Giveaway | Heart of the Matter

November 29, 2009 By admin 1 Comment

Lee Binz, The HomeScholar, is having a give-away! To celebrate the December 3 launch of her Total Transcript Solution, Lee is giving away a free copy to one lucky reader. All you have to do is go to this blog post and answer the following question:

“How will creating an AMAZING transcript help my child achieve their dreams?”

The contest runs until midnight, November 30, so make sure you enter. The package is overall worth over $500 so it is worth your time to enter today!

Enter on her blog here: http://www.thehomescholar.com/blog/contest-win-the-homescholar-total-transcript-solution/2083/.

November 18, 2009 By admin 142 Comments

Home Educating Family Magazine: Changing the World Starts at Home

The Home-Educating Family is the gateway for your family to be a part of the most meaningful discussions taking place in the homeschooling community today.

Teaching your children at home in the 21st century is starkly different than it was over thirty years ago when the homeschooling movement began. Families now have more options, support and resources than every before! The mission of HEF is to keep you abreast of all that is crucial and all that is available to you as a family so that your family can have the very best home-educating experience possible.

HEF is committed to addressing those topics that influence us most deeply, such as changing educational programs, parenting, marriage and gender, and the family’s important roles in the church and the government. At the same time, we give you immensely practical advice on implementing the newest and best ideas in homeschooling!

HEF is for families who want their children to be able to think and thoughtfully engage the culture. Homeschoolers have the advantage of avoiding some of the worse elements of our world, but we also have the responsibility of changing our world. HEF hopes to give you the encouragement, inspiration, and information to do just that!

We are giving away 50 (yes FIFTY) one-year subscriptions to Home Educating Family Magazine. To enter, please leave a comment on this post by Friday the 20th at 11:00pm EST.

Please help us spread the word by emailing, tweeting, and facebooking (is that a word?) all your friends.

September 23, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

CurrClick has a Cross Country Team and we need your help with our T-Shirts! Write the winning tagline for our Team Shirts & you could win an iPod Shuffle! Kids & parents are welcome to participate. Click here to find out more about the CurrClick Cross Country Team.

Send your ideas to staley@currclick.com by 5:00 p.m. CST, Thursday October 1st, with the subject line “T-Shirt Tagline”. So, be creative, have fun, and don’t forget to follow the contest rules!

Contest Rules:

Taglines should be short and catchy and should somehow incorporate the word “homeschoolers,” “homeschooling,” or “homeschool” into the text of the tagline.
Taglines should NOT be specific to running, but should focus on hard work and achievement. We plan to use these T-shirts for our other clubs, and sports teams, so we need to make sure your tagline is general enough to work for all sports or clubs.
Special consideration will be given to taglines that incorporate our company name, “CurrClick.com.”
Special consideration will be given to taglines that are inspired by or a derivation of our existing tagline, “Curriculum and Classes in a Click.”
Submissions should be sent in an e-mail to staley@currclick.com by 5:00 p.m. CST, Thursday October 1st, 2009 with the subject line “T-shirt Tagline.”
Please include no more than 7 taglines per e-mail submission.
Submissions MUST include name, age, and a short bio about the entrant.
Publishers, teachers, employees and their children are welcome to participate in this contest!
In the unlikely event that we receive 2 identical submissions, we will choose the winner via coin flip.

Prizes and Notification:

You will NOT be notified that we received your submission. Entries that are not chosen will not be notified.
The owner of the winning tagline will be notified on October 10th and the ipod shuffle will be mailed on October 15th. The winner will also be mailed a t-shirt as soon as they are designed and printed!

August 31, 2009 By admin 11 Comments

**The winner of this giveaway is Julie. Congratulations!

For three weeks this September, Tania Willis will show you how to use fabric on your scrapbook pages in ways you never thought possible. She’ll have you reaching for fabric instead of patterned paper and adding a new level of texture and dimension to your projects. As with all of Tania’s classes at Get It Scrapped!, Scrapbooking with Fabric is jam-packed with original ideas and detailed how-tos. What’s more, Tania spends a substantial amount of time in the class forums chatting and answering questions, posting tips, resources, and even challenges that come with great prizes. Scrapbooking with Fabric starts September 7^th! You can see the full class syllabus by visiting the registration page for Scrapbooking with Fabric!

If you would like to win a spot in Tania’s class, simply leave a comment below. Submit by Thursday 9/3 at 10:00pm EST. The winner will be notified by email.

