Tuesday, August 26, 2008

19th Edition!

Welcome to the 19th edition of the Canadian Home Educators Blog Carnival. The trip is not as full this week as I would like for a few reasons - I didn't get many submissions, life has been crazy around here which means I didn't get very much time to scout out submissions, and my computer has been acting up. Soooo...without further ado here is the 19th edition of the Canadian Home Educators Blog Carnival

We'll start this trip in Newfoundland and Labrador at my house as I tell you about a couple of places to go if you're Looking for ideas on what to blog about. I'm hoping it will inspire more posts from everyone and that in turn will mean more invitations to visit for the carnival. :)

Next we're off to Nova Scotia to visit with Dawn as she exclaims "History Doesn't Get Much Cooler Then This..." while telling us about the History Canada Game, a special Canadian version for the Civilizations computer game.

After a fair bit of traveling we'll finally stop in and visit with Alex in Ontario as she tells us she's been taking advantage of time to get school plans in place This past week....

Next we're off to Saskatchewan to visit with Julia as she tells us she's looking forward to a A Promising Year as they've ironed out the activities they will be involved in this coming year.

Crossing the border into Alberta, we'll drop in on Heather as she talks about The Many Faces of August that keep vying for her attention.

Our last stop for this trip is in British Ccolumbia. First of all Rosina tells us about the fun they had with the Unplugged Project ~ Cylinder (Pencil Game). Before we leave she invites us to check in to the British Columbia HSN blog where she's written an excellent post on Homeschooling in British Columbia ~ How to get started & Registering vs. Enroling.

And that brings us to the end of this trip across the country visiting with homeschooling families along the way. Thank you to those of you that were kind enough to allow us to visit.

I'd also like to thank those of you that have reponded to my request for information about your experience with homeschooling regulations and funding in the different provinces. The original due date for the article has been extended so that I have more time to gather information so you still have plenty of time to participate in the research. I'd love to hear from as many as possible. It has been quite interesting to read about the different experiences. I am considering setting up a special page, or post, of links to blog posts about the topic, though most of the responses I've received so far have been through email rather than blog posts. Any thoughts on this?

If you haven't already done so, please take the time to read the post about Tours for Canadian Homeschoolers Abroad and to vote in the poll in the side bar.

If all goes well the next edition of the Canadian Home Educators Blog Carnival will be posted September 2. I hope to receive lots of submissions before that day, and the sooner the better. It makes things so much easier for me if I get submissions early and don't have to take the time to search them out.

Hope to hear from all of you soon!

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Tours for Canadian Homeschoolers Abroad??

I just found a great blog by a Canadian homeschooler that is presently living in another country, not Canada, and I got to thinking that I'd like a way to feature Canadian homeschoolers that are living abroad. As always, I like like to hear what my readers and participants think of the idea.

I'm thinking that rather than include them in the weekly tour across Canada, that gets posted each Tuesday, I would do another weekly, or maybe monthly, tour across the world visiting with Canadians that are homeschooling while living elsewhere, but I'd post this tour on another day of the week.

What do you think? You can let me know your thoughts and ideas by leaving a comment below, emailing me, or voting in the poll in the sidebar, or by using any combination of those ways. :)

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Suggested topic to blog about

I have been asked to do some research for an article on homeschooling regulations, re. funding, reporting, etc., in the provinces. I thought it would be good to get some information from people with first hand knowledge and experience about such things.

I would love to hear from you as to what your experience has been in whatever provinces you have homeschooled in. You can email me about it and/or write a blog post about it and let me know where to find it by leaving a comment here. I'd be delighted with either form of communication.

You can pass this information on to anyone that you think might be interested in helping provide information.

Hope to hear from you soon!

EDIT: I answered questions about this request in this post here.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

18th Edition

Welcome to the 18th edition of the Canadian Home Educators Blog Carnival.

We're going to start this trip in British Columbia as we visit with Rosina again. She shows us a couple of great prizes as she shouts "Let the Blog-a-versary Giveaway Begin :). Before we leave she also invites us to check out the very creative projects her children made for Unplugged Project - Trees.

Next we're off to Alberta for a first time visit with Becky as shes shows us her china cabinet and calls it Our School Cupboard.

After that we'll drop in to visit with Julia in Saskatchewan where she tells us about the struggles she's had in the past in working out a routine that works for them and how this year it may again take a while to get into a routine as, for the first time, she will be Teaching Three.

Our next stop is in Ontario with Kim as she tells us that she is planning a back to school party because it is Time to Celebrate.

After that we're off to Quebec for our visit at a homeschooling organization as we are invited to check out the Association quebecoise pour l'education a domicile (Quebec Association for Home-based Education). Our tour guide tells us "L’Association québécoise pour l'éducation à domicile (AQED) a été fondée en 1997. Ses objectifs sont de:
1-Unir, informer et apporter soutien aux parents québécois qui choisissent de faire l’école à la maison, et répondre aux questions et aux besoins partagés par toutes les familles québécoises qui font l’école au foyer, quelle que soit leur langue, leur religion ou leur philosophie d’éducation.
2-Représenter ses membres auprès du Ministère de l’éducation du loisir et du sport (MELS), des commissions scolaires et des autres organismes reliés à la jeunesse et à l’éducation.
3-Soutenir et défendre les droits des parents d’éduquer leurs enfants selon la méthode pédagogique qu’ils privilégient, tout en protégeant les droits de l’enfant à recevoir une éducation saine et balancée.
L’AQED est un organisme à but non lucratif, enregistré sous la Loi des compagnies du Québec.
Toutes les personnes qui œuvrent à faire grandir cette association, le font bénévolement. Ils donnent de leur temps simplement car ils ont à cœur la cause de l’école à la maison.
L’AQED, organisme bilingue, est un regroupement de parents qui choisissent d’enseigner à leurs enfants. Son succès et son efficacité sont le résultat de l’implication de chacun et de leur vigueur à partager leurs connaissances, à démystifier et à défendre leur choix d’enseigner à la maison.
Depuis ses débuts, ses représentants soutiennent les parents dans leur choix éducatif et ce, dans le plus grand respect de la diversité."

