California homeschool > San Bernardino, Rancho Cucamonga > Private Schools and cost

When families suffer financial strain as they are in today’s economic crisis, they look for places they can cut back in order to make ends meet. Paying the mortgage on time, getting food on the table, and keeping gas in the cars are all basic obligations that take priority. Some families are just walking away from their homes because they can’t afford to make the payments. So many homes are going into foreclosure, there are vacant homes in many of our neighborhoods and a lot of talk of bailouts. Unemployment rates are rising. The stock market is in a precarious state. Americans are feeling the uncertainty in our economy. And we’re just weeks away from a Presidential election that looks too close to call.

Education is an important issue with families. As parents, we want our kids to get the best education possible and to go to the best school we can provide. In these difficult times, many folks who put their kids through costly private school education are unable to continue paying and are looking for alternatives. For many of these parents, private school offered more to their children. The student to teacher ratio is better, class sizes are smaller, there is a belief that learning standards are higher, and the parents can choose an environment that reflects their home values. Whatever your reasons are for sending your child to private school, no longer being able to afford private school doesn’t mean you have to give up on your educational plans for your children.

Homeschooling is a perfect alternative to private school education. As your child’s first teacher, you were made for the job. You know your child better than anyone else, you can provide her/him with one-on-one attention, and you have the flexibility to teach your child in the style you feel best fits your collective needs. Sometimes taking the leap into home education is a little nerve wracking and you may question your ability to properly educate your child. The best ways to quell those fears are to read (so much is available online, here’s a start and join a homeschooling group. Our family is part of a homelearners group in the Inland Empire and the kids get to socialize with other home schooling children (and the parents get to socialize with other homeschooling families!).

The other night I was searching for top reasons parents choose homeschooling.  Choosing their own curriculum, teaching to their children’s specific needs and interests, and providing a solid foundation for them all rank high on the list. Strengthening the family unit is another key reason people choose homeschool. Along those lines, you also gain more control over your household, the influences that affect your children and ultimately the future of your child. 

We started homeschooling a few years ago when our oldest daughter was going into kindergarten. She has excelled beyond our expectations and has had the opportunity to explore her musical and educational passions. We were thrilled to discover that the Etiwanda School District has a homeschool program. The transition was smooth, we received educational materials at no cost, and met with a California credentialed teacher.

With homeschool you don’t need to live in the area to be part.  In most cases you only visit once a week or even once every two weeks.  With that in mind a 45 minute drive is really not a big deal.

Recommended Homeschool Program:

Etiwanda Homeschool Program and Curriculum
Contact: Michele Jacks
Email: michele_jacks@etiwanda.org
 

 

Autumn fun for kids > Fresno, CA

Fun Autumn Activities Indoors and Out

It’s Autumn and that means tons of fun fall activities to do as a family. My creative juices stir this time of year. Maybe it’s the changing colors and the warm smells of cinnamon, apples and pumpkin pie. If you’re looking for fun things to do with the kids, this is the perfect time of year. Some of our favorites involve apples, leaves, and pumpkins. Getting outside together seems to be the theme, and what better way to celebrate a new season than by getting out and appreciating it in all its glory? Whether you’re looking to make a day trip or staying home, there are activities to suit your needs.

Apple picking is a popular way to spend a day together. We enjoy driving an hour or two and finding a U-Pick farm that carries our favorite apples. If you’re not sure which your favorite is, why not have an apple tasting first? So much learning can happen on an apple picking outing. Our kids loved picking the apples and my husband taught them to rub the apple against their clothing to “shiny them up.” Of course, they taste tested a few along the way. Some farms have cider pressing, candle dipping, hayrides, and other activities. I can’t leave without a gallon of cider, an apple caramel pie, and a caramel apple. Once we get the apples home, we let the kids take turns putting the apples onto the old-fashioned apple peeler and watch their excitement at getting a completely intact spiral peel. Next, we get out Aunt Betty’s apple pie recipe, and start baking. This is a family tradition everyone will look forward to and enjoy each year.

You can have just as much fun staying home, too. With gas prices still high and everyone trying to find ways to cut back, it makes sense to stay close to home. Keep it outside and focus on the changes around your neighborhood. On our walk to the local bakery last week, we were thrilled to see many yellow and red leaves. We collect them for leaf rubbings (put the leaf under paper, use the side of a crayon-paper peeled off, and rub the paper for a beautiful picture of your leaf) and a variety of other arts and crafts. The kids are bound to ask why the leaves change color in the fall. Don’t fret if you don’t know the answer, here’s a simple explanation to make you look like you really do know everything! Some other fun leaf activities include raking them into a pile or a maze, preserving the leaves, or gluing different leaves onto paper to make animals. There’s always another kid favorite, crunching them underfoot while walking the dog! Here’s a Family Fun article for more fall activity ideas.

