Fall is officially here and in full swing complete with some wonderful activities, classes and events for the whole family!
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Homeschool in NJ Happenings for October-November 2016
***This post contains affiliate links.***
1. Play Co-Op
meets on Tuesdays in Jersey City. It is free to attend. P.L.A.Y. stands for Parent-Led Activities For Youth and is a FREE homeschool co-op located in Jersey City Heights. “Parents and children come together to socialize, learn new things and get active each week.” Check out their website for more information or visit their Facebook page or their webpage.
2. Steam Club in Summit Public Library
The Summit library has agreed to host a weekly STEAM CLUB for homeschoolers ages 8 and up and it’s open and FREE to everyone, even if you are not a resident of Summit. It will be held every TUESDAY starting October 18th at 2:00, and ends at 3:00 pm. No preregistration required, and there is metered parking, so bring some quarters.
3. Montclair Historical Society: Craft Your Way Through History
6-week art sessions teaching about history through awesome crafting projects, hands on moments with special artifacts and more! “We’ll pair a craft or activity associated with a discussion topic and learn about our rich history before getting hands on. Our goal is to use crafting to expose children to learning about history in fun and creative ways without the textbook.” Ages 6 to 10, $60.00 a person. November 3, 10, 17 & December 1, 8, 15. From 10:00 am to 11:00 am. Inside the program room of the Crane House/Historic YWCA, Montclair, NJ.
4. Skiing and Snowboarding
There are several places that have skiing and snowboarding groups going. Camelback has Diamond Drifters Club. Diamond Drifters meet on Thursdays during the following dates: January 5, 12, 19, 26 and February 2, 2017, with February 9 as the complimentary 6th visit (for those registered by November 23rd, 2016). The costs are as follows: Tickets $89 (for the 6 days). Rentals $55 (skis, boots, poles or snowboard and boots for the 6 days). Lessons $45 (for 5, 1 hour lessons; make ups are done on the 6th week). Mountain Creek Homeschool Ski Club: There is an early bird discount for registering by October 31st. If not by then, you must be registered by November 28th to take advantage of the group discount rate. The dates are Thursdays, Jan 12, 19, 26 and Feb 2, 9 and 16. Make up dates to be determined. Shawnee Mountain Monday group info has not been posted yet. There is also a Friday group that meets on Shawnee Mountain. My recommendation is to look through Facebook and Yahoo groups for more information on those.
5. Bucks Learning Cooperative in Langhorne, PA
is holding open houses in October for families interested in knowing more about their innovative approach to learning. Bucks Learning Cooperative, Wednesday, October 19, 7:00-8:30pm, 315 West Maple Ave, Langhorne, PA 19047.
6. Liberty Hall Museum
offers programs for homeschoolers. We have visited Liberty Hall in the past and it has been fantastic. Here is a bit about their program: “Two-hour workshops designed especially for homeschool groups are available during the school year. These programs feature interactive tours of the historic buildings and grounds, and hands-on activities that explore early 19th-century life. Fees range from $5 to $10 for students ages 5-18, and pre-registration and pre-payment are required.
7. Fall Conservatory Classes at the Eagle Theater
Are scheduled for Tuesdays 6:30pm-8:00pm, November 8, 15, 22, 29 & December 6, you have two choices: class for ages 5-10 and 11-18. The theater is located in Hammonton NJ, and the classes have a registration fee of$175.00.
8. Montclair Library Homeschool Meeting
First Thursday of every month there is a homeschool meeting at 11 am, followed by a book club at 1 pm. These are the book choices for the upcoming months:
November: Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
December: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
9. Montclair Art Museum Homeschool Days
On the third Thursday of every month Montclair Art Museum hosts Homeschool Days. “The Montclair Art Museum invites Home School families for a fun and educational afternoon. The two-hour programs include a gallery tour and studio art project led by MAM educators…” The price for the program is $18.00 per family.
10. Brookside Show Stable
Has classes discounted horse riding classes for homeschoolers. The discount is 25% and there are group and individual classes available by reservation only.
11. Mercer County Park Ice Skating
Come every Monday starting November 7th (except the Holidays) to Ice Skate in Mercer County Park Ice Skating Arena, from 10 am to 3 pm. For $5 per skater, and an extra $4 if you need to rent skates you can skate for 5 hours! There is no pre-registration required, just arrive at the ticket window and say you’re with the homeschoolers. The skating center is an open air, sheltered skating facility, be sure to dress for the occasion. There is a heated indoor observation area.
12. Bowling at Howell Lanes
Don’t forget that every 2nd Thursday of the month there homeschool bowling at Howell Lanes from 12:30 to 2:30 pm. Here are a few details: $2.75 per game, shoes included. You don’t have to rsvp, just come and have fun. Please leave your food in the car.
13. Silver Lake Nature Center Homeschool Camp
While the course has already started, you can register any time for it. It looks like it would be a lot of fun, so it’s good to keep an eye out for any upcoming courses there.
14. Fernbrook Education Classes for Homeschoolers
There are some amazing classes being offered at a reasonable price. See the schedule on their website.
15. Ice Skating and Lessons at Floyd Hall Arena
Wednesdays 11:00-11:30 AM at Floyd Hall Arena at Montclair State University. Public Sessions are from 11 to 2 pm. It is never too late to join. More information in the link above.
16. Homeschool Science Classes at Liberty Science Center
These have always been amazing. We have gone to several, and loved each and single one of them.
November 15, 2016: Outdoor Extravaganza – Learn basic survival skills by identifying edible plants, navigating the outdoors, and building a simple shelter.
December 13, 2016: Ready, Set, Robotics! – Get an introduction to modular robotics through the use of cubelets. We will be exploring how these robots respond to heat, touch, and more before creating some scribble robots to take home.
January 17, 2017: The Science of Sound – Have you ever wondered how your ears work or how sound travels? Celebrate the new year with a look into the science behind sound.
February 7, 2017: Shooting Hoops with Uncle Isaac – Do you have what it takes to shoot baskets like a pro? Become a physicist and learn about Sir Isaac Newton’s Laws of Motion. We will apply these laws using catapults to shoot some hoops. Swish!
March 14, 2017: Women in Science – Explore and celebrate the discoveries of famous women scientists together with some of Liberty Science Center’s own women scientists.
April 25, 2017: All in for Arbor Day – Celebrate planet Earth and learn the science of botany. Learn to identify plants and trees around the science center as we spend the day outdoors.
May 9, 2017: The Next Frontier – Learn more about the planets in our solar system as we explore outer space, the final frontier.
June 13, 2017: The Reason for Seasons – Tomorrow marks the start of the summer season. Learn the science behind the summer solstice and how our planet is involved.
17. Homeschool Theater Classes at the Hunterdon County Arts and Repertory co.
This program does look fantastic. It has already started (I took too long to post this) but it is still worth checking out.
18. NaNoWriMo
Don’t forget that November is the National Novel Writing Month, and it is coming up! There are lots of resources available online. Recently I have purchased this book for my kids: Ready, Set, Novel. At the moment, I can tell you that my teen is really enjoying it. He has about a third of the book done.
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