International Drive Your Studebaker Day
Join Studebaker drivers around the world on this special day by driving your Studebaker car, truck or horse-drawn vehicle. International Drive Your Studebaker Day is an event of the Studebaker Drivers Club Inc. If I had a Studebaker, I'd definitely participate. Studebaker Coloring Page

Newspaper Carrier Day
On September 4, 1833, Barney Flaherty answers an ad in the New York Sun and became the first paperboy in the United States. Barney Flaherty was just 10 years old. Newspaper Printables - Worksheets and coloring pages Newspaper Coloring Page Create a Family Newsletter

1972 - Mark Spitz Wins Seventh Gold Medal
On September 4th, 1972, U.S. Olympian Mark Spitz wins his 7th gold medal when his team won the 400-meter relay at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. This gave Spitz 7 gold medals and 7 world records in 7 events. Swimming Printables - Worksheets Summer Olympics Printables - Worksheets and activity pages

1781 - Los Angeles Founded
On September 4, 1781, colonists from Spain founded a settlement in southern California. The name was originally El Pueblo Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula and was later shortened to Los Angeles. California Worksheets and Coloring Pages California State Unit Study

September 4th - Newspapers and Gold Medals originally appeared on About.com Homeschooling on Saturday, September 4th, 2010 at 02:35:02.

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Here's a more detailed list of September Holidays and Events with worksheets, coloring pages and activities to provide teachable moments for September 3rd.

1977 - American Flag first flown in battle
The American Flag was first flown in battle during the Revolutionary War at Cooch's Bridge.

Australian National Flag Day
The Australian National Flag was first flown on September 3, 1901. The flag was designed by three teenagers who won a nationwide competition with over 32,000 entries.

Skyscraper Day
Skyscraper Day is celebrated on September 3rd to honor Louis Henri Sullivan, one of America's great architects.

September 3rd - Flags and Skyscrapers originally appeared on About.com Homeschooling on Thursday, September 2nd, 2010 at 22:00:41.

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Here's a more detailed list of September Holidays and Events with worksheets, coloring pages and activities to provide teachable moments for September 2nd.

1666 - The Great London Fire began
The Great London Fire began an September 2, 1666 and burned for 3 days, destroying over 13,000 buildings.

1945 - Victory over Japan Day or V-J Day
World War II officially ended when Japan surrendered to the Allies in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.

National Blueberry Popsicle Day
September 2nd is National Blueberry Popsicle Day. I've never had a Blueberry Popsicle before, have you? You can easily make your own Blueberry Yogurt Popsicles with this easy recipe by Fiona Haynes, About.com guide to Low Fat Cooking. Popsicles were invented in 1905 by Frank Epperson, an eleven year old boy.

31 B.C. - Battle of Actium
On September 2, 31 B.C., Octavian defeated Mark Antony at Actium. With the defeat of Antony, Octavian became Caesar Augustus and took control of the Roman Empire.

September 2nd - Fires and Battles originally appeared on About.com Homeschooling on Wednesday, September 1st, 2010 at 11:05:34.

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I was blessed with a new granddaughter in April, I'm expecting another on Grandparent's Day and another in December so I have grand parenting on the mind. This will make 11 grandchildren for me. Let me share with you a few things I've started up this year to help out my children and their families. We are fortunate to all live near each other, so it's easy to get together often.

Tuesday Craft Night
I get together with the moms for a craft night and the dads keep the children. This gives the moms a night to work on things without the kids underfoot. My oldest granddaughter (Katie Ann, age 9) also comes and works on her own projects and her Girls Cre8 Craft Club projects. It gives us girls a chance to talk and relax. It usually works out that we do this twice a month.

Wednesdays - Preschool Class/Family Dinner
On Wednesday afternoon we have a preschool type class for the 3-6 year olds. We're using the Smarty Crafts program for our projects. The moms help the 3 year olds, an older sibling helps the 4 year old and the 6 year old works on his own. The kids love this time. They talk about going to class at grandma's house all the time. We do crafts, learn letters and numbers for the youngest ones, have an outside activity and can't forget snack time! Then we all have dinner together that evening.

Thursday - Date Night
On the first Thursday of the month, I keep all the grandkids so the couples can have a date night. I make dinner for the kids so the moms don't have to worry about feeding them. I make myself available from 5:00 on allowing the families to come and go as their schedules dictate. On the weeks we have date night, we don't have craft night.

