GCHSA ACTIVITIES
“Do not train children to learning by force and harshness, but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.” – Plato
Please check the Public Calendar to see the types of activities currently going on.
Below are some types of events we've held in the past.
MAY 2007
Favorite Book Fair
Date: Wednesday May 2, 2007
This fair is open to any age and any ideas. Here are just a few IDEAS: Get together with a group and put on a little skit; dress up like your favorite character; write a book report to read; read a few pages about your book and tell us about it informally; (Individual reports should be limited to 3-5 minutes).
Spell to Write and Read Workshop
Date: Thursday & Friday, May 3 & 4, 2007
Location: Unitarian Universalist Church, Ft. Myers
The cost is $100. Books will be made available these days for purchase at a slight discount. A SWR Trainer from Orlando will be conducting the Workshop.
Voting for officers and GCHSA Group Photo at the GCHSA Monthly Park Day
Date: Monday May 7, 2007
Location: Jaycee Park, Cape Coral
Meet at the pavilion nearest the playground. We will take the group photo at 12 noon sharp before the kids get all dirty and sweaty from playing. We will also be voting for officers for the 2007/2008 school year by private paper ballots. Nominations and volunteers are welcome! Please bring camp chairs, drinks (and lunch if you wish) for you and your children. SAFETY NOTE: This park is right no the river so please plan to keep a good eye on your precious little ones. (Our monthly Park Days are ALWAYS open to potential members and helpful group information is on hand so come on over and join us!)
Beach Bash!
Date: Friday May 11, 2007
Time for some RELAXING fun in the sun! It has been a busy year for us all and some of feel the need to kick back and just soak in the rays while the kiddos play. There is no need to fuss and bother with a lot of plans, just bring your beach gear, your sun protection, snacks and drinks for the kiddos and maybe a good book. Please note, there are restrooms, a playground, snack cabana, and some grills at the beach where we will be meeting. And as always with water all around, plan to keep a good eye on your little ones.
End of Year Celebration
Date: Saturday May 12, 2007
Location: Rotino Center, Cape Coral Yacht Club
Family and friends are invited to join us at our biggest event of the year! This year the children have chosen a Space Theme and our party planning committee has been busy for some time now making plans to make this year end bash out of this world! The nights plans include: Talent Show, Project Displays, cute Cut-Out Photo Ops, Commencement Ceremony, time to dance, Pizza Party and cake for dessert!
APRIL 2007
National Home Education Week April 1-7
To read Governor Crist’s official declaration of 'National Home Education Week,' follow this link: http://www.floridaschoolchoice.org/Information/Home_Education/files/Home_Ed_Week.pdf
“Crop Circles” every Sunday afternoon
Moms meet every Sunday afternoon from 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm at a member’s house in SW Cape to work on scrapbook projects in a relaxing way among friends. Many of us are WAY behind and trying to catch up so the idea is to attend any of the Sunday afternoons that work for you. Please note, there are no fees and no salespersons… just homeschool moms hanging out and having fun! You don’t scrapbook? Then bring ANY craft you need to spend time on!
Ding Darling Fieldtrip and Educational Workshop
Date: Tuesday April 3, 2007
Location: Sanibel/Captiva
After we gather, the educator will give a brief intro and rules about the refuge. We then as a group enter Wildlife drive and spend about 2 hours with her identifying animals and habitat and any other points of interest along Wildlife Drive. We will then return to the Center and her classroom where we will eat lunch and then participate in a 1-2 hour presentation on endangered species and local wildlife. This is a FREE fieldtrip for any age. There is also a gift shop with all kinds of educational stuff, too! The content will be geared to the tween/teen age so the younger ones can absorb what they can without the older children being bored.
Inventor's Club
Dates: Thursday, April 5 & 19, from 1 – 3 pm
Moms and their kiddos take turns planning creative fun for the group. So far this year, we have made experimental goo, shot off baking soda and vinegar rockets of various sorts, toyed around with remote control vehicles, designed and test-flown paper airplanes, tested various baits and techniques for fishing, shared our own creations and inventions with one another and seen first-hand how common household electronics seem to work simply by taking them apart! We look forward to more exciting and unique ideas as we continue to meet every other week throughout the year.
Mom's Night Out
Date: Thursday, April 5, 2007
We alternate meeting at restaurants in Fort Myers and Cape Coral. Some of us eat dinner, order appetizers or desserts and others just have a drink or soda and talk! Bring any resources you care to share.
