Author: Deborah

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Homeschooling Families Doubled in New Hampshire–How Can Public Libraries Help

Granite State Home Educators is an all-volunteer, nonprofit homeschool support organization that serves New Hampshire families who choose to home educate their children. 

GSHE has a robust website with resources to help prospective and current homeschoolers through their home ed journey. Our FAQ, Where to Begin, and Homeschool Methods pages are the ones many parents turn to first to get started. 

Families can sign up for our free monthly e-newsletter at our website; here are past issues. Each one is packed with encouragement, educational and social opportunities, and relevant news. 

We also have over a dozen videos that provide a summary of the (simple) requirements as well as several that go deeper into common questions and topics. 

Prior to Covid closures, GSHE hosted nearly 30 in-person Intro to Homeschooling discussions around the state. When the weather improves or venues reopen, we are happy to schedule more with local libraries and community groups, either in socially-distanced settings or outdoors. In the meantime, we can host virtual events with groups who would like to partner to support area homeschoolers.  

GSHE has several Facebook groups that empower families to plug in where they best fit. 

Granite State Home Educators — Our primary group for supporting home educators around the state. 

Granite State Home Educators Marketplace — Our group that brings together buyers and sellers of homeschool resources. 

GSHE Unexpectedly Homeschooling — A group to support families dealing with remote learning and exploring educational options. 

GSHE Homeschool Pod Connections — A group to help bring together families looking to form home-based learning communities such as homeschool pods and microschools. 

GSHE Action — This is our group specifically for tracking and discussing legislation related to home education. 

Families Helping Families — Specifically for families who have children with special needs, not just for homeschoolers. 

We also can be reached at two emails. 

info@granitestatehomeeducators.org 

michelle@granitestatehomeeducators.org 

Please feel free to contact us so we can work together to support NH families in their home education efforts. 

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Outstanding in Their Field Leadership Institute

The Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL) has announced the Outstanding in Their Field Leadership Institute. This is a wonderful growth opportunity for a group of library folks that may often feel left out of the professional discussion. The Institute is for library workers who are currently working in rural and/or small library from various backgrounds and ethnicities. They are encouraging applications from folks who may not have a Masters in Library and Information Science and maybe not even a college degree. If you love serving your community through librarianship, and your library has very limited funds for professional development or attendance at conferences; if you’re a library lifer with or without a library degree and you want to up your library game – this Institute is for you. All participant travel, materials, and instructional expenses (worth approximately $8000) are covered by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).  If you’re interested in learning more about the Institute or know someone who might be a good fit for this opportunity, please visit the ARSL Outstanding in Their Field website https://arsloutstanding.org/. Applications are due February 24th, 2021.

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Teach an Hour of Code™ 2020

Google has just released a new unplugged set of activities for Hour of Code 2020, a celebration of Computer Science Education Week which started on December 7! 

Hour of Code™ activities may look different in 2020 for many educators, students, and families, so to support a variety of learning environments, we’ve created a free new lesson that can be used completely offline and without a computer. CS First Unplugged includes a printable booklet that contains three computational thinking activities in which students (grades 4-8) learn about how computer science helps us communicate and stay connected with people around the world. 

For those looking to participate in Hour of Code with a connected device, CS First’s Dialogue lesson is a great one to engage with this year. This beginner-friendly activity includes video-based instruction to guide students as they program a conversation between two characters. They’ll use Scratch, a block-based coding language, to animate and bring their story to life with movement, dialogue and more. 

CS First Unplugged and Dialogue are both available in English and Spanish. Lesson plans and solution guides for educators (or parents and guardians!) are provided so that anyone can teach and learn with Hour of Code™ — no prior CS experience required.

You can review our digital lesson plans and materials for educators here. 

We’d love your help spreading the word, sharing the activities, and helping youth — especially those with limited access to devices or internet — take part in this year’s Hour of Code. Please consider:

  • Posting on social media. Below is a sample social post that you can customize. 
  • Retweeting about Hour of Code and CS First.
  • Share the sample newsletter blurb below as an email, or add it to your organization’s next newsletter.

Thank you, and happy CS Education Week!