Summer School and Discounts

Homeschool Connections is offering online summer camps this school year and they're open for registration. There are classes for middle and high school with some fantastic teachers. If you register before the end of this month (April) you can get a $20 to $30 discount.

I always "school-light" over the summer. My school teacher friends tell me that they spend the first 2 to 3 months each school year just reviewing the lessons from the previous school year. I figure it's easier to do a little bit of school work over the summer than review come September.

Learning is a year-round experience and with online classes you can take your learning just about anywhere. We've had students take classes at the beach on their laptops, on vacation in Peru, and at the library in a visiting city.

Here are the Summer Camps being offered. Simply click on the camp titles to learn more or to register:

Job Search Skills Camp

Class dates: Monday through Thursday, May 24 to May 27
Total classes: 4
Starting time: 8 pm Eastern (7 pm Central)
Duration: 1 hour
Fee: $60 for entire 4-class camp. $20 Early Registration Discount before April 30, 2010
Instructor: Derek Prentice
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 10^th grade to college level

Apologetics Camp

Class dates: Mondays through Thursdays, June 7 to 17, 2010
Total classes: 8
Starting time: 10:00 am Eastern (9:00 am Central)
Duration: 1 hour
Fee: $100 for entire 8-class course. $20 early registration discount before April 30, 2010
Instructor: Gary Michuta
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 9^th to 12^th

History Camp: Foundations of Christian Historiography

Class dates: Monday to Thursday, June 14 to June 17
Total classes: 4
Starting time: Noon Eastern (11:00 am Central)
Duration: 1 hour
Fee: $50 for entire 4-class course. $10 Early Registration Discount before April 30, 2010
Instructor: Phillip Campbell
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 9^th to 12^th

Latin I Camp: Introductory Level

Class dates: Mondays through Thursdays, June 21 to July 1, 2010
Total classes: 8
Starting time: 10:00 am Eastern (9:00 am Central)
Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes
Fee: $120 for entire 8-class course. $20 early registration discount before April 30, 2010
Instructor: Alecia Rolling and Kenneth Rolling
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 7^th to 12^th

Latin II Camp: Grammar Intensive

Class dates: Mondays through Thursdays, July 5 to July 22, 2010
Total classes: 12
Starting time: 10:00 am Eastern (9:00 am Central)
Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes
Fee: $180 for entire 12-class course. $30 early registration discount before April 30, 2010
Instructor: Alecia Rolling
Prerequisite: The student who wishes to enroll in this camp has at least learned the 1^st through 3^rd noun and adjective declensions as well as the 1^st through 4^th conjugations of the present tense. If the student has not learned this, he or she is encouraged to take Latin I Camp or enroll in Latin II camp with the understanding that it will be difficult and fast-paced.
Suggested grade level: 7^th to 12^th

Latin III Camp: Translation Intensive

Class dates: Mondays through Thursdays, July 26 to August 12, 2010
Total classes: 12
Starting time: 10:00 am Eastern (9:00 am Central)
Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes
Fee: $180 for entire 12-class course. $30 early registration discount before April 30, 2010
Instructor: Alecia Rolling
Prerequisite: The student who wishes to enroll in this camp has at least learned the 1^st through 5^th noun and adjective declensions as well as the 1^st through 4^th verb conjugations in all tenses (active and passive) or has successfully completed Latin Camp II.
Suggested grade level: 7^th to 12^th

New Apologetics Section

Over at Love2learn.net at our Apologetics page has grown so large that we've expanded it into an entire section. Check it out here:

Apologetics Section

Review: A Philadelphia Catholic in King James's Court

by Martin de Porres Kennedy
1999, Lilyfield Press, 316 pages, softcover, Catholic
ISBN: 0-9671492-1-5
Recommended for high school and adults
Reviewed by Suchi Myjak

Plot overview: After the tragic death of Mick O'Shea, a Catholic fireman from Philadelphia, his widow Tammy and their children are invited to spend the summer at the Kentucky farm of Tammy's brother Les and his family. The catch? Les is the fundamentalist pastor of a small homegrown "Bible-only" church. He believes it is his duty to "save" his sister and her family from the Catholic Church. The story centers on 17-year-old Michael, who is chosen as the preferred point of contact. At first, Michael is very uncertain about Scripture and feels that his uncle's explanations are right; however, Mick has given him a solid grounding in the Faith, so he seeks the answers in Mick's library.

The author does a fine job of portraying the characters with their struggles and motivations. For example:

• Michael's search for truth is realistic, keeping us guessing how it will turn out.
• Tammy allows her son to face the challenge, realizing that he is too old to just be told the answers. I love the way the author shows the impact of her prayerful support.
• Fundamentalists are beautifully shown to be motivated by charity, while at the same time the weakness of their sola scriptura position is exposed.
• I also enjoyed the contrast between the reactions of the characters who were seeking Truth and those who felt threatened by it. (As a convert, I can appreciate both positions!)