Deadline to order 2006/2007 GCHSA Yearbook and submit pictures for the EOTYC DVD Slideshow
Date: Friday April 6, 2007
Do you want a GCHSA Yearbook to commemorate all the great group moments this year? Then get your orders in by today!!! We need to know how many yearbooks we need so we can make plans for the exact cost of the books this year so don’t delay in getting your order in!!! Also, for this year’s End of the Year Celebration one of our members has volunteered to compose a DVD of photos to run as a Slideshow throughout the night. This will be a fun way to showcase some of your prized moments from the year. Photos do not need to be from group events, they can be any that your family cares to share from your homeschooling year.
Egg Hunt and Picnic in the Park!
Date: Friday April 6, 2007
Location: a local park
We will meet for some Spring fun including, a few Easter Crafts, coloring Easter Eggs and holding an Easter Egg Hunt! If you would like to join us - please bring:
*10 easter eggs per child filled with something (Walgreens has them on sale)
*A bag/bucket for collecting Easter Egg
*A cooler to store any chocolate candy so it doesn't melt
*A lunch/beverages
*anything else you would like to do while at the park
Wildcats 4H Meeting
Date: Wednesday, April 11
This year, our focus is on opportunities for positive impact on the environment and all of nature. We also plan to participate in a fieldtrip each month related to our studies. This month’s fieldtrip is on Saturday, April 21 to the Marine Quest Family Day to learn about local marine research projects. For more details, visit their webpage: http://www.floridamarine.org/education/view_article.asp?id=20193
Dino Co-op
Dates: Wednesday, March 11
Children of all ages met for 6 weeks to make a movie about dinosaur hunters that go back in time! We learned facts about dinosaurs, did a dino dance, drawing, acting, interviewing, taking pictures, and even took a field trip to Dino World near Tampa.
Mom's Morning In!
Date: Thursday April 12, 2007
Location: Member’s home in SW Cape
If you are not available to make the other Mom's Morning Out days occurring later in April, or are a little uncomfortable leaving your child, this is the day you can come for a special group craft!
Please Bring:
*$5 to help pay for expenses (if there is any money left over we will put it into a craft fund for a park day!)
*2 pictures of you and your child!
Deadline to turn in completed Yearbook pages, headshots and favorite hero
Date: Saturday, April 14
If you were one of the moms to sign up to help scrapbook the pages for the GCHSA Yearbook, chances are you have completed them by now and turned them in. If not, all pages are due today!! Also due are headshots of the children who wish to appear in the yearbook as well as a note about who their favorite hero is.
Mom's Mornings Out!
Date: Saturday, April 14 & 28, 2007
Location: A member’s house in SW Cape
Drop the kids off and have your husband take you out for a quiet breakfast and enjoy! Space is limited to 10 kids each day so please sign up early!
Please Bring:
*$5 to help pay for expenses (if there is any money left over we will put it into a craft fund for a park day!)
*2 pictures of you and your child!
Critter Fair
Date: Monday April 16, 2007
Location: First Christian Church, Cape Coral
Come tell us about your favorite critter. You can choose from wild animals to family pets! The choice is yours. If it is a pet, you can even bring one along to show-and-tell if you like! This event is open to all ages and the kiddos tend to love this one a lot!
Show-and-tell and Voting at the GCHSA Monthly Park Day
Date: Monday, April 23, 2007
Location: Lakes Park, Fort Myers
Meet at the pavilion nearest the playground and train station. At this meeting, we will be voting on some proposed revisions to the group bylaws. We will also be bringing samples of our favorite curriculum to show-and-tell. Please bring camp chairs, drinks (and lunch if you wish) for you and your children. Safety Note: This park has lots of water all around so plan to keep your best eye on your little guys! (Our monthly Park Days are ALWAYS open to potential members and helpful group information is on hand so come on over and join us!)
Scholastic Book Club orders are available to our members monthly.
Our group has an account with Scholastic book clubs and every month at the Park Day members can turn in their shipping and tax-free orders or pick up new flyers and/or their incoming books! This is an affordable and convenient way to stock up on supplemental materials for your curriculum!
Deadline for submissions to April issue of THINK: The Homeschool Independent Newsletter for Kids
Date: Tuesday, April 24, 2007
This is the first ever newsletter for GCHSA kids by GCHSA kids! We welcome all submissions including: drawings, stories, reviews, poems, suggestions for joke/word/quote or person of the month, photos, articles, and the next installment of our shared continuing story.
We want YOUR photos, please!
Collection of photos to be used in our yearbook is now underway! Please gather up your best shots, label them and get them to our Yearbook Committee as soon as possible. We recommend that you turn in any photos you have for any previous events and make it a plan to hand in your photos within 1 weeks of any new events. This will help us get things in order to help us have the GCHSA Yearbook ready for the End of the Year Celebration in May so all the kiddos can sign each others’ books at our biggest bash of the year!
