IHEN Journal #2.05



__________________________ IHEN Journal __________________________
> #2.05 May 2002


An e-mail newsletter, published monthly by the
INDIANA HOME EDUCATORS' NETWORK

__Archives: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IHEN-News/files/

__Subscribe by e-mail: > IHEN-News-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

__IHEN web site: > http://www.AltEdNet.org/IHEN/

__Current issue of the IHEN Journal Online can be found at:
> http://www.AltEdNet.org/IHEN/news/CurrentIssue.htm


Managing Editor: Wendy Schlie
> IHEN-News-owner@yahoogroups.com

Editor: Debbie Harbeson
> IHEN-News-owner@yahoogroups.com

Publisher/Production/Design: Peach Grove Press/eMedia
> PGPress@aol.com
> http://www.AltEdNet.org/PGPress

--
"IHEN Journal" ©2002, IHEN and respective authors as noted.
All Rights Reserved. Non commercial distribution rights allowed.
See forwarding guidelines at the end of the newsletter.




______________________________________________ CONTENTS__________
> welcome to the IHEN Journal!


> [1] LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
__spring is here and it's not just the flowers that are growing

> [2] LETTERS FROM THE READERS
__you read, you write, we read, we share

> [3] INDIANA'S E-LIST DIGEST
__a monthly sampler from IHEN's "IndianaHomeschoolers" list

> [4] HOOSIER HOMESCHOOLERS ON-LINE
__a list of e-lists from around the state!"

> [5] IHEN COUNTY CONTACTS: Who you gonna mail?
__getting there, one at a time... looking... looking...

> [6] OFF THE DEB END
__and now a word about furry ants, by debbie harbeson

> [7] POINTS OF INTEREST
__learning centers - part 2

--

> [a] CONTACTS
__who's who; staff and volunteers
__e-mail addresses
__e-mail list addresses
__subscription instructions

> [b] COPYRIGHTS/DISTRIBUTION
__forwarding guidelines



[1]
________________________________ LETTER FROM THE EDITOR __________
> by wendy schlie, managing editor


Greetings and welcome to another edition of IHEN Journal! I hope you
all have been enjoying the spring weather.

It's hard to believe that summer is almost here and my youngest will
be one year old next month! He's grown and changed so much already
and soon he'll be walking. His older brother has discovered the
outdoors this year and I cannot seem to keep him in to concentrate on
his lessons. So for now, I'm letting him run and play outside as much
as he wants. We'll pick up lessons again after my schedule changes
for summer classes at Ivy Tech and we'll move towards lessons after
dinner after all of his friends have gone in for the night. That's
why I love homeschooling! I can accommodate changing schedules and
life as it happens.

I'm sure many of you have had experiences with the flexibility
homeschooling offers. Please write in and tell others how
homeschooling has fit into your life. I know I'd love to hear from
you and I'm sure some of those reading this may wonder how to make it
work around jobs and other life events.

In this issue, we have the latest summary of postings to the
IndianaHomeschoolers list, more Hoosiers Online resources and another
great article from Deb in Off the Deb End.

Also, I'm happy to say that our newsletter is growing. There's been a
little restructuring around here. I am now the Managing Editor and
will still be writing the Letter from the Editor. Deb is going to be
my Assist me as the IHEN Journal's Editor. She'll be responsible for
making sure all the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed as well as
making sure that what we write makes sense.

We're always on the lookout for good articles or article ideas. If
you have any suggestions, please write me (and Deb!) and let me know.
> IHEN-News-owner@yahoogroups.com

Have a Great May! Those of you going to the Indianapolis 500 later
this month, I'll see you there!

/s/ Wendy

/s/ Wendy



[2]
______________________________ LETTERS FROM THE READERS __________
> IHEN-News-Owner@yahoogroups.com


We know you're out there and reading. Why not drop us a line and let
us know what you think or what you think *we* should think.


_____ Editor's Mail Box __________

E-mail your letters to: > IHEN-News-Owner@yahoogroups.com



[3]
_______________________________ INDIANA'S E-LIST DIGEST __________
> by debbie harbeson


This month's sampler includes many local resources. The hot topics
seemed to be socialization in the schools along with high school and
college. If you want to go to a specific post, remember, all you have
to do is go to our website
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IndianaHomeschoolers/ and click on
messages in the left margin. Once there, type in the message number
on the search box where it says Msg #.

(Numbers refer to message number in the archives at YahooGroups. You
must be a list subscriber to access the archives and files.
Subscription information is below.)

