Time to renew that Nature Journal!

For those of you who keep a nature journal and... well.... kind of dropped it when it got COLD....



it is time to pick it up again! This is also the perfect time of the year - the beginning of the year - to start one!



The squirrels, for those of you that were watching, are done with their annual courtship chasing and chittering and have gone back to sleep for a week or two. Baby hawks are about to hatch and soon the skies will again fill with circling mom and dad hawks looking for a tasty meal for their hungry babies. Buds on trees are beginning to swell (measuring the buds on the same 'adopted' tree each week is a great exercise!). Which birds wil visit your bird feeder this month and which will visit next month are different!



For those new to journaling in winter, I highly recommend the book "Guide to Nature in Winter" by Stokes. http://tinyurl.com/yj2o6zv Stokes will help you learn to identify trees by their bark and bud patterns, identify animal tracks, learn about the many different kinds of snow, and much, much more. He also does a great job of showing what a great journal can look like, with loads of sketches and captions and observations doodled here and there among the text.

Environmental Chemistry and Anatomical Survey classes!

Environmental Chemistry Lab II



This course consists of 7 high school level Chemistry laborarotory exercises and related discussions while stressing the Chemistry of Earth's environment. Students are expected to have had prior Chemistry laboratory experience including titrations and chromatography, possibly by having taken Environmental Chemistry I from Mrs. Wentz. Students should be currently studying Chemistry or be prepared to do some reading in between classes.



NKC S05-005, 10:00-11:50, Fridays April 9-May 21st A224, $87 (for seven sessions)




Register with credit card by calling 815-455-8588. Questions? Marie 815-479-7559.








Biology Lab II – Anatomical Survey




This course consists of 7 high school level Biology laboratory exercises and related discussions. Work will
include lessons in lab safety, as well as dissections and experiments designed to encourage a study of the structures, organization, and function of various organisms and how they relate to the human body.
Students should be currently studying Biology or Health or be prepared to do some reading in between classes.



NKC S05-006, 1:00-2:50, Fridays April 9-May 21, A224, $87 (for seven sessions)


Register with credit card by calling 815-455-8588. Questions? Marie 815-479-7559.

Johnsburg Public Library's April Food for Fines Program

I have had several requests for info about the annual 'Food for Fines" at the Johnsburg Public Library (and, of course, their Homeschool Resource Center!). I can't imagine why - as homeschoolers would NEVER bring an item back late or lose a book........ but here is the information:





JPL's Food For Fines program is celebrated on National Library Week each year. This year that is April 11-17th.





Donate one non-perishable food item for each separate fine (as in each item). (Food cannot be used to pay for lost or damaged items, or for collection agency fees.)





More Answers: Let's face it - the reality is that the library just wants their stuff back. If you bring it back NOW you CAN pay the fine with food later. If you have already been taken to collection - return the item NOW and during food for fines you can pay the $10 agency collection fee and bring in a can of food to pay off the rest. Obviously, the best thing is to avoid the collection agency in the first place because once you are sent to them you can't get away from that $10 fee





Lastly, the donated food will all be given to the F.I.S.H. Food Pantry which assists McHenry area families in need. Yes, extra donations are always very cheerfully accepted.

Charts and Graphs Math Class in Cary

The Cure for the Math Curse: Charts & Graphs Math Club



Wednesdays from March 3rd through to March 24th, 2010 10:30-12:0 am



This series of four classes will concentrate on getting a better working knowledge and conceptual understanding of how to structure and organize data. Learning how to read charts and graphs is a vital tool to understand consumer economics, statistics and almost every science - and is used extensively on the science portion of the ACT and on the SAT. We will use quality math literature and a wide variety of games and activities to encourage your child to play their way to a love of math.



Cost: $40 Final day for registration is March 1st, 2010.



These classes will be held in a private home in Cary. If you are interested please contact me for further information.

Summer Plans

A few important dates you might be interested in are on my calendar:



June 3-5th will be the Friends of the Johnsburg Public Library's Used Book Sale.



July 10th will be the Homeschool Resource Center Open House and Used Curriculum Flea Market. I already have two wonderful guest speakers lined up:


Alison McKee, author of From Homeschool to College and Work: Turning Your Homeschooled Experiences into College and Job Portfolios and
Homeschooling Our Children:Unschooling Ourselves and


Barbara Frank, author of The Imperfect Homeschooler's Guide to Homeschooling and

Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers.




I am still working on what classes to offer this summer. I'm afraid it is harder to plan out classes for the summer when it is still January but I am planning on my Fresh Water Ecology and Field Geology classes again. Please let me know if you would like the Fruit Fly Genetics class offered!

CLPD The Cure for the Algebra Curse: Intro to Algebra

(for grades 4 and up)
This series of classes will introduce a fun way (using LEGOs and dice) to learn beginning algebraic concepts from 2x = 8 and ending with -4(5 - x) = 3x - 12. Students need a foundation in both multiplication and division, but do not need to have memorized all their math facts.



