days in October. The
Festival is held in near Huntersville, NC from 9 AM to 2:30 PM. Cost is $8.
There are various stages of entertainment as well as a mock joust, a bird of
prey demonstration, glass blowing demonstration, and a talk by the King,
Queen, and Court about various aspects of the life during the Renaissance.
Pick the date that best
matches your students ages.
Tuesday, October 12th: for Elementary and Middle School Students,
Wednesday, October 13th: for Middle School Students,
Thursday, October 14th: for Middle and High School Students
For more information and to order tickets visit: http://www.royalfaires.com/carolina/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=71&Itemid=55
HOMESCHOOL FRIDAYS AT SC MILITARY MUSEUM
If you want to make the trek, the SC Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum in Columbia, SC offers a free class for all homeschoolers regardless of state of residence on the second Friday of the month at 10 AM. The talk lasts about 1 hour and is geared toward students of all ages and include lectures and activities. To view the lists of topics for the 2010-2011 school year, got to http://crr.sc.gov/education/hsf/.
The Carolina Renaissance Festival offers three student days in October. The Festival is held in near Huntersville, NC from 9 AM to 2:30 PM. Cost is $8. There are various stages of entertainment as well as a mock joust, a bird of prey demonstration, glass blowing demonstration, and a talk by the King, Queen, and Court about various aspects of the life during the Renaissance. Pick the date that best matches your students ages.
Tuesday, October 12th: for Elementary and Middle School Students,
Wednesday, October 13th: for Middle School Students,
Thursday, October 14th: for Middle and High School Students
For more information and to order tickets visit: http://www.royalfaires.com/carolina/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=71&Itemid=55
BATTLE OF
THE BOOKS: HOMESCHOOL EDITION, please distribute it to Charlotte area
homeschoolers who may be interested in forming a team for the 2010-2011
season. Click here for PDF of flyer.
What is it?
BoB is essentially a quiz bowl
tournament centered around books. NCSLMA puts on an official Battle of
the Books competition every year, but they do not allow homeschooled
students to participate. So, we have created our own competition. Please
note that although we are not affiliated with the official NCSLMA program,
we use the same list of 27 books: http://www.ncslma.org/BookCompetitions/BoBstate/bobbooklist2010-2011.htm.
How does it
work?
Questions in each round alternate
between two teams and require participants to identify a book based on a
specific detail in that book (for example, a relationship between
characters or a unique plot element). Teams score 2 points for supplying
the correct title with 1 optional bonus point for also correctly naming
the author. After an incorrect answer, the opposing team has an
opportunity to steal 2 points by supplying the correct title.
Who can
participate?
Each team should consist of 2-6 young
people (at levels corresponding to CMS grades 6-8, ages 11-14) with one
adult coach. Teams must sign up by March 1, 2011.
When and
where is it?
The competition will be held at
ImaginOn (300 East 7th St., Charlotte, NC 28202) on Monday, April 25,
2011.
How do I
start my own team?
This is surprisingly easy. In fact, it
is the easiest thing I do as a homeschool mom because the kids do all the
work!
1) Get a group of kids together and
register your team. Your team only needs to have two members to
participate, but it can have as many as six. If you have more than six,
you may choose to rotate players between rounds or divide into two teams
for the competition.
2) Now decide where and how
frequently you want to meet. Most teams meet once a month at a local
library, church, or private home.
3) Distribute the book list and
agree on a reading schedule. Many teams get started on the reading
over the summer, but some teams read one book per week during the school
year. Other teams pursue a "divide and conquer" strategy in which the
reading list is split up among team members.
4) Then decide on the format of your
meetings. You can use the official BoB question format, another game
show format, or even conduct a book discussion.
5) Lastly, generate the questions.
This can be a daunting task if you do it all yourself, but you don't
have to -- the kids can and should do the work! You simply ask each child
to arrive at the meetings with 5-10 index cards for each book they were
assigned to read that month. On the front side they should have written a
question in the format, "In which book did...?", and on the back they
should have written the title and the author.