Now for this month's sampler of posts to the list:

>LOCAL GROUP AND SUPPORT RESOURCES:
6223 Sample of events listed in Hamilton County Support Group's
     newsletter
6227 Possible workshop on teaching reading in Southern Indiana area.
6234 Post looking for others interested in Scrapbooking.
6280 Junior Explorers Club starting in Greenfield, Indiana.
6298 Local homeschool network starting in Muncie, Indiana.
6331 Pagan Homeschoolers Group Info.
6333 Announcement of the opening of LIFE Learning Center in Anderson.
6439 Family Learning Lab in Noble County.

> STATE RESOURCES:
6248 Coral Sea Aquarium in Carmel, Indiana
6306 Southern Indiana Youth Symphony
6403 Indiana State Museum Events

> ONLINE RESOURCES:
6228 Pizza Hut Book-It Program Information
6229 Link to an article on controversy of homeschoolers
     accepting government money.
6321 Alphabet books
6408 Resources for researching HSLDA
6437 Article on natural ways to teach math.
6440 Link to an organization promoting separating government from
     education.

> INTERESTING DISCUSSION THREADS:
* More discussion about Marilyn Vos Savant and her opinions on
  homeschooling.
* Thread on the value of attending Abeka homeschool meetings.
* Threads helping homeschoolers with educational concerns.
* Couple of threads about the controversy surrounding registering
  with the state.
* Thread on socialization in schools.
* Thread on homeschoolers getting into college.

--+--
To subscribe to the IndianaHomeschoolers list, send an email to: 

IndianaHomeschoolers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com 


_____ ABOUT THE IndianaHomeschoolers LIST __________

We believe that the "IndianaHomeschoolers" Networking and
Discussion list is probably one of the better (if not the only)
statewide e-mail discussion lists going!

And what makes it the best, first source for statewide
homeschooling information and discussion? Our subscribers.

Parents who homeschool are proving every day that Hoosiers are
some of the nicest, most helpful people around. If you aren't
subscribed to IHEN's "IndianaHomeschoolers" e-list, then why not?
It can't hurt, and you might even get the heads up on a really
great "Spring Craft Project Idea" from one of our famous
"Off Topic" discussions!! ;-) 

To subscribe to the IndianaHomeschoolers Networking and Discussion
List, send e-mail to:
> IndianaHomeschoolers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com



[4]
_________________________ HOOSIER HOMESCHOOLERS ON-LINE __________
> by jessica radtke


This month's installment of "Hoosier Homeschoolers On-Line" features
a list of public access e-mail lists and Web pages representing the
various geographical areas of Indiana. They are listed here solely
for the purpose of informing the homeschooling community of potential
resources in their general geographical area and are not necessarily
affiliated with or endorsed by IHEN. 


CENTRAL INDIANA AREA

Avon
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AvonUnschoolersIN/

Greenfield
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/greenfieldhomeschoolers/

Hamilton County Homeschoolers (HCHS)
> http://www.expage.com/hchomeschoolers

Indianapolis
Families Learning Together (FLT)
> http://www.bloomington.in.us/~learn/FLT.htm

Kokomo
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Kokomo-Indiana-Home-schools/


SOUTHERN INDIANA AREA

Bloomington
Life Education And Resource Network, (LEARN)
> http://www.bloomington.in.us/~learn

South Central
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/socendianahomeschoolers/

Southern Indiana/Northern Kentucky
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kentuckianachristianhs/

South-Western Indiana Home Educators (SWIHE)
> http://www.swihe.org

Louisville/Southern Indiana Homeschoolers
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LouisvilleHS/


NORTHERN INDIANA AREA

Fort Wayne
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LiveandLearnFortWayne/

Fort Wayne Area Home Schoolers
> http://www.fwahs.com/

Laporte
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/homeschoolfamiliesoflaporte/

Michiana LIFE
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Michiana-LIFE/

Michiana Christian Home Educators (MCHE)
> http://www.mche.net/

North East Indiana LIFE
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NE_Indiana_LIFE/

Valparaiso
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ValpoHomeEd/


--
Over the next few months I will be showcasing on-line resources
representing specific educational methods and subjects, low-cost
curriculum sources, and more. If you have or know of an on-line
resource that you would like to see listed in the "Hoosier
Homeschoolers On-line" portion of the IHEN Journal, send the
information to Jessica Radtke at: > jessradtke@yahoo.com


[5]
_______________________________________ COUNTY CONTACTS __________
> by b. b. bennett & marla james


The new IHEN County Contact volunteers are coming in! One at a time,
but they're coming. If you are an experienced homeschooler or you are
well connected in your local community, and want to help other
homeschoolers in your area keep up with all the great things there
are for homeschoolers in your county... why not sign up?

