Get Out of the House

Get Out of the House!

Free Vooks All Year Long

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Homeschoolers love freebies (almost everyone does) and Vooks is offering you, homeschool teacher, a freebie: one free year of Vooks.

You are probably asking yourself, what is Vooks. Well, I did too. Simply put, Vooks is a streaming service that “that brings children’s books to life with animated illustrations, read-a-long text and narrated story.” The books are geared towards children who are ages two through eight years old. Vooks is a pretty good alternative for them during screen time. Reading (or watching a book be read) rather than playing video games. I opt for the former. When you scroll through some of the book selections, you are bound to find some familiar titles that include classics as well a newer published titles.

A subscription is regularly $4.99, but for a limited time, teachers may subscribe for free. It’s Vooks way of saying “thank you to all of the incredible teachers of the world!” Click here to receive your free gift. Don’t delay, because the offer ends on Sunday, September 15, 2019.

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©2019 Homeschool Roster. Article by Jennifer Smeltser. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the publisher http://www.homeschoolroster.com/.

Head to Delta Fair for Homeschool Day

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Picture courtesy of Delta Fair.

The Delta Fair & Music Festival returns for another season of good ole’ country fun in Memphis at the Agricenter (7777 Walnut Grove Road, Memphis, 38120). Homeschool, FFA & 4-H Day also returns and will be on Friday, September 6 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. On that day, homeschoolers will receive a special admission price of $5 on tickets for children five years old and older through to adults. This gives them complete access to all of the activities and events on that day. Children four years old and under receive free admission.

If you plan to hang out at the fair after 2 p.m., you may purchase a $15 wristband (regularly $25) for fair entry throughout the evening. In order to take advantage of either discount opportunity, you must purchase the tickets or wristbands by 2 p.m. on that day. So, if you plan to go, be sure to arrive timely enough to allow for lines; 2:01 p.m. is too late! The special prices are available only at Entrance 3, Homeschool, FFA & 4-H check-in booth, which is at the front of the Agricenter. Enter the area off Walnut Grove to be directed to the correct area and where to park, which is $5. There is no re-entry after 7 p.m. and you will have to pay again for parking if you leave the lot.

Along with the many planned events on Homeschool Day at the fair, there are opportunities for your children to participate in a number of competitions as a group (if they are active in DECA, FCCLA, FFA or 4-H) or as an individual.

Poster Contest People’s Choice Award – win a $500 scholarship prize. Entries due Saturday, August 24. Call Jan at (901) 487-3075 or e-mail {info@deltafest.com} for more information.

Queen Pageants – Entries due Monday, August 26, but late entries will be accepted at the door with a fee increase. Early bird registration applies if your application is received by Friday, August 16

Dancing Stars Competition (eight to 21 year-olds) – Entry due Monday, August 26, but late entries will be accepted at the door with a fee increase.

Star of the Fair.

Student Art Contest – Entries due Saturday, August 24.

Photography Contest – Entries due Thursday, August 15.

Individuals – see all competitions

If you are not able to attend Homeschool Day, print and use this coupon for admission on another day. Although it is not valid on Saturdays, you can receive free admission of one child with one paid adult ticket.

It you are not able to make it on Homeschool Day, choose another theme day or just go when you are able. See all of the events planned for the fair.

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©2019 Homeschool Roster. Article by iF YOU AREJennifer Smeltser. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the publisher http://www.homeschoolroster.com/.

Preview Day at Bryan College

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Bryan College invites prospective students and their families on campus, Monday, September 2, for Preview Day at Bryan College. The college is very homeschool friendly and attending Bryan College is a path many homeschoolers take after high school graduation.

The college accepts the ACT as well as the new CLT college exam, offers great scholarships and gives students the opportunity to earn a masters degree, tuition free. Bryan also has a brand new engineering school! High school students may take affordable dual enrollment classes on campus or online.

From Bryan College
“The preview day will be paired with the All-College Picnic on Labor Day! As an admissions guest, you will have the opportunity to attend classes, mingle with current students and faculty, attend Chapel, and meet with financial aid and admissions counselors. This will be a highly interactive and engaging event, so bring any questions you have and be ready to have a blast learning about what life is like ‘on the hill’.”

Preview Day at Bryan College is free, but you must register to attend.

Event: Preview Day at Bryan College
Time: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. (EST)

Location: Bryan College, 721 Bryan Drive , Dayton, 37321
More Information: Pat Wesolowski, Homeschool Specialist (850) 212-1232

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©2019 Homeschool Roster. Article by Jennifer Smeltser. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the publisher http://www.homeschoolroster.com/.

