Christiana Homeschool - Blog | Christiana Homeschool Academy

Where can I find free CHA uniforms?

8/12/2024

Did you know that CHA has a used clothing rack by our entrance? So if you find something that will fit your student, feel free to grab it! And later, when they grow out of their uniform, if it doesn't have stains and holes, throw it on the rack for the next family. These gently loved clothes have the added benefit of being "broken in" and "pre-shrunk." Win-win! Sometimes there are even shoes to be found there. CHA mom Samantha Berry is our "Donations" coordinator- she'll be keeping the rack clean and organized, and handling anything else that gets "donated" to CHA. (One year we did a puzzle swap!) So feel free to check out the rack at Orientation or anytime you are at CHA!

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Portrait of a Christian Graduate

5/15/2024

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This year the Board of Directors drafted an important document titled "Portrait of a Christiana Graduate." This list represents the essential virtues which will contribute to the formation of our students into mature and thoughtful Christian adults. With a thorough grounding in the liberal arts, Christiana graduates are equipped with the tools of learning which can facilitate their success in any walk of adult life.

We would invite you to see what this looks like in our current senior class during Senior Speeches at the End of Year Program on Monday, May 20th at 8:30am, and also at our Graduation Ceremony on Friday, May 24th, from 7:00 - 9:00pm. (No ticket needed!)

The "Portrait of a Christiana Graduate" will also be used by the newly created High School Task Force, which has been formed to review our upper school program. At present, Task Force members include Bill Jenkins, Sadie Peterson, and Claire Mattingly.

It is our deep desire that our classes and families at CHA would work towards the goals presented in the "Portrait" for every student at Christiana Homeschool Academy.

So without further ado, presenting....

Portrait of a Christiana Graduate:

LOVE…
God
fellow man
wisdom
what is Good, True, Beautiful

THINK…
with reason
deeply and upward
independently of fads
by being informed by the great minds
with faith, seeking understanding

COMMUNICATE…
using the time-tested tools of rhetoric
with humility and wisdom
eloquently and effectively
profoundly

ENGAGE…
God’s creation with awe and wonder
as respectful citizens in community
with what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable- the excellent and praiseworthy

EMBODY…
the character of Christ with joy

This is part of the Board Bits: Tips, Tricks, and Hacks series. Is there a question about CHA or homeschool that you would like answered?
Submit inquiries to Tracey at [email protected]

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How do I write a high school transcript?

5/8/2024

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By Rosalie Seeley

Writing a high school transcript can seem daunting, but there are so many resources out there from simple to complex. Truly, you could have one completed with just a little effort.There are also companies that will help you compile a transcript for a fee. And depending on your homeschool oversight (umbrella) group, they may provide you with one upon request.

Of course, it does depend on which college you’re applying to and what their requirements are. To complete most college applications, the transcript is the basic paperwork that is attached to the application. Some applications require essays or an interview, but many colleges no longer require SAT or CLT scores. So far, for the colleges that my children have applied to, we have downloaded a transcript form off the internet (one sample is attached), completed it, and attached the CHA high school coursework (also attached), which includes the books and credit hours for each course. We use the grades issued by the CHA tutors on Thinkwave, although the parent has the final call whether the grade needs to be adjusted.

If your child is also taking courses online or at a community college, make sure to include that. If a college wants additional information to complete the application, they will contact you. Homeschooling is now a widely accepted way to educate children, and some colleges will even seek out students that have been homeschooled.

Khan Academy included this in their lesson on college admissions:
“Your transcript should include all of the following information:

Your name, the name of your homeschool (if applicable), address, and phone number
Your high school course list ordered by year (grades 9-12)
The institution where each class was taken (i.e. homeschool, online institution, community college)
The grade scale being used in your homeschool
Your overall GPA
Credits given per course (listed per semester and per year)
Expected graduation date
Parent signature with a date

If you’ve taken classes online or outside of your homeschooling, contact each institution to make sure they also send schools an official copy of your transcript. The transcript your parent creates should be cumulative and include both your homeschooled classes and any classes you’ve taken at an outside institution.”