These classes began in January. While I don't recomend students new to Algebra's principles join the class once started, students who are somewhat familiar with Algebra or who have taken my Algebra class before and want a refresher ate certainly welcome to join us in the middle.



Classes are held Thursdays from noon - 1:00 p.m. in Crystal Lake, IL.
For registration information, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/ya7zekb

CLPD Science Club: Chemistry!

Together, we will explore what matter is and how it forms the world as we know it. Topics to be covered will include elements, mixtures, compounds, density, chromatography, acids and bases, exothermic and endothermic reactions and plastics. Weather permitting we will visit the lake and do some fresh water testing. Students should be prepared to use measuring and graphing skills to perform experiments.




These classes will be held at the Crystal Lake Park District's Rotary Building on Thursdays from 1-2:30 from March 4th - April 15th.
You can find registration information here: http://tinyurl.com/ya7zekb

Last call for Friday Science classes!

Conceptual Physics Lab

9th-12th grade
The perfect first high school lab course! This course consists of 8 introductory high school level Physics labroratory exercises and related discussions. Lab work will include lesssons in lab safety, properties of matter, Newtonian motion, heat, sound, light, electricity and magnetism, and even some quantum theory. Students will need a working knowledge of linear algebra and should be currently studying Physics or be prepared to do some reading in between classes.
Instructor: Wentz
Register with credit card and class ID by calling 815-455-8588.
Problems or Questions? Please call Marie at 815-479-7559
Time: 10:00 - 11:50
Dates: Jan. 14th - March 4
Cost: $99
Course ID# - NKC SO5-001
Genetics Lab
9th-12th grades
This course consists of 8 introductory high school level Genetics laboratory exercises and related discussions. Lab work will include lessons in classical (Mendelian) genetics beginning with meiosis, punnett squares, DNA extraction, DNA fingerprinting, bacterial mutation, and modern discoveries of molecular biology and epigenetics and their application in today's world. Students should be currently studying Biology or be prepared to do some reading in between classes.
Instructor: Wentz
Register with credit card and class ID by calling 815-455-8588.
Problems or Questions? Please call Marie at 815-479-7559
Time: 1:00 - 2:50
Dates: Jan. 14th - March 4
Cost: $99
Course ID# - NKC SO5-002

Science Club: Work and Simple Machines

The complicated mechanical devices we use daily have their origins in the simple machines whose principals we will explore together. A simple machine has no energy of its own and cannot do work by itself. Hammers, screws, and knives are classic examples of simple machines we use every day. But how exactly do they work most efficiently? These classes will combine Joy Hakim's text “The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way” with an additional study of the ancient study of work and simple machines. Students should be prepared to use measuring and graphing skills to perform experiments and see for themselves how clever the designs of these simple machines actually are.



These classes will be held at the Crystal Lake Park District's Rotary Building on Thursdays from 1-2:30.


You can find a full description and registration information here: http://tinyurl.com/ya7zekb

Winter Math Classes at the Johnsburg Library

The Cure for the Math Curse:
Multiplication Math Club


Tuesdays from January 12 to February 9, 2010 1:00-2:30 pm
This series of four classes will encourage your child to play their
way to a love of multiplication through quality math literature and
a wide variety of games and manipulatives. We will be concentrating
on getting better conceptual knowledge of multiplication and
working on memorization skills. Cost: $25.00
Final day for registration is January 10, 2010.




The Cure for the Math Curse:
Charts & Graphs Math Club


Tuesdays from February 16 to March 9, 2010 1:00-2:30 pm
This series of four classes will concentrate on getting a better
working knowledge and conceptual understanding of how to
structure and organize data. We’ll use quality math literature and
a wide variety of games and manipulatives to encourage your
child to play their way to a love of arithmetic. Cost: $25
Final day for registration is February 14, 2010.





Algebra: Polynomials, Graphing & More!


Tuesdays from January 12 to March 9, 2010 3:00-4:30 pm
This series of eight classes is a continuation of Mrs. Wentz’s
“Introduction of Algebra” classes. We will stress understanding the
concepts of algebra including exponents and roots, solving equations
with multiple variables, adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing
polynomials, and graphing. Homework will be assigned.
Prerequisite: Students must be able to solve equations with one
variable, such as:
-2(-x + 5) + 2x = x - 1 and x - 3(2x + 5) = 20 + 2x
Final day for registration is January 10, 2010. Cost: $50




All classes will be held at the Johnsburg Public Library.
(No classes will be held on February 2 due to elections.)
Parents are encouraged to attend for free.
Please make checks payable to Kathy Wentz.
Johnsburg Public Library 3000 N Johnsburg Rd Johnsburg, IL 60051
815-344-0077 www.johnsburglibrary.org