More for Grandparents
As I mentioned, we all live close by. I see my children and grandchildren all week long. I know it's harder for those that don't live near their grandchildren. Susan Adcox, the About.com Grandparents Guide, has some wonderful ideas to help long-distance grandparents stay connected with their grandchildren.

What is your experience as a homeschool grandparent? What role do you take? How do you help out? Share Your Story

This blog post is part of the All About Parenting Blog Carnival on the topic of Grandparents and Grandparenting, hosted by the About.com Guide to Grandparents, Susan Adcox.

Grandparents Helping Out originally appeared on About.com Homeschooling

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Here's a more detailed list of September Holidays and Events with worksheets, coloring pages and activities to provide teachable moments for September 1st.

1830 - Mary Had a Little Lamb published
Mary Had a Little Lamb was written by Sarah Josepha Hale and was first published on September 1, 1830. That's a long time ago!

1923 - Great Kanto Earthquake in Japan
Just before noon on September 1, 1923, the Great Kanto Earthquake struck the Kanto plain in Japan causing much destruction, fires and loss of life. The quake was estimated to measure between 7.9 and 8.4 on the Richter scale. Learn about earthquake safety.

1939 - World War II Began
On September 1, 1939, Germany invades Poland. Britain and France sent Adolf Hitler an ultimatum: Withdraw German forces or they would go to war against Germany.

1985 - Titanic Found
On September 1, 1985, the wreck of the Titanic was found. The Titanic sank on April 15, 1912.

September 1st - Earthquakes and Wars originally appeared on About.com Homeschooling on Monday, August 30th, 2010 at 19:24:31.

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Through Abigail's involvement with 4-H, she has mastered her studies more thoroughly and also learned to integrate a number of life skills such as planning, preparation, and performance in the process - not to mention the major boost to her confidence and self-esteem.  4-H taught her to reflect on her own experiences and convey personal anecdotes in a creative and engaging manner. Abigail's work has won many awards, including, ribbons, trophies and a gold medal.

Read Abigail's story, then share about your homeschool student's accomplishments.

Homeschooler wins 4-H Gold Medal originally appeared on About.com Homeschooling on Monday, August 23rd, 2010 at 20:56:33.

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New Hampshire's Wild Times Magazine has lots of fun stuff for you to do, like games, quizzes and collectible wildlife cut-out cards, plus amazing wildlife stories and facts. Just print them out - and have fun! There are currently eighteen issues available with two new issues each year. Learn about snakes, birds, spiders, hibernation, and much more.

For more New Hampshire fun:

Wild Times Magazine originally appeared on About.com Homeschooling on Thursday, August 19th, 2010 at 15:00:33.

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Therese shared how her family uses their tablecloth as a patchwork quilt with mementos of their school year. I think it's a great idea and a unique way to share their homeschooling with family and friends. Therese writes:

We started homeschooling my 10-year-old and 5-yr-old sons last year after taking my older son out of a lackluster private school. Nervous about "structure" I decided to set up half of our rather long dining room table with a "school" table cloth. Every morning, after eating breakfast and scanning the newspaper, the boys set up the cloth, get out the books they need and we begin our day. We do literature reading on the front porch (living in Florida helps) and when the weather's too nice to be inside, we go to local parks or locations that fit the material - for instance, we went to the beach for The Old Man and the Sea and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea! In est, the world is our classroom!

The "cloth" has become a patchwork quilt of sorts - with interesting mementos of our busy year. We use fabric markers for notes, grammar & math "rules to remember" and funny pictures and quotes. The boys love to show their friends and family our crazy cloth and it is destined to become a family heirloom, I'm sure!

Our whole family is closer thanks to homeschooling and my son scored higher on the Iowa test than he did the year before! And the memories are priceless! Success!

Tablecloth records mementos of busy homeschool year originally appeared on About.com Homeschooling on Wednesday, August 11th, 2010 at 10:01:42.

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In preparing for the school year to begin, how do you establish a school identity? Do you name your school? Do you have a mascot, make student identification cards or school T-shirts? Jacci Howard Bear, About.com guide to Desktop Publishing, has step-by-step instructions on how to make a student ID Card for your homeschool students.