IHEN's goal is to have a volunteer parent homeschooler in every
county of the state, available to answer questions via e-mail. It's
really going to be easier than most people believe.

Most of the questions will be from people referred from the
IndianaHomeschoolers list, because they are interested in the
support groups or activities that are going on in your county.

Here's how to get started:

To volunteer as an IHEN County Contact, send your NAME, COUNTY,
and E-MAIL ADDRESS to > IHEN-Org@yahoogroups.com or to our
County Contact Tracker, Marla James at:
> aktundra@whiteduckwebdesign.com

See the "CONTACTS" section of the "IHEN Journal" for more
important addresses.


_____ COUNTY CONTACTS TO DATE __________

We have volunteer IHEN County Contacts in the following
counties:

Allen | Boone | Delaware | Grant | Hamilton | Lake
Madison | Marion | Owen | Porter | Starke | Steuben

If your county isn't listed, and you think you can answer a few
questions a month by e-mail, why not e-mail Marla and the
address above and let her know you'd like to give this IHEN
County Contact thing a go! You can also see the current list of
contacts on the web at > http://www.AltEdNet.org/IHEN/IHEN_Top5.htm



[6]
_______________________________________ OFF THE DEB END __________
> by debbie harbeson


FURRY ANTS

Have you ever seen a furry ant? How about an orange colored, furry
ant? We saw one when we were one of our many hikes. We watched,
fascinated as it crawled in a grassy field. Later when we looked in
an insect guide, we found out it wasn't an ant, but a type of wasp
called a cow killer. It is called a cow killer because of it's
vicious sting, so it's a good thing we didn't mess with it.

As a youngster I spent a lot of time outside exploring in creeks and
woods. I must have caught hundreds of crawdads and salamanders. So it
only made sense that I would enjoy exploring the outdoors with my
kids. The beauty of homeschooling is that we had lots of time to do
this.

The serendipity of a simple hike in the woods taught me that learning
happens all the time. It is so easy to explore and spark curiosity,
the building block of learning. We almost always found something
interesting on a hike. On those times when we didn't, we seemed to
get into big discussions or debates on various topics. I have just a
few experiences to share that I hope will inspire you to get outside
and explore with your kids.

Hiking in Hardy Lake, we surprised two very large birds. They had
bright red crests and jumped out and flew right over our heads. We
found out later that they were pileated woodpeckers. We learned to
identify birds by sight as well as sound and even flight patterns.

Once we went out to Clark State Forest in early spring, expecting to
not see much of interest yet and were very surprised to see hundreds
of mushrooms in various sizes, shapes and colors. My kids spent
several weeks after that looking at books about fungi.

Spring wildflower walks are like true treasure hunts because many
wildflowers are only out for a short time and discovering them is
lots of fun. Again, field guides helped with identification.

For some reason, I knew better than to try and pick up that
cowkiller, but once in Charlestown State Forest, a baby snake crossed
our trail and in my excitement, I picked it up to give us all a closer
look. It wasn't until I put it down and was about 100 ft. down the
trail that I began to wonder about the mother!

Sometimes our adventures just made for a fun memory. Once my daughter
and I were hiking along a very steep section along the Ohio River, not
really on a trail. We decided to climb up the hill to get to what
looked like a nice flat area. So we grabbed tree trunks and branches
and pulled our way up. We eventually decided it would be too
difficult to get up there, so we headed back down. We found out it
was going to be much harder than going up. I grabbed a small tree
trunk, sat on my butt, sighted the next tree and let go, sliding down
to the next tree and grabbing it before my speed got too fast. One of
my trees was a bit too small and when I grabbed it, it just decided
to come along with me for the ride. There I was yelling and sliding
uncontrollably down loose dirt and leaves holding onto a tree pulled
out by the roots. Finally I stopped, fortunately without hitting any
big trees, and it was then that I could hear giggling. Then it was my
turn to laugh as she slid her way down to the bottom. We sat there,
worn out and laughing until our stomachs ached.

Exploring nature is by far the easiest way to begin your new
adventure into untraditional learning. I encourage you to create your
own fun family hiking stories and let us know what happens.



[7]
____________________________________ POINTS OF INTEREST __________


_____ LEARNING CENTERS (Part 2) __________
> by betty malone


LIFE LEARNING CENTER: CREATION

Wow, it's amazing how fast the world can move sometimes, isn't it?
Last month when I wrote the first installment on the saga of our
Learning Center, I wasn't sure where we would be at this month. I
wrote about problems we were facing and doubts that were causing
disruption in our plans. But the group remained positive that we were
headed in right direction, well, all right, I remained positive we
were headed in right direction. I just "dragged" the rest of them
along with me!

