Discount for Summer Camps Ends Today

Homeschool Connections is offering a series of summer school courses. They're designed with summer fun in mind. Little to no homework. Earlier in the day so the kids can get to their summer activities. (Exception: Job Search Skills is in the evening.) They meet 4 days a week for 1, 2, or 3 weeks so that you don't have to schedule your entire summer around school. This is a great way to polish skills, prepare for the next school year, and focus on a favorite subject. These are live, interactive classes.

There is a very generous Early Enrollment Discount ($10 to $30) if you register by the end of today (Friday).

Please don't hesitate to to leave a comment with any questions or suggestions.

Information on individual camps is below. You can learn more or register at
http://homeschoolconnectionsonline.com/online-catholic-course-catalog/live-interactive-high-school-courses/summer-2010-courses/

Please feel free to share this information with others ...

Job Search Skills Camp
Class dates: Monday through Thursday, May 24 to May 27
Total classes: 4
Starting time: 8 pm Eastern (7 pm Central)
Duration: 1 hour
Fee: $60 for entire 4-class camp. $20 Early Registration Discount before April 30, 2010
Instructor: Derek Prentice
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 10th grade to college level

Apologetics Camp
Class dates: Mondays through Thursdays, June 7 to 17, 2010
Total classes: 8
Starting time: 10:00 am Eastern (9:00 am Central)
Duration: 1 hour
Fee: $100 for entire 8-class course. $20 early registration discount before April 30, 2010
Instructor: Gary Michuta, author Why Catholic Bibles are Bigger
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th

History Camp: Foundations of Christian Historiography
Class dates: Monday to Thursday, June 14 to June 17
Total classes: 4
Starting time: Noon Eastern (11:00 am Central)
Duration: 1 hour
Fee: $50 for entire 4-class course. $10 Early Registration Discount before April 30, 2010
Instructor: Phillip Campbell
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th

Latin I Camp: Introductory Level
Class dates: Mondays through Thursdays, June 21 to July 1, 2010
Total classes: 8
Starting time: 10:00 am Eastern (9:00 am Central)
Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes
Fee: $120 for entire 8-class course. $20 early registration discount before April 30, 2010
Instructor: Alecia Rolling and Kenneth Rolling
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 7th to 12th

Latin II Camp: Grammar Intensive
Class dates: Mondays through Thursdays, July 5 to July 22, 2010
Total classes: 12
Starting time: 10:00 am Eastern (9:00 am Central)
Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes
Fee: $180 for entire 12-class course. $30 early registration discount before April 30, 2010
Instructor: Alecia Rolling
Prerequisite: The student who wishes to enroll in this camp has at least learned the 1st through 3rd noun and adjective declensions as well as the 1st through 4th conjugations of the present tense. If the student has not learned this, he or she is encouraged to take Latin I Camp or enroll in Latin II camp with the understanding that it will be difficult and fast-paced.
Suggested grade level: 7th to 12th

Latin III Camp: Translation Intensive
Class dates: Mondays through Thursdays, July 26 to August 12, 2010
Total classes: 12
Starting time: 10:00 am Eastern (9:00 am Central)
Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes
Fee: $180 for entire 12-class course. $30 early registration discount before April 30, 2010
Instructor: Alecia Rolling
Prerequisite: The student who wishes to enroll in this camp has at least learned the 1st through 5th noun and adjective declensions as well as the 1st through 4th verb conjugations in all tenses (active and passive) or has successfully completed Latin Camp II.
Suggested grade level: 7th to 12th

Win Free Stuff

To celebrate 5 years in the blogosphere, Alicia Van Hecke is giving away loads of free gifts including:

1. Subscriptions to mater et magistra magazine (Catholic homeschooling magazine): (3 copies)

2. I Remember Mama - Irene Dunne, 1948 (3 copies)

3. Christmas in Connecticut - Barbara Stanwyck, 1945 (3 copies)

4. Books by Melissa Wiley (3 books)

5. The Kitchen Madonna by Rumer Godden (1 copy)

6. The Rosary: Keeping Company with Jesus and Mary by Karen Edmisten (1 copy)

7. The Catholic Homeschool Companion, edited by Maureen Wittmann and Rachel Mackson (1 copy)

8. Homeschool Connections Subscription Service (1 month free subscription)

Check out Studeo to learn all the details.

