Ladies & Gentlemen of the Treehouse

I am moving. Sort of. 

I recently accepted the position of Editor for Blissfully Domestic's Homeschool Bliss channel. Because much of the content is related to that which I published in Henry's Treehouse, I will no longer be posting to this blog. 

You might be thinking, "What does homeschooling have to do with Henry's Treehouse?" Quite frankly, a lot. I strongly believe that no matter the formal venue for education, children are ultimately educated in the home. And though the Homeschool Bliss channel does focus on homeschooling as a formal educational venue, the channel offers a TON of resources related to education in general. 

Finally, I am in the process of redesigning my other blogs. My goal is to create one (or maybe two) seamless blog(s), and I am currently working with a web designer on this project. I promise to post the site as soon as we are completed, although don't expect anything until after the first of the new year.

Thank you all for your support and readership. Please visit me at Blissfully Domestic, and if you are interested in contributing to the Homeschool Bliss channel, let me know!

While under construction...

Please visit me here! or here! or here! Thanks again.

Thank you.

Thank you, friends, for reading Henry's Treehouse.

Over the last four months, we have blogged together about issues that affect our lives as parents, educators, and child advocates. I have learned so much from your input and ideas, and I am very grateful for the opportunity to share my thoughts, ideas, and opinions with all of you.

As I look ahead, I have decided to combine a couple of my blogs, and in turn, I will be shutting the door to this chapter of Henry's Treehouse. Within the next month, I plan to launch a new blog design and theme, thus opening a new chapter to Henry's Treehouse.

Please stay tuned for more information.

In the meantime, thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

College email is so last year?

A friend sent me this article about a prestigious college's decision to forgo new email accounts.

What do you think?

"Officials at Boston College have made what may be a momentous decision: they've stopped doling out new email accounts to incoming students. The officials realized that the students already had established digital identities by the time they entered college, so the new email addresses were just not being utilized. The college will offer forwarding services instead. Starting next year, freshman enrolled at Boston College won't be given an actual email account complete with login and inbox, just an email address."

So, is this the start of a new trend? I think so. There are a few concerns, but in time, I think this is the way colleges and universities will go. It does make me think about a young man who I knew through a previous job. He had an email address that consisted of a gang name. Let's hope that students like him find a more appropriate email address to use when they start their college career!

StudentEdge

Do you have a high schooler who is college bound? If so, ask your child's School Counselor for the school's Peterson's StudentEdge access code.

If your child's school does not have one, encourage them to get one - access codes are FREE for school administrators!

Do not pay for access! Every school should be able to acquire an access code that allows administrators and students access to this resourceful website.

What is StudentEdge? StudentEdge is an online resource that gives students the opportunity to engage in the college planning process with tools and timely advice such as entrance exam preparation, financial aid information, practice standardized tests, and many other helpful tools. The site is customized to a student's grade level so there are tons of resources depending on whether your child is a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior.

Remember, there is no reason to pay for access to this site. Be in touch with your child's School Counselor today for more information about this valuable resource.

Ohio abortions on the decline

I read the headline, Ohio abortions decline, and I thought, "great news." 

But then I read the article. 

According to the article published in The Columbus Dispatch, "In 2007, 30,859 pregnancies were terminated, down more than 6 percent from the previous year and the lowest number since the state began keeping statistics in 1976. A report by the Ohio Department of Health shows abortions have been declining since 2000, when 38,140 were performed."

Wait, did I read that right? Over 30,000? Just in the state of Ohio? Holy smokes! That is a crazy-high number!

Here are some of the facts:

• About 1 in 8 abortions were performed on women younger than 20.
• Women with at least one child accounted for 60 percent of abortions.
• Eighty-two percent of the abortions were performed on unmarried women.
• Women between the ages of 20 and 24 accounted for a third of abortions, more than any other age group.
• Eighty-six percent of abortions were performed before the 12th week of pregnancy.
• Ohio continues to have a lower rate of abortions than the national average.
• Although Ohio statistics are not available, national figures show that unintended pregnancies are increasing among lower-income women while decreasing among higher-income women.
• Nationally, those with a high-school diploma or less underwent nearly two-thirds of the procedures.

So what do you make of all this? I think it is wonderful that abortions are on the decline, but to know that my state still performs over 30,000 abortions every year? Well, we have a LONG way to go.

I want this book.

I must tell you about a book that I recently discovered (and no, it's not a new book, I'm just behind the times).

Poetry Speaks to Children is a collection of nearly 100 poems from amazing poets such as Emily Dickinson, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Langston Hughes. The featured poems are those that speak to children through rhyme, rhythm, fun, and sometimes, mischief. Additionally, the book comes with a CD featuring many of the authors reading their work - how cool!

I love this book because I think poetry can be intimidating. But if we expose our children at an early age to the work of fabulous authors (not simply nursery rhymes, although those are good, too), then when our children mature, they will be more likely to turn to those sometimes intimidating authors. 

In addition to the delicious poetry, the book is beautifully illustrated making it fun for the littlest children to read. 

And check out this review on NPR (and listen to Roald Dahl read The Dentist and the Crocodile!). 

I love a book that both children and adults can enjoy!