Classical Guitar at New Brunswick Library

Aside from being a place for an afternoon of great books, New Brunswick Free Public Library also can be a place for an afternoon of great music.

Classical guitarist Robert Dopira will present a program of classic music from 1-3 p.m. Feb. 23 in the Carl T. Valenti Community Room. The program will include Bach suites, Scarlatti sonatas, variations on Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute, and many other songs.

Mr. Dopira has been performing for 25 years at libraries, schools, churches, community groups and other organizations. He studied at Rutgers University and at Mannes College of Music, with Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music one of the three main conservatories in New York.

The program is free and open to the public of all ages. Refreshments will be served.

For more information or to register for this event, contact Kavita Pandey at kavita@lmxac.org or call the library reference desk at (732) 745-5108, ext. 20.

Motivation

The talk is about what works best to motivate workers in business, but it has some interesting applications for homeschooling as well.

Milk and Cookies

The State Theatre in New Brunswick is offering Milk & Cookies, a free series for children 3 to 8 years old, featuring storytelling, music, puppetry and more.

Milk & Cookies invites young people to discover the joy of watching, listening, and interacting with the arts. Events are offered once a month at 10 a.m. and noon on select Saturdays in the spring.  Free milk and cookies are distributed to children while supplies last.

The following events are scheduled:

• Spook Handy: American Folksongs for the Whole Family, at 10 a.m. and noon Feb. 2. Celebrate America's folk music traditions with singer and guitarist Spook Handy. Sing and clap along as Spook performs treasured songs both old and new.
  
• Robbi Kumalo: Girls Rock! at 10 a.m. and noon March 2. Celebrate Women's History Month with stories featuring smart, brave and powerful girls. Musician and storyteller Robbi Kumalo will have you singing, clapping, and dancing along as she shows that girls do, indeed, know how to rock.
  
• Lisa Garwood: Animal Stories From Around the World at 10 a.m. and noon April 13. What do a whale, a bird, and a spider all have in common? Join storyteller/musician Lisa Garwood and help her tell her tales about some of our animal friends: what we can learn from their wisdom...and their mistakes!

Advance registration is required. To register, contact Jennifer Cunha at (732) 246-7469, ext. 545 or jcunha@statetheatrenj.org. The State Theatre is located on Livingston Avenue in downtown New Brunswick.

Drawing club at the Zimmerli museum

Children can discover the secrets of drawing when they participate in the Zimmerli Art Museum's popular drawing club this spring.

The drawing club takes place 4:15-5:45 p.m. Wednesdays at Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, 71 Hamilton St., New Brunswick. Aspiring artists from 9 to 14 years old will learn the gamut of drawing techniques, including pencil and charcoal, and genres such as still-life and portraiture. Teachers are professional educators who address the needs of both beginners and advanced artists.

Registration is required.

The program begins March 13 and runs for five consecutive weeks. Cost is $50 for members of the museum, and $75 for nonmembers. In the event of inclement weather, call the museum at (732) 932-7237 for a recorded message beginning at noon.

For more information about the program, contact the Education Department at (732) 932-7237, ext. 26766.

Art safari in Africa offered, in August

If a safari is on your bucket list, this could be your chance to go on one and boost your wildlife art skills at the same time.

The Academy of Art of Highland Park is partnering with Hemingway Safaris Inc. of New York to offer an art safari to southern Africa this August. Cost for the safari is about $4,500 per person. The experience is open to adults, and to teens from 14 to 18 years old.

The trip includes a full safari experience led by a long-established operator, including all safari ground transportation, two meals a day, lodging, daily game drives, and visits to cultural, archaeological and conservation sites, plus a 30-hour private field course for artists of all levels. The price includes all field gear and art materials.

Participants will return home with their own original drawings, illustrations and journaling from Africa.

Hemingway Safaris is a family-operated outfitter comprised of African art and archaeology connoisseurs who are also adventurers. The organization also is committed to wildlife and habitat conservation, and to protecting human societies and cultures.

For more information, call the art academy at (732) 777-2085

Homeschool week at National Constitution Center

The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia will hold its first Homeschool Week in mid-February.

Center exhibitions open to visitors include Signers Hall and the theatrical production Freedom Rising, plus tours and workshops led by the center's education staff. The center's first homeschool week , from Feb. 11-15, will highlight the American presidency. A second homeschool week is planned for June 17-21.

Admission costs $10 for students, $6.50 for parents and chaperones, and $5 for members of the National Constitution Center. Preregistration is recommended. For more information or to register, call (215) 409-6800 or email groupsales@constitutioncenter.orggroupsales. Morning and afternoon programs are available.

The week's activities are designed for students 6-14 years old.