Saving on Post Secondary Online Education

I read in the Wall Street Journal this weekend that the average state university charges $8,000 in yearly tuition. Add to that another $10,000 in state funding per student. Yet, only $3,000 of that $18,000 goes directly to instruction. Think about how much $$$ we could all save with a move to online education.

New Epic Fantasy for Young Adults

Homeschool Connections instructor Phillip Campbell is also an accomplished author. His new novel, Tale of Maneath, has been receiving rave reviews all over the Internet. Here are just a few:

The Curt Jester (Jeff Miller)
Gloria Romanorum (Tony Shiavo)
Maureen Wittmann

Congratulations Mr. Campbell!

Catholic Daily Planner (School Year)

Michele Quigley's Family-Centered Press Catholic planners are ready to order for the 2010/2011 school year. You may recall that Michele was our presenter for the free webinar: Time Management for Moms 101.

If you're in the market for a school-year planner, you should check these out. They now include both the Ordinary (New) and Extraordinary (Traditional) Forms of the Liturgy with the liturgical colors proper to the day. They are very nice! And, you can choose from nine different covers. You do need to pre-order so visit Family-Centered Press's website to learn more.

The student planners should be available soon as well.

Free Webinar: What is Online Education?

UPDATE: The webinar went great! You can watch the recorded event here: Advantages of Online Education.

Maureen Wittmann will be our presenter for the upcoming free webinar: Online Education vs. Distance Learning.

The internet, used correctly, can be a big plus for your homeschool. This webinar will focus on online education but will also explore other internet resources including research options for students, finding homeschool support, and money saving deals.

Distance learning has been around for over a century. Studies show that distance learning is as effective as classroom instruction. Today we have a new model of education coming to the forefront: Online Education which is interactive and goes beyond distance learning. New studies indicate that online education is leaving classroom instruction in the dust.

Join us for this free and informative webinar to find out why and how. See firsthand the future of education. Attendees will get to personally tryout some of the online educational options. If you own a headset with a microphone, plug it in before entering the webinar and we'll let you use to experience one of the interactive parts of online education.

Bring all of your questions as there will be a Q&A segment.

Date: Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Starting time: 8:00 pm, Eastern Daylight Time (7:00 pm, Central)
Duration: 1 hour
Presenter's biography: Maureen Wittmann is co-founder of Homeschool Connections along with Walter Crawford. They are bringing online education to homeschoolers around the globe in an effort to help parents provide a faith-filled, world-class education to their children. Maureen is also the author of For the Love of Literature and co-author of The Catholic Homeschool Companion. She and her husband Rob homeschool their seven children in Michigan.

Summer History Camp: Christian Historiography for High School

Update: This live course has concluded and is now available as a recorded course through our Subscription Service. This is a great way to learn at your own pace when your schedule allows.To subscribe or learn more: Adult and High School Online Classes


In setting up our summer camps, I chose subjects that would be fun but also lay a foundation for future studies. The upcoming history camp does just that. We have an instructor who is on fire for all things history and so makes the subject exciting for his students. His topic for summer is Foundations of Christian Historiography. In other words, the study of the study of history.

The student who completes this camp will leave with the ability to see beyond political correctness and put historical events into perspective as well as learn how to write a good history research paper.

History Camp: Foundations of Christian Historiography

(Click on link above for registration information)

Dates: Daily, June 14 to June 17, 2010
Total classes: 4
Starting time: 12:00 pm, Eastern Daylight Time (11:00 Central)
Duration: 1 hour
Instructor: Phillip Campbell
Fee: $50 for entire 4-class course. $10 Early Registration Discount before April 30, 2010
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th

Course description: Foundations of Christian Historiography explores the discipline of history from a Christian worldview. This course will educate students in the various ways people have viewed history throughout the ages, discuss the importance of retaining a Christian framework in our pursuit of historical studies, and train students to see subtle (or not so subtle) anti-Christian presuppositions in popular portrayals of historic events. Students will also learn how to prepare and draft research papers on historical topics, including how to utilize source material and cite sources. This class is essential for anyone interested in studying history at the college level and will be helpful for all Catholics, for whom history, tradition and theology are so tightly interwoven.