Not only is much excellent apologetic material included in a natural, enjoyable, and engaging format, but it is done with charity and even humility. Topics covered include the Inquisition, the papacy, the role of Mary, and the authority and interpretation of the Bible.

The richness of the Faith comes through in other ways as well. I especially loved the way the author portrays the uniqueness of the Sacrifice of Christ even as it is extended through time in the re-presentation of that Sacrifice in the Mass. Other elements woven into the story include questions of what is really important in life, the support of the Christian community, and the power of prayer.

All in all a very satisfying Catholic novel.

Highly recommended.

Review: What Catholics Really Believe

Note: This is a preliminary review and will be polished up and added to after we're finished watching the entire series. I wanted to provide some basic info right now because this excellent series will be airing on EWTN beginning June 4th.

What Catholics Really Believe with Dr. Ray Guarendi and Rev. Kevin Fete
2002/2006, Nineveh's Crossing, 13 - 1/2 hour episodes on DVD, Catholic

This is a DVD apologetics series produced in 13 half-hour segments. Dr. Ray Guarendi and Rev. Kevin Fete discuss major issues of Catholic belief which are often misunderstood by Protestants and others - with an emphasis on support for Catholic belief from Scripture and from the Early Church Fathers. It's a lively discussion (Dr. Ray often breaks into "devil's advocate" mode!) with substantial but very accessible content. Basic topics covered are the following: Jesus, the Bible, Scripture and Tradition, Eucharist (2 episodes), Baptism, Morality, Confession, Mary (2 episodes), St. Peter, Papacy and Purgatory.

This is a quality production with numerous quotes from the discussion shown on the screen (makes it a lot easier to follow!).

My older children have really enjoyed watching the series. We just watched and discussed two episodes with the teen catechism discussion group that I lead. They found it informative and engaging - definitely the sort of thing that makes you want to dig deeper and learn even more. It's quite a good starting point for studying and discussing different topics relating to apologetics for both teens and adults. It could also be used as a "spine" to tie together a substantial religion course that included readings from Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

A detailed study guide is available for free online.

Click here to watch a segment of this series online.

Reviewed by Alicia Van Hecke (5-31-07)
Available from Adoremus Books

Review: No Price Too High

No Price Too High and A Dinner with Alex Jones with Alex Jones
2001, St. Joseph Communications, DVD 2 hours, 20 minutes

Alex Jones is a former Pentecostal preacher who converted to the Catholic faith, along with his family and his congregation, in 2001. This presentation is a talk he gave a few months before he was formally received into the Church, in which he first publicly told the story of his conversion. It was his study of the Early Church Fathers, in particular, that brought him into the Church. It is followed by a dinner table conversation, including questions from guests - both Catholic and Protestant. Hosted by Steve Ray.

Alex is a powerful and moving (and often funny!) speaker and it's exciting and inspiring to see this larger-than-life character on fire for the Faith. The flip side is that converting to the Faith cost him a great deal - especially among his friends and colleagues. This is a powerful witness, particularly for us cradle Catholics who might have a tendency to take the Faith for granted at times.

My older children (ages 12 and 14) and I really enjoyed his talk. Conversion stories are so exciting and hopeful - a great place to see the hand of God at work in our world today.

Reviewed by Alicia Van Hecke (5-15-07)
Available from Nineveh's Crossing

Review: Why Be Catholic?

Why Be Catholic? by Dr. Ray Guarendi
2006, Nineveh's Crossing, 90 minute DVD plus 2 audio CDs, Catholic

Many people are familiar with Dr. Ray Guarendi - psychologist, father of 10 and expert on family discipline. You may not know that he has a number of apologetics materials available as well.

Dr. Ray, a revert to the Catholic Church after 10 years in Protestantism, explains, in an engaging and often humorous way, the big things that brought him back. There is a particular emphasis on the need for a religious "system" to be logically and morally consistent. He touches on the Early Church, the Eucharist, Contraception, the problem with personal interpretations of Scripture and much more.

This talk was filmed at a men's conference and might be particularly nice for busy homeschool dads who often don't have time to keep up with the spiritual reading and study that goes on at home during the day. Our entire family enjoyed this talk and I'm sure we'll return to it many times.

Watch a sample portion here
Also, there's a free study guide available online.

The DVD also includes his classic talk (half-hour in length) "Catholic Dads Aren't Wimps" - an insightful look at the importance of discipline within the family and some very practical tips for making this happen. This is an abbreviated version of his 95 minute "comedy stand-up routine on parenting" titled "You're a Better Parent Than You think" (also produced by Nineveh's Crossing).

Two audio CDs are included in this package - one for each of the talks (great for taking in the car).

Reviewed by Alicia Van Hecke (5-1-07)
Available from Ignatius Press or Nineveh's Crossing