Fall 2016

Autumn Roadshcool Adventures

Learn about the Space Program and See a Rocket Launch North America’s Best Corn Mazes The

ULTIMATE school Guide Fall 2016

Also In This Issue:

• The First Thanksgiving • Creepy Critters • Celtic Folklore: The Origin of Jack-O’-Lanterns ... and much more!

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In This Issue From the Editor The First Thanksgiving Creepy Critters Getting the Creative Juices Flowing!”

Celtic Folklore: The Origin of Jack-O’-Lanterns Learn about the Space Program and See a Rocket Launch You Are An Artist: Just Practice What About Art Appreciation?

5 Must Have Roadschool Rules Common Core Issues 1: What is the Common Core?

Getting Out of the Way of Your Dreams North America’s Best Corn Mazes

From the Editor The Ultimate Roadschool Guide is a comprehensive resource for traveling families who blend their location with the educational opportunities it provides. The first publication of its kind, the magazine provides the information, supplies, and support needed by today’s roadschooler.

Published bi-monthly, subscribers receive an electronic copy of this digest before its released in print or available anywhere else online. The Roadschool 101 Crew is on the road bringing you up-close and personal experiences to keep your roadschool refreshed and recharged.

The fact is that more American families are on the road today than ever, and they are homeschooling their children.

The Ultimate Roadschool Guide will bridge the gap for traveling families who are on a learning road trip.

Published by Roadschool 101 Media, LLC Kimberly Travaglino, Strategy Director

Mary Beth Goff Senior Editor

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The First Thanksgiving The first Thanksgiving has been the subject of much speculation over the years. Edward Winslow, a Mayflower Pilgrim, wrote to a friend in England about their first harvest celebration in the New World. This celebration later became known as the first Thanksgiving.

“Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that we might after a more special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the Company almost a week. At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some 90 men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain and others.

And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.” – Edward Winslow from the book Mourt’s Relation We have very little information about the event other than Winslow’s account. At some point Massasoit, an important leader of the Wampanoag People, along with ninety Native men and many other Native people, joined the Pilgrims in their celebration. Little is known about what lead the Natives to join the English in their celebration. The English and the Natives spent three days feasting, entertaining one another and building relationships between their two people groups. This became known as the First Thanksgiving and took place in the year 1621, sometime between the end of September and early November.

Experience an Early American Harvest Celebration The Plimouth Plantation living history museum in Massachusetts sits 2.5 miles from the original English Settlement and offers a unique look into life for both Native American’s and Mayflower Pilgrims.

Every fall Plimouth Plantation hosts harvest dinners with Pilgrims set in the year 1627. Visitors dine with actors who are famed for never breaking character.

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Each one has taken on the persona of a Mayflower Pilgrim. They serve a harvest meal of foods prepared with period specific recipes. Diners learn the table manners of the day, hear tales of England, and find out what really happened at the very first harvest celebration in 1621. The entertainment also includes Psalms and old songs. Want to know the origins of this very American holiday? Visit the place where it all began!

Plimoth Plantation 137 Warren Avenue Plymouth, MA 02360 http://plimoth.org/plan-your-visit/dining-functions/ harvest-dinner-pilgrims

If you can’t visit in person, try these virtual activities for free: Thanksgiving Homework Help http://www.plimoth.org/learn/just-kids/homeworkhelp/thanksgiving Thanksgiving Interactive: You are the historian http://www.plimoth.org/learn/MRL/interact/ thanksgiving-interactive-you-are-historian Go on a Virtual Field Trip to Plimouth Plantation and the Wampanog Village. http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/ webcast.htm

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Creepy Critters Bats Bats have been an ominous symbol for centuries and the subject of much folklore. They are fascinating, mysterious creatures. Bats are the only mammals capable of flight. They can live as long as 30 or 40 years, and they survive almost everywhere except at the poles and in the driest deserts. If you go outside at dusk anywhere in the world, there is a good chance you will get a glimpse of one or several bats. The majority of bats eat insects (some can eat as many as 1,000 mosquitoes in an hour!).

Other bats eat fruit, nectar, small animals and fish.

The most notorious are the blood-sucking vampire bats of South America.