Our next stop is in Nova Scotia to visit with Dawn as she shares What my Homeschool Office Looks Like.

Our last stop is at the Newfoundland and Labrador Homeschool Nations blog where I tell you about a great High School Math Resource - MathBits.com.

And that's the end of this trip across our country checking in with homeschoolers along the way. You'll notice that we missed a few provinces again this trip. If your province was missed, make sure it isn't missed next time by inviting us to visit with you.

If all goes well the next edition of the Canadian Home Educators Blog Carnival will be posted next Tuesday, August the 26th. Please get your submissions in as soon as possible before that time.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

17th Edition

Welcome to the 17th Edition of the Canadian Home Educators Blog Carnival!

We'll start this trip in British Columbia with Rosina as she tells us what she did for the Unplugged Project - Hot (Stencil Painted Tshirt). Who knew you could make such cool t-shirts with just butcher paper, an iron, and paint? I'm thinking it would be really neat to design a homeschool logo and put it on t-shirts for everyone in the family. If anyone decides to try this, we'd love to see what you do.

Next we're off to Alberta to visit with Lori as she tells us its 4 weeks and counting to the beginning of the school year for her. She has decided her new mantra for this year is "Simple but Special" and asks us to stay tuned. I can't wait to see what she comes up with.

Moving into Saskatchewan we'll stop in with Julia as she talks about how much she enjoys her children being able to enjoy the freedom and open space around them while Living in the Country.

Our next stop is in Ontario where Annie tells us about the excitement of Box Day! at her house. It's the day they celebrated the arrival of their box of curriculum for the year.

Our last stop this trip is in Nova Scotia where Dawn shows us a very clear example of Why They Shouldn't do Their Work in Front of a TV.

And that is the end of this trip across our country visiting with homeschoolers along the way. Thank you to those of you that allowed us to visit, and thanks to those of you that came along for the trip. Remember, it's always nice to thank the host for the visit, so please take the time to leave a comment on the blogs of those you visit.

If all goes well the next edition of the carnival will be posted August 19. Please help spread the word and get your submissions to me before that time.

Hope to hear from all of you before then. :)

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

16th Edition!

Welcome to the 16th edition of the Canadian Home Educators Blog Carnival. Let's get started on our trip!

We're going to start the trip this week at my place in Newfoundland and Labrador. Though I haven't really done anything about it yet, my mind has been starting to go towards getting ready for the new "school year" and I recently found some posts with great tips about establishing and writing daily Routines. I'm hoping to put some of these to use soon.

Next we'll pop over for a visit with Penelope in Nova Scotia. She, too, has been thinking about Organization and back in the early part of July she said she was "planning to take on organizing as a leisurely summer project". That doesn't sound much like a leisurely summer project to me and I'd love to know how she is making out with the project. Maybe we'll find out on another visit.

We have a bit of traveling to do to get to our next stop in Ontario with Alex where she is Preparing for 2008-2009 ~ Math. She tells us how she's finally ready to admit that what is considered a tried and true homeschool resource is just not working in their family, but she has come up with some possible alternatives that may work.

Once again after traveling a little distance, we'll pop in to visit with Julia in Saskatchewan, where she, too, is thinking about The Dreaded P Word: Planning. She thinks she's finally come up with a plan that will work, but asks us to stay tuned to see if she still feels that way in January.

Next we'll stop in on Lori in Alberta as she tells us about something that has worked really well for her in the past and answers the question What is Tuesday Teatime? Blog Response. She definitely makes it sound like something worth trying out.

Before we leave Alberta we'll drop in on Heather as she tells us that through Knotted Stomach, Pounding Boots she learned a lesson about working together for a common goal. I just love reading about her band adventures and all that she learns through them.

Our last stop is in British Columbia to visit with the ever entertaining Rosina. First she shares with us her Hidden Veggie Jello Melons ~ Recipe which she uses to sneak veggies to her veggie hating kids. Sneaky! Then she shows us the really neat owls they made for Unplugged Project - Rough (Pinecone Art). I don't know about you, but I always wonder what wonders await us when we get to Rosina's.

And that ends this edition of the carnvial. I sure hope you enjoyed the trip and I hope you take the time to let your hosts know that you enjoyed the visit to their place by leaving them a comment saying so.

If you participated in the carnival in the past you should have received an email from me this week. In an attempt to ensure that each edition has as many visits as possible, I have asked permission of past participants to visit their place whenever we like, without waiting for an invitation. It is still my preference to have people send me invitations to visit each week, because that way I don't have to go looking for them, but in the event that I don't have as many invitations as I would like for an edition I would like to have this as a back-up plan. I have received permission from many, but I'm still waiting to hear from others.

If you haven't yet participated in the carnival, we would love to add you to our list of places to visit. Simply send an email to the carnival address - canadianhomeeducatorscarnival@gmail.com - inviting us for a first visit and you will then be added to the list. Be sure to include your blog address and the province you reside in.

Some exciting news! Homeschooling Horizons Magazine has asked me to put together a monthly sideshow of the carnival for their magazine. The first one is to be published in their September issue, so be sure to watch for it. I emailed past participants about permission to feature them in it a while back. If you have joined the carnival since then this may be new news to you. If you have any questions about it, email or leave a comment below.

If all goes well the next edition of the carnival will be posted on August 12. To help me out be sure to send in your submission before then.

As always, I hope to hear from you all soon!