April Events

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Families, welcome to Spring and Happy Resurrection weekend. 

We have so many much to be thankful for.

In March, we had a wonderful month of activities focused around entrepreneurship. The month culminated with our 6th annual Entrepreneurship market at Meadowood Regional Park. It was wonderful to see so many of you in-person! The weather was beautiful and the company was even better.

April promises to be a lot of fun as well. Students will plan gardens and get their hands dirty as they learn to plan, plant, and develop gardens. Please RSVP for the planting event by April 8th!

Finally, we are coming down the homestretch! May will be the last full month of activities for students. We have now opened up registration for the 2021-22 school year and have some exciting announcements coming in short order. 

Be blessed,

Ja’Near Garrus

Group Meeting | April 12
To kick off April Activities, students will review the different types of gardening and their benefits to the community.

Pre-K – Age 5 Group Meeting (1:00pm – 1:30pm)
Students will listen to a read-aloud book and identify what is needed for a seed to grow. They will discuss the life cycle of a plant through an on-screen game. 

Ages 6-9 Group Meeting starts @ 1:40pm
Garden Planning: Students come prepared to share a plan for a garden of their choice.

The plan should include:
What they will grow
What is needed for it to grow
Where they will plant it a bird’s eye view drawing to illustrate what his or her ideal garden bed would look like.**
The drawing should include the following: – what they want to plant – think about how much space each plant might need – How many of each plant do they want to plants?

Age Group 10-14 starts @ 1:40pm
Garden Planning: Students research and create a plan for a garden of their choice. 

The plan should include:
What to grow and why
How to grow it ( what is needed for the plant to thrive)Where it will grow and why (benefits of the garden) When it should be planted
How long to germination
Cost to plant and maintain their garden
Students come prepared to share their plans with a PowerPoint presentation, drawing, or poster, be creative!
Field Trip | April 19
Join us to plant Marigolds and Tomatoes at Mt. Olive UMC. Families will take the plants home to grow and a few will be brought back in May to transfer to Mt. Olive’s planter boxes.

Each family will work at their own table outside. (Tables being provided by Mt. Olive.)

What to bring:
A planting pot or paper egg cartonJug of water
Plastic tray to put your egg cartons or pots on
Optional: small shovel or trowel, gardening gloves

We will bring the potting soil and seeds!
Club Day | April 26
Students will hear from a special guest speaker, Mr. Greaves, an Environmental Scientist. 

MAKERS CLUB– Resurrection Gardens
Materials Needed:
1 large terra cotta plant saucer
1 small terra cotta pot
A handful of small rocks
1 large rock
Potting soil
Small sticks
String or twine

March is all about entrepreneurship!

Posted on by gbchomeschoolers

Welcome to March, GBCH Friends!

February was a lot of fun with students participating in the Centuries of Excellence: Black History Student Exhibition, creating music, working on their oratory skills, and participating in a step dancing workshop. It was wonderful to see them come alive, stretch themselves, and show what they are made of.

This month we will turn our attention to Business! Students will have the opportunity to develop a product, think about marketing, and study the great entrepreneurs that have come before them. Wonderful speakers, activities, and an outdoor market await us in this month’s activities.

Also this month, our oratory students will finish learning to recite MLK’s Mountaintop speech and record a video to submit to the Lincoln Oratory Project. Each session they are improving and becoming more confident in their speaking and stage presence. We hope that you will be able to join us for the debut of their final project. Stay tuned!

In closing, we are excited to have you join us for all of March’s activities and special events. Cheers to a safe and blessed month.

Blessings,

Ja’Near Garrus

GBCH Director

Group Meeting: 3/11

Club Day: 3/18

Students will review the concept of entrepreneurship, parts of a business plan and share information about different entrepreneurs.

In addition, students will hear from entrepreneur Tony Jackson, owner of TRUST, Inc., a Christian clothing company (www.trusttk.com).

We will start out the meeting with a speaker, Naima Winston, followed by Centuries Club and Maker’s Club. 

Naima Winston is kidpreneur, speaker, and Baltimore native best known for her participation in The Food Network television shows Kid Baking Championship and the Sweetings Holiday episode. We are excited to have her speak to our students and share how she turned her passion into a business.

Maker’s Club Activity: No-Sew Face Masks

Entrepreneurship Day: 3/25

We are looking forward to our entrepreneurship market day on Monday, March 22nd at Meadowood Regional Park. Please bring something to “sell.” In the past, we have had students sell t-shirts, hair bows, necklaces, lemonade, snacks, bookmarks, and stem kits. Each student will be given GBCH currency to buy and sell with.

We are sure to have a great time and learn from each other!

February Events

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Happy February, GBCH Friends!
This month we will turn our attention to culture with the celebration of Black History Month, Valentine’s Day, and performance art through our programming. Please take advantage of the opportunity to participate in the Centuries of Excellence: Black History Student Exhibition. This special event will allow your child to showcase themselves in Oratory, Dance, Music, or Art. In addition, it is an opportunity to involve your family and friends in supporting your student and our homeschool community. Also, we anticipate great fun in our group meetings as we study hip hop and its origins in spoken word traditions, followed by a Centuries Club on HBCUs and STEP Dancing, and finish out the month with a dance workshop. Please remember there is a parent’s meeting tomorrow (Tuesday 2/2) at 6 pm.

Blessings,
Ja’Near Garrus
GBCH Director

Group Meeting 2/8

For the group meeting, we will delve into the historical context of Oral traditions in the African American Culture. The group activities will focus on how those oral traditions branched into different musical and performance art forms such as jazz, spoken word, and hip hop, which we will focus on.