Many bat populations are numbered in the millions, but some are on the decline. Recently in the United States White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) is threatening bats. If you visit an area where WhiteNose Syndrome has been detected, be sure to follow all cleaning protocols to avoid spreading the disease to other areas. White-Nose Syndrome is caused by a fungus and affects hibernating bats during winter. This fungus can grow on the skin. It disrupts hibernation and can lead to “dehydration, starvation, and often death” according to the National Park Service. Bats are important for pest control and they disperse plant pollen and seeds.

More than six million bats have been killed by WNS in recent years causing much concern.

Where can you see bats in their natural habitat?

If your travels take you to explore the spectacular caves of Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, make sure to attend the Bat Flight Program that takes place nightly at 6:45pm from April through mid-to-late October. Bats migrate south for the winter either in late October or early November depending on weather, and return in April or May depending on weather. During this program visitors will witness the nightly ritual of Brazilian free-tailed bats as they fly out of the caves en masse in search of food.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park 727 Carlsbad Cavern Hwy Carlsbad, NM 88220 (575) 785-2232 https://www.nps.gov/cave/planyourvisit/bat_flight_ program.htm The

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Additional Resources for your Road School: Bats Express (Quick) Lapbook from A Journey Through Learning Topics include: Bats and the Ecosystem, Parts of the Bat, Bats and Rabies, Bat Diet, Megabats and Microbats, and more. Includes coloring pages, games, and a bat craft idea. Actual bat photos included. 25 pages. This lapbook is meant to be done is 1-2 sittings.

http://www.ajourneythroughlearning.net/baexqla.html

More Information on Bats: https://www.nps.gov/cave/learn/nature/bats.htm http://www.defenders.org/bats/bats Learn about White-nose syndrome: https://www.nps.gov/labe/learn/nature/upload/WNSPoster-Handout-18-May-2016.pdf

Tarantulas Big, hairy spiders spark fear in the heart of the bravest souls. Tarantulas are not a creature you want to stumble upon late at night in a campground bathroom, but a little knowledge can help alleviate the panic of these chance encounters.

Tarantulas are the largest spiders in the world and in the US are mostly found in the Southwest.

They typically eat insects and occasionally small animals or baby birds. Their enemies include birds, snakes, other tarantulas and tarantula hawks.

When a tarantula is threatened it will rear up on its back legs and expose its fangs. Stay away if you see this behavior! It may even shoot out hairs from its abdomen. These hairs are coated with venom.

Although tarantulas have venom and can bite, their venom is less dangerous to humans than a bee sting.

While tarantulas move somewhat slowly, they are adept nighttime hunters. They grab their prey with their appendages injecting paralyzing venom and use their fangs. In addition they liquefy their victim’s bodies by secreting digestive enzymes. This enables the tarantula to suck their victims up into their mouth openings.

Tarantulas can be found throughout most of the Southern part of the United States, but finding tarantulas out during the day is not common unless it’s mating season. Although they are typically

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nocturnal, during mating season male tarantulas will leave their underground burrows to seek out females. When the male finally finds his female tarantula, she will either leave her burrow to mate with him, or she’ll eat him if she’s hungry. Maybe that’s why females have a life span of up to 25 years while males don’t live longer than 8?

Where can you see Tarantulas in their natural habitat?

Tarantula mating season usually happens in the late summer through early fall (end of August through October). The females tend to remain in their burrows and wait for the males. Tarantula mating season is when hikers are most likely to come across male tarantulas in search of a mate.

While that could be a terrifying site, it is important to remain calm.

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If you would like to observe tarantulas in their natural habitat, going for hikes in the desert areas of California, Texas and Arizona in late summer or early fall is a great way to see these magnificent creatures in person!

Additional Resources for your Road School: Spiders Express (Quick) Lapbook from A Journey Through Learning Description: A Journey Through Learning express lap book all about spiders designed for any age.

Requires one folder and can be completed in one or two days. 30 pages. http://www.roadtripteacher.com/shop/spidersexpress-lapbook/

More information on tarantulas: https://www.nps.gov/band/learn/nature/upload/ tarantula%20fact%20sheet.pdf http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/bugs/ tarantula/

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Getting the Creative Juices Flowing!”

Nancy Fileccia

How many times have you heard your children complain about doing school? Maybe, it is not the subject or even the curriculum that is making them moan, but the lack of excitement in actually “doing” it!

Just like you take small pleasures in a new flavor of coffee or a new scent of a room spray, kids need that too! I think as traveling homeschooling moms, we sometimes become very comfortable in the curriculum that we use. It is familiar, easy, and does not need a lot of extra thinking on our part.