We’re Headed to JA BizTown

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Homeschool Roster is heading to the Junior Achievement (JA) BizTown in Memphis. Participants (grades fourth through sixth/ages, late 10 through early 13) will learn entrepreneurial skills in an interactive and hands-on town/city that includes positions in government all the way down to small business ownership. This experience is open to Homeschool Roster members and non-members.

FROM JA BIZTOWN

“Elementary school students are not old enough to drive, work, vote or be the boss. But that does not stop them from operating banks, managing restaurants, writing checks, using debit cards, and voting for a mayor at JA BizTown, where students connect the dots between what they learn in school and the real world.

A trip to JA BizTown is an exhilarating five-hour simulated workday experience for students as they immerse themselves in the role of JA BizTown citizen for the day.  As CEOs, CFOs, ad executives, bank tellers, geologists, graphic designers to name just a few of the exciting job opportunities in JA BizTown. Students take on the role of a business team member in addition to participating in the BizTown economy as a consumer during their lunch and shopping breaks.” ~ JA BizTown

What students learn as members of a business team:

  • To responsibly manage staff, financial resources, inventories and customers.
  • To work as a team.
  • To account for business expenses and still take in enough money to make a profit.
  • To balance their professional and personal responsibilities.

What students learn as consumers or customers:

  • To make wise financial decisions.
  • To write checks, manage a debit card and balance a check book.
  • To make deposits into their bank accounts.
  • To understand their relationship, as consumers, to the economy.

Participants will be required to complete 12 hours of lessons (easily added to your regular school week) before attending the field trip date. The work may be done at home. We will visit on Wednesday, May 13. The price is $30 per student. If you have a high school student (ages 16 – 18) who would like to participate during the JA BizTown day, they may attend as a student volunteer/worker. As a volunteer/worker they may attend for free. Spaces are limited for these positions.

You may register here to receive for more information. Your interest does not commit you and your child is not confirmed to attend until funds are received for their registration. If you have more questions, e-mail Homeschool Roster.

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©2019 Homeschool Roster. Article by Jennifer Smeltser. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the publisher http://www.homeschoolroster.com/.

August 1 is a New Beginning

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There is something to be said about a new beginning. It is a chance to start from the beginning and do it better than you ever did it before. Of course there will be failures, but there will also be successes. That is pretty much how your homeschool year is going to happen. So realize it, stay encouraged, even when you feel like you are drowning, and push through. August 1 is one of those type of days. It is a new beginning with many exciting opportunities happening for homeschoolers.

Homeschool Roster


We have a lot of cool happenings at Homeschool Roster. You may read about the changes being made, which will make this one of our best field trip seasons. We now have a Homeschool Roster field trip and event website. Join and become a member, so you may see all of the field trips we already have scheduled and make plans to attend. Registration for some of our upcoming field trips are already open. Although August 1 is our first official day of the season, we have already enjoyed three Back-to-Homeschool Splashes this month. We have three more scheduled in August. After that, we continue with a full calendar in August all the way through to May.

Don’t Miss Out!


Catch the news at the Homeschool Roster website, a free online resource for homeschool families, bringing news and information that is of interest to homeschoolers. Although our focus is West Tennessee, we also share homeschool news that has been helpful to all homeschoolers.

Homeschool Registration


For many homeschool families, August 1 is the first day of school. If you have not already registered to homeschool with your local school board or an umbrella school, submit that application. If going the school board route, you must register with your local school board by the first day of school in your county. If going the umbrella school route, be sure to register by July 31. Most umbrella schools increase their fees on or after August 1. Register early, so you do not get penalized with late fees.

Public School Sports


If your child plans to play sports at your local public school, the letter of intent to homeschool is due by August 1. You may e-mail, fax or hand deliver the paperwork to the school board. I suggest you hand deliver and send an e-mail, because you will not be given a “receipt”. The next step is to notify the school principal and coach of the team for which your child would like to play, by August 15. A try out does not guarantee your child will be accepted onto the team, but they do have the right to try out, even as a homeschooler. If you are with an umbrella school, you may also maintain that coverage.

TN Promise


The Tennessee Promise application opens on August 1. What is that you ask? Well, if you have a graduating high school senior, they may apply for the Tennessee Promise scholarship, which provides seniors two years of free tuition at Tennessee community colleges, technical schools and some four-year instituions. Over the two years, students may earn an associate’s degree and, if desired, continue to a four-year institution to further their education. If your senior is graduating this school year, be sure they apply for the TN Promise. Even if they have already decided they will not attend a TN Promise technical school or college, they may change their minds. Believe me, it happens too often and the scholarship opportunity is no longer available to them. With the TN Promise, you do not have to use it, but once the deadline has passed to apply, there is no second chance. Students have only one opportunity to apply for this scholarship, which is during their graduating senior year. The application closes on Friday, November 1, and they ain’t playin’!

