The following articles are all rough drafts and have not been spell or grammar checked.


NEW TEEN MAG
by Rachel Hall
Just recently I received a magazine called New Attitude in the mail. It is a magazine for teens who are or have been home schooled. It is really great because the magazine is done by home-schooled kids.

The magazine always includes interesting articles that I am interested in. Some of the different topics they have touched on are courtship, appenticeship, peer pressure, the chore of doing dishes and why we should pray.

One of the things I really like is that the people who put out and write articles for the magazine are really neat and interesting people. Some of my friends who aren't home scholled think that all home schoolers are weird and out of date. By showing them this magazine I can convince them that there really are some normal home schoolers who share the same interests and styles.

I strongly recommend this magazine to anyone home schooled, been home schooled or thinking of trying home schooling. It's so good and I can't wait for my next issue to come.

To start receiving your quarterly issues send your name, address and $15 check made payable to:
New Attitude
S.E. Hogan
Gresham, OR 97080
(503) 667-3942


BIRDS 'N THINGS
By Lee Gibbs
Hummingbirds are on our mind. Gentle, fragrant-scented southwest winds will bring them in from their tropical playgrounds on through April and May.

Hundreds of thousands of hummingbird nectar feeders are erected each spring and summer as supplemental feeding by hummer aficionados. A good formula for nectar is four parts water to one part sugar. Boil the mixture, cool, then fill thew tubes. Never use red food coloring or honey in the mixture.

It's a good ides to fill the tubes only partially at first until the number of birds feeding from your tubes is established. Feeders must be kept clean and filled with fresh nectar. During hot weather this means every other day. Shade for the feeders is preferable.

Of the 320 species of hummingbirds known, only the ruby-throated nests in the Eastern states. It is more or less a loner when feeding at tubes. Because of this don't expect a gang of hummers at your feeders at one time.

I have never seen as many as four feeding from my tubes (most commercial tube feeders have four or more parts) at one time. However, I have seen mimosa and buckeye trees filled with scores of these jeweled mites feeding on the blossoms.

According to the Hummingbird Helper Survey of Georgia at least 17 hummingbirds have benn counted using one feeder. The source was not clear as to whether all 17 were feeding at one feeder at one time, as they do in the West, or if that number had been determined using the feeder at different times throughout the day.

Poised above the tube, tiny black feet drawan up close to the soft whitish belly, wings whirring until they are only a blur, the hummer thrusts its long slender bill into the flower on the tube. As it backs away, then pushes toward the flower again, its silvery, tubular-like tongue swipes up the delicious nectar. You can see this if you don't color the water and make your own tubes.

Don't forget garden flowers are a neccesity too, preferably red or orange and tubular-shaped. Some favorite flowers of these hovering copters are honeysuckle, trumpet vine, salvia, lantana, verbena, columbine, nastursium, lackspur, hollyhock and impattiens. Hummingbirds don't have a sense of smell.

The fairy-like cradle that the ruby-throated hummingbird constructs is no larger than a walnut and holds two pearly white eggs the size of small peas. Bits of lichen are woven together with threads of silk snitched from spiders' webs and caterpillar's webs.

The nest is so small that it resembles a tiny knot in the limb. Even birders have trouble locating a hummingbird nest so wonderfully are they disguised. Nests are usually placed on a small downward sloping branch of a tree and have been found in sweet gum, dogwood, white oak and elm trees. Usually nests are discovered when the bird is seen alighting on the nest.

Get those tubes filled and ready. The hummers are on their way.


CLASSIFIEDS
Usborne Books
Would you like to see what Usborne books are like? Would you like to host a
book show and receive free books? Customer specials (at 60% off retail)
change every 2 months.
Great books, great buys. Your children will love them.
Call Mimi Runge at 322-6507 to see and order books. Catalogs available.

World Book Encyclopedia
Effective immediately! Home school educators special. $120.00 off majestic
binding. Regular price - $679. For home schoolers - $559. A terrific
addition to your home school library.
Call Mimi Runge 322-6507 for information or to place an order.

