Vala's Pumpkin Patch

Homeschool days at Vala's Pumpkin Patch are:

Tuesday, Oct. 6th and Tuesday, Oct. 13th

Check their website for details on cost and programs available. Click on group information and then school field trip at www.valaspumpkinpatch.com

Homeschooler Days

Tuesday, September. 29th

Tuesday, October 6th

Tuesday, October 13th

Parents and their homeschooled children may take advantage of the school group student rates and stay all day and evening. Prices vary according to the type of school tour. Apple Education, Gem Mining, and Pollination lessons need to be scheduled before 2 pm. (Call 402-332-4200 to set this up) Simply identify yourself as a Homeschool family or group. All adults are $6.50 and babies under age 2 are free. On-line booking is available for groups of 20 or more. Call for groups of less than 20 (402-332-4200)

October Meeting

Gretna KNIGHTS Monthly Meeting

Please join us on Friday, October 2nd from 2:30-4:00pm at Gretna Community Church. This year we will have a new theme for our meetings, but don't worry...they will continue to be kid-focused! Please do let us know if you will be coming to the meeting so we can plan accordingly.

For the 2009-2010 school year, the Gretna KNIGHTS will spend each month learning and having fun with life skills! Each month, we will have introductions, activities centered around life skills, and some open gym time. We chose life skills because, sometimes as homeschoolers, our focus tends to be on academics and issues of character development and practical life skills don't always get our attention. While we intend to take our children along side of us throughout our day, often times we are too busy getting math and history done for the day. We hope this year will help us all feel renewed and refreshed about everyday life skills!

For the October meeting, please come and learn about:

• Pledge of Allegiance and Patriotic Songs
• Friendships
• Introductions and Handshakes

I am looking for a few moms to coordinate some age appropriate activities for the little ones in the group as they may grow tired or not have the attention span for some of the topics this year. If you are willing to help with the little ones, please let me know.

See you in October!

Typing practice

This is a great website for typing practice! They have games and levels for all levels!
http://www.freetypinggame.net/

Great article...

I got this article in an email from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. It has some great things to say and inspire us all! ENJOY!

Planetarium Field Trip - September

Friday, September 18 - 9:30-Noon

Come visit Morrill Hall and the Mueller Planetarium! You will see a show in the planetarium and then take a self-guided tour of Morrill Hall!

Mueller Planetarium is located 14th & "U" Streets in the University of Nebraska State Museum (Morrill Hall) on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln City Campus.

For directions and parking information, please go to their website at:

http://www.spacelaser.com/info.html

For information on what Morrill Hall has visit their floor plan page (there are 3 floors of things to explore) at:

http://www-museum.unl.edu/museum_info/third.html

Field trip for the planetarium/Morrill hall showings are $4 per child and $6 per adult. I will check on the price for preschoolers.

RSVP Required

All shows are now in the "fulldome" format.

5th graders should plan to pick one of the shows. If they choose both, we just need to make arrangements to pay for both shows.

Dawn of the Space Age

<http://www.spacelaser.com/dawn.html>

11:00am-11:45am

Re-live the excitement of the early days of space exploration, from the launch of the first artificial satellite Sputnik, to the lunar landings and privately operated space flights. Ride the Space Shuttle to the International Space Station and experience future Mars exploration.

Running time 45 minutes

Appropriate for grades 5 and up.

Secret of the Cardboard Rocket

http://www.spacelaser.com/cardboard.html>

9:45-10:20am

A fantastic adventure as two youngsters build a cardboard rocket and go on an adventure exploring the solar system.

Running time 35 minutes

Appropriate for grades 1-5

Ice Cream Social for the family

Thanks to everyone that came to the ice cream social! We had good food and good fun!

Recognition

This is a great site I found today. http://www.123certificates.com/

You can make free customized printable certificates! I don't know if you do a lot of recognition for your kids, but I really think there is a lot of value in it and I should do it more! Be genuine and don't ignore things that need improvement, but if your kids are doing something well, let them know!

No matter who you are or what you do, getting recognition for your work can put a little bounce in your stride or a smile on your face. It is nice to know others appreciate what you have done! Forge ahead and tell your kids what they are doing well. If you think it is a little bit corny, try it and see what happens! Be positive and give your kids a friendly note that will fill them up and make them proud of what they do every day!

Back to school....again!

It is time for the first day of school at Baker Benediction Academy. We plan to start our school year this coming Tuesday. You might ask, "Why Tuesday?". Well, that is the beauty of homeschooling! Jason is in a golf tournament on Monday and he wants to be part of the festivities, so we are starting Tuesday. Simple and convenient....gotta love homeschooling! I am really looking forward to this year. I love new beginnings and each school year provides us with one! We will have a 5th grader, 3rd/4th grader and a 1st grader this year. The Baker girls still get new school supplies and books, new first day outfits and pictures. However, we do recycle the back packs! The first day of school, we always do something fun like play in shaving creme and do treasure hunts and the first week of school is usually only half days to slowly ease the girls back into our schedule....again simple and convenient!

Here is to your first day of school! May it be all that you hope for and may your kids end the day glad to be homeschooled!

P.S. If things don't go as planned (as they sometimes will), don't despair! With homeschooling, you can make each day a new day! You can always bring something fun and new into the day and delight your children in a whole new way.

Mud stomp - 2nd Annual!

Please join us for the 2nd Annual Mud Stomp event! We are meeting Friday, August 21st at 1pm at the Eastern Nebraska 4-h center near Gretna! Wear OLD clothes or an old swim suit and old tennis shoes or strapped sandals. Flip flops and crocs are NOT recommended! They may get lost in the mud!

Home alone?

Are your kids getting close to that "magic" age of staying home alone? Have you ever wondered what the restrictions or requirements are in Nebraska for kids who stay home alone?

Well, here is a great link for the "guidelines" in Nebraska.

http://www.hhs.state.ne.us/Children_Family_Services/HomeAlone.htm