E-Tree Posted Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Last call for Model UN!

In case you missed it, the introductory Model UN meeting was held last week. We are looking forward to beginning our Tuesday evening classes on September 2nd. We had a great response and will have our largest class ever, but because of the late notice we want to make sure everyone gets the invitation to this challenging international studies elective for high school students.

If you wanted to participate but were unable to attend orientation, call Holly Wilson immediately to discuss enrollment!

Holly Wilson
bobanholly1@cox.net
(402) 331-3090

Mom's Group in need of childcare workers

My name is Monessa Allerheiligen and I attend Flatland Church in
Omaha. We have recently started a mom's group that meets every other
Friday and we are in need of child care. We were wondering if you had any referals of women or teenage girls that might be interested in
providing child care for our group. We do pay our sitters. We are a
small but growing church and would need 2 people for 8-10 children.
Please let me know if you have anyone that would be interested and I would love to give them a call with more information. Thanks for your time.

Monessa Allerheiligen
monessaa@cox.net

THE ROSE Theater
School Field Trip Opportunity

The Little Engine that Could – Main Theater
In this well-loved classic featuring songs, dance and dazzling costumes, the Little Engine overcomes seemingly impossible odds to carry a train full of toys over an imposing mountain. This entertaining, inspirational and interactive show offers a valuable lesson for children and adults alike about the power of positive thinking.
Suggested Ages: 4-9
Performance: Thursday, September 11 at 1 p.m.
Reservation deadline: Tuesday, August 26

The Rose Theater (2001 Farnam Street) offers field trip prices for homeschoolers to attend one-hour daytime productions at their theater. This offer includes one free teacher reservation per family for each play attended. Reservation prices for children over the age of two and for extra adults are $4.82/person (4.50 plus 7% sales tax). Children two years old and under are free as long as they are sitting on laps; if they would like their own seats, they need to purchase a seat reservation.

Instructions: Send the name of the play you will be attending as well as the names and ages of those who will be attending each play (including the free teacher) to:

Jennifer Sather
5815 Lake Street
Omaha, NE 68104

Include a check made payable to HEN for the total seats that you require (less the teacher’s seat). Reservation confirmations are available via email only. Please provide your email address if you would like to receive confirmation.

Please call or email Jennifer Sather with any questions at 556-5569 or scottnjennifer@cox.net.

Vala's This Year

Vala’s has introduced Homeschooler Days this year! You can pick one or both days to go to Vala’s and receive the field trip discount! Normal rates are $9 or $11, so this is a great deal! You can go as an individual family or with other homeschool friends and there is no group minimum on the homeschooler days. The Vala’s have invited homeschool families to stay all day and evening on these dates (normal school field trips are asked to leave by 3:30pm).

With this new change, you can truly customize your visit to Vala’s to fit your own interests! Five different field trip options will be available. The Pumpkin Harvest Fun Field trip is $6.50 for kids and adults. Kids 2 and under are free. No reservations are required if you choose the Pumpkin Harvest Fun option. If you want to do the Apple Education, Gem Mining, or Pollination Lessons, please call closer to the dates and make a reservation as space in those classrooms are limited. Costs for each field trip option is listed below. Each family will pay Vala’s at the admission barn when they arrive on the day that you participate.
Homeschooler Days:

When: Tuesday, September. 30th and Tuesday, October 7th

Parents and their homeschooled children may take advantage of the school group student rates and stay all day and evening. No reservation is necessary for the Pumpkin Harvest Fun. Apple Education, Gem Mining, and Pollination lessons need to be scheduled prior to your visit. (Call 402-332-4200 to set this up) Simply identify yourself as a Homeshool Family. All adults are $6.50 and babies under age 2 are free. Includes admission, train ride, pumpkin and activities.