Tutor
Patricia Meeks is available as atutor or substitute teacher for home-schooled children K-5 and up. Specializing in English and reading development. Nominal fee. Call 963-7466 anytime.


Walnut Grove
Come enjoy a day at Walnut Grove Plantation on Friday, May 27. The field
trip begins at 9:45 am and cost $1.75 per child, $2.00 per adult. This trip
will include a butter-churning demo and tasting!
We must have a head count for this one so if you are interested please call
Bobbi Killinger at 963-1506 to sign up.

Henkel Chemical
Career oriented field trip for high-school students. Tour Henkel Chemical Corp. (in Mauldin) and explore the labs and production facilities. Learn educational requirements for technical employment. Tentative date: May 18 at 10 am. Please call Chris Sugars to sign up or for more info. 277-1190.

Attention!
Golden Strip Home Schoolers will NOT be meeting in June but will resume in July. For more information call Chris Sugars at 277-1190.


HOME ON THE "RANGE"
By Cindy Hall
Here is a quick, easy and economical meal for one of those hectic days.
Goulash
1 lb. ground turkey
onion
large jar spaghetti sauce
1 lb. box elbow macaroni
Brown meat and onion together. Drain. Cook macaroni and drain. Put meat, macaroni and spaghetti sauce together in a large pot. Heat over burner until desired tempature.
Optional: add fat free mozzarello, chedder or Parmesan cheese.

How about making that boring pot of oatmeal a little more interesting!
Add: 
cocoa (or chocalate chips) and marshmallows OR
cocoa (or chocolate chips) and peanut butter (or peanut butter chips) OR
butterscoch chips.
Watch that oatmeal disappear!

Here's a quick, easy and economical desert. It is so easy the kids can make it!
Hot Fudege Pudding Cake
1c flour
2t baking powder
1/4t salt
3/4c sugar
2T cocoa
1/2c milk
2T melted shortening
1c chopped nuts (opt.)
1 3/4c hot water
Sift together in bowl: flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and cocoa. Stir in 1/2 c milk, 2T melted shortening. Blend in 1 c chopped nuts. Put in 9x9 pan and pour over entire batter 1 3/4 c hot water. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. (I double this for my family and put in a 9x13 pan.)

Happy Eating!!!

How about you other home-school moms sharing recipes, household cleaning ideas, orgnizational skills, etc. We would love to hear from you.


OLYMPIC-BASED STUDY
by Bobbi Killinger
The next time you feel quilty about sitting down in front of the Olympics every evening for two weeks think about turning those two weeks into an Olympic-based unit study.

Your first step will be to brainstorm, then decide how many of your ideas to implement. Here are some notes I jotted down during the 1994 Winter Olympics in Norway. (1996 brings the Summer Games to Atlanta and in 1998 the Winter Games will be held in Japan.)

Geography
Get videos from the library on the host country.
Study the various regions of the country, their customs, food, etc.
Have a meal including foods from that country/region and require family members to improvise costumes.
What geographical features have influenced the nation?
What makes the natives of this country different from other people?
What is the time difference between our country and the host country?
What flight path does an airplane take from here to there and why?
What time does the sun rise/set at that latitude this time of year? Compare our local times.
Learn some of the flags you see in the Opening Ceremony.
Compare first name of athletes by national origin. Look for variations of the same name (e.g. Katherine, Katrina, Catriona, Katya, etc.).
Locate on a globe, map, atlas any countries that are unfamiliar.
Play a world geography game or work a jigsaw puzzle.

History
Learn about the origins of the Olympic Games.
Study interesting highlights of the host country/region's past (e.g. Vikings).
Read biographies, historical fiction linked to the region.

Music
Research local composers, folk tunes.
Learn the country's national anthem.

Arts
Draw a collage of  athletes.
Make a paper mache relief  map.
Choose a piece of music of a specified length and make up a dance/skating/gymnastics routine to it.

Phys Ed
Learn a folk dance related to the country/region.
Borrow a libray video on how to ski, skate, etc.
Attempt a new sport!
Have a backyard Olympics--with prizes, of course!
Learn the rules of hockey, basketball, volleyball or other sport you see.

