Our address has changed! To ensure you receive TOS Newsletters,
please add freescience@tosmagazine.com to your address book.
If you are having trouble viewing this email, click here!
(Mailing list information, including unsubscription instructions, is located at the end of this message.)

Free Science e-Newsletter, August 2006
What's Inside From the Editor: Steve Walden Blasting Off with Model Rockets
From The Editor Seldom do you go into an interview and come out with a startling revelation, but that's exactly what happened earlier this summer when I was interviewing a homeschool veteran and legislative analyst named Treon Goosen. Here's what she said. Treon: Even now, [statistics] show that there is no difference in test scores [in homeschooled children] from parents that have only a high school diploma as [compared] to one who actually has a PhD. Actually, in some cases they score better, because it's harder for parents who have PhDs and teaching degrees to homeschool. . . . Some of the people I've helped the most to dispel their fears of homeschooling [their kids] are teachers. Steve: Really? You would think that someone from such a high level of education would be able to say, 'Well, I've had training. I should be able to handle this. I should at least be able to carry them through high school.' Treon: Well, you know, some of them--what they've told me is that they're taught more crowd control than anything. They're taught how to manage a classroom. They're not taught how to individually teach their students. And that frightens them. . . . As a matter of fact, just this last year, one of the moms came up to me . . . who was a teacher and decided to go home. [She] was terrified of teaching her own kids. I spent time with her at this meeting just reassuring her that 'Yes, you can do this. Absolutely. Basically, just forget everything you've learned in teachers' college and get real and be a mom.' A lot of parents, especially moms, feel inadequate to teach some subjects like science. I have my doubts about my abilities at times. But then I remember some key Scripture passages that bring me around like smelling salts. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. - 2 Cor. 12:9 (NIV) Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." - 1 Cor. 1:26-31 (NIV) This is especially helpful for someone who has only a year of college and failed two core classes his junior year of high school. I am not a wise teacher, but God has blessed me with children and He has instructed me to teach them. Someone told me once, "God does not call the qualified. He qualifies the called." If God has called you to homeschool, there is no one more qualified than you to do it. He has given you the heart for your children, and that's something no amount of money can purchase. Homeschooling is a growing experience, not just for the child, but for the parent as well. Let God use you to open up new realms of His creation to the children He's given you. Learn together with your children and grow together. Done right, homeschooling is a rewarding experience that passes on a rich legacy in a world desperate for genuine relationships and true acceptance. Steve Walden Senior Editor, Free Science e-Newsletter Steve Walden lives in Colorado and, together with his wife, homeschools their three children, ages 10, 7, and 3. He is a freelance writer and editor with articles appearing in The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, Focus On Your Child: Discovery Years and Familymanweb.com. When he's not blogging at Dad's Corner on www.HomeschoolBlogger.com, he's searching for new opportunities to write about homeschooling, parenting, and connecting with God. His dream is to operate a retreat center in Colorado that promotes the concept of rediscovering God as our first love and the source of our strength. Blasting Off with Model Rockets   By Steve Walden, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine Last month, I wrote about some of the fun experiments parents can do with their kids in the backyard. This month, we may need a little more room. For my tenth birthday, my brother gave me a model rocket that he had assembled, painted, and decaled so that it was almost an exact replica of the space shuttle Columbia, only a few years old at the time. I was amazed and a little awed. He gave me a launch pad and rod, the engines, igniters, and even a keyed ignition switch. A few days later, we went down to the field near our house and positioned it on the pad. We put the key in the switch and pressed the button. When the rocket lifted off the pad, I was enthralled with the rush of seeing something shoot so quickly into the sky. A trail of white smoke helped us track its trajectory until it was almost out of sight. Then a puff, and a parachute opened, signaling that our rocket was making its descent back to earth. But where was the shuttle? It took us a few minutes to find it, but when we did, we saw that it was coasting in an almost perfect glide back to our launch site. I was immediately hooked. I began saving money and buying and building more model rocket kits. Though some were larger and some were more complicated, nothing topped the rocket and glider my brother had painstakingly crafted for me. I loved how it flew . . . right up until a tree ate the rocket. It wasn't just flying them that fired my enthusiasm, though. I wanted to know how a model rocket engine worked. I wanted to know what different engines did, how it knew when to eject the chute, and how it ejected it. My research uncovered cut-away diagrams of model rocket engines and designs. I learned all the answers to my questions, and then some! I was excited to learn that I could build a two-stage rocket, boosting the rocket higher than the same-sized single engine models. It worked, too! By the time I was 14, I was demonstrating my rocketry skills in front of my peers. I had built a 1/10 scale replica AIM-54 Phoenix missile. It roared off the launch pad and soared skyward until its chute deployed. Everything was going fine until the wind came up and--you guessed it, a tree ate it! Oohs and ahhs turned into hoots and mock applause. My pride was slightly bruised. Not all of my launches have ended in trees, however. In fact, I recovered nearly every other rocket, sometimes in pieces, especially when the chute doesn't open. Rocketry fans call that "ballistic fence-posting" or the ever-popular "Surface Penetration Testing." Speaking of model rocketry parlance, "land shark" is a rocket that quite unintentionally flies horizontally instead of vertically. I have not yet had the exhilaration of such a catastrophe, and, with a little planning and luck, I never will. Some model rocketry clubs meet to launch rockets together in competition or just for the beauty of it. Other clubs focus on what is called High Powered Rocketry (HPR). Some of the members of these HPR clubs are engineers and actual rocket scientists. Rockets are custom built with large motors that boost their payloads to altitudes measured in miles rather than feet. HPR events require