Our days are hectic enough without us adding, or even worse, learning something new! Nevertheless, change is something we all need. Many times the change does not need to be enormous, expensive, require a lot of space, or be over-whelming to add a spark of excitement to your child’s day.

One way to help your child get their creative juices flowing is to substitute a boring workbook for an exciting form of learning called unit studies.

Unit studies have been around for years. They are great because they can include various subjects, and be used with different learning styles and multiple age groups. Instead of your child just “reading” about a topic, you can allow them to experience the different activities studied. Usually, a unit study is based around a particular topic or theme. The point of during unit studies is to allow children to create “rabbit trails” with their learning. As, they come across a topic they are interested in, they can then spend time exploring the many facets and deepen their understanding of the topic. So, for example, if you were studying Ancient Rome you would

study their way of life, education, homes, jobs, and government. If, your child showed a deep interest in their way of education, you could then “rabbit trail,” to exploring their written language, the differences in schooling boys verse girls, visit a museum, make paper, and so on.

So, now you have decided to do a unit study, where do you begin? Here are few ideas to get you moving in the right directions.

1. Select your topic of study.

2. Gather several topics for reading; picture books, encyclopedias, chapter books.

3. The internet is filled with wonderful videos and games to make learning fun.

4. Decide on several field trips.

5. Outline by topic and then break your topic into smaller topics.

6. Decide on how your children will gather and use the information. Some examples are lapbooking (like educational scrapbooking-for lapbook ideas check out A Journey Through Learning Lapbooks at ajourneythroughlearning.com), notebooking pages, or photos 7. Dig in and have fun!

Research had shown that children retain 45% more by DOING than simply reading. So, what are you waiting for? Put the workbooks away and start a unit study today!

Nancy Fileccia has been homeschooling her 3 children for the past 10 years. She has one in college and an 11th and 6th grader at home. She is the owner of A Journey Through Learning Lapbooks with her close friend, Paula Winget. Visit their store at ajourneythroughlearning.com.

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Celtic Folklore: The Origin of Jack-O’-Lanterns Why do we carve scary faces in the sides of pumpkins and then light them up with candles?

Where did this tradition originate? The Irish used to carve turnips with terrifying faces and use them as lanterns. They believed these carved and lighted turnips would lead lost souls home and frighten away evil spirits. The original story told the tale of a farmer, named Jack, who tricked the devil. When he died he was turned away from both heaven and hell and doomed to wander in the dark in purgatory.

Jack made a lantern from a turnip and some coal thrown at him from hell. He used the lantern to guide his lost soul.

• Pumpkin Carving Ideas: http://www.pumpkinlady.com/ • Fall and Autumn Lapbooks from http://www.ajourneythroughlearning.net/ • For more craft ideas including seasonal crafts using many recycled materials check out: Red Ted Art http://www.roadtripteacher. com/shop/red-ted-art-cute-easy-crafts-kidskindle-edition/

In the mid 1800’s the potato famine in Ireland brought Irish families to North America along with many of their traditions. Pumpkins were used instead of turnips because they were easier to come by and easier to carve. Why not carve some pumpkins as a family and learn a bit of ancient folklore at the same time?

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Learn about the Space Program and See a Rocket Launch A walk through the Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex in Titusville, Florida: Walking up to the front of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex with the massive NASA globe is always exciting. The fountain that pays tribute to President John F. Kennedy is striking as well and sets the tone for all who enter.

For the eyes of the world now look into space to the moon and to the planets beyond, and we have vowed that we shall not see it governed by a hostile flag of conquest, but by a banner of freedom and peace.

—John F. Kennedy As you enter through the main gates the first site you see is a Rocket Garden. Here experts give tours on a regular basis educating visitors on the many varied rockets on display. There is also a covered play area for little ones adjacent to the Rocket Garden. You will also find the first of many restaurants and food vendors that are sprinkled throughout the complex. As you travel further in, there is an auditorium where visitors can listen to a talk from a real astronaut and ask questions. Beyond that is a building dedicated to the exploration of Mars and the feats that have already been accomplished. Next to the Mars building is a large theater where multiple IMAX films play throughout the day. The short films vary, but these 3D IMax films teach about the Hubble telescope and other aspects of the space program.

the building and work your way down. The Atlantis building is filled with informative and interactive displays. There is a crawl-through space station, a re-entry slide, a launch simulator and various other flight and maintenance simulators.