Another favorite holiday tradition in our family is going to a pumpkin patch to pick out our collection of pumpkins to carve into jack-o-lanterns. There are a number of pumpkin patches to choose from. We have been to quite a few in the area.  Most have so many different kinds of pumpkins varying in shape, size and color. The pumpkins are on the vine, so your family can choose just the right one and cut it from the vine. This place is really an experience. Most have a petting zoo, a picnic area, the haystack castle, and much more. This year we’re thinking of checking out a new one on our short list. For a list of pumpkin patches and even the history behind Halloween, I found this resource worthy of bookmarking.

Another fun activity we do throughout the year, particulary over 3 or 4 day weekends is to take a trip to John’s Incredible Pizza Company.  This is the perfect place for fun particulary when the weather won’t permit outdoor activities like apple picking or searching for the great pumpkin.  We always suggest making John’s part of your plans at some point throughout the holiday season.

Here’s what your family gets and why we like it so much:

1. John’s Incredible Pizza is giant! You’re not going to run out of space or fun things to do here. John’s is easily the largest indoor play area for kids (or adults) anywhere. Now you can even take an interactive look at what a typical John’s Pizza is like on the inside. If you’ve never been to a John’s Pizza, you’ll be surprised.

2. John’s has many indoor rides and games. These are real indoor rides for kids including the coolest bumper car setup we’ve seen anywhere.

3. They have interactive and fun video and other games

4. Multiple themed dining rooms. Themes range from music videos to cartoons, each is easily the size of a standard restaurant.

5. There is great need for multiple dining rooms due to the all-you-can-eat-buffet. The buffet ties the rides for our favorite part of John’s. Simply said John’s has more pizza flavors than you can imagine, tons of pasta variations and a fantastic salad bar for those seeking a lighter fare. Of course if you dine on the salad bar you’ll have room for the all-you-can-eat dessert section too, which includes soft-serve ice cream, cakes, cookies and more.

John’s Incredible Pizza
7095 N. Cedar Ave. 
Fresno, CA 93720 
(559) 323-1111 
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Halloween in Montclair CA > kids activities and holiday fun

 

John’s Incredible Pizza
5280 Arrow Hwy. 
Montclair, CA 91763 
p. (909) 447-7777

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I absolutely love Halloween. Even in my thirties, I look forward to Halloween as much as I did when I was a kid. Maybe my reasons have evolved over time, well…maybe. In my teen and adult years I continued dressing up for a variety of Halloween events and searched high and low for that year’s dream costume at every costume store and Halloween costume rental store within a 25 mile radius. One of my favorite places to rent costumes was the Theatre Co. off of Benson in Upland. Handmade costumes are also incredible if you have the talent to sew them yourself. I have a pattern and material to embark on a Laa-Laa Teletubbies costume creating journey. Am I ready for that type of commitment yet?! With the store catalogs and party store advertisements we receive on almost a daily basis, there’s a lot to choose from and many costumes are very reasonably priced. If you’re like my husband, you head into the closet and grab your favorite college football jersey (he’s an Ohio State Buckeye) and throw on that for Halloween out with the kids.

This year is an especially great year for Halloween lovers. Halloween falls on a Friday which means you get an entire weekend of spooktacular fun and fright. There are sure to be a lot of parties, playdates, school parties and activities going on this weekend. Check out your local newspaper for community events. The city of Claremont has it’s Halloween event where children trick-or-treat in the Claremont Village during daylight hours and can play at the Halloween carnival. For more information, visit the Claremont Village calendar of events for 2008.

Besides the various costume parties people will be attending over Halloween weekend, there are some other fun places to go. Disneyland has their Halloween Treat which is geared toward entire families, especially those with little ones who can’t handle too much of the fear factor. The Haunted Mansion will be transformed into Jack Skellington’s Haunted Holiday Mansion and is based on the movie Nightmare Before Christmas. If you’re looking for frightening, Knott’s Scary Farm may be more up your alley. For something more local, you can try Scandia in Ontario, CA. I was there many years ago and found it quite scary. They have horror movie zombies and other terrifying creatures that jump out at you, chase you, and basically try to scare the ….peas and carrots out of you. If you have young kids, this may be too intense for them. If you’re a teen or young adult looking for the adrenaline rush of a good scare, get a group of friends together and make sure to go through their Haunted House.

Our family is going to stay local and keep the scariness factor minimal since our kids are young. We’re always looking for fun things to do that will keep everyone in the family happy, including our on-the-go toddler. The perfect place for us is John’s Incredible Pizza Co. It’s a fully indoor location, so no matter what the weather brings we can count on having fun there. That also makes it easier for us to keep our littlest thrill-seeker contained. For the adults, John’s offers spirits (beer and wine - 2 drink maximum) and amusement park style rides. The kids will love all of the bright lights, fun games, and yummy foods and desserts. Parents will appreciate not having to make meals and doing clean-up. And the baby will be happy to just run around and explore everything she sees. Her current favorite attraction is a semi-enclosed interactive dance game. The rest of us love to go on the bumper cars together, but I sit out while they spin on the Twister ride.

Have a fun and safe Halloween, be sure to stop in at John’s Pizza over the weekend and remember that Dad can watch the Saturday college football games on one of the many big screens!

John’s Incredible Pizza
5280 Arrow Hwy. 
Montclair, CA 91763 
p. (909) 447-7777

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