Motherlode Homeschoolers

Tellur Fenner of Blue Wind Botanicals leads this 3-class series as we explore a number of these habitats while learning about the many amazing and useful plants that grow there.

The interdisciplinary program will engage participants on all levels through a combination of classroom lecture, field exploration, and a variety of hands-on exercises.

Topics/activities to be covered include:

• botany basics taught from a plant family perspective (including microscope sessions)
• plant identification in the field
• medicinal/edible/utilitarian uses
• California ethnobotany
• ethical harvesting guidelines and information about at-risk medicinal plants
• safety issues and tips on how to avoid toxic/poisonous plants
• medicine making techniques and activities
• sampling of a variety of edible/medicinal plant preparations

This course is a wonderful opportunity for those who have completed a permaculture design course to deepen their knowledge of plants. You’ll learn the basics of plant identification, uses and preparation methods, using West Marin as our living classroom. The botany and plant identification components of the class are transferrable to the greater world of plants.

Dates: March 31, April 14, and May 5
Location: Commonweal Garden, Mt. Tamalpais and others

The early-bird deadline ends March 9!

For more information and registration, visit: www.regenerativedesign.org/medicinal-botany

Related Articles:

• Medical Emergencies and Children
• Teaching Health at Home
• Teaching Health – BudgetHS.com

If you have an interest in local history, local Indian tribes or Yosemite in the early days, you won’t want to miss the newest exhibit opening Tuesday, June 7th at Yosemite National Park.

Yesterday, the National Park Service announced, “Yosemite National Park Unveils New Exhibit to Feature Early Visitor Photographs, Prints, and Artifacts.”

A new exhibit entitled “Views & Visitors: The Yosemite Experience in the Early 20th Century,” will open to the public on Wednesday, June 8, 2011. The exhibit will be in the Yosemite Valley Museum (adjacent to the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center) and will feature photographs, prints, artifacts and ephemera from Yosemite’s early years.

An Opening Reception will be held at the Yosemite Valley Museum on Tuesday, June 7, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. There is no cost to attend and food and drink will be served.

Views & Visitors: In Early 20th Century

“Views & Visitors: the Yosemite Experience in the Early 20th Century” captures the significant visitation events in the early 1900s: rise of automobile traffic; the construction of a train line to El Portal; development of new roads and hotels; increased popularity of camping, hiking and other outdoor pursuits; beginning of the National Park Service; and a rapid growth in park visitation. To portray the theme, paintings, prints, artifacts and ephemera from the Yosemite Museum’s extensive collection are on display.

The exhibit’s opening reception is from 5 to 7 p.m. June 7 at the museum, located in the Yosemite Village. The exhibit will continue to hang June 8-Oct. 31. Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. June through September and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. in October. At the reception, Tom Bopp, a Wawona historian and pianist, will be performing historic songs.

A digital slide show of historic photographs of Yosemite visitors and digitized film footage of early auto stages, train travel and visitor activities will complement the exhibit of artifacts. A listening station will allow visitors to hear oral histories related to early park visits as well as historic musical recordings. [Learn more...]

Yosemite offers some terrific learning opportunities and provides resources for educators to use and share with their students.

Additional links you might enjoy:

• Yosemite in the Spring with Photo Gallery
• Fond Memories of Yosemite
• Yosemite Teacher Resources
• Rain Today at 4,000′

Local gas prices have dropped almost 40 cents a gallon since Labor Day weekend. Gas prices should continue to drop, until vacation season gets going in full-swing, then we would see gas prices creep back up again. So, this might be a really good time to travel — before fuel prices climb even higher over the summer months.

Leave a comment if you are considering making the trip, we would love to meet up with local and not so local homeschoolers at Yosemite.

Those with California teens planning to take the CHSPE exam on June 18, 2011 will need to register soon to avoid paying late fees. The registration deadline is May 20, 2011.

Learn more about the CHSPE Test.

The California High School Proficiency Examination (CHSPE) is a program established by California law (Education Code Section 48412). If eligible to take the test, you can earn the legal equivalent of a high school diploma by passing the CHSPE.

The CHSPE consists of two sections: an English-language Arts section and a Mathematics section. If you pass both sections of the CHSPE, the California State Board of Education will award you a Certificate of Proficiency, which by state law is equivalent to a high school diploma (although not equivalent to completing all coursework required for regular graduation from high school). All persons and institutions subject to California law that require a high school diploma for any purpose must accept the certificate as satisfying the requirement.

Additional Resources:

• Free CHSPE Study Guide (pdf)
• CHSPE Deadline Approaches
• The California High School Proficiency Exam: One Teen’s Experience
• Alternatives to High School & High School Diplomas in California
• Homeschooling California Style! – Exploring California educational options
• California High School Proficiency Examination – Register for the CHSPE
• Zero Tuition College – Supports self-directed learners who are purposefully skipping college