July 13, 2009 By The Amies 11 Comments

Sign up for CurrClick Live’s Meet and Greet Open House Wednesday, July 15th, from 7-9 PM CST including a FREE, totally live kids activity presented by Heart of the Matter Online. Amy Bayliss and her son Gevan will be leading a Flat Stanley, pen pal activity for kids of all ages!

Everyone who attends Amy’s session will be registered to win a Flat Stanley Collection Box Set

Teachers will be answering questions, giving presentations about their classes and “handing out” enrollment discounts!

You can register here, right now!

OPEN HOUSE SCHEDULE:

7:00-7:15- Wieck Math and Science LC: Melinda Wieck discusses the Beginning and Advanced, Live Algebra classes she’ll be offering in the fall. Melinda is a highschool Math and Science teacher.

7:15-7:30 – Bright and Blessed: Susan Bertrang is a Georgia Certified Teacher with over 10 years of teaching experience. Find out about her wide variety of fun, self-paced classes such as, “Getting to Know Shakespeare” and ‘Writing Well.”

7:30-7:45 – Lessons Worth Learning: Loretta Rhodes, homeschool Mom of 4 and a teacher of 20 years talks about her very popular live History, Geography and Literature classes and answers questions.

7:45-8:00 – Triple G Academy:Angie Marcum talks about her popular Art and Nature classes as well as her academic Saxon-based Algebra I and II classes. Mrs. Marcum is a homeschool Mom with her BS in Secondary Mathmatics.

8:00-8:15 – Become a CurrClick Live Teacher Q&A:Interested in teaching for CurrClick Live? Attend this discussion, find out more and get your questions answered. Staley Krause, one of the CurrClick/CurrClick Live founders discusses the ins and outs of teaching for CurrClick Live.

8:15-8:30 – MathTools: Patrick Martin, homeschool Dad and Math teacher and tutor, will discuss his live math lab, where he helps students with math problems they may be having, and his 1 on 1 live tutoring option.

8:30-9:00 – Heart of the Matter Online: Night time activity for kids courtesy of Amy Bayliss and her son from Heart of the Matter Online.

July 9, 2009 By admin 7 Comments

Looking for something to creative to do this summer? Join my friend Tania Willis in Cards: Beautifully Handmade and in three weeks you’ll have a big stash of beautifully detailed, handmade cards your friends and family will treasure. Trust me, if you want to begin making your own cards, you definitely want to learn from Tania! I personally have several Tania-made birthday and friendship cards and they are beautiful indeed!

This is the perfect summer class– grab your scraps and trimmer, some adhesive, a basket of extra embellies or your favorite stitching tools, and settle onto the porch to create. The children in your life can craft along next to you.

Tania will show you tons of awesome ways to add detailing that wows, and she’ll inspire you to look at the goodies in your stash in new ways. Want to meet Tania or reconnect with her after taking a winter or spring class? She’ll be in the Get It Scrapped! chatroom on Thursday, July 9th, from 9-10 pm EST, with card talk, as well as Karen Foster goodies and a pass to a future Get It Scrapped! class to give away.

Registration Now Open: $25

Class runs with 2 sessions per week on Mondays & Thursdays starting July 13 for 3 weeks and includes 6 downloadable lessons and online teacher interaction in a private forum. Frequently asked questions regarding Tania’s online class can be seen here.

To win a spot in Tania’s class, simply leave a comment on this post before Saturday, July 11, at 10pm EST. The winner will be notified by email.

June 8, 2009 By Karin 44 Comments

**The winner are Donna and Phyllis.

If you believe in the old adage of “there is strength in numbers” or “many hands make light work” then you are probably a good candidate for a homeschool co-op and if there isn’t one in your area then maybe it’s time you start one yourself!

Homeschool Co-ops: How to start them, run them, and not burn out by Carol Topp (Aventine Press; 2008) is just the book for anyone who is interested in starting or running a successful homeschool co-op. Successful in the sense that it meets the goals of the members and doesn’t burn out the organizer in the process.

Homeschool C0-op: a group of homeschooling parents that voluntarily unit together to educate their children. Comes in all shapes and sizes.

Written by a homeschooling mother and Certified Public Accountant the book is packed with both encouraging words and useful information.

Chapters include:

Benefits of Co-ops
There are many advantages to co-ops but two of my favorites from this chapter are socialization and sharing special talents and skills.

Disadvantages of Co-ops I think it’s great that Carol included a chapter on disadvantages because like homeschooling itself, one size doesn’t fit all and for some the disadvantages may outweigh the advantages.

