Living & Learning in Oz

10 Movie Ratings

2010-03-26T11:37:00.000-05:00

Yes Man - good, not enough dare devil actionsSerenity - too emotional, not enough funny commentsTin Man - good display of story, not enough back storyIce Age 1 - terrific with undetailed action woundsIce Age 2 - nice mix of emotional settingIce Age 3 - good imaginative use of story lineWimbledon - a classic hero movieShrek 1 - funny, exciting use of animated characterShrek 2 - fine display of

How many times has this site seen a face lift?

2010-02-19T09:41:00.001-06:00

Not that we expect anyone is still paying attention, but once upon a time this was home (one of, anyway) to Kansas Area Homeschool Network. I started KAHN a number of years ago to help link unschoolers and homeschoolers of less traditional paths across the state of Kansas. It was an effort at creating a community of support and I think it succeeded. At the very least, I know many more families

44 Presidents

2009-07-30T07:30:00.001-05:00

Thanks, Rebecca, for the link.

L.E.A.R.N.

2009-07-29T06:49:00.004-05:00

Word is that Kansas City area homeschool support group L.E.A.R.N. is active again and they are planning an UnProm.Visit their website for more information.L.E.A.R.N. Mission StatementL.E.A.R.N. is an organization formed to provide secular support for homeschooling families. L.E.A.R.N. supports families with a wide variety of ideologies regarding education, parenting, culture, and religion.

World eBook Fair

2009-07-24T20:20:00.002-05:00

Access to eBooks online... until August 4, you can download free eBooks from the World eBook Fair.

An Unschooler's Holiday

2009-07-24T07:53:00.002-05:00

Just in case you didn't know, today is Learn Nothing Day. It's going to be a busy day for us, but I suppose we can try to do our best to keep our minds closed to anything new and sparkly for just one day.

The Size of Things

2009-06-26T20:13:00.002-05:00

I mostly wanted to bookmark this to show my children, but then I thought there would be others who would enjoy this illustration.

Homeschooling: Back to the Future

2009-06-26T08:01:00.000-05:00

This is an old piece from The Cato Institute that I may have even had in my files once upon a time, but I thought it was one of the more interesting pieces on homeschooling and I really appreciated the historical look beginning with Raymond Moore and John Holt. I am of the Holt persuassion, and I have often encouraged people to look to work by Raymond Moore, especially when anxieties about

Consuming Kids

2009-06-25T07:45:00.004-05:00

A friend from a local homeschool group shared the following.JoAnn's comments:This morning I just went to a screening of this documentary:http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/events/consumingkids.htmlI give this film my highest possible recomendation, and it is my fervent hope that every parent in America would view this film immediately. In fact, I took my 11 year old with me to see it, and she

Leap of Faith

2009-06-05T19:27:00.004-05:00

This is a speech by Dagny, an unschooled teen, that I bookmarked ages ago with the intention of sharing it. It was given at the NE Unschooling Conference in May of 2008.Take a moment to read it when you have some time to sit back and just reflect on the words. There is a lot of wisdom here.My favorite part is this:Parenting should be a gift to you, not a curse. Parenting should be a beautiful and

Union Station ~ Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-21T07:02:00.002-05:00

Lots to do at Union Station this weekend. Click here for details.

The Art of the Brick

2009-05-19T07:54:00.003-05:00

This would be a great event to see if you find yourself in Kansas City. The exhibit is open May 23 through September 7 and is free to the public.The Art of the Brick™ (An Art Adventure with LEGO®Bricks)The exhibit consists of approximately 30 artworks created solely from LEGO® blocks, by artist Nathan Sawaya. The amazing designs include Lennon Tribute, Apples, Infinity, Sunflower and Globe,

Teen Driving Site

2009-05-15T10:57:00.002-05:00

For those of you who are looking to have teen drivers on your hands soon, Teendriving.com has a lot of good information for parents and young drivers, everything from tips on teaching your kid to drive to information on insurance and safety products.