If you have any questions or want to
register your team, please feel free to contact me. (Contact information
is provided in the attached flyer.)
Amy Taylor-Brill
SCIENCE OLYMPIAD
What is it?
Science Olympiad is team tournament in
which students compete in 23 events drawn from various scientific
disciplines. Teams that do well at the 11 regional tournaments across
North Carolina move on to compete at the state level. The top two teams
from the North Carolina state competition are invited to compete in the
national Science Olympiad tournament.
How does it
work?
Team members work in pairs to prepare
for and compete in 2-4 different events. Events are assigned in early
fall, then parent-coaches meet with their teams on a weekly basis to
prepare for regional and state competitions.
What are
the events?
The 23 event topics are drawn from many
areas of life science, planetary science, and physical science, as well as
technology and engineering. There are knowledge events, lab events and
building events from which to choose.
Who can
participate?
Each team consists of up to 18 students
(at levels corresponding to CMS grades 5-12) and their
parent-coaches. There are different divisions for Science Olympiad
corresponding to upper elementary, middle school, and high school with
age-appropriate events for each division.
When and
where is it?
The regional competition is held at UNC-Charlotte
during the month of March. The state competition is held at North
Carolina State University in April. The dates for the regional and state
competition have not been announced for 2010-2011, but the national
competition is scheduled for May 20-21, 2011 at the University of
Wisconsin.
Tell me
about Science Hounds and Science Hunters?
Science Hounds and Science Hunters are
homeschool Science Olympiad teams for middle and high school homeschoolers
from Mecklenburg and Union counties. We host weekly practice sessions at
a facility in south Charlotte on Friday afternoons during the academic
year.
How do I
learn more?
If you have any questions or want to
lock in a spot on the team, please feel free to contact:
Amy Taylor-Brill (grades 5-9)
704-752-9944
Joanie Baeuerle (grades 9-12)
704-841-7591
Monthly Homeschool Roller Skating
Location:
Kate's Skating Rink
Street:
14500 E Independence Blvd
Indian Trail, NC 28079
Phone:
704-821-7465
Thursday, January 14Th (2nd Thursday of the month)
It is from
11:30am - 1:30pm
The cost is $4.00 for each skating person. The price includes a small
popcorn, drink and the skate rental.
NOTE: Bring cash. They can only charge amounts to a credit card greater
than $25. There is an ATM inside if you forget. **Please pass this on to
any Homeschool Group that you know. The owner was very impressed with the
turn out last month but stated that he was about to cancel because hardly
anyone was coming. He also stated that he would be happy to open the rink
to Homeschoolers twice a month if the interest was there. PLEASE PASS TO
YOUR GROUPS!
Monthly Homeschool Bowling - First Tuesday of each month (except Sept.)
On Tues. 9/8 is our first Bowling for the year. We have
changed this month, Sept, to the 2nd Tues, but after this month only it
will be the 1st Tues (Oct-May or June).
*Also we are back to meeting at 12:15 so that we can team
up with who you want to bowl with. Because the owner does NOT like
stopping & restarting the lanes when people show up late you MUST be there
by 12:15 if you want to bowl with your friends on the same lane.
If you are not there when we start paying him then you will not be able to
bowl on the same lane as your friends. You will
have to bowl on a lane by yourself. I would like you to come and bowl
with your friends...So Please be mindful of the time. I hope this doesn't
sound mean, but we be need to be respectful of the owner. Thank you for
your understanding.
Location:
Where: Skyway Lanes in Monroe (601N just off 74)
When: Tues. Sept 8th and then every first Tues of
the month after that.
Cost: $6.00 for 2 games & shoes
$3.50 for 1 games & shoes (for the
under 6 group)
And anyone who wants a quick game.
Soft soled tennis shoes may be worn if you
prefer.
Time: *12:15 - 2:30 pm
We can also have up to 6 people per lane. Skyway Lanes
also accepts personal checks made out to them. If you have any questions
please contact me at
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