After exploring the main campus of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex it’s time to pick up any of the bus tours out to the Saturn V center. The bus terminal is located outside the Atlantis building. There is a free bus tour included with admission as well as several other tours available for an additional cost. The free bus ride is given by a knowledgeable and entertaining guide who shares with you about the local wildlife as well as the history of the area and the space program.

You may spot alligators or bald eagles in the ride to the Saturn V Center. The driver may take you to see the launch pad that provided the foundation for the Apollo Moon Missions. You can see the building where the control room is housed, and the building where the rockets are assembled. Eventually visitors are dropped off at the Saturn V center.

At the back of the main campus is the ever impressive Atlantis building. Inside the Atlantis building you learn all about the most recent Space Shuttle program. First you are corralled into a large room and a dramatization of the creation of a reusable space shuttle is shown. When the movie ends the screen becomes see-through and opens up to an actual space shuttle hanging from the ceiling of this massive building. You begin at the top of Rocket roadschool day for the James gang The

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Once in the Saturn V Center you view a reenactment of the first Moon landing from the perspective of those in the control room. The original equipment is sitting in front of you, and the presentation also includes the original audio recordings of the launch as well. Once you exit the first presentation, you enter the massive great hall at the center of the building that holds an actual Saturn V rocket suspended from the ceiling. In here you can see the original, iconic astronaut van as well. There are several, fascinating multimedia presentations and tons of artifacts from the Apollo Missions.

Observing a Rocket Launch: When you take the bus back to the main campus of the Kennedy Space Center, if there is a rocket launch scheduled that night, you are welcome to stay in the park for free and sit in the bleachers to the side of the Atlantis building.

They typically have food vendors available. There will also be an MC interacting with the crowd. As the launch time approaches they play the control room transmissions. Sometimes the launches don’t happen, sometimes they are delayed a bit, and sometimes they fail. However, if the rocket launches successfully, even though you are 7 miles from the launch site at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex, the sky will light up like morning and you will hear and feel what is essentially a nuclear bomb attached to the bottom of the shuttle. It is an experience like no other!

Fun Fact: All manned launches take off from the Kennedy Space Center and all unmanned launches take off from nearby Cape Canaveral.

Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex SR 405 Titusville, FL 32899 (321) 452-2121 kennedyspacecenter.com Science behind a Rocket Launch: http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasa-knows/index.html Rocket Launch Simulator: http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/RocketScience101/RocketScience101.html Space and Astronomy Guides: http://www.ajourneythroughlearning.net/

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You Are An Artist: Just Practice

by Lucia Hames

Pastel chalks are an easy and almost instantly rewarding way to introduce a student to creativity.

Using the chalks are often referred to as “painting” rather than drawing. Chalks are pure paint pigment.

Yes, they are messy and stain your fingers when you use them. We’ve shared often here at Hodgepodge those gentle tips to help parents get over the mess. The simple steps for how to add art to your homeschool day. Also, how to start art with little ones.

“Well, I’m just not artistic,” you say.

Just practice. Yes, you mama. The more often you get out the art supplies, the better you will feel about it. Just practice often. And this, in turn, will give your children the steady gift of practicing being an artist. See, with a bit of concentration, a brave stroke of green in the middle of a white sheet of

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paper can turn into a spring meadow with rolling hills. Landscapes are the best way to start your pastel art.

“Whether we are poets or parents or teachers or artists or gardeners, we must start where we are and use what we have. In the process of creation and relationship, what seems mundane and trivial may show itself to be holy, precious, part of a pattern.” Luci Shaw

Pick Up the Pastel and Draw I have taken many years of classes in all sorts of art: watercolor, acrylics, pastels and basic drawing.

The most discouraging aspect of my learning experience was being told that I had the wrong brand of paint, the wrong colors of pastels and used the wrong type of paper or canvas.

Art CAN be very expensive, but the focus of my teaching is not brand names for the “utensils” or brushes, paints and chalk! Start off any new type of art slowly and use the “student brand” of the supplies before investing in expensive supplies. Get used to the medium first! Find your joy in creating before focusing on the extras…..pick up that bright green pastel and paint a horizon line for your landscape.