Different types of co-ops
At this chapter I knew I was interested in co-ops but I was definately nervous about whether or not what I wanted really was infact, a co-op. After reading this chapter I was relieved to see that co-ops can be as diverse as the homeschoolers who join them!

Your first planning meeting
Okay, so you’ve learned the pros and cons and (hopefully have) determined the type of co-op that interests you, now what? This chapter is like a mini workbook that gets you on track with outlining and planning your co-op.

What’s in a name? Names, Missions and Purposes
For some this is the fun part but it’s also a crucial one. Contains everything you need to know about choosing a name, mission and purpose.
Leadership
If you are the type of person to think about starting up a co-op chances are you are a leader. But you cannot do it alone and this chapter tells you why.

Co-op Offerings
This chapter is packed with ideas taken from homeschooling co-ops across the country. There are lists of classes by age, topic and even curriculum. Get your highlighter ready!

Money Management
Everything you would expect from a CPA…

Managing Volunteers and Conflict
Unfortunately many great ideas never make it to fruition because of conflict. This chapter speaks specifically to the issues that cause many co-ops to fail.

Ready for the next step?
Though this chapter may never apply to you, it does tell you the basics of what you need to know about gaining 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt status.

Avoiding Burnout
An encouraging chapter on what you can do to avoid burnout and keep yourself and your co-op on track.

I can think of no better book to read this summer to get you excited about the upcoming school year and co-op opportunities. To kick off a great summer of planning, TWO lucky Heart of the Matter readers can receive this book free!

To enter, simply leave a comment. Comments will be closed on Friday, June 12th at 10:00pm EST and the winners will be notified by email.

Visit Carol Topp’s website: HomeschoolCPA.com for more useful information and resources.

April 20, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Lee Binz, The HomeScholar is having a give-away! She and her husband Matt are offering one free month on The HomeScholar Gold Care Club.

What is the Gold Care Club?

It is a membership website filled with homeschooling high school training for parents who would love to homeschool high school but lack some of the necessary knowledge, tools and confidence.
It is a place where you can go to get your homeschooling high school questions answered through video and audio training, and also through personal consultations with Lee Binz, The HomeScholar – a homeschooling high school expert and trusted friend.
It is a place where you can find tools, templates, planning guides, and articles that will help you navigate the high school years with an eye toward college.
Finally, it is a place where you can find the answers to your “Biggest Questions.” The questions that may have kept you from fully committing to homeschooling your kids all the way through high school graduation.

You can think of it as a personal homeschooling high school support group – but without the lukewarm coffee or hard metal chairs.

We are launching The HomeScholar Gold Care Club on Tuesday April 21 at 12 noon (Pacific Time.) The Launch will include some wonderful bonuses and early responder gifts. You can find full offer details here: The Gold Care Club Offer.

How to Win a Free Month membership to The Gold Care Club:

It’s simple. Add a comment on my blog, The HomeScholar Helper that in about 100 words or less answers the question:

“Why Do I Deserve a Free Month in The Gold Care Club?”

The best response will be awarded a FREE ONE MONTH GOLD CARE CLUB!! We are looking for the most creative and humorous answer. No sob-stories please – think comedy, rather than tragedy! If you join the club on 4/21 and then win the contest, we will happily refund your first month’s payment.

Here is a short video that also explains the Gold Care Club in more detail:

April 20, 2009 By admin 36 Comments

All of us here at HOTM would like to wish the beautiful and talented Amy Bayliss an uber fabulous birthday! Amy, you are an amazing woman of God and we all hope your day is as special as you are.

In honor of Amy’s birthday, we are giving away a very cool gift valued at $125!!

Jonathan Park Creation Adventure Audio Library (5 CD Albums)

Follow young Jonathan Park and his paleontologist family on their exciting creation adventures around the globe. Each Jonathan Park episode is based upon real places and facts, featuring action-packed storylines that reveal specific evidences for Scripture’s creation account. Join Jonathan’s family and the Creation Response Team as they recover amazing treasures from Earth’s past, discover biblical answers to scientific issues of the day, and debate evolutionists about the true history of our world! Each 12-episode Jonathan Park album comes with its own corresponding study guide.

We would like your help in promoting and livening up our new forum. We will be taking the giveaway entries from the posts on the forum, so all you need to do is simply register and post. You can post about anything you would like, on any of the 50+ different sub-categories. Reply to someone or start your own topic. You can enter this giveaway up to 7 times with 7 different posts…although please feel free to post as much as you would like.

And don’t forget to leave Amy a happy birthday comment!