This month finds us in a much better place. Our steering committee
has grown by three new members, with interest from several other
people. We have applied for a grant from the UPS foundation. We based
our proposal on the creation of a multi-purpose community learning
center that would offer outreach to a wide variety of community
children, including homeschoolers and public schooled children in
after school programs. We are researching several other grant ideas
and intend to apply for anything we can find at this point. We are
also developing several fundraising ideas.

Programming at this point includes spanish classes, Wednesday morning
co-op for ages 5-12, drama and speech class, computer lab, President's
Physical Fitness Award and the new art classes we are developing this
month. We have recruited several volunteers to work in the after
school area, especially in the art program. Our monthly meeting next
week will focus on ideas for programming to be developed for the
fall. We look forward to summer to build programming and to develop
funding.

I have garnered much more support for this program, especially from
new homeschoolers joining the Home Schools United support group.
Again, the reason appears to be exactly as was predicted. These
parents are leaving failing school systems in desperation and are
urgently in need of assistance in beginning to educate their
children. We hope to develop a Homeschooling 101 course that parents
can take to get them started with some good sound basic advice and
suggestions.

Finance and time remain our two biggest obstacles at this time. We
have the space, lots of potential, tons of ideas, interested parents;
it's almost a full time job getting it organized! The location remains
a consideration, some objection there, but mainly that lingers from
some of our, what I call, traditional homeschoolers. There is that
segment of the homeschooling community who doesn't fully understand
that we are not trying to start a school, or weaken or damage their
homeschooling freedoms. We are simply stating that just because home
education has been one way for several decades doesn't mean that
changes can't occur that are needed. We want to increase the
opportunities, not limit them to what works well for some.

So slowly, steadily, we are moving forward. Parent directed
education, homeschooling, cyber schools, private schools, and
learning centers all offer a positive alternative to the public
school menu. LIFE Learning Center doesn't have a million dollar
budget or really even much of any budget! But we do have a small
group of dedicated parents who believe that public schools damage our
future citizens. We may not all agree on how that damage occurs, but
we do agree that the tortoise of parent directed education is
advancing toward a positive goal, while the hare of public education
continues to run around in circles wreaking havoc in the lives of
children throughout our country.

LIFE Learning Center is one small piece of the puzzle, allowing
parents to choose their own path, while PS just keeps kids riding on
the yellow bus, eating off the same old stale menu of school reform,
testing, and indoctrination. Stay tuned next month for further
developments. Please feel free to call and make an appointment to
visit LIFE Learning Center in Anderson. We are developing a website
that will be online soon.

--
Betty Malone is the LIFE Learning Center Program Coordinator and can
be reached by e-mail at: > bmalone444@hotmail.com



|IHEN|



[a]
______________________________________________ CONTACTS __________
> who's who; what's where at IHEN


All volunteers working to bring IHEN to Hoosier homeschoolers can
be reached all at once by sending an e-mail to the IHEN
Organizational e-list address > IHEN-Org@yahoogroups.com.
The current web site address for IHEN, where you can see up to
date information, resources and online versions of this newsletter
is at this URL: > http://www.AltEdNet.org/IHEN


_____ IHEN JOURNAL STAFF __________

MANAGING EDITOR: Wendy Schlie > IHEN-News-Owner@yahoogroups.com
EDITOR: Debbie Harbeson > IHEN-News-Owner@yahoogroups.com
PUBLISHER: Peach Grove Press/eMedia > PGPress@aol.com

FREE SUBSCRIPTION: > IHEN-News-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
SUBSCRIPTION PROBLEMS: > PGPress@aol.com
SUBMISSIONS: > IHEN-News-Owner@yahoogroups.com
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: > IHEN-News-Owner@yahoogroups.com

WRITERS/CONTRIBUTORS - PRESENT AND PAST:
__Ben Bennett > BBBennett@aol.com
__Debbie Harbeson > Dtomboy@insightbb.com
__Marla James > aktundra@whiteduckwebdesign.com
__Betty Malone > bmalone444@hotmail.com
__Jessica Radtke > jessradtke@yahoo.com
__Joe (Coach) Stull > chess@thewordsofeternallife


_____ IHEN VOLUNTEERS __________


IHEN ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITTEE E-MAIL:
> IHEN-Org@yahoogroups.com