Don’t Get Discouraged By the Work of Others If a child is worried about what someone next to him is painting and how her picture looks more like a spring field of poppies, then he begins to miss pure creativity. Allow your children the freedom of painting by themselves if it is at all possible. Have your children take turns or divide your students up in separate rooms and see how they are forced to rely on their own resources to create.

Most pastel paintings only take about 15 minutes to complete, thus allowing more time to practice again. Start small, with plain copier paper, nothing any bigger. You will find that practicing the same scene will allow you to get better and you will want to add tiny flowers in the field or scrubby trees in the distance. Enjoy!

All of the children and adults at Hodgepodge – tried our very first chalk pastel tutorial (http:// www.hodgepodge.me/2012/03/path-to-the-beach-a-

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pastels-tutorial/) again not too long ago. Some three years after we originally shared this first tutorial, we wanted to see how our skills had developed.

Just to paint is great fun. The colours are lovely to look at and delicious to squeeze out.

Matching them, however crudely, with what you see is fascinating and absolutely absorbing. ~ Winston S. Churchill

~ Lucia Hames, a.k.a. Nana, is author of art curriculum for all ages and over 50+ free art tutorials at Hodgepodge. She also teaches many video art tutorials on the Hodgepodge YouTube channel.

What About Art Appreciation?

By Tricia Hodges

If you are practicing the simple joy of art, then art appreciation will come. Just practice. I found in our homeschool, that once we painted familiar, every day objects, we thought we’d try some projects in the style of some of the great masters. It is a natural progression.

Our favorite resource for art appreciation is Harmony Fine Arts (http://harmonyfinearts.org/).

One afternoon a week, we study an artist. The plans are such that I can open them on my laptop, click a link and we learn about the artist and view artwork online. Just a short amount of time – 15 minutes for young ones. Just practice.

Some of the art lessons we’ve shared in the style of great masters: • Impressionism with Claude Monet - http://www.hodgepodge. me/2013/05/impressionism-with-chalk-pastelart-monets-bridge/

• Icarus by Matisse - http://www. hodgepodge.me/2014/01/icarus-by-henrimatisse-chalk-pastel-art-tutorial/ • London at Twilight by Monet - http:// www.hodgepodge.me/2014/01/icarus-byhenri-matisse-chalk-pastel-art-tutorial/ More resources on art appreciation: Art in the Homeschool (a huge resource list! http://www. thecurriculumchoice.com/2014/02/art-homeschool/) and my review of Harmony Fine Arts Plans. (http:// www.thecurriculumchoice.com/2012/04/harmony-finearts-plans-for-art-and-music-appreciation/) Have you found that just getting out the supplies helps you and your children practice and learn to appreciate art?

Homeschooling for over a dozen years now, Tricia faces a daily dose of chaos with five children from preschool to high school.

She is author of art curriculum for all ages (www.southernhodgepodge.com) and a series of cookbooks at Hodgepodge. She and her husband, Steve are alos co-owners of The Curriculum Choice (www.thecurriculumchoice.com) and Habits for a Happy Home (www.habitsforahappyhome.com).

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5 Must Have Roadschool Rules

Mary Beth Goff

The biggest rule for successful roadschooling is simple: There are no rules. However,while pondering the things I wish I had known when I started roadschooling my kids, these are the five must have rules I wish I had known in the beginning.

Explore. Observe every inch of the the outdoors around you. Climbing mountains and hiking canyons is awesome. But, so is snorkeling just a few feet off the coral reef to see the creatures of the sea and what else lies at the bottom of the ocean. Placing your small child-size hand in the cast of a gorilla’s ginormous handprint is unforgettable.

Discover. Don’t be in such a hurry that you overlook opportunities to discover the little moments that surround your place in the world. Not long ago while taking a break in the campground swimming pool, I noticed my 8-year old sulking (so I thought) at the edge of the pool. She had her head down resting on her folded hands with eyes half closed. I pushed aside my urge to tell her to “straighten up” by simply saying “Watcha doing?”

She sweetly replied, “Watching the ants on the concrete. They have no idea that I am watching their every move. It’s a whole ant world over there.” I am really glad I didn’t miss that.

Encourage. The best motivator in our rig, is a few words of encouragement. It doesn’t have to be a ticker tape parade for the learning sponges in your roadschool to feel like they have accomplished something. It still amazes me how quickly I receive a smile and a look from sparkling eyes when I exclaim “Way to go, Buddy!” or “Wow, I can’t believe you figured that out!” It feels good to on both ends of

the compliment, so don’t ration them out. Motivate those little critters!