For more information about High School Transcripts, including additional free templates, check out the Home School Legal Defense website:
https://hslda.org/post/why-every-teen-needs-a-transcript-and-how-to-get-one

This is part of the Board Bits: Tips, Tricks, and Hacks series. Is there a question about CHA or homeschool that you would like answered?
Submit inquiries to Tracey at [email protected]

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Fields Trips!

5/6/2024

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FIELD TRIPS!
As the summer quickly approaches, we have been gathering suggestions for great field trips to keep the learning going all year long! Enjoy the list!
History

Williamsburg , VA
- Colonial Williamsburg Homeschool Days:
  https://www.colonialwilliamsburg.org/visit/group-tours/homeschool/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=tickets-nonbrand&utm_content=cwf-homeschooldays-2024&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAlcyuBhBnEiwAOGZ2S8gDbXDXHBNRUzL-jfUwdMh5KHLjgXthWGsERVKQcni4h-8M7paGPBoCcIcQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
- Jamestown Settlement: https://www.jyfmuseums.org/visit/jamestown-settlement
- Historic Jamestown (different from settlement): https://historicjamestowne.org/
- American Revolution Museum: https://www.jyfmuseums.org/home
4th Graders (and their families!) get in FREE to National Parks:
https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1207/every-kid-outdoors-program-provides-fourth-grade-students-with-free-entrance-to-public-lands.htm
Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament: https://www.medievaltimes.com/baltimore
Smithsonian Museums
- American History: https://americanhistory.si.edu/
- African American History Museum: https://nmaahc.si.edu/
- National Museum of the American Indian
B&O Railroad Museum: https://www.borail.org/
Mount Vernon (VA): https://www.mountvernon.org/
Harriet Tubman Museum: https://www.harriettubmanmuseumcenter.org/
US Holocaust Memorial Museum: https://www.ushmm.org/
Carroll County Farm Museum: https://carrollcountyfarmmuseum.org/
Seneca Schoolhouse: https://www.historicmedley.org/visit/seneca-schoolhouse/
Fort McHenry: https://nps.gov/fomc/index.htm
Glencairn Museum (Medieval) (Bryn Athyn, PA): https://www.glencairnmuseum.org
Ephrata Cloister (Colonial) (Ephrata, PA): https://ephratacloister.org/

English

Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum: https://www.poeinbaltimore.org/

Art

Smithsonian
- American Art Museum: https://www.si.edu/museums/american-art-museum
- Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden: https://hirshhorn.si.edu/
- National Museum of African Art: https://africa.si.edu/
- National Portrait Gallery: https://npg.si.edu/home/national-portrait-gallery
- Renwick Gallery: https://hirshhorn.si.edu/
Andy Warhol Museum (Pittsburg): https://www.warhol.org/
Walters Art Museum: https://thewalters.org/
Baltimore Museum of Art: https://artbma.org/

Music

Midweek Concerts at the BSO: https://www.bsomusic.org/education/schools/midweeks/
Town of Bel Air Summer Concert Series:

https://www.belairmd.org/548/Summer-Concerts

Science

Maryland Science Center Homeschool Programs:
https://www.mdsci.org/learn/for-parents-homeschoolers/
Maryland Zoo-
https://www.marylandzoo.org/visit/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAlcyuBhBnEiwAOGZ2S_aRh8Pf9KZ9v-M7kPlglhVqJxOdbKNWZWim6kcmXcCOpxw1VIwc4RoC4q8QAvD_BwE
National Aquarium in Baltimore- https://aqua.org/visit
- Half Price on Friday evenings!
Port Discovery: https://www.portdiscovery.org/
Smithsonian Museums:
- Natural History Museum: https://naturalhistory.si.edu
- National Air and Space Museum: https://www.si.edu/museums/air-and-space-museum

Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt MD: https://www.nasa.gov/goddard/visitor-center/

