Mount Vernon Homeschoolers

Mount Vernon HomeSchoolers
Apr / 2000

19
Playgroup 1:00 pm Grist Mill Park

25
4-H Club, 10:00 am

Mount Vernon Unitarian Church
1909 Windmill Ln
Alexandria, VA

Newsletter #5

Mount Vernon Homeschoolers

April Newsletter. The newsletter is back. Hope to publish the newsletter with activities for each month. Next one is May 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. Here is link to editor's email address.

Happy Easter!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 or a lonely dog we will be there. This Wednesday, some of us will probably be at the playground. We are always interested in talk and play. Homeschoolers are interesting in the way all ages are included in play. You may see adults on the swings or running across the field for nature walks. Be prepared for mud tomorrow. We think the bathrooms are back. But, drinks for your child or a snack may make your child happier. Map link.

Mothers 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 consider the sharing of information important. Link to map of library.
4-H Club
4-H Club The older kids are going bowling this next meeting. Meet at Mount Vernon Church at 10:00. This is the week to pick up the fertile eggs and raise your chick. Two per family. We ordered our incubator and it is ready. This project will take some time. We talked about fund raising and future projects. The teens are becoming active. They have been swimming, and camping. We are all excited about the projects, and stimulating discussions. Nathan reported on the chicks and gave everyone the information to grow them. Veronica showed the incubator and gave us information to order them.

Lisa sends this Egg information:
Lisa sends three egg-related notes. We've linked them here: Note1, Note2, Note3.

Maureen sends this note:
Hi!
First, there are overdue thankyou's for the some of you who have provided some great meeting topics:
Kathy Hall, for her presentation on birds;
Carol Kuhns, for telling us about worms and helping us build worm farms;
and The LaMarra family, for helping us learn the joys of origami!
Our schedule for the next three meetings is as follows:

April 25: Kite making

May 9: Stars and constellations

May 23: Science Fair (projects to be picked up at May 9 meeting to be displayed on 23rd)

Lastly, I would like everyone to think about summer....do you wish to continue meeting through the summer? Same frequency? Once a month? We'll talk about it at our May 9th meeting.
See you all next Tuesday!
Maureen

4-H (contd.)

Cloverbuds did origami and took home a wonderful book that my children have been using to still do origami. At my house, we have several Science kits. At the first meeting in May we will hand them out to anyone who might like to participate in a science fair at the second meeting in May. We could make posters and each person could share their kit. The kits have some stuff and they also use household stuff for experiments. Maureen has a kite project . If you are interested in picking up a kit, please choose one at the next meeting and return a project at the May 23 meeting. At that meeting we will have a Science Fair.
Reading Club
Reading Club on the first Monday of each month, older teens meet with a librarian. The time is 10:00. The book for the May discussion is Old Yeller. We love to watch the movie, too. Books are chosen by the librarian and it does stimulate reading. Snacks may be provided.
Writing Club
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. We did the alphabet with our bodies making the letters, read a story from Nat about flying, stood in a circle to give one word to the story, started to write the story and we might have gone on all day 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.
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
Nature Walk
Walk in Huntley Meadows We can meet in the parking lot and walk through the forest to the nature center, touch the skulls and snakeskin, find out what to look for and go see the frogs, and critters. Suzanne will be going and you can join her on Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. during the month of May.
Oxon Hill Farm
Oxen Hill Farm field trip on April 26. We will meet on Wednesday at 1:00 at Oxon hill Farm Link to map If anyone wants to caravan email Suzanne and we can go as a group or meet there.
Ice Skating
Ice skating, We met once before to go ice skating at Mount Vernon Recreation center. The children enjoyed this frosty activity. Check on admission Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Cecilia is there taking a spin on the ice.