Daily programs and workshops include:

• "Hail to the Chief," recommended for children 6-9 years old, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Led by a member of the center's education staff, students will learn about the role of the president and the history of the Executive Branch during this interactive quiz game. Participants will race against the clock to answer questions from a variety of categories including: "Before They Were President," "Elections and Inaugurations" and "Presidential Pets." This program is paired with the Becoming the President tour.
• Becoming the President tour, recommended for students 6-9 years old., from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., following "Hail to the Chief." Ever wonder what it was like for George Washington growing up on Pope Creek Estate in Virginia? Or what life was like for Lincoln in that log cabin in Kentucky? Children can dress up like their favorite American presidents and experience growing up, president style! This is a guided tour of the center's main exhibition, "The Story of We the People," and is paired with the Hail to the Chief program.
   
• Headed to the White House, recommended for children 10-14 years old, at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. During this program, a member of the center's education staff will guide children through the ins and outs of a presidential campaign, from naming a candidate and building a platform to creating unforgettable campaign ads. This program is paired with the Presidential Leadership Tour.
   
• Presidential Leadership Tour, recommended for children 10-14 years old, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. In this tour of the center's main exhibition, The Story of We the People, a member of the Center's education staff will lead students on a discovery tour of the leadership styles of George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan. This tour also includes discussion activities and a workshop and is paired with the Headed to the White House program.

Parents also may visit constitutioncenter.org/education  for standards-based teaching materials, including interactive games and lessons, and the center's web series "Constitution Hall Pass."

Located on Independence Mall in Philadelphia, the National Constitution Center is the first and only nonprofit, nonpartisan institution devoted to the U.S. Constitution. The center strives to illuminate constitutional ideals and to inspire active citizenship through a state-of-the-art museum experience, including hundreds of interactive exhibits, films and rare artifacts; feature exhibitions; and Signers Hall, where visitors can sign the Constitution alongside 42 life-size, bronze statues of the Founding Fathers.

As America's forum for constitutional dialogue, the center engages diverse, distinguished leaders of government, public policy, journalism and scholarship in public discussions and debates. The center also houses the Annenberg Center for Education and Outreach, the national hub for constitutional education, which offers civic learning resources both onsite and online.

For more information, call (215) 409-6700 or visit www.constitutioncenter.org.
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RHAW at the State Theatre

The State Theatre in downtown New Brunswick will present a show by RHAW on Feb. 6.

Performing as part of an educational outreach program, Rennis Harris' Awe-Inspiring Works showcases some of today's newest and brightest street dancers. The performance is meant for students in fourth through 12th grades, or the equivalent. Homeschoolers are welcome to attend. The show will run from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Feb. 6.
 
To register, contact Jennifer Cunha at the State Theatre at (732) 246-7469, ext. 545, or e-mail jcunha@statetheatrenj.org

Founded by Rennie Harris, this dynamic company takes Hip Hop performance back to the basics: House, Boogaloo, Breaking, and Popping and Locking. The company's young dancers bring explosive energy, jaw-dropping moves, and boundless enthusiasm to this uniquely American art form.

The show runs for one hour. All tickets cost $8.

The State Theatre is located on Livingtston Avenue in downtown New Brunswick.

Summer Academy at George Street Playhouse

Registration is now open for summer academy classes at George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick.

Summer academy will run four weeks, from July 8-Aug. 2. Classes and program descriptions are listed on the registration form, and may be viewed online. There is a $50 discount per class, per week, for families who enroll by March 15.

Also, a 25 percent discount is available for families who live or work in New Brunswick. The Local 25 discount is not available online, so call, email/mail or stop by to take advantage of this very special deal. Discounts cannot be combined.

Installment options are flexible and always available. Installment plans can be arranged through registrations over the phone, by e-mail, U.S. mail or in person. Online registration requires payment in full.

Call the theater at (732) 846-2895, ext. 117, for more information.

'Twelfth Night' at the State Theatre

The State Theatre in downtown New Brunswick will show William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" this March.

Performing at Crossroads Theatre as part of an educational outreach program,  BAMA Theatre Co. will perform Shakespeare's romantic comedy at 10 a.m. March 1 for students in seventh through 12th grades, or the equivalent. Homeschoolers also welcome to attend. To register, contact Jennifer Cunha at the State Theatre at (732) 246-7469, ext. 545, or e-mail jcunha@statetheatrenj.org

"Twelfth Night" follows the romantic adventures of Viola and her twin brother Sebastian, both shipwrecked in the kingdom of Illyria. Forced by circumstances to disguise herself as a man, Viola finds herself caught in a complicated love triangle that involves the lovesick Duke Orsino and the beautiful noblewoman Olivia. Meanwhile, in Olivia's household, an alliance of servants and hangers-on plots against her pompous steward, Malvolio.

The show runs for two hours 30 minutes, with a brief question-and-answer section afterward with the actors. All tickets cost $8.

