<p>The new summer programs board is chock full of people studying in London, volunteering in the third world, and other exciting things.</p>
<p>What activities are the homeschoolers going to undertake this summer?</p>
<p>My teens have left their summers open in order to be able to pounce on any opportunites that should open up. So far, my older one has agreed to do office and clerical work for her voice teacher, is doing a one-month acting intensive with an amazing acting coach, and spending a week as Staff-in-Training at a family camp. In addition, she has a list of literature to read and is studying Italian.</p>
<p>My younger teen is volunteering at the public library, fencing, and woodcarving. </p>
<p>Together, we plan on seeing lots of Broadway shows, concerts, ballets, and visit art museums.</p>
<p>I have a part-time to help pay for college, which starts in the fall. Also, I have been assigned a few research papers to write, and I am reviewing calculus and reading "for the fun of it" (currently The Brothers Karamazov). This is the one summer when I do not have a full load of schoolwork, as I usually school year-round, so the break will be nice before the stress of college begins in late September.</p>
<p>My siblings are continuing full-time with schoolwork, as well as fencing (and attending the nationals in early July, as they are competitive). It is interesting how many fencers also are homeschoolers, as my siblings have run into a disproportunate number at their fencing club.</p>
<p>Yep, my daughter fences as well! In the past she either had fencing summers (camps, summer nationals) or academic ones (college classes). She's in college now, but I'll answer what she's doing anyway. She's leaving today for an archaeological field school in Bolivia. Also this summer she is trying to learn French well enough to read it.</p>
<p>My dd will be starting her Sophmore year in the Fall!</p>
<p>This Spring & Summer, she volunteered with the Little League Challengers (which is baseball for special needs children, ages 5-18). She cheered loudly, helped the ones who needed assistance with hitting and catching, and had a ball! Received a sweet "thank you" plaque for her wall.</p>
<p>She's continuing with Tae Kwon Do three nights per week, and is hoping to make black belt before she leaves for college.</p>
<p>She's doing alot of reading, and teaching herself Japanese, with the help of the internet and some books from Borders.</p>
<p>She hopes to add volunteering at the local hospital next.</p>
<p>My son, who will be a junior next year, already attended a leadership program called HOBY -- he loved it! He also has been spending time volunteering (teen court, youth library council and a film festival on ethics and morals). he works part-time as a research assistant. He leaves next week for a 7 week trip to Egypt to study Arabic, Egyptian culture and society and then will spend 4 days in NYC before coming home to start community college classes.</p>
<p>Interesting that so many homeschoolers fence, but I think that it's partially due to the fact that fencing is a sport that does not require a school team. </p>
<p>I would love to talk to you fencing parents about the sport, as my son just started and I don't know much about the competitions, etc.</p>
<p>HSmaminva, our DDs are the same age. Your DD's experience with the Little Leaguers sounds wonderful. Three nights a week at tae kwon do is quite a commitment. She must be very dedicated.</p>
<p>My DD doesn't have a regular sport in which she participates. She has dabbled in fencing and figure skating but hasn't fallen in love with either. She recently started dancing and is going to dance a couple nights a week over the summer.</p>
<p>My DD just started Tae Kwon Do in January and has already achieved her yellow belt. It's the first sport she's ever shown an interest in (she's a bookworm!) and just loves it! In addition to the three hours per week for her own class, she also helps out in the younger class, which meets before hers, for another three hours per week.</p>
<p>The Little League Challengers is very close to all of our hearts, as Elizabeth's two younger siblings both have autism and play on the Challenger team. She has fallen in love with all of the children, though, and has narrowed her career choices down to either a developmental pediatrician or a special education teacher, based on how much she's enjoyed working with the special needs children.</p>
<p>She's also discussing volunteering in her little sister's special education classroom, as soon as the teacher can get it approved by the public school board. We're hoping that can start in September.</p>
<p>The trip to Egypt is an organized trip. I guess that when Bush set up his Strategic Language Initiative -- acknowledging that Americans really lack in foreign language and the ones that would be important for national defense, trade, etc are really lacking (Hindi, Farsi, Arabic, Mandarin) the US State Department started setting up programs to encourage people to take those languages.</p>
<p>The program my son is going on is sponsored by the US State Department (so he will get to meet all kinds of foreign dignataries and such!) and is fully paid for! He will spend 7 weeks in Egypt, 4 hours each morning studying Arabic (2 hours of colloquial Egyptian Arabic and 2 hours of reading and writing Modern Standard Arabic) and the afternoons touring around and learning about Egyptian culture and society. He lives with a host family the whole time so he gets to practice Arabic alot. They will also do a community service project in a rural village, see all the typical touristy things -- like the museums, mosques and pyramids and spend 4 days with an Egyptian Boy Scout Troop Hiking to Mt. Sinai.</p>
<p>It really is an awesome trip and he is getting very excited (a little nervous, too). The agreement was that when he got back, he would continue his study of Arabic.</p>