Update 4 February 2008:

There has been a certain amount of controversy around Teresa Bondora’s newsletter, specifically around the fact that some qualified science types have found errors in the facts she is giving for some of the elements. I personally have not yet made up my mind about whether this changes my opinion of her work, but did want you to know about it. Please view this article and draw your own conclusions. Better still, contact Teresa yourself and see what she has to say about it. I believe that’s what I’ll be doing.

This message was recently sent out by Teresa Bondora, of How to Teach Science. If you are interested in adding some science to your homeschooling activities, I encourage you to look into this free newsletter designed to help you introduce your kids to chemistry. Teresa is a former science teacher and a homeschooler, who says chemistry is foundational to learning other sciences.

We have been receiving the newsletter for a while now (we are up to Oxygen already, though I’ve only introduced the girls to Hydrogen so far - it gives me time to plan ahead for our lessons!) I’ve also had the opportunity to email Teresa and ask her advice about teaching science at home. She was very supportive, and incredibly approachable. This lady is a great resource!

Here’s Teresa’s announcement:

I am starting a free series of lessons on the elements of the periodic table. I strongly believe in introducing it early to children with a table on the wall and beginning to show them and teach them about the elements. It is what their world is made of. It teaches them not to fear science or to feel like Chemistry is a “harder” science. That way they don’t grow up to fear it. It will feel normal to them.

The lessons will be in the form of a newsletter that will come twice a month. Each one will cover one element on the table with the history of its discovery, facts about it and information for the advanced learner. They are made to apply to ALL ages. Plus I include anecdotes and jokes that are common in the chemistry field or that pertain to that element. Each installment also has ideas for presenting it to your children and links for further reading and information about all sorts of topics, some about discoverers and some humorous. This is my passion and I want to share it with everyone…

Please enjoy and use them free and tell others about it.

You can use this link:
http://www.howtoteachscience.com/newslettersignup.html

Bless you and may you be increased continually in your work!

Thanks,
Teresa Bondora
http://www.HowToTeachScience.com

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There are still some open places for homeschoolers of all ages who would like to take part in a talent show. We also encourage folks to come out to watch, even if they won’t be performing! Here are the details:

Date: Saturday, 16 February 2008

Time: 15:30

Place: St. George’s Anglican Church, 23 Perrault Avenue in Sainte Anne de Bellevue (St. Anne’s)
The church takes up the block between Maple & Perrault, along St. George. So you’ll recognize it when you get there, you can take a look at the picture on the church web site. If you need directions, scroll down to the bottom of this post for more details.

Participants in the Talent Show:

Each child has a total of 2 minutes stage time. They can perform solo and/or in a group. In groups, the time is cumulative, so if there are three children in a group and they are only performing in this trio the group has 3 x 2 minutes, or 6 minutes for their performance.

Participants of all ages and talent levels are welcome. This is a great opportunity to come out and share what you’ve been working on in your homeschool!

Please email organizer Kelly Fraser with the following details for each participating child:
Child’s name and age, what the child will be performing

Cost: $5 per participating family
Please also bring a nut-free snack to be shared after the performances. This refreshment time allows us the opportunity to meet the performers after the show, and congratulate them on their performance. All performers are asked to stay until the show is over, out of respect for all those contributing their talent.

Spectators:

Spectators are very welcome. Tell your friends and family. Entrance is free for spectators, so come out in good number!

Homeschool families who aren’t performing are encouraged to attend as spectators, to show your support for our community.

Spectators might want to contribute to the snack, as well, so everybody can have a few goodies to munch

Donations:

Donations of non-perishable goods are being collected from those who wish to contribute. These will be given to the West Island Women’s Shelter.

Questions?

Any questions about the Talent Show should be addressed to organizer Kelly Fraser. Thanks!

How to Get There:

By Car: Ste Anne’s is at the western tip of the Montreal island. Take highway 20-W to exit 39. Drive down Boulevard des Anciens-Combattants (formerly St. Pierre) to Ste. Anne Street, on the waterfront. Turn left and drive until you hit Perrault, where you will turn left again. The church is at the first intersection, on the corner of St. George Street.

If you’re coming from the west (Senneville or off-island) you probably know where the church is, but in case you’ve never been there the directions are essentially the same as from the east. Just be sure you’re on the 20-E!

Parking: The church does not have its own parking lot, but you should be able to park on St-George, Maple & Perrault. This is a fairly residential area, and last time I was out that way there was no charge for parking.

By Public Transit: The Ste. Anne’s train station (Montreal/Dorion-Rigaud line) is at Anciens-Combattants and the 20. If you can find a train at the right time, just follow the driving directions. Along Ste. Anne Street, you may find it handy to catch the 251 bus. Get off at Maple and Ste. Anne.

The 211 bus (west) from Lionel-Groulx will let you off on Ste. Anne Street, at MacDonald College. Walk west (the direction the bus was going) to Maple then turn right. The church is one block up, at the corner of St. George. Alternatively, you can wait for the 251 bus, which will save you a short walk to Maple street.

From the west of Ste. Anne’s, the 251 bus will save you the walk along Ste. Anne Street.