History at Maculloch Hall

Looking for a field trip with an eye on history?

Macculloch Hall Historical Museum in Morristown, N.J., will present two programs this month for homeschoolers. Programs cost $8 per student, with free admission for parents of participating children. Programs run during traditional school hours.

There will be two sessions for the first program, "Abraham Lincoln Remembered." In this program, students will trace Lincoln's whistlestop tour of the Union on his way to his inauguration in 1861. Students also will learn about historically significant events of 1861, including the role of detective Allan Pinkerton in protecting the president-elect, in the days before the Secret Service was established.

The second program is "Walking Through the Secret Garden." Activities in this program are based on the book "The Secret Garden," by Frances Hodgson Burnett.  There is one session per month from February through May. 

Preregistration is required for all programs. Register by calling (973) , Ext. 16, or by sending e-mail to cwinslow@maccullochhall.org. Include names and ages of children, choice of program, and contact information.

Homeschooler week at Princeton U.

Princeton University Art Museum will hold a series of events specially for homeschoolers starting Tuesday.

Events will run from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday,  each day with a different theme. On Tuesday, students will examine ancient artifacts and decorate a Greek vase or make a Roman-style mosaic.

The event features self-guided, interactive tours followed by related art projects. The event is open to all ages. No tickets or reservations are needed.

The museum is located on Princeton University, a short walk from Nassau Street in downtown Princeton. Banners on university lampposts lead the way to the museum.

For more information, call the museum at (609) 258-3788 or write to puamweb@princeton.edu.

'Science on Saturdays' at PPPL

The "Science on Saturdays" free lecture series is continuing at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory.

This week's topic is "Visualizing the Atomic World."

The lectures are free, begin promptly at 9:30 a.m., and are extremely well attended. We arrived last week just before nine o'clock, and found ourselves seated in the overflow area with more than 100 other people. Doors open at 8:15 a.m., but the security guard told me that people were lining up at 7:45 a.m.

Best arrive early, and bring a book.

'Farewell to the Master'

We had a good discussion of "Farewell to the Master" today at book club.

We talked about the technobabble story mechanism found in science fiction, in which the kids made connections to other science fiction we've read or seen. We also had a good discussion of the predictions of science fiction and how far off they can get; and as we delved into the story, it seemed like not only was everyone on board with following the story, but understanding some of the deeper currents in the fiction.

The story for next week is Isaac Asimov's "Nightfall."

If you enjoyed "Farewell to the Master," you might enjoy the science fiction movie that was based on it, "The Day the Earth Stood Still." (There are two versions of it, but the original black-and-white movie specifically was based on the story.)

Homeschooling, 'Peanuts' style

There are risks, of course, to letting older children help with the education of their siblings.



Taken from the animated "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown."

The Flying Monkey

My daughter told me she wants to start a newspaper as a homeschool project.

Outsize dreams come easily to my daughter. When she was studying pirates seven years ago, she decided to build a pirate ship out of popsicle sticks, complete with a mast and rigging. A little over two years ago, when she was accepted into the sixth-grade class of a college preparatory school, she decided to bake and sell cookies to raise the $26,000 a year tuition. Like those, this one stumped as impractical and unrealistic, until late Tuesday night.

And so, allow me to present "The Flying Monkey."

As our latest initiative in student-led learning, "The Flying Monkey" is going to give my daughter an opportunity to practice writing, it will familiarize her with the geography of New Jersey, and it will teach her some basic HTML and promotional skills. On top of that, it will be a way for her to earn a little money.

Here's how it works.

I've been getting audition notices for the past year from several community theaters in Middlesex, Somerset and Mercer counties. Some time ago, as I started adding Facebook friends from shows I had been in, I started posting these notices on Facebook. I quit Facebook back before Christmas, but I believe theaters still benefit from their notices being reposted -- and other people benefit if these notices are all put in one place.

I've been using Blogger for something on the order of a decade. It's got an easy interface, but it also gives knowledgable users the option of coding their own HTML. That's a chance for my daughter to think along the lines of design, and in a computer language. That's a plus.

When theaters send audition notices, or other announcements, they do so in a first-person. We'll be posting them on a third-party web site, requiring some rewriting. I've already explained to my daughter the nature of the Associated Press stylebook and its rules for grammar, spelling, and on and on. This will engage both her writing and her editing skills, while instilling in her a style of correct grammar and punctuation. Another plus.

Already my daughter has been in three shows with me: "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" at Villagers Theatre, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" at Brook Arts Center, and "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" at Kelsey Theatre. This represents an opportunity for her to become more familiar with the community theater scene in our area. As she becomes more familiar to directors and theaters in the area, she may even get cast more regularly. Greater socialization, greater memorization, greater familiarity with literature. More pluses.

And, if she gets her way, at some point we'll start adding reviews of the plays we see. Doing that will mean seeing more shows. Another plus.