National Zoo - https://nationalzoo.si.edu/

National Building Museum: https://www.nbm.org/
Hashawa/Bear Branch Nature Center:
https://www.carrollcountymd.gov/government/directory/recreation-parks/places-to-go/hashawha-environmental-center-bear-branch-nature-center/
- Be sure to check out the Planetarium at Bear Branch Nature Center!
Piney Run Park Field Trips
- Senses and Seasons (Grades Pre-K to K)
- Habitat Explorers (K-8)
- Amazing Insects (K-8)
- Aquatic Exploration (Grades 2-8)
- Birds of a Feather (Grades 4-8)
Gardens
- Longwood Garden (PA):
  https://longwoodgardens.org/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAlcyuBhBnEiwAOGZ2SzTPVeq6cd3Il29Ptp0Gt0WdZrz7j19mp2xaw4vSi1cUN8Lh4UwbzBoC6WQQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
- Phipps Conservatory (PA):
  https://www.phipps.conservatory.org/exhibits-and-events/calendar
- Ladew Garden (MD):
  https://ladewgardens.com/

Theater:

Sight and Sound: https://www.sight-sound.com/
Hershey Theater: https://www.hersheyentertainment.com/hershey-theatre/

Misc.

Kid Friendly MD- This website and facebook page give many updates with information about local (MD, DC, VA) places that are kid friendly. Some of them are educational, and some posts are about amazing playgrounds and ice cream shops:
- Website: https://sunshinewhispers.com/kid-friendly-maryland/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kidfriendlymaryland
Great Wolf Lodge in PA and MD Homeschool Group Trips:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/143077059614959
Lighthouse Tours: https://www.visitmaryland.org/list/take-tour-marylands-lighthouses
U.S. Naval Academy: https://navalacademytourism.com/visitor-center

(Free to walk around by yourself, or tours available at cost. Park in downtown Annapolis and enter the academy grounds through Gate 1. All visitors over 18 need a license or valid picture ID to enter.)
This is part of the Board Bits: Tips, Tricks, and Hacks series. Is there a question about CHA or homeschool that you would like answered?
Submit inquiries to Tracey at [email protected]

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What is this summer’s reading theme going to be?

4/24/2024

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Announcing… “Explore New Worlds!” (See the attached flyer for the complete list of titles and places we’ll be exploring!)

We have been building up to it in Bite-Sized Great Books. In February we discussed Sir Thomas More’s Utopia. Mrs. Peterson, the parent who had the most experience with this book, introduced it to us. (Utopia is an 11th grade “Great Book.”)

“Utopia is a novel whereby St. Thomas More imagines a distant land where no one owns anything and everyone shares what they have. He lays out a political and social structure where this might be possible but never tells us whether he's actually serious about implementing it or not.”

In March we read a segment of Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville (a 12th grade “Great Book”) and discussed if there was any beauty in utility. De Tocqueville comments on the greater equity of access to academics and the arts that Americans have, but there seems to be less specialization and achievement. Was this the result of democracy or something truly American in character?

Today, (April 24th) we will take a “bite” out of Plato’s Republic (a 9th grade “Great Book.”) Is his political philosophy a utopia, or a dystopia? In our reading we’ll cover the allegory of the Cave, and how easily we can be fooled by things that seem real, and how surprising the real truth can be when we first learn it. We’ll discuss the difference between that which we grasp with our senses, and that which we grasp with our minds.

As soon as the school year ends, summer reading begins! And summer reading is for the WHOLE family, plus friends, neighbors, and extended family. It is free and open to the community, and participants do not need to be current CHA students or families.

Summer Reading Book Club

Parents and teens can join us for lively discussions of Brave New World (June 26), Fahrenheit 451 (July 31) and 1984 (August 21). Older children and tweens can come too, and watch episodes of On The Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness from The Wingfeather Saga (Angel Studios, TV-Y7).

Summer Reading Trivia Night

Last year the Akchin family dominated the Kahoot podium at Trivia Night when they had a living room full of friends and everyone had perfectly executed a “divide and conquer plan” for the eleven featured books. Who will give them a run for their money this summer??? Sign-up on Google Forms! https://forms.gle/gzcqRpVFPdim6ZfJ7

This is part of the Board Bits: Tips, Tricks, and Hacks series. Is there a question about CHA or homeschool that you would like answered?
Submit inquiries to Tracey at [email protected]

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Where can I find free CHA uniforms?

Portrait of a Christian Graduate

How do I write a high school transcript?

Fields Trips!

What is this summer’s reading theme going to be?

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