Club Day 2/15

Materials needed to prepare: Tin can, coffee can, storage container, or cake panFabric or Balloons, small or average size for tin cans and a punch ball-sized balloon for large items, Rubber bands, Tape, Colored paper, and markers to decorate
(optional)Chopsticks or pencils (to create drum sticks)

Starts at 1pm
Centuries Club:HBCUs, Stepping, and Polyrhythm
Maker’s Club:Creating an African Drum

Experience 2/22

January Events

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Welcome back, GBCH Friends! I hope that you have enjoyed Christmas and New Year with your families and were able to unplug and refresh.

We have come to our annual S.T.E.A.M. month! January’s activities are all about Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math! We will integrate these concepts throughout our activities and focus on engineering especially this month. Great speakers and activities are in store and we are excited to see how the students interpret what they are learning into their own projects. 

Also this month, we are starting a new Oratorical program. Students 3rd-8th grade will have an opportunity to learn oratory skills by reciting one of the speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr. culminating in a video presentation that will be part of the Oratory Festival. Don’t forget to sign up by this Friday!

Group Meeting 1/11

At this meeting, all age groups will focus on the Engineering Design Process. Students will be introduced to the STEAM acronym and focus on the “E”, engineering, and discuss what engineers do and the types of projects that involve engineering skills (ex. building bridges, designing robots, recycling systems). Students will learn the 5-step engineering design process (Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, Improve/Reflect).

Club Day 1/18

Experience:

We will be joined by two engineers, Tamyra L. Paschal and Kiwitta I. Paschal, from Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Corporation in Fort Worth, Texas. 

We will hear about engineering as a career, the preparation required, their work on airplanes and various opportunities available within the field.

Centuries Club:

Children will learn about African-American architects and civil engineers who have designed various public spaces across the United States.

Maker’s Club:

In observance of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday children will reflect on Dr. King’s legacy of peace, justice, and equality, and use what they have learned about the engineering design process to build a monument, museum, park, or other structure in honor of Dr. King. Children may use materials of their choice.

STEAM Fair 1/25

Our month will conclude with our annual GBCH STEAM Fair! 

During our virtual science fair, children will present a science topic of their choice or conduct a demonstration to show the group. 

Older students should use the scientific method or engineering design process as a guide for presenting their information. 

Presentations may be live, pre-recorded, PowerPoint, a project board or other mediums of choice. 

December Activities

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Happy December!  What an eventful year 2020 it’s been and despite it all, we are blessed and thankful to celebrate the birth of our Savior!  This month’s activities promise to be festive and fun.

December 7th: Christmas Around the World

This is how I.. Celebrate. We will explore how other cultures and/or countries celebrate Christmas around the World through music and games.

Moms, join us for our annual Christmas Tea.  We are looking forward to lively conversation and games, followed by an ornament craft.  Have your favorite tea blend, sandwiches, and/or pastries on hand!

December 14th: Club Day @ 1pm
 The Club Day meeting will begin with Centuries Club, spotlighting Dr. Karenga, best known as the creator of the Kwanzaa holiday.  

Following Centuries Club, students will create a Christmas plate or Mug for Maker’s Club. 
December 21st: KWANZAA Celebration @1pm
 Join us for a GBCH & GPCH Kwanzaa celebration on December 21st @ 1pm!

October | This is how I…Govern

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Welcome to October!  This month we will highlight the importance of government, leadership, and voting.  It is a jam-packed month filled with memorable experiences to take advantage of!  No RSVP’s are necessary except for the pickleball lessons and hydroponic gardening.  As a reminder, all events will happen at the same Zoom link (found at the bottom of this email).

Also, please take note of the group meeting start times.  We have adjusted them to serve each age group more effectively.

Finally, we are already planning Christmas activities!  The group has been signed up to design a Christmas tree for the Kennedy Krieger Institute’s Festival of Trees. The sale of this tree will benefit the programs at Kennedy Kreiger.  We are seeking design submissions from our students.  One design will be chosen to influence the direction of our tree. 

Blessings,
Ja’Near Garrus
Director
October 12: Group Meeting 
The group activities will highlight the importance of government, leadership, and voting.
Picture credit- albiongould.com
October 19: Club Day Maker’s Club: Yarn Wall Hanging
Materials to bring
Yarn (Red, White, and Blue or any colors that your child would like)
Scissors
Wooden Dowel

Centuries Club
No items needed
 
October 26: Experience and Field Trip
Guest Speaker Bonnie Watson-Coleman & Ford Theatre Virtual Field Trip “Exploring Lincoln in Washington”
This month we are in for a treat!  First, guest speaker, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson-Coleman, will start off our October experience by speaking to the students for 15 minutes about her career.  She is a long-time public servant and advocate for New Jersey families and was elected in 2018 to her third term in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Immediately following, we will travel to DC virtually with the Ford’s Theatre program, Exploring Lincoln in Washington.  The co-hosts of this experience are the Ford’s Theatre staff and a National Park Service Ranger. 

Ford’s Theatre Education and The National Mall and Memorial Parks explore President Abraham Lincoln’s Washington, D.C., through places that mattered to Lincoln during his lifetime and places where he matters to us today. This session is 40 minutes.

GBCH and GPCH Chess

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Thursdays in April from 2pm-3pm.  This year in our newest chapter, GPCH, the students have expressed an interest in playing chess together and have used game days to bring their chess boards and challenge each other in friendly competition.  As a result, we started a new partnership with the East Columbia Senior Center and our first get together was an intergenerational chess event in January.  IT WAS AWESOME seeing students playing and learning from opponents ages 60-80+!  As a result of that interest and in the spirit of TEAM we will continue to play together online with both chapters on Chesskid.com.   If you have not visited the site before. It is extremely kid-friendly with chess lessons and the ability to play games against opponents. Check your email for information on how to participate.