So what do you do? What do you do for school identity? How did you come up with your school name? What other things do you do? Do you have ID cards, stationery, school colors? Share your creativity with us and help spark ideas for the rest of us.

More from the Back to Homeschool Series:

Do you name your homeschool? originally appeared on About.com Homeschooling on Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010 at 00:19:45.

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A homeschool coop is a group of homeschooling families that join together to share in the education of their children. Back in the day, we called our homeschool coop "Friday School" because the classes were held on Fridays. We taught everything from manners, to cooking classes, to Algebra, to writing composition. Learn the benefits of Homeschool Coop classes.

The Homeschool Coop - Benefits of Joint Classes originally appeared on About.com Homeschooling on Thursday, July 29th, 2010 at 08:15:19.

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As you consider your purchases for your homeschool books and supplies, visit these sites for homeschool classified ads to find used items at a savings. Post your own ads to sell your items you are no longer using, or post a wanted ad listing the items you are looking for. These sites are all free to post your ads.

I've purchased and sold many used homeschool items over the internet. It is a good way to get your curriculum at a discount, try out a curriculum without spending a lot of money, and resell the items you're no longer using.

Homeschool Classifieds originally appeared on About.com Homeschooling on Monday, July 26th, 2010 at 07:20:03.

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Plain language, friendly fonts, highlighted phrases, constant review and flexibility make Teaching Textbooks a very popular math program for homeschool students. The Teaching Textbook program is designed to make learning math in a homeschool setting the best possible experience. Since it was designed specifically for homeschoolers, the text is self-explanatory and the CD-ROM teaching allows students to work through problems with a tutor in the comfort of their own homes. Having a solution worked out for each problem is invaluable, especially in the upper levels.

Teaching Textbooks: Math books designed for homeschoolers originally appeared on About.com Homeschooling on Tuesday, July 20th, 2010 at 10:52:53.

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July is National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday in July is National Ice Cream Day. What a fun holiday! Celebrate this special day with an Old Fashioned Ice Cream Social. If you have an ice cream freezer, dust it off and invite some friends over for a cool treat and a fun time. No ice cream freezer? No problem, provide sundae making ingredients and enjoy!

Or...for an educational and fun time, make your own ice cream in a bag. Try this simple project and enjoy some yummy ice cream. Making ice cream is a fun and delicious way to build science skills. Students will experience a change in state from a liquid to a solid. They will discover the difference of temperature between ice without salt and ice mixed with salt. I know this is nothing new, but I had never done it before without an ice cream maker.

More Ice Cream Fun:

It's National Ice Cream Day originally appeared on About.com Homeschooling on Sunday, July 18th, 2010 at 12:16:16.

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I receive many inquiries asking where to sign up for homeschools. Many people, as a last hope for their children, try to find a homeschool to send them to. The problem is that homeschooling is done by the parent at home.

Although I believe it is important to protect homeschooling as we know it by keeping homeschools independent of the public school system, there are many home educating options available and each family must consider what is right for their children. There are different types of homeschools - different philosophies, beliefs or practices. Maybe one of these options will meet the needs of your family.

Over the years, I've had my children in coop classes, junior high classes two days a week, and even tried an online virtual school, complete with avatars and whiteboards. All the programs I participated in were privately operated and independent of the public school system. Personally, I liked the low-key coop classes. But the junior high classes two days a week and the online school took away too much from my homeschooling time. I didn't feel that I had the control in the education of my children. I'm more from the traditional homeschooling stance, although I see the benefit the other options can offer. The question is, are these other programs diluting the purity of homeschooling as we've known it? Does it put our homeschooling freedoms at risk?

What's your opinion? Should these alternative methods be considered homeschooling?

Photo: Getty Images

Homeschools - Traditional and Alternatives originally appeared on About.com Homeschooling on Tuesday, July 13th, 2010 at 08:25:24.

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Back in February, Samantha Morgan (now 12) took the Jeopardy Kid's online test. In April, they were contacted by Jeopardy saying she'd passed that round of qualifying and was scheduled to meet with the contestant search crew in Philadelphia on June 19th.

Read the story of Samantha's journey to Jeopardy, then share about your homeschool student's accomplishments.

Homeschooler's Journey to (Kids) Jeopardy originally appeared on About.com Homeschooling on Tuesday, July 6th, 2010 at 04:37:09.

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