*****

Places of Interest in Ste. Anne’s:

Come out early and take some time to explore. Even better, plan to return in summer when you can enjoy even more of the town’s attractions! Here’s a nice photo-essay with pictures of places you may see on your travels.

Sainte Anne de Bellevue National Historic Site: 170 Ste-Anne (aka “the locks”) - At the junction of Lac St. Louis and Lac des Deux Montagnes. Functions between mid-May and mid-October.

Église Sainte-Anne: 1 rue de l’Église - Built between 1853 and 1856, consecrated in 1857. Still a parish church, it is maintained in roughly the same shape as in the 1890’s when the three bells were installed.

Simon Fraser House: 153 Ste. Anne Street - This was a part-time residence of merchant Simon Fraser in the early 19th century. Thomas Moore stayed here in 1804 and was inspired to write the Canadian Boat Song, which mentions Ste. Anne’s. The VON used to run a tea room here, but I believe it has closed.

Daoust General Store: 73 Ste. Anne Street - When I was a teenager this store still used the original Lamson money conveyor with a central cash register. Sadly, I’ve heard it has been replaced recently. But the store is still worth seeing. It dates back to 1902, and the conveyor was used from 1924.

Macdonald College Experimental Farm: 21 111 Lakeshore Drive, (514) 398-7701
Open to the public 7 days a week from 11:30am to 3:00pm. The college was built between 1905 and 1908, and is now a campus of McGill University. Courses taught at this campus tend to focus on biological sciences, dietetics, agriculture, etc. Also at the same location are Macdonald High School, now over 100 years old, and John Abbott College.

Ecomuseum 21125 Ste. Marie (no public transit to this location) - A superb place for kids, especially if you’re studying the St. Lawrence River Valley ecosystem!

Morgan Arboretum (no public transit to this location) - Trees, glorious trees! A great place to learn, but also just to get outside and walk (or cross-country ski.)

*****

This work was created by Ruby of Freehold 2, and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Canada License.

Excerpts copyright quoted authors. Please visit their sites to read more, and respect the terms of their copyrights. Thanks!

Due to the short notice and the time conflict with the tobogganing outing, a good many people were unable to catch the Tommy Schnurmacher show that featured Angie Blackman talking about homeschooling. If you would like to hear it, you can listen to an archived MP3 version, with commercials & news removed. The file can be found at Homeschooling Horizons.

This work was created by Ruby of Freehold 2, and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Canada License.

Excerpts copyright quoted authors. Please visit their sites to read more, and respect the terms of their copyrights. Thanks!

Sonya has posted an incredible video at Montreal Homelearners! If you are interested in creativity, history of education, trends in education, learning styles, etc. you will enjoy this lecture. Please go take a look!

Sir Ken Robinson’s Creativity Lecture (20 minutes)

Here’s an interview with Sir Ken, in which he discusses his recommendations for public school reform (just under 40 minutes)

Sir Ken on the Phorecast Podcast (just under 30 minutes)

This work was created by Ruby of Freehold 2, and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Canada License.

Excerpts copyright quoted authors. Please visit their sites to read more, and respect the terms of their copyrights. Thanks!

Homeschooling families from Montreal and the surrounding area are encouraged to get involved with the Montreal Homelearners. This is a wonderful & growing resource, that offers monthly meetings for parents as well as monthly children’s activities. Also on their site you will find ideas for field trips, links to curricula (some of them free for you to use!) and a place to blog, build a community and connect with other families near you.

The next parents’ meeting will be 11 February 2008, 19:00 at Sonya’s place - Jeanne Mance near Prince Arthur. (If you’re taking public transport it’s a short walk from Place des Arts.) Please visit the Montreal Homelearners site to sign up for the event, to see who else plans to attend, and to get Sonya’s address and contact information.

Topic: Socialization

This is a question that always comes up when dealing with the detractors of homeschooling. Some things to think about before the meeting (a random collection):

• What do we mean by socialization, and what is its role in our children’s development?
• Is there a legal requirement or guideline in Canada or Quebec regarding socialization of children?
• Does homeschooling prevent our children from learning social skills, or is it more likely to reduce distractive socializing during learning periods?
• How can homelearners assure their children maintain social contacts outside the family, and develop social skills?
• Is it really true that homeschooled children are shy and awkward with their same age peers?
• Is it true that homeschooled children are just as involved in their communities as (or more than) their public school peers?
• Do homeschooled children develop a better ability to relate to adults than public school children?
• Do the presumed benefits of public school socialization (including learning to cope with bullying, personality conflicts, etc.) outweigh the disadvantages of negative peer pressure, bullying, etc? How does homeschooling stand up by comparison?
• In the Montreal area, what are the resources available to homeschool families, in order to assure children will be adequately socialized?
• Any other thoughts?

There will be a children’s activity on the 4th Monday of February, from mid-morning to mid-afternoon, so keep watching here or at the Montreal Homelearners web site for more details.

If you have ideas foe either the parent meetings or the kids’ outings, you can share them with the rest of us. Login at Montreal Homelearners, it’s a free account!

This work was created by Ruby of Freehold 2, and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Canada License.

Excerpts copyright quoted authors. Please visit their sites to read more, and respect the terms of their copyrights. Thanks!