Literature
Read that country's famous authors.
Research flok tales of the region.
How about Greek mythology related to the Olympics?

Language Skills
Use sports, countries, capitals, globe/map skills for spelling lists.
Put names of countries you see in alphabetical order.
Creative writting themes might include: "If I were an Olympic athlete, my sport would be . . . "
Write your own fplk tale.
Write a letter to an athlete you admire. Ask for a picture.

Science & Technology
Learn about the animals native to the host country (e.g. reindeer).
What are the Nothwern Lights?
Study sports equipment technology. What designs make for greater speed/safety?
Design a faster bobsled.

Math
Average the scores for the figure skaters.
Pretend you're in charge of preparing for the Games. For x number of people haow many hot dogs and sodas will you need?
Plan a budget for your family to travel to the Olympics. Look at travel and lodging options, price tickets to events, etc.
Calculate the G-forces on the men in the bobsled rounding the curve!
Make up more word problems such as: "If 4 men on a cross-country ski team ski 6 miles each, how far will they go altogether?" "If you buy tickets for 3 events at x dollars, one event at y dollars, etc., how much will you pay?"

Bible
What is the church like in the host country?
How can we pray for the people there? Are there groups evvangelizing at the Games?
Do we know of any missionaries there?
What does the Bible say about the origins of peoples or languauges?
What about national boundaries?

Above all use your imagination in planning. This can be a fun break from "regular school." Don't try to do everything--save some for next time!


SEMINARS, WORKSHOPS, CONFERENCES
Georgia Home School Conference
The Georgia Home Education Association is hosting its 8th annual Georgia Home Schooling Conference and Curriculum Fair Friday and Saturday, April 29th and 30th, at First Baptist Church Jonesboro, GA. The theme for this year's conference is "Growing in Wisdom and Stature" and will feature Greg Brezina, Larry Burkett, Inge Canon and Jane Hoffman--The Backyard Scientist.

For more information and a brochure call (404) 461-3657.

Home School Conference
Sandy Cove, a beautiful Christian camp and conference center on the
Chesapeake Bay, will be holding its annual Home School Conference June
12-18.

For more information call 1-800-234-2683.


THANKS! THANKS! THANKS!
Thank you to Southside Athletic Ministries for allowing home-educated boys and girls to paticipate in their Saturday Basketball Leagues during February and March. Our students and their parents were made to feel right at home due to the friendliness and enecouragement of the Southside coaches, students and members. (Thanks to our PHEA members who were willing and able to help out also.)

Special thanks to Dr. Phil Graybeal and Coach Ron Ellison for opening this door of opportunity for our families.  -RWT


SAUNDERS FAMILY UPDATE
To all those who have prayed for the Saunders family--Thank You! Lynne Saunders went to be with the Lord March 28, 1994. A celebration service was held at Southside on April 2nd in her honor.

Please continue to pray for Mike as he adjusts to the new road the Lord has put him on. God bless you all.  -Laura Saunders


PHONE CHAIN NEWS
Don't forget the meeting this month for all phone chain coordinators and group heads! This is an important, organizational time and our future success depends on everyone's cooperation. As we saw with HR 6, we desparately need to be pr4epared at a moments notice.

If you did not receive meeting information, please contact Debbie Hellams at 244-0129 ASAP. Also, if your church has five or more home-educating families, please call Debbie and make sure that you are listed on our church phone chain.  -MET


HOST AN EXCHANGE STUDENT
Nacel Cultural Exchanges is once again looking for hosts for foreign
exchange students. Please consider opening up new worlds to your family by
sharing your home with a French, German or Spanish student for four weeks
this summer, starting July 4 and July 7. These teenagers, 14 to 18, are
eager to learn about American family life. They speak English, are insured
and have spending money. 
Their visit is sponsored by Nacel Cultural Exchanges of St. Paul, MN, a
nonprofit educational organization. A hundred and eighty (180) homes are
needed to house the students for this year.
If you are interested in hosting a student please contact Richard
Wagner at (803) 235-1168, Nacel's local representative.


