Last chance for discounted registration at the TPA convention!

You may have heard of Voddie Baucham, one of today's most sought-after preachers. He will be presenting the keynote speeches at this year's Teaching Parents Convention, in Wichita, KS, June 3-4, 2011. You will surely be challenged and encouraged by him on your home school journey. To find out more, go to http://teachingparents.org/index.php/convention/keynotes/ for a brief biography.

Most importantly, however, be sure to sign up before May 20 to get the discounted price of only $35 for registration for the entire convention, both workshop speakers and the exhibitor's hall.

After May 20, the price increases to $50 per couple!

Go to http://teachingparents.org/index.php/convention/convention-registration/ to register either online or via postal mail.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Blessings,

Heidi

Writing assignments in high school

A customer recently asked me:

My oldest daughter will be doing Core 100 next year. I've looking at the IG, reading through the writing/composition assignments. They seem a bit ambiguous. I don't know exactly what she should have in each paper, nor how to grade her papers. How did you go about grading papers?

Here is my reply:

I used the rubrics in Writers, Inc (the writing reference book that Sonlight sells) to grade Joshua's papers. They have several, but I remember using mostly the one for literary analysis, ha!. If you have that book, look in the index under "assessments", and they are all listed there. I just photocopied off the page I needed for a particular assignment and assigned point values to all the relevant characteristics, making the points add up to 100. Then I would give points for the paper based on each characteristic. One tricky thing--I found it hard to edit his papers for him, then have to grade them. If your husband could do the editing and you the grading, or vice versa, that would be ideal. Otherwise, you end up feeling guilty if you didn't tell her to change something, then have to take off points for it.

I hope that helps others who may be struggling with the same issues with creative writing in high school.

Sonlight's Love to Learn Guarantee!

A customer contacted me recently, worried that she had gone past the 16 weeks beyond her purchase date, to return a barely used Newcomer package. This is a common mistake. With most curriculum providers, you get 30 days from your date of purchase to return unused, resellable materials. However, with Sonlight, you don't have just 16 or even 18 weeks to return your Core or Newcomer package, which would be much better than our competitors.

You have a FULL YEAR from the date of purchase to USE the first 18 weeks of the curriculum!

And if your children don't "love to learn" and you don't "love to teach" with Sonlight, you can return all the materials for a full refund! That is the absolute best guarantee in the home education business! The only thing you will pay for is return shipping. For more information, see http://www.sonlight.com/guarantee.html.

Granted, I would greatly appreciate it if you would call me first with any questions or problems you may encounter with your core. Often, we can resolve your issues without having to return the whole curriculum. Or, you can call a Sonlight advisor at 303-730-6292.

Blessings,

Heidi Whitman, Sonlight Curriculum Consultant #197

hwhitman@sonlight.com

Getting Excited about TPA!

Hello, dear friends,
Well, we are almost ready to rock and roll at the Teaching Parents Convention this coming weekend, June 3-5! If you haven't already registered, don't worry, you can pay at the door. You will get to hear the fantastic Doug Phillips with his inspiring vision to disciple our children, as well as the practical Vicki Bentley with all kinds of good tips for managing your home school. Go here, www.wichitahomeschool.org, to check out all the cool workshops.
I will be speaking at 10:15 on Friday morning, for the Sonlight Curriculum workshop. Come check it out, get a free catalog, and a chance to win a free book!
I'm looking forward to seeing you there!!
Blessings,
Heidi

Convention Season has begun!

Hello, friends,
The home school convention season has officially begun this month! Already families are starting to plan for the 2010-2011 school year. Are you satisfied with your children's education? If not, I would like to invite you to look at Sonlight Curriculum, which uses the magic of stories to engage your children in learning. Go to my Sonlight webpage at www.sonlight.com/heidiwhitman to get started on your journey!
Also, if you live in or around Wichita, Kansas, you are cordially invited to my Sonlight Open House, on April 10, from 2-4pm, at my home. I will have all the Instructor's Guides and many of the books on display for browsing. Go to www.wichitasonlight.org for more information and to register to attend.
Lastly, don't forget the Teaching Parent's Association "Victory through Vision" convention on June 3-5, 2010, at Century II Convention Center in Wichita. The speakers are Doug Phillips from Vision Forum and Vicki Bentley, author of several homeschool books. I will have a huge booth there, with all the Instructor's Guides and sample books from every core. Go to www.teachingparents.org to register online!

The Myth of the Perfect Parent | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

I just read this refreshing and challenging article. I would love to get a discussion going on it with you, dear friends!

The Myth of the Perfect Parent Christianity Today A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

Christmas baking! And a new contest!

I get several cooking e-newsletters, and lately most have been about Christmas cookies. So, of course, I have been craving to make cookies, something I rarely do anymore. Of course, I have been wanting chocolate chip cookies, my all-time favorite; unfortunately, that desire conflicts with my latest project of trying to lose a few extra pounds from my waist! Never fear, Flat Belly Diet(http://www.flatbellydiet.com/) to the rescue! This recipe satisfies that chocolate craving, while providing lots of mono-unsaturated fatty acids (or MUFAs), which help release belly fat, AND it has cranberries for extra zing and Christmas color! I call these Christmas Cranberry Chippers:

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup canola oil

3 large egg whites

2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup cranberries, chopped

2 1/4 cups chopped walnuts

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine the oats, flour, baking soada, cinnamon, and salt.

2. Chop the cranberries and walnuts together in a food processor.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, oil, egg whites and vanilla extract until smooth. Fold in the cranberries, wanuts, and chocolate chips. Gradually fold in the flour mixture and stir until well blended.

4. Drop by tablespoons onto baking sheets coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown.

Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 54 cookies, if you use 1 tablespoon of batter per cookie, 80 calories each.

NEW CONTEST! I am giving away two vintage Sonlight aprons! These are practically new, navy blue aprons with generous pockets, previously used only in my Sonlight booths at conventions. They have the original Sonlight logo on them. Perfect for holiday baking or anytime of year! The first two people to post a response to this blog with a favorite holiday recipe will win an apron! Hurry, quick, Christmas is coming, less than 9 days away now!