FAFSA


Does your child need money for college? Check out FAFSA! The FAFSA application opens for the 2020/2021 school year on October 1, but go ahead and create an account, so you are ready to apply. If you have a child who will be entering college next fall or one who will be returning, be sure to get that FAFSA application completed. The financial aid is granted on a first-come, first-serve basis, so get started on completing those applications and do not wait until the last minute. The submission deadline is February 1

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©2019 Homeschool Roster. Article by Jennifer Smeltser. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the publisher http://www.homeschoolroster.com/.

Go Back2Homeschool with TTD

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This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more information.

Are you in deep preparation for the beginning of school? Be sure you are ready by adding the Teach Them Diligently (TTD) first ever Back2Homeschool event, which will be held July 22 – July 26. The best part is you are able to attend the event online and from the comfort of your home!

TTD has been bringing us one of the best homeschool conventions, Teach Them Diligently, for more than five years to cities across the country. The keynote speakers have included such notable people as Voddie Baucham, Kirk Cameron and Heidi St. John. Other speakers have included some of our favorite blogging homeschool moms and veterans like Kim Sorgius, Carisa Hinson, Rebecca Spooner, Charlene Notgrass and more.

The Back2Homeschool event will not only include some of our favorite homeschool bloggers, but a long list of other notable people in the homeschool community. Also included are some local people, HomeLife Academy (HLA) counselors – Margie Abbitt, Diane Benson and Lani Carey. HLA is also one of the sponsors of the Back2Homeschool event.

Seating is whatever comfortable place you can find in your home (or take it on the road). Attire is pajamas or whatever you would like to wear. There is also no need to do your hair. Just make plans to attend.

Early-Bird Special Savings

Admission is only $25, but now through July 21, you can register with the $19 early-bird special. Access to hearing all of these people speak about their homeschool experiences, lessons they have learned and the tips they will share is a great value for the price. The Back2Homeschool event may provide the encouragement you need as you prepare to start another homeschool year.

Register now and save—>Back2Homeschool

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©2019 Homeschool Roster. Article by Jennifer Smeltser. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the publisher http://www.homeschoolroster.com/.

Have You Considered Homeschool?

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A new school year is just around the corner. Actually, it starts in less than three weeks. Many of you are already homeschool families and have started planning for the new year. Some of you are not and have been curious about this “homeschool thing”. Homeschool Roster is hosting “Have You Considered Homeschool”, a homeschool information session, for you move from curious to learning how to get started.

Did you know homeschooling is one of the leading school choice options of parents and their children in Tennessee? And yes, it is legal! If you have been considering, are currently or are just curious about homeschool, you are invited to attend a “Have You Considered Homeschool?” information session.

The free event will be at the Bolivar-Hardeman County Library in Bolivar:

Saturday, July 20, from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.—>REGISTER HERE

Tuesday, July 23, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.—>REGISTER HERE

There will be a presentation at the beginning, but feel free to drop in even if you are unable to be there when the session starts. Come ready to learn about one of the options you have for educating your children and bring your questions. An R.S.V.P. is requested, but not required to attend. We look forward to meeting you!

You may e-mail Homeschool Roster for more information. Connect with Homeschool Roster on Facebook.

Bolivar-Hardeman County Library
213 North Washington Street
Bolivar, Tennessee 38008

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©2019 Homeschool Roster. Article by Jennifer Smeltser. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the publisher http://www.homeschoolroster.com/.

Homeschool Day at the U

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Picture courtesy of Union University.

Union University (UU) is hosting Homeschool Day at the U again this year and I am totally excited! My high school children and I had the opportunity to attend the event last year and Union went above and beyond for the experience. This year, Homeschool Day at the U will be held on Friday, September 13, and high school students and their families are invited to attend. Union will share why it is one of the top choices of universities by homeschool students.

Union is a homeschool-friendly university that continuously reaches out to our community. It has garnered the reputation of being a campus offering students “a top-ranked education in a safe, Christian environment“. “Next stop Union” has been the destination for many local and out-of-state homeschool students. I was surprised to learn during our tour that its engineering department is one of the top-ranked in the country.

Just a few facts about Union University, which was founded in 1823:

  • The Student body is less than 3,300 students.
  • There are more than 100 programs of study.
  • The ratio of student to faculty is 10:1.
  • One hundred percent of the incoming freshman are financial aid recipients.

Another fact to consider is more than 85 percent of the faculty has earned the highest degree that is possible in their field.

Homeschool Day at the U is a full campus, all-day experience for high school, homeschooled students and their families. Everything will be provided and is free including the meals (ex: breakfast, lunch, etc.) for all families attending with their high school aged student.

