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October 2020 Granite State Home Educators Newsletter
HEAC Back in Session -- Ed 315 update and Home Ed Credits

The Home Education Advisory Council (HEAC) is back in session for the 2020-21 school year. This year's focus is on getting the proposed Ed 315 proposal approved and through the final review process. It's been a two-year effort at the request of NH DOE Commissioner Edelblut to better align it with existing law. The other big topic discussed is how to work effectively with districts to give homeschoolers "credit" upon re-enrolling in their local schools.

Read more in HEAC Works with NH DOE re Participating Agencies and Home Ed “Credits”.

GSHE Talks Transcripts

We were very pleased to offer another discussion in our college planning series with the New Hampshire Higher Education Assistance Foundation (NHHEAF) specifically for homeschooling families! Three college admission officers joined us to discuss what they want to see on a homeschool applicant's transcript, how it should be presented, and answer families' questions. They shared great tips that are beneficial to all high-school students pursuing college, not just graduating seniors.

Watch the video in Homeschool to College: Transcript Insights from Admission Officers.

Special Note

How Is It Going?
Many families may be several weeks into their academic year, while others are just now taking the leap into homeschooling. So, how is it going?

Are the kids "on board" with homeschooling? Are you starting to feel comfortable in your routine? Do you have most of your kids' education plans in place and looking to fill in a few spots? Are you finding the resources and community you need? Have you been homeschooling a while and now face something new?

Regardless of where you are in your family's home education journey, GSHE is here to be a resource for you and a place to find community. We now have nearly 3,800 members in our primary Facebook support group, Granite State Home Educators! Pretty amazing, if you ask me. It's a great way to connect with other families to ask questions, organize a meet-up, or generally find your peeps. 

If you are new to homeschooling, GSHE developed several resources specifically for you, including several videos and an article that addresses common concerns if you are anticipating a return to public school.

If you are searching for other families and education professionals to form homeschool "pods" or microschools, join us at our new group, GSHE Homeschool Pod Connections. If you're unfamiliar with this variation of group homeschooling, read our What's Old is New Again article and watch two interviews we had with NH DOE Commissioner Edelblut.

Plug in where it fits your family's needs. GSHE has a ton of information and resources to help you work through these tough decisions and support your home education journey.

News and Articles

Best Piece of Advice

One of the best pieces of advice I have for families new to homeschooling is to be patient. It was likely a big change for you and your children; one you may not have fully made by choice. So many families are "crisis homeschooling" due to Covid and never imagined taking on the responsibility of home educating their children. That's ok. We've all been there --  just at the beginning with so many questions, uncertainties, and a deep fear of messing up. Homeschooling is a big shift for nearly everyone.

Read the rest here.

Why Aren't You In School Today

One of our members recently wrote about her family's learning experience as new homeschoolers. This is shared with permission.

“Hey kids! Why aren’t you in school today?”

Oh how many times we are going to hear this line.

“This is their school,” was my response to our kind tour guide.

It’s so easy to find the beauty in our state - especially this time of year. But our adult brains, our conditioned brains (through no fault of anyone!), see this as a “day off”, a “fun day”.

In the short time we have been homeschooling, I have begun to unschool myself and in turn my kids. Sounds crazy, sounds like they aren’t learning, sounds SCARY.

Read the rest of this story here

Free to Customize Learning

Homeschoolers have complete autonomy to create a customized learning plan for their children. They do not have any obligation to follow the local public school’s calendar, schedule, standards, scope/sequence, attendance requirements, or any other aspects of the public education model.

That said, some families may be planning to re-enter public school at some point, perhaps when the Covid protocols change and remote learning ends. These families might be interested in referencing the state standards to use as a guideline for their children’s learning. 

Read more here.

Curriculum Tips -- Make It Work For You

"Make the curriculum work for you!" I say this a LOT! Here is an example from our homeschool:

My 13b struggles to write, especially when he is forced to. It's a very negative experience, causes anxiety and frustration for him. He has a mild form of dysgraphia.

He was assigned an essay on "Optimism" and our curriculum walks him through the steps. He was unhappy immediately, and even after we sat together and brainstormed ideas, he was still quite upset. I set him up on the computer and looked up ideas with him.

Read more about Amanda's tips here.