COUNTY CONTACTS COORDINATOR: Marla James
> aktundra@whiteduckwebdesign.com

E-LIST RESOURCE LIST COORDINATOR: Jessica Radtke
> jessradtke@yahoo.com

IHEN's "IndianaHomeschoolers" E-LIST MANAGERS: Benjamin Bennett and
Debbie Harbeson
> IndianaHomeschoolers-Owner@yahoogroups.com

SUPPORT GROUP RESOURCE LIST COORDINATOR: Benjamin Bennett
> BBBennett@aol.com

IHEN'S PERSONAL CHESS TRAINER and MATE CHECKER: Joe Stull
> chess@thewordsofeternallife


_____ IHEN E-MAIL LISTS __________

The Indiana Home Educators' Network invites you to subscribe to
"IndianaHomeschoolers," our statewide, open e-mail list for
networking with homeschoolers across Indiana. Our e-mail lists are
neither restricted to IHEN members nor to only homeschooling parents.
The "IndianaHomeschoolers" list is open to anyone with an interest in
educating their own children. We hope that by running our statewide
networking list in this fashion, we will be able to communicate to
anyone interested in homeschooling, the diversity and unique family
affirming qualities the home learning lifestyle provides.

Because of this philosophy, the topics and discussions on the
"IndianaHomeschoolers" list are general in nature. Any secondary
e-mail lists we promote or moderate in the future, will likely be
more focused on specific needs. We will try to promote those Indiana
lists in the future. If you moderate an Indiana homeschooling e-list,
write to the Editor (Wendy) with your request for inclusion in our
next issue > IHEN-News-Owner@yahoogroups.com or our new E-list
Resource Coordinator, Jessica Radtke > jessradtke@yahoo.com who will
be gathering information for an e-mail discussion list, resource list.

You can join any of the e-mail discussion lists below, by going to
the web site, or sending a blank e-mail to the address given. Some
lists may not be affiliated directly with IHEN or IHEN's members and
are governed by their own rules of conduct as written by their
moderators. Please read list rules and descriptions carefully before
subscribing and posting:

OFFICIAL IHEN E-MAIL NETWORKING LISTS:

__IndianaHomeschoolers: IHEN's Statewide Networking List
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IndianaHomeschoolers
> IndianaHomeschoolers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

__IHEN-Org: IHEN's Organizational working e-list
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IHEN-Org
> IHEN-Org-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

__IHEN-News: Subscribe to the "IHEN Journal"
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IHEN-News/join
> IHEN-News-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

*AFFILIATED E-MAIL NETWORKING LISTS:

__In Progress

**UNAFFILIATED E-MAIL NETWORKING LISTS:

__In Progress

* Affiliated lists are e-mail discussion lists where someone from
IHEN knows and has had conversations with the list moderator. The
list moderator agrees with the principles and mission of IHEN and
while not speaking for IHEN, will attempt to conduct their e-mail
list in a manner that reflects the mission and principles of IHEN.

** Unaffiliated e-mail lists are Indiana homeschooling discussion
lists that have not chosen to affiliate with IHEN, but we feel are of
enough interest to some parents to list them in our directory. That
said, we can neither endorse, nor be held accountable to any actions,
content or abuses that may occur on these discussion lists. As in all
things, your mileage may vary. :-) If you feel any of these e-mail
lists are not worthy of listing, you may forward your comments to the
IHEN Organizational list address > IHEN-Org@yahoogroups.com for
consideration.


_____ [UN]SUBSCRIPTION INSTRUCTIONS __________

To keep up with the latest news and information about the IHEN, all
you need to do is subscribe to our free newsletter, the "IHEN
Journal." Simply send an e-mail to the following address
> IHEN-News-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and become part of this
network of homeschoolers helping homeschoolers!!

If you would like to be unsubscribed from the "IHEN Journal." please
e-mail > IHEN-News-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

Subscribe
UNsubscribe



[b]
_______________________________ COPYRIGHTS/DISTRIBUTION __________
> forwarding guidelines


Copyright (c)2002, Indiana Home Educators' Network (IHEN), ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED. All materials not marked as copyrighted by the
author/creator is copyrighted by IHEN. No *portion* or *part* of this
publication may be used for commercial purposes without permission in
writing from IHEN and/or the creator/author. Send permission requests
by e-mail to > IHEN-News-Owner@yahoogroups.com.

"IHEN Journal" is a free monthly newsletter published by the Indiana
Home Educators' Network (IHEN). Subscribers are welcome to reprint
and/or distribute "IHEN Journal" for nonprofit use as long as the
newsletter is distributed in its entirety, including copyright
notices and subscription instructions. Thank you for supporting home
education in Indiana.



|IHEN|



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