THE HOMESCHOOL CYBER-NEWS
                         June 1995

It's summer!  Welcome to our first ever issue of The Homeschool Cyber-News.
Some of us are homeschooling as usual, some are preparing to slack off a
while (some of us always slack off <g>), but here are some cheery
announcements, brilliant ideas and zany quotes to brighten your month.  This
must surely be the only newsletter ever which had a brownie recipe AND a
secret passageway!

If this newsletter comes into your mail less than gorgeous, try widening your
window.  If you have suggestions for making it better next time, let us know.
If you'd prefer not to receive this ever again as long as you live, let us
know.  If you want to write part of it next time, start writing!   Short,
sweet and funny go to the head of the queue.

Were you aware of the live chats for homeschoolers?  Our online chats are fun
places to meet old friends to make new friends, to hang out and listen, or to
get your questions answered.   They attract big, friendly groups so feel free
to join any or all of these: 

Thursday Evening Chat Schedule
          (always 9:00-11:00 p.m. Eastern time, Homefront Hall):
Thursday, June 1, open chat (any & all topics!)
Thursday, June 8, open chat (any & all topics!)
Thursday, June 15, Homeschool Chat with guest
 NancyAA to discuss Online Safety
       Special emphasis on Keeping Kids Safe Online--hosted by MyCamelot and
TinaNH
Thursday, June 22, open chat (any & all topics!)
Thursday, June 29  Homeschool Chat about organizational and/or money-saving
tips.
        Hosts:  Retromom and TinaNH

Kids' Chats (Wednesdays, 1:00-2:00 p.m. Eastern time, The Shade Tree)
       The host is KTrautman and her assistant is Elizabyrd (Molly).  

Join our new Wednesday Chat!!!
   Wednesday, June 7 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm Eastern Time, in Homefront Hall,
and all following Wednesdays until further notice!   No topic for the first
chat, just getting to know each other and brainstorming topics and guests for
future chats. Come join us!    Host: Journey100  

The Cyber-News CONTEST for June

Our first contest is going to be coming up with future contests.  What could
we put here that would be fun, uplifting and educational?  Things that aren't
much harder for kids than parents...   The submittors of the best three
suggestions will each receive an hour of AOL credit.  Next month we might
have more substantial prizes (or we might have more hours of AOL credit <g>)
but either way it will be fun and you can earn the praise and awe of your
fellow homeschoolers.  We'll publish the winners next month!

Send your ideas for contests to HS Mail before June 14.  If you'd like to be
one of the judges, send a note and say that too (whether or not you enter).
The full list of entries will be mailed out to the judges June 14 and we'll
have fun all summer with some great contests!   (Lest you forget to send your
entry, I'll ask your neighbors to put flags out, so if you see American flags
everywhere, it's to remind you of the contest deadline.  This reminder does
not apply outside the U.S. and its possessions.)

PLACES TO GO - THINGS TO SEE
If you've found a cool place online that others might be interested in send
your ideas to HSMail.  We'll publish a selection of them each month. Here are
some of our favorites:

Keyword: Kidsnet
  >>KIDSNET is the only national, non-profit computerized clearinghouse
devoted to children's television, radio, audio and video programming.<<
You can search the database for programs, write in two message board areas
(one for parents, one for kids), and download study guides related to
programs.

Keyword: National Geographic
  Download maps, read articles like: Far Out Facts: Animal Speeds, take the
Geo-quiz challenge, learn about NGS's Geography Bee, order periodicals, find
out about NGS Kids' Network and about Geographic TV,  or write in the message
boards. Educational, fun, resourceful - there's a lot there!

Keyword: Education, then Educational Software Libraries
  This area has >>collections of educational software developed by America
Online's Computing and Software department and represent the largest
collection of educational software available on any commercial online
service<<  Regardless of your type of computer you can find all kinds of
software for your homeschooling needs. A recent look at foreign languages
found software on Spanish, Latin, Korean, German, Chinese, Japanese, Russian,
French & others. You can search by area of interest (foreign languages) or by
level (elementary). Have fun looking for great stuff - and be sure to let us
know what you find that is good. Having trouble opening or dealing with any
of the programs you download? Go to keyword Free and talk to the friendly
folks at Tech Support Live!

LOVE NOTES/FAN MAIL
If you don't already know, we love getting love notes and plan to share the
best unashamedly. <g>

"I just can't get over the nice welcome I got in my mailbox from MyCamelot
and what it means to me to find other home schoolers out there.  Keep up the
good communication.  I feel often like we are adventurer/explorers on a new
frontier."

                  <LOL>         "LAUGHING OUT LOUD"          <LOL>
Homeschoolers are sometimes characterized as being just a bit on the serious
side. Seriously folks, we have a great time online and our humorous moments
are usually our best!

Language Acquisition:

This was posted by PSoroosh:  <<It is always funny when kids generalize from
one rule and invent their own words.  My toddler daughter ran to the front
door when she heard someone knocking and yelled "Whobody is there?".  My dh
was on the other side of the door and yelled back "Somebody open the door".
My little one then yelled back "Do you mean mebody?".  He yelled back
"Anybody." (He had his arms full of something heavy).  She yelled back "I'm
the only body that is here."  About that time I stopped laughing long enough
to go and open the door for him. >>

If you can't beat 'em....

