Homeschooling
Science on the road? Absolutely. And what better place to study science than Yellowstone National Park? Geysers, hot spots, volcanoes, wildlife, lava rock. This is a great place to study science, and the rangers of Yellowstone can help. Students ages 5 and
up can become Young
Scientists at Yellowstone. The
program is available at the Canyon Visitor Education Center or Old Faithful
Visitor Center. The kids investigate the
mysteries of Yellowstone by completing activities in the visitor center and in
the field. The booklet for the youngest
children, the 5–9 year olds, is offered only at Old Faithful. If you are investigating in the Old Faithful
area, be sure to check out a Young Scientist Toolkit, which has a thermometer,
stopwatch, and other gear. The kids
think it’s cool. Once your investigation
is complete, you will be awarded an official Young Scientist patch or key chain. We had a great time becoming Young
Scientists. Definitely include this
experience in your Yellowstone trip!
{mos_fb_discuss:28}
Start reading books about voting, presidents and politics with your children, like these:
Hold a drive to register voters and involve your children. You can do it in your church lobby (as long as you don't endorse a candidate - register only), outside a grocery store, or at a campground (with permission, of course). Print the voter registration forms online at the Election Assistance Commission (these are not accepted in ND and WY). Explain the mission to your kids and get them involved. Let them make posters and flyers. Set a goal - register 50 new voters. When you've reached your goal you can bundle them and mail all of the forms in yourself, or each person can mail their own. It's up to you.
Help with a campaign. Stand outside the voting locations and support your candidate. Get your kids involved! Let them know how important this vote is. Take them into the voting booth with you and let them see what it's like. Model for your children what a responsible American citizen looks like and let them know what you expect from them when they reach voting age. They are this country's future.
{mos_fb_discuss:27}
Who Can Run? The President and Vice-President are elected every four years. They must be at least 35 years of age, they must be native-born citizens of the United States, and they must have been residents of the U.S. for at least 14 years. (Also, a person cannot be elected to a third term as President.)
How Do the Political Parties Choose Their Candidates? That's up to the political parties. Most political parties hold conventions, which are large meetings attended by "delegates." Some delegates are selected by state "primary" elections, some are selected by state caucuses (very much like primaries, except with public voting instead of secret ballots), and some are chosen for their prominence in the party. A majority of delegate votes is needed to win the party's nomination. In most cases, the delegates let their chosen presidential candidate select a vice-presidential candidate.
Candidates for President and Vice-President Run Together. In the general election, each candidate for President runs together with a candidate for Vice-President on a "ticket." Voters select one ticket to vote for; they can't choose a presidential candidate from one ticket and a vice-presidential candidate from another ticket.
After
visiting Mount Rushmore and learning about the time capsule buried there I
started thinking about making a Family Time Capsule of our own! Maybe you’d like to try it too. Click continue for the directions:
Being on the road gives us the opportunity to see things
that we’ve never seen before and also to visit a few friends. We were so fortunate to be able to catch up
with our friends the Smiths in the Denver area. (Picture Gallery)
We have known them for about 14 years now, through childbirth, job
changes, and moves. Jean, working
homeschool mom to two of the brightest and most well behaved
children I have ever met, is the one who first inspired me to homeschool. She showed me that it was possible to educate
your children at home (and do it well) even when you’re working shift work. Not only did she show me that it was
possible, she practically held my hand when I took my first tentative
steps. She answered all my questions,
shared her resources, and showed me where to find the information I would
need. I would not be a homeschooler
today if it weren’t for her. Because of
that experience, I am now a huge advocate of finding a homeschool support group
that fits with your style of teaching.
As you can guess, there are many, but we all need help along the way – a
guide, a mentor, a friend. I am still a
member of a great support group back home that I access through an internet
forum. If you homeschool and don’t have a
support group, check out this listing of groups by state. Although it’s not an exhaustive list, it’s a
start.
{mos_fb_discuss:27}
More Articles...
Page 2 of 6