Sandra Dodd Interviews on YouTube

2009-04-30T09:00:00.001-05:00

Read more from Sandra Dodd on Unschooling.

Our Courts

2009-04-28T20:27:00.002-05:00

Here's a website that looks promising. It seems to still be under development, but I am especially intrigued by the "games" section which is supposed to be complete by the summer of 2009.ABOUT OUR COURTSOur Courts is a free, interactive, web-based program designed to teach students civics and inspire them to be active participants in our democracy. Our Courts is the vision of Justice Sandra Day

Speech and Debate Tournament

2009-04-20T07:02:00.002-05:00

Dear Kansas Homeschool Families,We would be honored to have you judge speech and/or debate at the upcoming NCFCA Regional Invitational Tournament for high-school students.This is also a great way for you to find out about adding this opportunity to your homeschool program.Home-educated public speakers and debaters from five states will be competing in Overland Park from April 27-29.To find out

The Chronicles of Narnia at Union Station

2009-04-18T09:25:00.004-05:00

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Exhibition makes its Midwest debut only at Union Station in Kansas CityMay 22-August 23!Explore the science and wonder of Narnia!Step through the wardrobe and into the wintry world of Narnia where in the midst of summer, you'll feel the snow on your face and experience the chill of the witch's ice throne first-hand.Based on the C.S. Lewis classic books and Disney

Do you know your states?

2009-04-14T06:13:00.003-05:00

Here's an online puzzle that will keep you entertained for a bit. You have to put each state in it's place on the map. Can you do it?State MapThanks for the link, Claudia.

Interactive Brain Tour

2009-04-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

I enjoyed this quick tour of the human brain from the Alzheimer's Association, and I thought there were probably a number of others who would find it interesting, as well.

Open Culture

2009-04-08T07:40:00.003-05:00

Open Culture is a website my husband found. He's just been given his first MP3 player, a hand-me-down from our daughter, and he's become a big fan of the world of podcasts and lectures that he can download and carry it with him to listen to whenever he wants.There is truly an impressive collection here - everything from free audio book links to foreign language lessons. It has a list of

Home Schooling Continues to Grow

2009-04-06T09:00:00.004-05:00

An article on homeschooling from 4Marks, a Catholic website.The statistics in this article are mildly interesting.A 2007 survey of home-schooling parents showed that a majority educated their own offspring for moral or religious reasons. But those who home school because they want a more untraditional approach are growing, now up to a possible 32 percent of all home schoolers.But the article, for

Ritchie House (Topeka) Open House in April

2009-04-05T21:21:00.003-05:00

Greetings!My name is Robin Shrimplin and I am the education consultant for the Shawnee County Historical Society. I wanted to let your group know about the open house we are holding at the historic Ritchie House (built 1856) every Saturday in April from 10 am to 2 pm. The house is located in downtown Topeka (3 blocks east of the water tower) at 1116 SE Madison. The event is free and open to the

Fair to highlight alternative education

2009-04-05T21:18:00.000-05:00

An alternative education fair for students in kindergarten through 12th grade will be from 10 am. to 3 p.m. April 11 at Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont.Representatives from all types of education, including, private, charter, virtual, religious, homeschooling and Waldorf, will have displays and answer questions.The event is free, and refreshments will be provided.Call 842-4882 for more

Kids Bowl Free

2009-04-05T19:19:00.003-05:00

Here's a fun summer activity that might be available in your area. Click here for bowling alleys participating in Kids Bowl Free in Kansas.If the whole family likes to bowl, there is apparently a family pass available at a very reasonable rate.The Family Pass was created to allow for adult family members to enjoy bowling throughout the summer as well. The Family Pass costs $23.95 (except Royal

RoboMaster Camps & Classes

2009-03-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

RoboMasters was founded in 2005 with the goal of teaching children engineering principals through working with Lego Mindstorms Robotics kits.For summer camp information, Wichita area, click here.