From:  PIZMIRE

<<LOL to the day off maids  I was really frustrated with my kids making their
beds.  Yes they thought their beds looked made, but I saw a pile of blankets,
sheets and pillows sooooo I went to out Deseret Industries, a second hand
store, and bought two sleeping bags.  Well the kids picked them out.   Now
all that is on their beds is a sheet, pillow and sleeping bag.  It might
sound silly but I no longer have to nag them about making their beds look
like I made them.  Maybe this might help other moms with messy children's
beds.

<< Piz >>

And about that physical education aspect...

<< I took my sil and mil to the park where we usually meet on Wed. with a
large homeschooling group.  It's a big, lovely park with alot of equipment
that my children seem to enjoy. . . . My four year old was running around and
up and over the wooden jungle gym, climbing over the monkey bars, hanging
from the monkey bars, racing across the wooden "bridge," etc.  And my mil
turns to me and says: "It would be so nice to get him into a gymnastics or
tumbling class.  That way he'd have an outlet for all that energy."
:-)
Need I say more?>>
(This was posted on the boards... I'm quoting it anonymously, but with the
author's permission... y'never know whose mil (mother-in-law) might be
reading! <bwg>

Overheard in the Poolside Chat: 
>>Felicitas, your brownies-to-kill-for are delicious! You were right--long
term storage is not a problem!;-) We're on our second batch around here! <<

And the recipe is [drumroll, please...]:

In microwave, melt together 3 one-ounce squares unsweetened baking chocolate
and one stick butter.*
In small bowl, beat 4 eggs. 
Remove melted chocolate mixture and stir til smooth.  
Stir in one-half teaspoon salt, one tablespoon vanilla (I like alcohol free
"cook's" vanilla) and 2 cups sugar.
Stir in the beaten eggs.
Stir in one cup flour.
Stir in 6 to 8 ounces chocolate chips (a whole 12 oz. bag is too much; plus,
this way you leave some in your cupboard for surreptitious munching).
Pour batter into greased 13x9x2 inch baking dish.
Bake at 350 for one-half hour. DO NOT OVERBAKE.
Test for doneness with a toothpick.
Cut into squares and roll in powdered sugar, while still almost too hot to
touch, then store in an airtight container.  (Extended storage isn't usually
a problem.) 
* You may of course melt the chocolate and butter on the stovetop, or over
the fire in your cave, if necessary :-)

This was my mom's recipe, 'though she used a cup of chopped walnuts instead
of choc. chips.  My kids don't like nuts, and walnuts make my mouth itch, so
I had to sacrifice with the substitution ;-)
Enjoy!  Felicitas.

P.S. If you want to give the recipe a cutesy name (besides "Brownies to Kill
For," as my friend Meg calls them), try "Felicitations."

[Editorial comment:  Yum yum yum yum yum yum yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm]

There's a lot more of this fun stuff in the Homeschool Connection area!
Here's the secret passageway to get there really fast.   You can keyword
"homeschool" or, better yet,  make a shortcut by using "Edit Favorite Places"
(for MAC folks)  or "Edit Go To Menu" (for IBM) under the "GoTo" pulldown at
the top of your screen.  Open the Favorite Places editor (the maker of secret
passageways) and put the keyword in one of those spaces, and from then on you
can hit that as soon as you log on and voila!  Homeschool City in one easy
step. 

ON A MORE SERIOUS NOTE:
Yes, we can be serious too. We are serious about our families, serious about
our commitment to homeschooling and definitely serious about our AOL bills
<g>!!!  

From AOL Q & A:

"How do I log a folder?"

<<Just go to Logging open your Session log (name it, put it where you can
find it) then go to the folder you want, and start going through the
messages.  You don't have to scroll through each one, just when the cursor
changes back into an arrow, click on Next Message.  Skip right through them,
and then go back to logging, close the Session log, and sign off.  You can
open the log through your word processing program and read leisurely! :-)>>


And, a special piece that warmed our hearts and brought tears to our eyes:

For Elias:  Why Mommy is So Bittersweet on Your Birthday

You pad into the room, your little
eyes a brown question mark.
It is your birthday. You are 
two today. So
who brought you here?  I know that
a half world away a young woman
has left her work station..
maybe for the tea house and will laugh 
with friends and smile 
a very sad, distant smile as she
remembers
you. 
Your first  flutterings in her tummy.
Your first hard kicks.
Your grandparents' faces when they learned you were 
coming into an unwelcoming world.
Your first cry of life.
Did you suckle?  Did you have kisses on your sweet
face or were you whisked away and
out of sight like an empty plate 
from a banquet table.
Leaving her forever hungry 
for you.
You punch your mylar helium balloon...little tough guy...
ride your rocking horse and pull your new wagon.  Soon
there will be sherbet and cake and pizza and soda.
Damn, I forgot kimchee.
And a half world away I can feel a salty tear, I can hear
the beating of a hurting heart and I know
you are loved
and remembered
today.
I wish she could know
that I, too, remember
and love
her.

+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+

You'll hear from us again around the beginning of July.  We hope to hear from
you by e-mail or on the bulletin boards between now and then.   May your June
be filled with love and happiness.

the Staff...  RETROMOM, MyCamelot, Journey100, KTrautman, TinaNH, Elizabyrd,
and your humble editor, SandraDodd