Mount Vernon Homeschoolers

Mount Vernon HomeSchoolers
June / 2000

5
Reading Group, 10:30 a.m.
4-H Dog Training, 2:00 p.m.

7
Playgroup 1:00 p.m

8
Writing Club, 10:30 a.m.

12
Support Group, 10:30 a.m.

13
4-H club, 10:00 a.m.

21
Playgroup 1:00 p.m.
Writing Club, 10:30 a.m.

27
4-H club, 10:00 a.m.

Newsletter #7

Mount Vernon Homeschoolers

June Newsletter. We are publishing the newsletter with activities for each month. Next one is July 1st.
Mount Vernon Homeschoolers Association is organized to provide our home schooled children an opportunity to play and learn together. This past year, we were able to get special prices to Kennedy Center performances, have picnics, sport activities, support group, reading, writing groups, 4-H, and field trips. We are working on a mission statement at this time. We have enjoyed activities like swimming and ice skating. We are located in the neighborhoods near Mount Vernon in Alexandria, Virginia. We welcome all newcomers to meet at any of the activities. All of our children attend support group, play group, library days, and field trips. The range of age is from infant to teens. We have some meetings at the Mount Vernon Unitarian Church. We are non-denominational, we simply enjoy the company of genial people. We have experience in home schooling using several methods. Some experience in unschooling, and any one of the mothers or the children can speak openly about their multiple experiences with styles, curriculum or without curriculum. Learning is a child based activity. Life long learning is the goal. In the spring, we hope to continue to glean and show our children the good they do when they harvest crops and share with the United Christian Ministries. Alexandria, Virginia is a wonderful place with historical significance, and a wide range of learning experiences along the banks of the Potomac. In the past we've made field trips to the Smithsonian, Mount Vernon, River Farms, ridden on the bike trails, and we invite other homeschoolers to come along and meet up with us.

Summer is here. Homeschooling never lets up for some of us. We go year 'round. Although we will give 4-H a hiatus for July, we will continue play group at Grist Mill with a quick jump to the pool at George Washington Recreation Center if the heat gets turned to boil. Please bring extra water to the park. We will send an email to you if it is too hot to go to Grist Mill. Some of our families are unavailable during July. We have an expected arrival of a new homeschooler, age zero. And vacations.

During July we recommend Peace camp and Art camp at the Mount Vernon Unitarian church. Two sessions July 24th through 28th, and August 14th through 18th. Contact Janice Fitzpatrick at grandjfitz@aol.com or (703) 768-7094.

Here is link to editor's email address.

Editor: Suzanne

Play Group

Grist Mill Park On the first and third Wednesday of each month at 1:00 P.M. we meet. Sometimes we meet in the rain, and sometimes we stay until late. If anyone wants to bring bubbles, games, face painting, balls, balloons some of us will be there. Homeschoolers are interesting in the way all ages are included in play. You may see us running across the field for nature walks. Be prepared for mud. We think the bathrooms are back. But, drinks for your child or a snack may make for a happier afternoon. Map link.

Mothers Support Group, Father's Support Group = Parent Support Group
Mothers Support Meeting is hosted by Cecilia. On the second Monday of each month at 10:30 A.M. at Sherwood Library, we meet in a room. We pull the chairs around and talk about everything. In this newsletter, in the future, we will link to the sites for the most frequently asked questions at some time in the future. We also discussed Curriculum. Standards of Learning, Testing versus Portfolio, and different sites of important information on the Internet and in the community. At this months meeting, we determined that a mission statement might be a good idea. Throughout the state of Virginia, several grassroots groups are forming. We invite those of you who are considering homeschooling to come and meet with us.
We consider the sharing of information important. Link to map of library.

4-H Club

Sports Day at Fort Hunt Park
The majority of the mothers decided to take the month of July off for family vacations. During June we have the first meeting scheduled for a "Sports day." We are planning the following activities:

An egg relay race. We will use wooden spoons to transport an egg in a relay race. Input on if you want the egg to be raw, or softly boiled. The older 4-H's have requested raw. Some of us think we would need a change of clothes and a bucket of water. Let us know.
The pillowcase hop. Be a race to the finish, sharing a leg with one other person in a pillowcase. Prepare for disaster--bring extra pillow cases or a burlap bag.
The Trash Can ball throw. We can bring three stuffed toys, and knock them into three different trash cans. With balls. We will use bigger balls for the little kids, and smaller balls for the others.
We can vote on other events: perhaps

Fun run by age?
Dodge ball?
Fishing on the Potomac?
Tumbling?
Throwing a foam plate to see how far we can throw it?
Spitting watermelon seed contest?
Limbo contest?
Soccer?
Mom-against-kids baseball game?