The event is specifically designed for the homeschool student, so the presentation will be different from the regular preview days offered on campus. The panel will include homeschool students and the topics covered by the faculty and staff will be ones that will cover issues important to homeschoolers.

Some of the activities for the day include students and their parents learning about the honors program, resident life and attending a chapel service, which is required by all enrolled UU students. Enrollment counselors will also be available to answer questions about the various academic programs, admissions process and financial aid opportunities.

The activities we enjoyed most were attending chapel, touring the academic departments of interest and being able to ask questions about enrollment requirements, student expectations, etc. We also toured some of the dorms and the library. And lunch, it was delicious.

Homeschool students have the same admission requirements as their public and private school peers. There are no extra steps homeschool students have to take to apply for admission. You can tell Union University loves homeschoolers. Make plans to attend Homeschool Day at the U and you will experience it yourself.

Homeschool Day at the U Schedule

9 a.m. – Check-in and welcome in Grant Events Center
10 a.m. – Chapel
11 a.m. – Parent and student panel
12 p.m. – Lunch for the family and enrollment session
1 p.m. – Department visit
2 p.m. – Campus tour
3:15 p.m. – Wrap-up

Register for Homeschool Day at the U. If you are not able to attend the event, there are other opportunities for you to visit the UU campus.

If you have any questions, call (800) 33 UNION (86766) for more information.

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©2019 Homeschool Roster. Article by Jennifer Smeltser. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the publisher http://www.homeschoolroster.com/.

Recently Listed Used Curriculum – 6/26

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If you answer yes to either one of these questions:

  1. Do you need to sell curriculum you are no longer using?
  2. Are you looking for curriculum for the upcoming school year?

You need to join the Homeschool Roster Used Curriculum and More group!

You may find that book you are looking for and can sell books you no longer need.

Are you looking for any of these?

Recently Listed for Sale

  1. Streams of Civilization Volume One Text and Teacher’s Guide
  2. Latin for Children Primer A
  3. Abeka World Literature Text, Quizzes and Answer Key
  4. All About Spelling Teacher’s Manual Level 3
  5. VideoText Algebra: A Complete Course (Modules A-F)
  6. Horizons Phonics and Reading Kindergarten (full sets – Levels 2-4)
  7. Readers in Residence Volume 1 – Sleuth set
  8. Teaching Textbooks Pre-Calculus 1.0 set
  9. Worldly Wise 3000 Book 2 & 3 sets
  10. God’s Living Creation Biology – high school

Your buyer may be in the group!

People are Searching for These

  1. Kindergarten and eighth grade curriculum
  2. Teaching Textbooks Algebra 2
  3. BJU 5th Grade English
  4. MUS Primer, Pre-Algebra and Geometry Text, Teacher Book and DVD
  5. Notgrass from Adam to Us
  6. Business or consumer math curriculum
  7. The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls book series
  8. Exploring Apologia Creation with Physics 2nd Edition set
  9. United States – Geography, History ad Social Studies Handbook

You may sell books, manipulatives, athletic equipment and more in the Homeschool Roster Used Curriculum and More group if it is an item typically used in a homeschool.

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©2019 Homeschool Roster. Article by Jennifer Smeltser. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the publisher http://www.homeschoolroster.com/.

Homeschool Roster is Growing!

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Homeschool Roster has been offering field trips and events to homeschoolers for several years. We have gone to many places, seen a variety of things and learned a lot together. I have met some wonderful families and am looking forward to meeting many more of you during the upcoming season.

This school year, Homeschool Roster is moving to a membership-based group. We will be able to offer more field trips and tremendously improve the registration process. Members will be able to easily make reservations, track and manage them, and connect with other families in the group. Something many of you will also like is a quicker response time for reservation confirmations – that will happen too!

We already have 184 field trips on the schedule and that does not include the number that will be added during the school year. Some of the field trips are fee-based and others are free.

Homeschool Roster will revisit field trip favorites, venture to new places and embark on new adventures. All field trips and events will be available to members. There will also be a few that are open to the public.

The membership pricing is per family (and per household) and shown below. You may become a Homeschool Roster member at any time during the school year, but the membership fee will not be prorated.

Annual Membership

$18 (i.e. $1.50 per month) for 12 months access from July 2019 – June 2020 (+ $1.50 service fee)

The new field trip and event website will launch on Monday, July 1, and we are excited! We think you are going to love the improvements.

Be sure to sign up for the Homeschool Roster newsletter to keep up to date on news, field trips and events for homeschoolers!

Don’t miss a thing! Subscribe to the Homeschool Roster blog and get our articles in your inbox!

©2019 Homeschool Roster. Article by Jennifer Smeltser. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the publisher http://www.homeschoolroster.com/.

Join Us for Field Trips and Fun

DO YOU HAVE A HIGHSCHOOLER?