GSHE How-To Videos

The GSHE leadership team has been working hard to expand the resources avaiable on our website, and as part of that effort, we've created several new videos! You can find all of them on our website on the Videos page as well as our YouTube channel. We are continuing to create more video content to support your home education program - let us know if there's a topic you'd like us to cover!

Finding Education Professionals

Whether you are looking for a music teacher, a math tutor, or a certified teacher for a year-end assessment, GSHE has a compiled list of educational professionals that offer various services to NH's homeschool community. The list is not an endorsement or recommendation; It is up to each family to make their own arrangements, verify credentials, and enter into an agreement of their choosing. GSHE is not responsible.

Opportunities and Events

GSHE Online Halloween Events

Join GSHE for THREE fun online events to celebrate the season!

Friday, Oct 30 through Sunday, Nov 1   Virtual Halloween Parade

It's simple -- just share a photo of your little princess or goblin in costume so we can all see how darling he/she is! Feel free to add a picture of your jackolanterns, too. That's all there is to it! We want to give the kids a chance to show off their cute and spooky costumes. This is only in our private groups, not a public event, so only other families in each group will see the photos. This event is in our main Granite State Home Educators group, GSHE Homeschool Pod Connections, and GSHE Unexpectedly Homeschooling.

Friday, Oct 30 at noon   Facebook Watch Party – It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

Join us on the GSHE page or event link to watch the 1966 classic together! Family fun for children of all ages.

Friday, Oct 30 at 3pm   Facebook Watch Party – The Addams Family (2019)

Join us to watch the 2019 animated movie of the Addams Family! The show may be more suitable for pre-teens and olders, so families should use their judgement to determine if it's appropriate for their children.



ArtistsNetwork -- Live "draw with us" programs on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 3:00pm EST.

Colonel Paul Wentworth House -- Colonial Market Fair and Militia Muster on Saturday, October 17 from 10am to 4:30pm and Sunday, October 18 from 10am to 2pm. 

Currier Museum of Art -- Exhibiting artist Skawennati will host an online chat on Tuesday, October 20 at 5pm to discuss her current exhibit, "Open World: Video Games and Contemporary Art." Register for the Zoom discussion.

FarmCamp -- Homeschool enrichment classes in Chester run by a homeschooling family! Activities include preschool science, playtime with goats, slime science, nature hikes and more!

Foster + Partners -- Architectural templates your children can print out, color and fold to create paper cities. 

Homeschool Bowling League -- Join Lori as she hosts the sixth annual homeschool bowling league! Running all year on Fridays and is at Lakeside Lanes.

Homeschool Soccer League -- Pass, shoot, score! This soccer program is a progressive program, with multiple age-specific levels. Players are taught basic game skills such as passing, receiving, shooting, footwork and dribbling. Runs through October 16th in Hooksett.

McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center -- Join them for Sci-Fi Fridays from 5:30pm to 8pm through October 30th for B-movies, aliens, monsters, and mad scientists "under the stars" at the center. Limited to 50 people each evening. 

Millyard Museum -- Join the museum's executive director on a visual history tour of the Amoskeag Millyard on Saturday, November 7th from 10am to 11:30am and again from 1pm to 2:30pm. Pre-registration, masks, and social distancing required. 

The Museum of Science, Boston -- They are hosting several virtual presentations and events! Check out their FB page for a full list. 

NE Drama Playhouse -- War of the Worlds: the Panic Broadcast has several performance dates starting on Wednesday, October 14 through Saturday, October 17, all at 7pm on Zoom.

New England Aquarium -- They are hosting several virtual events each week! 

New England Dairy Farm -- Virtual tours on October 20 and October 17 starting at 10am.

NH Older Kids Homeschool Park Day -- A homeschool family is hosting weekly meet-ups on Tuesdays in Exeter while the weather is decent. 

Old Sturbridge Village -- Explore the museum after hours for spooky delights and Halloween fun from 5pm to 8pm, beginning October 21 through October 31. Pre-registration and masks required.

Seminary Ridge Museum -- Free online learning opportunities for middle and high school levels.

Squam Lakes Natural Science Center -- Ssaturday, October 17 is "New Hampshire Day" with $5 trail admission for NH residents. Advance reservations required. 


Check our article here for even more online learning resources. If you're on our Facebook group, look on the Events page for even more fun and educational opportunities coming up! 

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