New this year:
Get lost in our new 5-acre Nebraska Cornhusker Corn Maze!
It's All About Pollination! For Preschoolers through 4th Graders
http://www.valaspumpkinpatch.com/index.html
http://www.valaspumpkinpatch.com/attractions/highlights.html
http://www.valaspumpkinpatch.com/groups/field_trips.html

Part of our mission at Vala’s Pumpkin Patch & Fall Festival is to provide education through entertainment. We now live in a time when many children think milk comes from refrigerators and vegetables are grown in produce aisles. The land that is now Vala’s Pumpkin Patch has been a working farm for over 100 years. When school children visit Vala’s, we want them to have fun running through the pumpkin fields, and visiting our petting corral, but our greatest hope is that they will leave with a greater understanding of agriculture and an appreciation for Nebraska heritage.
There is lots to learn at Vala's (allow 1 to 3 hours):
Teachers and parents may lead their class:

on a hayride to the pumpkin field
on the Pumpkin Creek Train Ride
to the “milk the cow” display in the Dairy Barn
to see the Pigtucky Derby Pig Races (always a favorite)
to see the Pumpkin-Eating Dragon Show
through the Storybook Barn
into the Petting Corral and Bunnyville
to play in the Corn Wagon Play area
to see the educational displays about Honey Bees, Farm Life, Cow Facts, and Railroads
Into the Apple Education Barn
to play on the Great Pumpkin Jump

FIVE Great Fall Field Trip Tours to choose from:
1- Apple Pickin’ Fun, for all ages
Your class will be taken into the Apple Education Barn and then into the orchard to learn from our staff members about how apples are grown. Children will learn how to pick an apple, the importance of honey bees, how apples grow in the orchard, and other agricultural information appropriate for the developmental level of the class. Each child will pick and take home a small bag of apples.

Cost: $6.50 per child for Admission, Train Ride, bag of apples, and activities
$6.50 per parent or adult volunteer for Admission, Train Ride, and activities $6.50 for each sibling, includes Admission, Train Ride, & a bag of apples
FREE for Teachers and Paid School Staff, Admission, Train Ride, and activities

2- Pumpkin Harvest Fun, for all ages
This is a teacher-guided experience on the farm. Children take a hay rack ride to the pumpkin fields, pick a pumpkin, and visit all the other activities on the farm. Teachers, look for the Apple Sign for on-the-farm teaching opportunities. Each child will take home a small pumpkin and a Vala’s Pumpkin Patch coloring book.

Cost: $6.50 per child for Admission, Train Ride, Pumpkin, and activities
$6.50 per parent or adult volunteer for Admission, Train Ride, and activities $6.50 for each sibling, includes Admission, Train Ride, & a small pumpkin
FREE for Teachers and Paid School Staff, Admission, Train Ride, and activities
3- Apple and Pumpkin Pickin' Combination Fun, for all ages
Your class will have all of the experiences in the Apple Pickin’ Fun and Pumpkin Harvest Fun Programs. This field trip will have your children talking about the farm for months afterward.

Cost: $7.50 per child for Admission, Train Ride, Pumpkin, Apples, and activities
$6.50 per parent or adult volunteer for Admission, Train Ride, and activities $6.50 for each sibling, includes Admission, Train Ride & a small pumpkin
FREE for Teachers and Paid School Staff, Admission, Train Ride, and activities

4- Calamity Jan's Gold Mining Camp, for 3rd & 4th Graders

Give your 3rd or 4th grade students a hands-on experience "sluicing" for gold like the miners in the old west. Our staff members will give students a brief history of old west mining, the need for sluicing, and a demonstration. Then each child will receive their own bag of "mining rough" containing gems or fool's gold. They will receive a bag for their gems and a card to identify the various gems and minerals. After the lesson, visit the rest of Vala's Pumpkin Patch, take a train ride, and pick a pumpkin from the field.
Cost: $9.00 per student for Admission, Gold Mining, Train Ride, Pumpkin, and activities
$6.50 per parent or adult volunteer for Admission, Train Ride, and activities
$6.50 for each sibling of students, includes a small pumpkin
FREE for Teachers/Paid Staff
5- It's All About Pollination!

