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National Public Lands Day

According to their website, National Public Lands Day is “the nation’s largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and enhance the public lands Americans enjoy. In 2009, 150,000 volunteers built trails and bridges, removed trash and invasive plants, planted trees and restored our water resources.”  And it’s tomorrow!  On September 25, 2010, there will be a nationwide collaborative project to restore and support public lands.  By clicking here to go to the NPLD website, you can enter your zip code and find a project in which to participate tomorrow.  Where we live, I found weed removal, trash pickup, trail construction, creek clean-up, fishing access improvement, shoreline stabilization, construction of hardened fishing sites, forest restoration, and more.  If you have nothing planned tomorrow and you want to do some work on public lands, now is your chance! 

And if that isn’t quite your speed, in celebration of National Public Lands Day, the national parks are opening their doors for free admission.  If you live near one, head on out and enjoy! 

And if this all sounds great, but its just too short notice, like for our family, head on over here and become a fan on facebook so you can get advance notice for next year!

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High School Biology options

You’re probably familiar with ABeka, Bob Jones, Apologia, but have you considered these other options for high school biology?  Julie Shepherd Knapp at the Homeschool Diner puts together this concise listing to get you thinking about all the options available to you.

If you are ready to think outside the box, considering online methods, separate books and lab manuals, piecing together a curriculum using college textbooks and AP courses, this is a great place to start.  There are also a great many complete packages available to the homeschooler today.  Start here to plan your biology curriculum for your high schooler next year.

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The Homeschool Diner

There’s a great website out there with some valuable information, especially for beginning homeschoolers.  Regularly updated, it’s called The Homeschool Diner.  Maintained by Julie Shepherd Knapp, it has information on how and why to homeschool, including information on special needs children and gifted and talented children.  Check out her “Click-O-Matic Quiz” to see what sort of curriculum and teaching style fits you and your family best!

Her guide to curriculum by subject is especialy useful, narrowing down curriculum choices from the overwhelming sea of resources available.  Of course, I find the science page quite helpful.  Visit The Homeschool Diner and check it out!