Create. As in, let your lively learners produce projects in any form they see fit. Let them interpret the ideas they have in writing. Let them draw it in pictures. Let them play it in video or audio creations they can produce. If writing in the sand, or on a foggy window, or in a muddy patch of ground happens to be the way your student translates what she has learned, celebrate the effort.

Read. Everything. Read out loud to your roadschool classroom. Let them read out loud to you. Direct your readers to quiet spots on breezy days to read independently. Collectively, read together. While traveling, point out anything you can read: signs, brochures, license plates, advertising billboards, and anything that passes you by while learning one mile at a time. There really is no substitution for reading. The skill has to be practiced every day, in every way, to be effective.

Workbooks, textbooks, curricula, journals, binders, and all other forms of resources are great.

They are even necessary sometimes. But do not underestimate the power of your life learner. He or she will explore and discover and observe and learn all sorts of lessons while strengthening their life skills while on the road of the information highway in front of them. For more Roadschool 101 tips and tricks, subscribe to the Road Trip Teacher newsletter at www.roadtripteacher.com/ for free printables and monthly inspiration for your homeschooling adventure on the road.

Mary Beth Goff, the Road Trip Teacher, is a Christian, full-time RVing mom to 4 roadschoolers and the creator of RoadTripTeacher.com, the resource for destination based curriculum and educational resources for traveling, homeschool families. Her Roadschool 101 crew chronicles their travels over at DiaryofaRoadMom.com. She is one-half of the Roadschool Moms duo that hosts a one-hour radio podcast every Sunday night on the Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network available on a replay at iTunes.

For the latest Roadschool 101 News - Visit www.RoadschoolGuide.com

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Common Core Issues 1: What is the Common Core?

Home School Legal Defense Association

The Common Core State Standards (“Common Core”) are two sets of K–12 academic standards that outline what students are expected to learn in English language arts and mathematics each year from kindergarten through high school. The goal of this academic checklist is not the acquisition of child-oriented skills such as literacy, proficiency, or increased graduation rates, nor does it embrace the more lofty goal of pursuing truth, knowledge, and wisdom. Rather the Common Core seeks to achieve the utilitarian purpose of making students “college- and career- ready.” “College and career readiness” has never been defined by the authors of the standards, notes Dr. Sandra Stotsky, a member of the Common Core Validation Committee who refused to sign off on the standards.

The motivating force behind the Common Core is not the standards themselves, but the belief that a nationalized, uniform system is the best method of education. The Common Core was written by the National Governors Association (NGA)—an organization of governors, their head staff members, and policy makers—and the Council of Chief State School Officials (CCSSO).

Within two months of their release on June 2, 2010, the Common Core State Standards had been adopted by 28 states that promised to implement the standards by fall 2013 and replace their current state assessments with tests aligned to the Common Core by the 2014–15 school year. The states also agreed to begin collecting student data from preschool through workforce, an element NGA considered essential. By the end of 2010, a total of 41 states and the District of Columbia had agreed to implement the Common Core. Five more states, four territories, and the Department of Defense Education Activity adopted the Common Core in 2011.

Proponents praised this rapid adoption, asserting that Common Core will bolster state standards that plummeted as a result of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). However, some education experts were shocked. “Deciding so

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quickly, to me, is irresponsible,” Rutgers professor Joseph Rosenstein commented. “It was like it was a done deal, a foregone conclusion.”

There is no academic evidence that would suggest the superiority of the Common Core to current state standards; thus, academic research did not drive its adoption. Moreover, independent evaluations of the standards have strongly questioned the academic stature of the package of goals. Rather, enticed by the millions of federal dollars promised to states that would quickly adopt all of its provisions, cash-strapped states rashly committed to the Common Core.

Though the federal government is prohibited by law from mandating the content of curriculum or assessments, the Department of Education successfully used dollars taken from American taxpayers to drive the implementation of common standards and assessments across the United States.

The Common Core should be understood as the culmination of a movement that has simmered in America for the past decade to adopt consistent national academic standards and assessments and build bigger student databases. Two trails can be traced to the origin of the Common Core: the trail left by private organizations and the trail left by the federal government.