For Preschoolers through 4th Graders
New for 2008! This 1/2 hour educational lesson is taught by honeybee expert Wendy Fletcher, owner of It's All About Bees. Lessons are designed differently for each grade level. Learn about pollination, the importance of bees on the farm, hive behavior, how bees make honey, how honey is collected, and more. See the bees at work in the glass bee hive. Students will take home a 12 oz. Honey Bear. This is science full of fun! Before or after the lesson, visit the rest of Vala's Pumpkin Patch, take a train ride, and pick a pumpkin from the field.
Cost: $8.50 per student for Admission, Lesson, Train Ride, Pumpkin, Honey Bear, & activities
$6.50 per parent or adult volunteer for Admission, Train Ride, Lesson, & activities
$6.50 for siblings of students, includes a small pumpkin
FREE for Teachers/Paid Staff
Add one of these Learning Experiences
to the above programs:

Pioneer Candle Dipping,
for ages 7 & up (2nd Grade & up):
Each child will learn how and why the pioneers used candles for light. They will each dip a candle to take home with them.
Additional Cost: $1.00 per child
Wagon Train Doll-Making & Wooden Wagon Train Model-Making,
for ages 6 & up (1st Grade & up):
Each child will learn about life of the pioneers as they traveled west by wagon train and choose to make either a rag doll or a wooden model of a covered wagon. All materials and instructions are included. Allow 30 to 45 minutes.
Additional Cost: $5.00 per child

Southwest Moms Club looking for volunteers

Please see flyer for more details. SWMC helper request

Lincoln, NE Christian College Fair

The second annual NACCAP Christian College Fair will be held at Christ’s Place Church ( 1111 Old Cheney Road , Lincoln , NE ) on Tuesday, September 30th from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Admission is free! Over 20 private Christian colleges from the Midwest will be in attendance and free financial aid assistance will be offered. NACCAP (National American Coalition for Christian Admission Personal) holds over 100 fairs each fall in the U.S. and with over 30,000 attendees.

Questions can be directed to the fair’s coordinator Aaron Roberts at aaron.roberts@cune.edu.

Christian College Fair Flyer

Colleges Attending

ELITE PERFORMANCE GYM MARTIAL ARTS CLASSES

As we have started to get involved with home school families from church and our area, we have discovered the vast number of non-academic activities available. We would like to add to these by making our martial arts gym available to home school families during the day. We teach from a Christian perspective and can serve your family well.

In order to start a day program, we need at least 20 students to register, and can handle as many as 40 per class session. If we can meet this 20 student minimum by September 5, 2008, classes will start the following week. We have these times available:

Tuesdays: 9:00 am to 9:50 am ages 7 – 12/13
Thursdays: 9:00 am to 9:50 am ages 12/13 – 18
Cost: $5.00 per class, 4 class minimum

Martial Arts Flyer

Take action schedule

Dear HS Families,

I wanted to share a new and creative approach to a healthy lifestyle through an adolescent and teen weight management program sponsored by Hy-Vee, Fit in the City and Bellevue Family Practice.

Take Action! is a comprehensive eight week program that focuses on teaching children and adolescents good nutrition, exercise, self-esteem, and how to maintain a healthy weight. Parents are required to attend the Tuesday night
sessions from 6:00 to 8:00 pm commencing September 9th. The program also
helps teach parents the ins and outs of a healthy lifestyle so that parents can help their children live a more fit and active life. In the end, the goal is to improve the overall health of the entire family.

Please call Cori at @292-9170 x1001 to register of for more information.

Thank you.

Janita M. Pavelka
Bellevue, NE
Associate Simply Music Teacher
www.omahapiano.com

Take Action Flyer

need homeschool students to meet with international students

Dear Homeschool Parents and Students,

The Intensive Language Program (ILUNO) at the University of Nebraska at Omaha is looking for high school or junior high students to come to campus to meet and have discussions with international students. This helps the international students to improve their communication skills, and is a great chance for homeschool students to learn about other cultures and to reach out to these students.

Volunteers should be junior high/high school students, roughly 13~19.

