OT: ATTENTION ALL PARENTS. Please tell your children to bring all their textbooks home with them during Christmas Break. They will need something to do during the dull January Days. Some home schooling should be attempted. At least a review of recent studies to keep them "sharp" until school resumes. 6 teachers in my family suggested I spread this message to all. God Bless. Sorry if this gets posted twice. SYSOP please delete if you wish.

-- Pauline Revere (messenger@towncrier.com), December 16, 1999

Answers

Pauline...

.....Good message, we're in our fourth year of homeschooling in Ohio and my son, last spring passed the required test for graduation. If he were in school, he'd be a freshman this year.

-- Patrick (pmchenry@gradall.com), December 16, 1999.

Pauline-

Great idea and thanks for posting it. At the very least, some Math should be done everyday to retain skills. This would also help to keep a sense of "normalness" to their days. Throwing them into an environment of "no school" after having rigidly structured days would be hard on them (and you). A very real possibility at least around here...have been hearing that kids will not be going back to school till later than usual, to allow for problems to surface and be "fixed." They won't get out for vacation till the day before Christmas Eve.

PS...also, keep 'em reading!

From No.Indiana,FWIW. Close to Dinty Moore.

Blessings.....Mary (homeschooling Mom of 6)

-- Mary (DivinMercy@aol.com), December 16, 1999.

A good reminder, Pauline!

I also think that it's worthwhile to swing by any of the "office warehouse" stores (Office Max, etc) or Sam's if one doesn't have a good supply of school supplies at home already. White boards are good for working math problems, and they come in many sizes.

-- (ladybuckeye_59@yahoo.com), December 16, 1999.

Thanks Pauline! Parents take note!

-- Irving (irvingf@myremarq.com), December 16, 1999.

HEY! Don't 4get the ART supplies. ><>~<><

-- Krazy Artist (express@feelings.kids), December 16, 1999.

Also their music and musical instruments!

-- Firemouse (firemouse@fcmail.com), December 16, 1999.

No, no! Not the bagpipes!

Seriously, though, this is an excellent posting! We just qualified as foster parents, and might have kids arriving (probably sans textbooks!) shortly after rollover. We will have to see what we have in our family library that might be appropriate. Something simple and fun to encourage reading. I'll bet we can find a math workbook somewhere...

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), December 16, 1999.

Mad Monk-

Congratulations and God Bless you and your wife!

You can never go wrong with the classics. Also, lots of reading out loud.

I am so happy for you. What good news :)

Blessings...Mary

-- Mary (DivinMercy@aol.com), December 16, 1999.

From: Y2K, ` la Carte by Dancr (pic), near Monterey, California

Ho meschooling, Schools Closed Due to Y2K?, Preparing Children, Wh at Children Think, Modeling for Our Children

-- Dancr (addy.available@my.webpage), December 17, 1999.

Mad Monk,

On the contrary, some of us would adore learning how to play the bagpipes even if civilization doesn't break down. It's just saxophones I can't bear [shudder]. If any of you are handling the goods from dead pollies who are pipers, this is the conversation I want you to practice."Oh look, a feral dog pack got them. Let's remember to send their uillean pipes to Firemouse!"

If things get bad, you may want to have the little ones act out their concerns through little stuffed animals or figures. Might want to have an old broken calculator that the mommy and daddy animals can get mad at.

-- Firemouse (firemouse@fcmail.com), December 17, 1999.

Thanks for the reminder Pauline, I just can't seem to remember all I need to get done in the next couple of weeks.

Jon's Homeschool Resouce Page. I am sure other's could provide better links, but at this one I could trace homeschooling requirements for my state. Alot of good links/resources here.

For my state, NC, for example, I need to send a letter of intent to the state to being. I had planned to have that letter written and in a stamped envelope ready to go January 1st, if I needed it. Again, thanks for reminding me Pauline. *add letter to list of things to do yet. :-)

Also, one source I have found for text books is from the schools themselves. Used text books, although in very poor shape in most cases, they have always given me for free, when they purchase new books for a particular class.

Also, I have on occasion been lucky to get brand new textbooks. I think various companies must offer the schools "sample" textbooks which they hope the schools will purchase from them. I have several sets of these which include the student's text, and workbooks if included, and the teachers edition, with tests and handouts. Feel very fortunate to have them (especially algebra).

If oil is impacted much, even if only the price, I don't see how our small and poor school system could function. Heating and bus fuel is a very large expense for schools. It takes alot of diesel in our rural area, very long routes with students spaced out. School system, just like us, has to pay their bills, and I don't see how they could absorb a doubling of diesel prices, if it would come to that. It has been several years since I read their line by line budget, but bus fuel was a significant part of the budget. I can see them delaying opening till later in the semester, even with the electric fully functioning.

Sigh...how unfortunate they chose at this time to tie up most of the "extra" money to build a new atheletic facility.

-- Lilly (homesteader145@yahoo.com), December 17, 1999.

There is an article on my website that I wrote entitled "Home Schooling During Y2K". It may be helpful to forum members interested in the subject on this thread.

http://www.y2ksafeminnesota.com/homeschool.htm

my site: www.y2ksafeminnesota.com

-- MinnesotaSmith (y2ksafeminnesota@hotmail.com), December 17, 1999.