Already my daughter has begun thinking about ways to promote the web site so it draws more traffic and we can justify asking theaters for complimentary tickets to review their shows. That's strategy at work, and critical thinking. She realizes it's going to take work to make the site succeed, and at this point, she's willing to put in the effort. A huge plus.

Best of all, this webzine is essentially her idea, and it's something she wants to do. As far as education goes, that's the biggest plus of all.

Sci-fi book club: January picks

The book club is taking a brief hiatus for the holidays, but will resume Jan. 7.

After a lot of delays and setbacks, we finally have finished "Have Space Suit -- Will Travel." If your child enjoyed that book, there are a number of other books by Robert Heinlein that are appropriate for teens and preteens. (Be warned that a number of his books are aimed at a more mature readership.) The Heinlein juveniles, as they're called, include books like "Starship Troopers," "Tunnel in the Sky" and "Starman Jones." You might also enjoy his short story "The Man Who Sold the Moon."

Because a lot of the truly great science fiction has been written in short story format, I want to spend January looking at some of the great science fiction stories. Here's the schedule:

1. Jan. 7 -- "Farewell to the Master," by Harry Bates. This story served as the inspiration for the original "The Day the Earth Stood Still."
2. Jan. 14 -- "Nightfall," by Isaac Asimov
3. Jan. 21 -- "The Sound of Thunder," by Ray Bradbury 
4. Jan. 28 -- "The Ugly Little Boy," by Isaac Asimov

All four stories have been anthologized extensively, but they also may be available online as free ebooks or on somebody's web site. In the case of "Nightfall" and "The Ugly Little Boy," there are full-length novel forms of the story, written by Robert Silverberg. They're quite good, but we'll be focusing on the original short stories.

The book club meets from 10:45 to 11:45 a.m  Mondays at the New Brunswick Free Public Library. It's generally aimed at readers who are in their early teens or older, but any homeschooler who can read the material and who wants to attend the discussions is welcome to join us.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

New Years Resolutions

Today is January 1, and that means one thing: time for New Years resolutions.

New Years Day is a perfect time for taking stock of what has worked, what hasn't, and for starting over with a crisp new sheet of paper. Every homeschooling parent has some things that have worked very well this past year, and others that have not worked as well. Part of the idea behind resolutions is to can carry forward into the new year the good practices we already have, and to adopt the good practices we've been searching for.

1.  When I see another parent doing it wrong, I will keep my mouth shut. One of the great things about homeschooling is that we realize all our kids learn differently, not just from one family to the next but even within the same family. And the beauty of homeschooling is its affirmation that individual parents know what's best for their children, better than some other well-intentioned adult.
   
2. When I see another parent doing something I don't get, I will listen. That parent who's doing it totally wrong? She just might have an amazing idea that never occurred to me. If I listen, I might discover something new that my own daughter will appreciate and benefit from.
   
3. Keep it fun, even if it’s just for fifteen minutes. I can't speak for other homeschooling parents, but there are times I am keenly aware of the pressure that comes from assuming full responsibility for my child's education, especially when she's at the tail end of middle school. Is she reading challenging enough books? Is she reading the right books? Is she doing enough to learn another language? Is she grasping the important scientific and mathematical principles? It's too easy to make my kid feel that pressure too, and rob her of the joy of learning. And yet the most educational moments in life come when we're not consciously learning. My daughter is 13 -- past the age when she's going to dance to Jimmy Buffett on the kitchen floor with me. But we can have fun together, creating imaginary worlds, making things together with our hands, and even dancing to Jimmy Buffett on the kitchen floor with her little sister. As James Kirk once said, "The more advanced the civilization, the more basic the need for play." Anything to break the monotony.
    
4. I will take a few minutes for myself every day. Maybe it will be to read the news, maybe it will be to write a blog entry. Maybe it will be to read a chapter in a book I'm working on, or maybe It might be a chance to catch up on your favorite blog, or finish a craft; it might be the opportunity to read a chapter in a book I'm enjoying. Exactly what it is, doesn't really matter. We all need something to rejuvenate us, and we all need to dedicate at least a few minutes every day to it. It will make you a better parent and a better teacher all at once.
    
5. I will  read to my kids at least once a week. Once kids can read for themselves, especially once they advance into complicated chapter books, it’s easy to forget that they need to be read to too.Every kid, however, can benefit from hearing mom or dad read aloud. Not only do they get to spend time with a parent, they also get to hear the characters speak, hear the intonation and inflection, and grow a better sense of how the story all hangs together.
   
6. Kids first, then the chores. The house is a royal mess. It's embarrassing. It will be there tomorrow, but today won't. Better to get the kids up, start them learning, and stick through it all with them. I'll clean the mess up in bits and pieces as we go, and get the kids to help.