Dinosaur Eggs and Babies exhibition trip

From Selina-Jane:

Hi Ladies,
I am very excited to say that things are all go with our visit to the Dinosaurs and Eggs exhibition! The date is Monday 19th April and 10:00am. We will meet in the entrance atrium, where the cafe is.
We are going to take part in the following activities:
- Size-saurus – looks at the size of dinosaurs and how being so big helped them to survive
- Palaeontologist-saurus – undigging and excavating your own fossils like a palaeontologist, taking great care, and learning about different types of fossils e.g. replacements and imprints
- Are-you-my-mother-saurus – matching up theropod, ornithopod and sauropod eggs to their mothers based on the shape, size, texture and nests that egg/pieces were found in
- Design-a-saurus – creating your own dinosaur through drawing or newspaper dress up (time allowing) describing its name, what it ate, what type of habitat it occupied, its eggs and babies etc.

The programme will run for 1 1/2 hours. The museum has very generously given us a discount into the exhibition. Entry, including admission and the programme will be $6.00 per child and $10.00 per child. This also gives you all day entry into discovery world and the butterfly house.Depending on numbers attending there is the possibility of a further discount for adults, and I will be able to notify you of this closer to the day.

Contact Selina-Jane to book. The cut off date for booking in is: April 5th.

Diary Dates - 29 March 2010

As usual, if anyone has any suggestions for trips or activities, or would like to organise anything for our group, please feel free!

Thanks very much to Claire for organising the three trips to Macraes Goldmine! We had a fantastic time and it was well worth the drive :-) This week will be our last Wednesday gathering for the term, and don't forget our Bike Safety talk by the Police Education Officer on Wednesday 21 April (the first week of Term 2) at Marlow Park (AKA the Dinosaur Park). We have a nice busy newsletter today, and some exciting trips coming up! Have a happy Easter break!

every Monday during term time: Swimsation lessons 11- 12pm, socialising from 12pm onwards. If you are interested in joining the lessons, contact Swimsation at Moana Pool Otherwise, just turn up!

12:30pm Wednesday 31 March: Meet up at Mosgiel Memorial Park.

TERM 2

12:30pm Wednesday 21 April: Meet up at Marlow Park with bike safety talk by Police Education Officer Heather Rei. Bring lunch and bikes.

7:30pm, Tuesday 27 April: Mums' Night Out, Nova Cafe.

12:30pm, Wednesday 19 May: Art Gallery trip - contact Kathrin to book

TERM 3

1:00pm, Wednesday 1 September: St John's "Safe Kids" first aid course for children. Contact Kathrin to book

Remember, if it's raining, our outdoor meet-ups or walks will be cancelled/postponed.

Craig and Barbara Smith Seminar

Venue: Musselburgh Baptist Church, 131 Musselburgh Rise, Dunedin
Time: 10a.m – 3p.m and 7 – 9p.m evening, 26 April 2010
Speakers: Craig and Barbara Smith
Cost: $15 per family, which includes the Children’s Programme
Contact: Dunedin Committee on register4dunedinseminar@gmail.com
or ph Katie 03 489 2349 or Barbara 06 357 4399

Programme:
10:00 Registration and view resource table
10:15 Welcome and Notices
10:30 -12:00 Two Electives:
1. Craig Home Education – Getting things into perspective
2. Barbara Home Education through Secondary and preparing for Tertiary
12:00 – 1:00 Lunch Tea and coffee provided. Bring your own lunch. Alternatively a Dairy is across the road, or a 500 m walk to Musselburgh Shops [Baker's Dozen, and two Takeaways]. Woolworths 1km in same direction.
1:00 – 2:30pm Two Electives:
1. Craig Changing the Heart of a Rebel
2. Barbara Avoiding Burnout – Keeping going when the going gets tough
2:30 – 3:00 pm Afternoon tea and browsing resource tables. [ 3:00 to 7:00 p.m Home ]
7:00 – 9:00 p.m Two electives:
1. Craig Dad’s Essential role in Home Education – from a Christian Perspective
2. Barbara Training our children’s minds – ‘The tools of learning’ and ‘Motivation’

For more information: http://hef.org.nz/2010/6672/
Blessings
Barbara
http://www.hef.org.nz

ERO and NCHENZ meeting

The National Council of Home Educators New Zealand has a meeting with the Education Review Office in Wellington each year. They would like to have some representation from the South Island this year and have invited a member of SHEAF to attend (see below). If anyone is interested, please let me (Nicola) know and I'll forward you more details.

Hi Nicola,

Would any of the members of SHEAF like to be part of the liaison meeting
to be held with the ERO on Thursday 17 June? This will be an informal
opportunity to discuss at a national level any issues we have concerning
reviews.

NCHENZ is willing to subsidise the cost of air travel to this meeting at
a rate of 50% of the cheapest available fare(grab-a-seat) for a member
of a member group, or 70% for an individual member of NCHENZ.

It would be good to have people from the South Island at this meeting.

Regards,
Penny Bilton
coordinator NCHENZ

(Note: SHEAF is not a member group of NCHENZ, but I'm sure that individual membership could be very swiftly arranged)

Work requirements for those on benefits

It has been in the news recently that the work requirements for those on benefits may become more stringent in the near future. Here are two links that explain a bit more about the situation as it applies to homeschooling parents:

http://mandenomusings.wordpress.com/2010/03/19/will-home-educators-on-the-dpb-be-required-to-find-work/

http://www.workandincome.govt.nz/manuals-and-procedures/students/unemployment_benefit_student_hardship/unemployment_benefit_student_hardship-74.htm

Mayhem and Weka networking groups

We received this email this week:

Hi everyone,
Every 6 months I do a membership drive for Mayhem and Weka homeschooled students internet social networking groups. Please pass this on to anyone who may be interested. These groups are a safe alternative to Facebook or Bebo. They have been running since 2002, and the purpose is to help homeschooled teens get in touch with each other. The groups are completely private and can't be browsed by visitors, but once signed up you can read all the posts (although the kids can email their friends privately) and read the profiles of the members. Besides emailing other members there are posts on a lot of different subjects to read and contribute to. Teens should join using their own email address and with their own name. Kids can join by having the parent join, then changing the user name to the child's one. Join Groupbox first (very easy) www.groupbox.com then type Mayhem (13-18 yos) or Weka (8-13 yos) into the search, or I can send an invitation. I have to send it to the email address they want to use to sign in with. (Also, If siblings join Groupbox separately using their own email addresses but using the same computer, they will have to sign in and out each time they access it or groupbox wont be able to tell which user they are)
Feel free to email me with any questions
medusa256@hotmail.com
Marianne
(former homeschooling mum and moderator of Mayhem and Weka)

Swimming lessons

Mondays 11am to 12pm.
Dates booked- 19/4, 26/4, 3/5, 10/5, 17/5, 24/5, 31/5, 14/6, 21/6 & 28/6/10
No lessons on the 7/6 Queen's Birthday
Cost 10 lessons @ $9.10 = $ 91.10 per child
Email Adrian Brown at albrown@dcc.govt.nz to book