FAA clearance because they reach altitudes reserved for jetliner traffic. The best way to get started in model rocketry is to join a club, but you usually don't have to join to try it out. Additionally, model rocketry kits are available that require very little assembly time and offer quite a bit of zoom for your buck. But don't let the simplicity of the kits fool you; loads of science is involved. NASA understands how model rocketry and even stomp rockets can propel the next generation into an interest of space flight. Their Beginner's Guide to Rockets offers a wealth of information about how model rockets, water (bottle) rockets, air rockets, and stomp rockets work. Of particular interest is Rocket Modeler II v2.1, a virtual model rocket that you can launch from your Internet browser. Choose the size, rocket motor, and even the launch conditions for your virtual rocket, press the launch button, and see how high and far it goes! Obviously, there are safety issues with rockets and, though we say it with every newsletter involving an experiment, rocketry definitely is an activity that involves risks and hazards, including a risk of serious injury. Responsible adults should investigate and evaluate all potential health risks and other hazards prior to engaging in rocketry alone or with minor children. Please exercise caution and take appropriate safety measures to avoid or lessen the risk of injury to people or property. Additionally, follow the Model Rocket Safety Code. Of particular concern is the potential for a rocket to ignite a wildfire. Pick your launch area carefully and avoid dry spots susceptible to fire. For more information or to find a club in your area, please visit the National Association of Rocketry site. US Subscriptions: Whether you are new to our magazine or a long-time subscriber, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine has an incredible offer that you won't want to pass up! In the past, we couldn't offer the renewing subscribers the 19 free gifts - those were only for new customers. But for a limited time only, RENEWING subscribers get all 19 gifts (over $200 value), too! I'm a new subscriber…what do I get? With your paid two-year subscription to TOS you'll receive: •A 2-year/3-year subscription to The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine •19 FREE gifts for you All this for ONLY $39 for 2 years and ONLY $59 for 3 years Click Here to Purchase Online Or, call 1-888-718-HOME Already a subscriber? Renew now and receive: • Two or Three more years of your favorite homeschool magazine and 19 FREE gifts (valued at over $200)! All this for ONLY $39 for 2 years and ONLY $59 for 3 years Click Here to Purchase! Or, call 1-888-718-HOME The first 3,000 two-year or three-year new subscriber or renewing your two or three year subscription, you will receive (by USPS mail) NINETEEN free homeschooling gifts. But you don't get four gifts - you get 19! And yes, even the shipping is paid for - and you are not required to buy anything again - EVER. Hurry! Promotion will sell out fast! - TOS Staff (US Residents Only) Click Here to View the FREE Gifts International Subscriptions: Whether you view your subscription as a gift for yourself, a homeschool conference delivered to your door, a professional journal, or simply a wonderful opportunity to fellowship with other homeschool families around the world, subscribe now to insure that you are in the first 2,000 and receive this incredible International Subscription Homeschool Gift Pack! One-Year International Subscription: Receive four issues of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine delivered directly to your door and 19 FREE gifts from our generous sponsors. Subscribe now! Only $38! And we have an additional gift for two-year and three-year subscribers! Two-Year or Three-Year International Subscription: Receive eight issues of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, the 19 free gifts, AND our Secrets of Successful Homeschooling e-book! Subscribe now! Only $69 for 2 years and $83 for 3 years! These special offers will expire soon, though. Subscribe or renew today so you don't miss out on this opportunity! We have three easy ways to subscribe! Subscribe online Call 1-888-718-HOME Mail your order to The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC PO Box 10 White Pine, TN 37890 Hurry! Promotion will sell out fast! - TOS Staff (International Residents Only) Click Here to View the FREE Gifts From Steve Walden and the rest of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine team, thank you for subscribing to the FREE Science e-Newsletter! As Senior Editor, I welcome your feedback and comments. Please e-mail me at FreeScience@TheHomeschoolMagazine.com. Don't forget to check out our website and magazine. Have a great autumn! Disclaimer and Warning: Activities, projects and experiments presented or contained in this newsletter ("Activities") are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. Some Activities may involve health risks or other hazards, including a risk of serious injury. Responsible adults should investigate and evaluate all potential health risks and other hazards prior to engaging in Activities alone or with minor children. Please exercise caution and take appropriate safety measures to avoid or lessen the risk of injury to people or property. Activities are not appropriate for children and teens of all ages. Children and teenagers should attempt Activities only under direct, appropriate parental supervision. The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC accepts no responsibility or liability, express or implied, for injury, loss or damage of any kind resulting from the use or misuse of Activities or other information contained in this newsletter.

• Subscribe to this or other free TOS e-Newsletters.
• Subscribe to The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine.
• Advertise in this newsletter: email Sales@TheHomeschoolMagazine.com.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following information is a reminder of your current mailing list subscription:
You are subscribed to the following list: The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine Newsletters - Free Science using the following email:
freescience@tosmagazine.com

You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by visiting the following URL:
http://www.tosmagazine.com/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/u/freescience/

If the above URL is inoperable, make sure that you have copied the entire address.
Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break this automatic unsubscribe mechanism.

You may also change your subscription by visiting this list's main screen:
http://www.tosmagazine.com/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/list/freescience

If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at: freescience@tosmagazine.com

The following physical address is associated with this mailing list:
http://www.theoldhomeschoolhouse.com/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------