FREE-NET
By Debbie Spear, Administration
Are you one of those people who remem-
ber feeling awed the day your teacher rolled a
black and wkite television into your school class-
room so you could watch the lift-off of the first
space flight? Well, stay tuned! What is about to
be possible for any child in Greenville County
with access to a computer is exactly that awe-
inspiring.
     
The technological wizardry that is chang-
ing today's classroom and library is Free-Net, a
community computing network that can bring the
entire world to our schoolchildren. For students
of all kinds, Free-Net can provide an almost
unimaginable wealth of resources.  Locally,
schools themselves will be able to find out what
books are in which libraries throughout the state
without ever making a long-distance phone call.
Student clubs will share ideas with each other,
even compete with each other on Free-Net. The
school district can keep the community better
informed about closings, regulations, meetings,
special projects, and concerns. Homeschookrs
will be able to make their best ideas available to
each other and post their thorniest problems.
Leaming disabled students and their parents can
share suggestions and strategies.
     
But local information is not the only kind
Free-Net can provide. The programs and projects
available to us as an affiliate ofthe National Public
Telecomputing Network cover a wide range. There
is an electronic classroom designed to let students
of all ages and countries communicate in French or
German or Spanish. There is a curriculum ex-
change that lets teachers add their most successful
lesson plans to a bank of hundreds of others in the
areas of social studies, math, language, and sci-
ence. There is an international holiday exchange
that enables students worldwide to share and com-
pare holiday customs and recipes. Participation in
a simulated space shuttle mission, the latest reports
on Alaska's Iditarod dog sled race, a nation-wide
sonnet writing contest, and an inter-generational
project in cooperation with Senior Centers are only
a few of the many opportunities that Free-Net can
make available.


MOMS' MEETING
Our next regularly scheduled Mothers' Meeting for PHEA-Greenville is Tuesday, May 17. Bring your favorite salad and an idea to share with others or a problem you need help with.

We will be meeting at New Life Christian Fellowship. The church is located at 212 Roper Mountain Road Extension. The meeting starts at 6:30.

We get together to bless each other so come be blessed!


NEST DISPLAY
Mrs. W. A. Gibbs, Jr., columnist for the Aiken Standard and well known South Carolina
ornithologist will be displaying her collection of bird nests and giving a short talk about birds on
Tuesday, May 17 at 11:30 in the auditorium of the downtown Greenvilly Library.


SUBSCRIPTIONS
To subscribe to the Digest and/or the South Carolina Home Educators'
Association Ideas, send your name and address with correct funds to :
PHEA's Home School Digest
P.O. Box 26811
Greenville, SC 29616

Full year (Sept. to Aug.) - Digest $10
                          Digest + SCHEA $16
Partial year (Feb. to Aug) - Digest $7
                          Digest + SCHEA $13
Summer Sampler (May to Aug.) - Digest $4
                          Digest + SCHEA $7

Non subscribers may request one free sample issue.
Questions? Call 268-5103.


PHEA QUESTIONNAIRE
The Piedmont Home Educators' Association has gone through a lot
of changes through the years and we want to continue to change in
order to better serve the interests of upstate home schoolers. The
best way to discover what changes need to be made is to hear from you.

Please respond as promptly as possible and return the
questionnaire to: PHEA, P.O. Box 26811, Greenville, SC 29616. You may
also return them to Rob or Mary Ellen Thomas at any PHEA activity or 
meeting. Any question(s) you feel uncomfortable answering, please leave blank and continue. Be as specific as possible when asked for reasons. 

You are encouraged to make copies of the questionnaire and pass
along to home-schooling friends who don't subscribe to the Digest.


Your Family

1. How many years have you been home schooling? ___________

2. Number of children? 
-Pre-school (b-K) _____   -Jr. High (6-8)_______
-Elementary (1-5)_____    -Sr. High (9-12)_______

3. What is the primary reason you home school? (Choose all that
apply)
-Religious reasons.
-Special needs children.
-Concern over public education.
-Social concerns.
-Effectiveness of home education.
-Fits your life style.
-Other. Please explain ______________________________________
                           ______________________________________
                        ______________________________________ 
                        ______________________________________  
                        ______________________________________

4. What is your background?
-Always home educated
-Some formal schooling
     -Public
     -Private
     -Christian
-Just came/are coming out of formal setting
     -Grade '93-'94
-Presently planning to put children in formal setting
     -Elementary   -Jr.   -Sr.