Long known for an aggressive education reform agenda focused on collection of detailed student data, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation poured millions of dollars into the creation of the Common Core, beginning in 2007 when the foundation gave $27 million to NGA, CCSSO, and Achieve to help develop and advance common state standards and student data systems.9 (Achieve is an organization founded in 1996 by a group of governors and corporate leaders to work for standards-based education reform across the states.) The result of this funding was a study called Benchmarking for Success. The Gates Foundation continued its involvement in education policy by giving over $12 million to CCSSO in 2009 and $2.1 million to NGA from 2009 to 2011. NGA and CCSSO partnered in

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June 2009 to begin writing the Common Core, and Achieve evaluated and promoted the standards.

These organizations also spurred the involvement of the federal government in pushing Common Core. In December 2008, as Barack Obama was preparing to take office as president, he received a copy of Benchmarking for Success, which emphasizes the federal government’s role in helping promote “a common core of internationally benchmarked standards in math and language arts for grade K–12” and in streamlining state assessments. In March 2009, President Obama’s secretary of education, Arne Duncan, expressed the administration’s commitment to helping “states develop and implement rigorous, collegeready academic achievement standards along with improved assessments.” And the Obama administration would make good on this promise by funding and overseeing the development of the assessment tests that states have promised to implement by 2014–15.

Today, 45 states are committed to the Common Core: two sets of mediocre academic standards intended to stretch across the nation; two standardized assessments funded and reviewed by the federal government; and detailed data systems that will trace students from preschool to the workforce.

From the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), a nonprofit advocacy organization established to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms. Through annual memberships, HSLDA is tens of thousands of families united in service together, providing a strong voice when and where needed. Visit www.HSLDA.org

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Getting Out of the Way of Your Dreams Kimberly Travaglino

Dreams. We all have them. Some grand, some minute. Like the dream to raise our children into healthy, well adjusted adults. Or the dream to be able to finally start that craft thats been taking up room in our closet.

What is the secret formula between dreamers and those who achieve their dreams?

If I told you what it is, would you take it to heart and let it change your life?

The secret to realizing your dreams is not really a secret at all.

The only thing that can make a dream a reality is making it a priority.

But wait Kimberly, if my dream is quitting my job to become a best selling author, there’s more to it then just making it a priority!

Really, tell me what else there is. Stop reading and make a list of all the steps one must take to make this dream a reality.

Maybe your list would look something like this: • Hone my writing skills • Pick a topic for my first novel • Find a graphic artist to create cover art • Write my letter of resignation

• Quit my job and become a best selling author Doesn’t look too complicated to me.

By focusing your efforts and energy into this goal, you bring it within reach.

Here’s an example of what I mean..

Say you want to quit your job to work for yourself. Start by socking away every cent that you can. Do you really want that latte or do you want to work for yourself in a year? If the answer is the later, you’re well on your way to making your dream a reality.

If the latte wins out, then its time to take a long hard look at your dreams and consider if its something you truly desire or something you think you should achieve based on others influence in your life because I promise you, if you always choose the latte- then your priority it overpriced coffee as opposed to self employment.

I know it sounds simple but keeping your dream your top priority is the one true way to create your new reality.

It’s little steps, little choices, with your goal ever present in your mind that will add up over time.

And after you have achieved that dream, you will have the tools to do it all over again.

Kimberly Travaglino is the best selling author of “How to Hit the Road; Making Your Family’s Full Time RV Dreams a Reality” and the publisher of “Postcards from Chicks Without Bricks”.

She will be hosting a high energy seminar at the World’s Best Roadschool Convention in Tucson this spring, teaching attendees how to get out of their own way and achieve the life of their dreams. For more information, go to FulltimeFamilies.com

“Your future is created by what you do TODAY, not tomorrow.”

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North America’s Best Corn Mazes Looking for some good, old-fashioned fun this fall? There are corn mazes in almost every state, so find a corn maze near you and work together as a family to make your way out! Be sure to check websites or call for current weather conditions, hours and prices. Many have additional activities and fun games or challenges for maze-goers.