The days and times at which these discussion classes will be held are on Tuesdays from 4:00~5:00 and Wednesdays from 3:00~4:00. The location is to be determined, but will likely be at the student center on the UNO campus.

The dates are below:

September 9,10
16,17
23,24
30, October 1
October 7,8
14,15
21,22
28,29
November 4,5
11,12
18,19
25,26 (no class due to Thanksgiving break)
December 2,3
9,10

Homeschool students can come to any or all of the sessions, but hopefully could come regularly at least once per week. The program is seeking 10-20 students.

The topics for discussion may be chosen ahead of time, but mostly it will be open conversation about topics of interest to the individuals. During the class there will be several international students meeting with one homeschool student.

It is also hoped that relationships will develop where the homeschool student can invite the international student to dinner with his/her family, do volunteer activities together, etc.

Please let me know if you have any questions and if you would like to be involved in this unique opportunity.

Gary Duff

Program Coordinator
International Professional Development
University of Nebraska at Omaha
6001 Dodge St.,
Omaha, NE. 68182-0492

tel: 402-554-2293
fax: 402-554-2949

http://world.unomaha.edu/ipd

E-ship Club for the School Year

Dear Fellow Home Schoolers,

I wanted to inform you all of the E-ship Club happenings this school year and ask you to spread the word to interested families and teens. Also, I am looking for experts to share their knowledge with us during the monthly meetings. Thank you.

Entrepreneurship cannot be taught in a textbook, it needs to be lived. When our children invest their time and money into their own business, they will be motivated to do more of the 3 Rs, learn how to take calculated risks, make wise decisions and deliver quality customer service.

Idea: E-ship Club for Teens with heavy family involvement

Meet monthly for a teaching time and monthly for a field trip.

Meet on the third Monday night beginning Sept. 15th from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at South Omaha Librarys Meeting room.

1st Hour: Experts testimony

2nd Hour: Content teaching from ESI manuals (NE 4-H Curriculum)

3rd Hour: Mentorship meetings: small groups of peers with similar interests and volunteer adults

Sept. 15th Theme: Who is an Entrepreneur?

Oct. 20th Theme: Could I be an Entrepreneur? Field Trip: Buy the Big O! Show on Oct. 15th

Nov. 17th Theme: What does a Businessman look like? Field Trip: Visit a Brick and Mortar Entrepreneurs Shop

Dec. 15th Theme: Philanthropy Field Trip: Starfish Ministry: feeding the Homeless downtown Omaha

Jan. 21st Theme: Business Plan Idea Field Trip: Chamber Event

Feb. 18th Theme: Business Plan/Marketing Field Trip: Entrepreneurship Expo with UNO International Business Students

Mar. 17th Theme: Business Plan/Financials Field Trip: Kaufmann Foundation Entrepreneurship Summit

Apr. 21st Theme: Business Plan/Financials Field Trip: Entrepreneurship Expo at BU

May 19th Theme: E-ship Club Graduation and Business Plan Competition

Field Trip: Entrepreneurship Expo at Metro

Unique features of this program are:

Monthly extended teaching time, monthly field trips, heavy family involvement, expertstestimonies, mentorship groups, Entrepreneurship Expos, Business Plan Competition, philanthropy activity, Omaha Chamber of Commerce exposure, and strong community involvement.

Qualifications of the Instructor:

I have been an educator for 18 years and an Entrepreneur for 8 years. Our family (four children ages 13, 11, 10, and 8 ) currently has 14 businesses operating during the year.

Please email me to sign up for the E-ship Club. newsongpiano@cox.net

Thank you for your interest!

Janita M. Pavelka

Bellevue, NE

Associate Simply Music Teacher

www.omahapiano.com

The information provided on this site does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of any of the members of the Home Educators Network. HEN does not endorse the viewpoints nor recommend the products represented by any of the links from this site. These links are offered as points which are of interest and use to many homeschoolers. None of the information distributed by HEN, either verbal or written, is intended as legal advice and should not take the place of legal counsel from a qualified, informed attorney.