5. Our family uses:
-One complete curriculum/supplier
-Mainly one, but supplement
-Choose various materials/suppliers
-Unit studies

6. Our school is: 
-Registered with the county
-SCHAIHS
-Other

7. Legal backing:
-HSLDA
-Rutherford
-Other
-None

8. We have a family business/cottage industry.
-Yes
-No
-Not at present


Your Involvement

1. PHEA-Greenville member?
-Yes
-No
If no, why not? _______________________________________

2. Are you a member of any other home schooling organization
and/or support group? ___ Yes ___ No.  
If yes please indicate which one:
-PHEA-Golden Strip                  -SCHEA
-Laurens                                   -Tri-County
-National ____________             -Church _________________
-Other _______________              (5+ families qualifies for church phone chain membership.)

3. Plans are being made to begin other satellite groupos. Which of the following areas would you be most interested in?
-Greer/Blue Ridge                                              -Travelers Rest/Marietta
-White Horse (South & West)                              -Laurens Rd./Malls
-Info & contact person for PHEA-Golden Strip

4. We are willing to serve in a leadership position under PHEA sponsorship in the above area.
-Yes
-No
-Maybe

5.Our family would perfer to be involved in a secular-based home education assocition.
-Yes
-No
-Maybe

6. We are willing to serve in a leadership position to begin such a group.
-Yes
-No
-Maybe

7. What events (seminars, conferences, competitions, etc.) could
PHEA sponsor that would be of help to you in home schooling?
Please mark the events you are most willing to help with as "C" for corrdinator or "H" for helper.
-Science fair
-Spelling bee
-Curriculum fair
-Health screenings
-Orientation seminar
-Moms'/ Dads' meetings
-Field trips
-Spring Field Day/Carnival
-Fall Family Festival
-Ladies'/Men's/Couples' Retreat
-Athletic events
-Other. Please explain ______________________________



8. If you have teens (12 & up), what are their interests in home-eduction group activities?
-High
-Moderate
-Low (needs met elsewhere)

9. If you indicated High or Moderate, what events/groups would they like to be involved with?
-Student Council                                  -Teen Skate/Gym Nights
-Banquets                                           -Choir/Ensembles (part ______________)
-Career Exploration Days                      -Band/Orchestra/Ensemble (instrument________)
-Seminars (speaker(s) ______)             -Teen Column in the Digest
-Graduation/Honor Ceremony                -Athletic Teams (sport(s) _________)
     -Jr. High  -Sr. High
-Group Instruction/Labs (subject(s)____________
-Other ______________________


Your Appraisal

1. Do you subscribe to The Home School Digest? 
-Yes 
-No
If No, why not? __________________________________

2. What is the primary reason for subscribing to PHEA's
newsletter?
-Keep up with field trips and other activities.
-Helpful articles on science, curriculum and/or book      
     reviews.
-Calendar of activities.
-Classified ads.
-Other. Please explain ________________

3. What types of articles/information could the Digest include to
make it more helpful to you and your family.
   _____________________________________________________________ 
_______________________________________

4. Our family would be willing to submit one (1) item to the Digest for the next school year.
-Yes
-No
-Maybe
If yes, our interest would be:
-Curriculum (review or tips)                          -Funny Story/Jokes
-Book Review (adult or children)                   -Teen items
-Vidoe Reviews                                           -Household Hints
-Recipe                                                      -Family Bio (sketch of HS adventure of 5+ years)
-Artwork                                                     -Other ________________

5. Would a bi-monthly publication of the Digest be
just as helpful as the current monthly publication? 
-Yes
-No
Comments: _____________________________________________________________
_________________________

6. Please give us any suggestions on how we can improve the Digest.
__________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

7. Please give us any suggestions on how we can improve PHEA and better meet your home-schooling needs.
_______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