Western Region: Cool Patch Pumpkins 6585 Milk Farm Rd Dixon, CA (530) 746-8725

Southwest Region: Dewberry Farm FM 362 & Morrison Rd Brookshire, TX (281) 934-3276

Big Horse Corn Maze 33320 Temecula Parkway Temecula, CA (951) 389-4621 (special Corn Maze Information line) http://bighorsecornmaze.com/index.php Dates: October 1-30, 2016 Size: Over 11 acres Theme: Unknown

McCalls Pumpkin Patch 34 McCall Ln. Moriarty, NM (505) 832-9137 http://www.mccallpumpkinpatch.com/ Dates: September 24-October 30, 2016 Size: 16 acre Theme: TBA

Farmstead 1020 S. Rackham Way Meridian, ID (208) 922-5678 http://www.farmsteadfestival.com/ Dates: September 22-October 29, 2016 Size: 18 acres Theme: TBA

P Bar Farms Rte 66 Hydro, OK (580) 772-4401 http://pbarfarms.com/ Dates: September 17 - November 12, 2016 Size: 10 acres Theme: News Channel 4

Studt’s Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze 21 ½ and I ½ Road Grand Junction, CO (970) 773-6489 http://studtspumpkinpatchandcornmaze.com/ Dates: October 1-31, 2016 Size: Unknown Theme: Unknown

Midwest Region: Richardson Farm Adventure Farm located 909 English Prairie Rd Spring Grove, IL (815) 675-9729

http://www.coolpatchpumpkins.com/ Dates: Mid-September through November 1st 2016 Size: The world’s largest coming in around 60 acres!

Theme: Sacramento King’s Basketball

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http://dewberryfarm.com/ Dates: September 24-mid November, 2016 Size: 8 acres Theme: Blue Bell Ice Cream

http://www.richardsonadventurefarm.com/richardsonadventure-farm-corn-maze.htm Dates: September 3-October 30, 2016.

Size: 33 acres Theme: Star Trek’s 50th

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Sever’s Corn Maze 1100 Canterbury Rd S Shakopee, MN (952)974-5000 https://seversfallfestival.com/ Dates: September 9-October 30th, 2016 Size: 14 acres Theme: Sever’s 20th Anniversary

Happy Day Farm 97 Daum Rd Manalapan, NJ (732) 977-3607 http://happydayfarmnj.com/ Dates: September 17-undetermined, 2016 Size: 13 acres Theme: 250th Anniversary of Rutgers University

Treinen Farm W12420 State Road 60 Lodi, WI (608) 622-7407 http://treinenfarm.com/ Dates: Open weekends from Labor Day through the second week in November Size: 15 acres Theme: “Rainbows, Kittens, and Killer Baby Unicorns”

Connors Farm 30 Balley Road (Rte. 35) Danvers, MA (978) 777-1245 (Maze Hotline) http://www.connorsfarm.com/ Dates: September 10-October 31, 2016 Size: 7 acres Theme: It’s the Great Maze, Charlie Brown

Southeast Region: Devine’s Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch 623 Talmage-Mayo Road Harrodsburg, KY (859) 613-6900 http://www.devinescornmaze.com/ Dates: September 9-October 29, 2016 Size: 10 acres Theme: Presidential Election 2016

Scott’s Maze Adventures Long & Scott Farms 26216 County Road 448A Mt. Dora, FL (352) 383-6900 http://www.longandscottfarms.com/scott-s-mazeadventures.html Dates: October 1-December 11, 2016 Size: 7 acres Theme: TBA

Northeast Region: The Great Vermont Corn Maze 1404 Wheelock Road Danville, VT (802)748-1399

Cherry Crest Adventure Farm 150 Cherry Hill Rd Ronks, PA (866) 546-1799 http://www.cherrycrestfarm.com/ Dates: July 2-November 5, 2016 Size: 5 acre Theme: Thank a Farmer!

Queens Country Farm Museum 73-50 Little Neck Parkway Floral Park, NY (718) 347-3276 http://www.queensfarm.org/events.html Dates: Weekends from September 24-October 30, 2016 Size: 3 acres Theme: TBA

Canada: Kraay Family Farm Site 6 Box 9 RR 1 Lacombe, Alberta Canada, T4L 2N1 (403) 302-1709 Dates: July 22-October 22, 2016 Size: 15 acres Theme: 50th Anniversary of “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”

http://www.vermontcornmaze.com/ Dates: Last Day October 16, 2016 Size: Largest Maze in New England at 24 acres Theme: Unknown

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Roadschool Moms

Catch up with this dynamic, over-the-road team with nearly 30 years of Mom-experience

Live at 9 pm EST Every Sunday Night – Replays on iTunes For the most entertaining hour on the road, tune in at