Course outline:
June 14th: Historical Interpretations - A survey of various schemes that different cultures and thinkers have used to interpret history throughout the ages, starting at the ancient world and going through the modern age.

June 15th: Centrality of the Incarnation- How the Incarnation of Christ is the central event of human history and why all history ought to be interpreted in light of this event.

June 16th: Historical Sources- Learning to find and utilize primary and secondary sources in historical research and identifying anti-Christian bias in the work of other historians/textbooks.

June 17th: Writing for History- A step-by-step tutorial on how to construct a well researched and well written history paper. This class will cover structure, content, style and citations.

Homework: This is a lecture course with no homework. Optional homework with answer keys will be made available for parents.

Course materials: Will be available free online or from your library.

Instructor's biography: Phillip Campbell holds a BA in European History from Ave Maria University and is pursuing graduate studies in education at Madonna University. He is a Youth Director and teaches history for a homeschool enrichment program. He is the author of the fantasy novel Tale of Manaeth and is currently working on the sequel. Mr. Campbell and his wife of eight years homeschool their three children.

History Camp: Foundations of Christian Historiography

(Click on link above for registration information)

Homeschoolers Sought for German-American ePal Program

I received this email today and thought about our upcoming German courses. If you've been studying German or are planning on studying German, this is a neat opportunity to supplement your lessons as well as make friends across the world:

Homeschoolers Sought for German-American ePal Program

Home School Legal Defense Association continues to work with other organizations to help German parents homeschool their children. Families who attempt to homeschool in Germany face persecution including fines, imprisonment, and loss of custody of their children.

HSLDA fully endorses the German-American ePal Program. This American-based program—run by HSLDA member families—connects homeschooling families in America with German families. Through the program, German society is gaining a new understanding of home education.

The German-American ePal Program educates German students and their families on advantages of homeschooling while improving their English. It enriches homeschoolers with a unique learning experience and new friendships. Knowledge of German is not required, but homeschoolers studying German rapidly improve their language skills.

Participants must be 12–17 years old and are paired with same-gender ePals according to similarities. Parents oversee their child’s ePal experience. Christian German ePals may also be requested. Homeschoolers may also request more than one German ePal at no extra cost.

The German-American ePal Program was developed in 2008 by 14-year-old homeschooler Claire Gleason and her mother, Susan, during an annual trip to Germany. Fluent in German, the Gleasons are connected with many public, private and Christian schools in Germany, where they have seen a growing interest in homeschooling. They have also visited German families who are homeschooling in hiding.

The German-American ePal Program is partnering with Homeschool America Inc. (HSA), which oversees applications from homeschoolers. The director for homeschooled American students is HSA rep Sondra Muench. Susan Gleason is the director for German students. All students are screened.

Parents and teachers are assured of safe, secure internet communication with personalized service.

Join other homeschoolers across the nation who are participating in the ePal Program and having the time of their lives!

There is a one-time enrollment fee:

* U.S. Homeschoolers: $6
* Family Fee: $10 (if you have 2 or more homeschoolers in your household)

For more information or to register, visit www.homeschoolamericainc.org/programs.php

-- It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate and tireless minority keen to set brushfires in the minds of the people. ―Samuel Adams (1722-1803)

Terry, Susan and Claire Gleason
German-American ePal Program
Seven Springs Academy
1804 Taylors Chapel Rd
Fries VA 24330 USA
276-744-7222
homeschoolamericainc.org/programs.php

Coupon for Online Classes

We had some problems earlier this week with our software provider. They made a change which unwittingly affected our registration process. As a result a few families were unable to register for camps or classes. All is fixed now and we want to make it up to you. Here's a coupon for you: yq63c. It expires after April 17 and is worth $10 off.

Course and registration information can be found at Homeschool Connections.