We will plan to give medals to everyone who enters an event. Sports day will take place at Fort Hunt Park, at the pavillion. (Bathrooms are available, and a playground is there). The time will be 10:00 in the morning.
All of the children will be invited to participate. Each family will bring some snacks and cool drinks.
The second 4-H meeting will be board games. The children will bring games that they love to play. Will place them on tables and share their games with others.

Monopoly
Sorry
Pokemon Masters
Mancala
Card games
Mousetrap
Candy Land
Dominoes
Whatever they would like to play. Meet at Mount Vernon Church at 10:00.
Dog Training Classes
Dog training is being offered through the 4-H if you would like to bring your dog to the classes the dogs would be trained to be shown. The training is going to be on Monday at 2:00. For further information you can contact Joanne Graves . Please contact her right away if you're interested. Its a good opportunity to work with your dog.
News about chickens:
Two of the chickens hatched. Congratulations to Nathan and to Anna. Condolences to the others.
Our next 4-H meeting will be in August, and it will be a planning meeting.

Reading Club
Bagels and books.

Carol sends this message:
The book chosen for this month was 'The Boxes' by William Sleator. The two other books were "The Ghost of Fossil Glen' by Cynthia Defelice and 'Out of the Dust' by Karen Hesse. The next meeting is June 5 at 10:00.

Books are chosen by the librarian and it does stimulate reading. Snacks may be provided.
The reading club has been enjoyed by the older children while the younger ones stay in the library looking at book with their mothers. We always have a good time checking our books and taking them home for later reading.
Writing Club

Carol writes:
Here are the dates for the Writing Club for . . . June. I can only book the library three months in advance. When I booked back in April, I couldn't always get the 2nd and 4th Thursdays. I got as close as I could...at least I got the 2nd and 4th weeks. How would you like to work this? We could continue to meet at the library with these date changes or we could meet outside at a park instead. My feelings...it might be difficult to write if the older kids see the younger ones playing. Any thoughts?
All begin at 10:30am at Sherwood Hall Library
Thursday, June 8
Wednesday, June 21

Carol and Denise are facilitators for the Writing club--a fun and exciting way to share the process of writing. Link to e-mail note If there is interest, we could work with younger children in a separate room. We tried this at the last meeting and it was quite fun. The time for writing club is second and fourth Thursday of each month.
10:30-12:00 A.M. at Sherwood Library. Carol is working with the 10 and up. We would be happy to include writing, poems, and stories in the newsletter to give voices to our children. Email for Carol is cooper@patriot.net.
For Writing Club bring your stories and share in some fun activities, two groups meet at Sherwood Library. The younger children are drawing and writing stories also. Come with your story ready to read. It can be long or short. It might be interesting to write some every day or revise a story and take it further. Not a play group, a serious bunch of writers. Share your work, or you might want to stay out in the library to read quietly Remember our manners and keep the library a quiet place where we are welcome. Homeschoolers have to have quiet, good manners to be welcome everywhere we go. Come prepared with your story. Originally the writing club was for the older teens. The mothers working with the younger children had good success with their writing or telling stories orally. This has become a really fun club for the younger ones and a place for the older teens to enjoy the writing process.
Carol sends this note:

If you want to improve your writing, while sharing it with your friends, this club may be for you. Participants will need to write at home at least 3-4 times a week and be willing to share one piece of writing at the meeting. We'll all work together to make this club a safe place to experiment with new techniques, share feelings, and support each other by responding to writing pieces in a constructive and affirming fashion. It's imperative that each participant chooses to attend. Don't do this for your parents or because you want to see your friends!
We'll meet twice monthly, 10:30 on the second and fourth Thursdays, at Sherwood Hall Library. I've reserved the room for two hours for subsequent meetings.
Carol and Denise

Smithsonian Folk Life Festival
The 34th annual festival is a fun and educational trip to the mall. Its open 11:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. every day, June 23rd through the 27th, and June 28th through July 4th. It will feature the Rio Grande basin and Tibet life and D.C. There's always food and lots of interactive events along with music. And if anyone is interested, email and we can go as a group or meet at the festival.
Nature Walk
Bring a notebook and we will draw what we see and look in the nature center for the names of bugs. My favorite book of nature drawings is "The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady" In that book, there are notes about the seasons and drawings of birds, butterflies and flowers. When we walk in the Meadows it is important to walk quietly and not run or be loud. It is also good to stay within sight of each other. There is so much to see, that going slow and waiting to see what peeks from the water or jumps under the leaves. Once we saw big turtles, and last time the fat polliwogs were swimming around. The birds fly overhead, the ducks are close enough to see every feather. And, slithery snakes bask on logs.
Shark-tooth beach
Would anyone be interested in going to Calvert Cliffs to look for shark teeth at the beach? Email Suzanne.
Art Gallery
Art Gallery could use some artworks for the month of June. Suggest bees, bugs, butterflies, flowers. E-mail or give Suzanne your art work at the events during the month of June. The art gallery is open to everyone to be included. Poetry and stories are welcome.