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What's New at the Co-op
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In this issue:
- LAST CALL FOREVER for abcteach and our famous Thinkwell discount
- Group Buys Roundup
- In the Pipeline
- More Free Curriculum Discoveries by Diane Flynn Keith
- ust for Fun
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Please join us in giving a hearty Co-op "Welcome!" to 1,099 new families in the last week!
This week we update our Facebook and Summer Fun Reading Programs, launch a record number of NEW Group Buys, a bunch of LAST CALLS (Dave Ramsey!), and more. (Keep reading...) |
~~ Facebook Update ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THANKS to all the members -- currently 4,257 -- who "like" us on Facebook and for your participation in our many new Facebook programs!
Our Facebook page is getting busier and busier! Here's a recap of future (and past) goings-on:
WHY HOMESCHOOLING ROCKS Update
We got some proofs from the graphic designer we hired to make our upcoming Why Homeschooling ROCKS! ebook worthy of the wonderful statements and photos posted by members on our wall last month.
And THANKS AGAIN to our entire wonderful community of homeschoolers and your inspiring "Why Homeschooling ROCKS" comments and photos!!! We'll notify you on Facebook and in our newsletter when the ebook is ready.
SUMMER FUN PHOTO CONTEST IS ONGOING!
Our Summer Fun Photo Contest is in full swing, and wonderful pictures of homeschooled kids having fun this summer keep pouring in! If you have already posted but have more pictures of your kids having fun, feel free to post. We'll do our next drawing on Wednesday, August 18 at noon. Get a chance to win a $15 Amazon Gift Card. The winner is the member whose photo draws the most "Likes". If there is a tie, we'll draw for the winner. |
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~~ Summer Fun Reading Program Update ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
 We're in the home stretch for our Summer Fun Reading Program! Co-op kids have logged over 22,303 reading hours since began in early June!
Every week we give away HALF of the prizes donated in the last week, and save the remainder for our GOLD RUSH (see below). The more prizes donated, the more kids get a chance to win! Do you have some books or CDs or DVDs, used or new, lying around that you would be willing to give to someone else's homeschooled child? We do a drawing every Tuesday at noon, Pacific Time, for our weekly winners. And on August 31 at 1:00 PM, we'll do a drawing for our GRAND PRIZE WINNNER of an Apple iPad (the 16 GB Wi-Fi Model). With each and every drawing, your child gets one chance to win for each hour she or he has read from June 1 up to the time of the drawing. (Hours spent reading to your child or listening to books on tape also qualify.) For example, if she has read (or listened to) 30 hours by June 22, she'll have 30 chances to win. If she has read another 20 hours by our second drawing on June 29, she'll have 50 chances to win, and so on. GOLD RUSH! On August 31 at 1:00 PM Pacific, we will open the entire community treasure chest to ALL reading program participants for one final mad and happy treasure grab on a first-come, first-served basis - one prize per child. This will all happen online at the Co-op website. We're hoping that by then we'll have a TON of prizes in our treasure chest so that ALL our Summer Fun Reading Program kids will get to grab a prize. If not, we hope their parents will have something special socked away for them just in case! ALSO, every student gets a FREE Reading Champion Certificate, proudly stating how many hours he or she read during the summer, along with a list of the books she read (you fill in the blanks): Reading Champion Certificate | This will be a wonderful keepsake for you to enjoy for years to come! Simply complete and submit a Daily Reading Record to enter (and show off!) the number of hours your child reads each day! Your name (first name, and first letter of her last name) will be proudly displayed for all to see on our Reading Champions page. |
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~~ GROUP BUY ROUNDUP ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here's our recap of what's happening with Group Buys at the Co-op.
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LAST CALL FOR THESE LAST GROUP BUYS!
Last month, no fewer than three favorite Co-op suppliers (out of nearly 50) have notified us that they want to end their Group Buys or significantly change the terms of our offer. There is still time to take advantage of our outstanding member discounts, but after the current expiration dates, you won't see discounts like these for these products ever again! So, please take a close look and jump in before they are gone! |
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They have not ruled out a future Group Buy, but our sense is it probably won't happen until next year, if then. So, if you are looking for a comprehensive source for THOUSANDS of printables and activities at a huge discount, NOW IS THE TIME TO BUY!!!
NOTE TO CURRENT SUBSCRIBERS: If you already have an active subscription to abcteach through the Co-op and want to renew, do NOT place an order here. abcteach has set up a special renewal form for you, where you can get the Co-op member price here.
abcteach is an online educational resource featuring over 35,000 pages of printable worksheets and activities, custom document generators, and more!
With abcteach, you can spend less time searching for the right thing, and more time being a great teacher! |
Thinkwell Video Courseware - Save up to 45% -- OUR LAST GROUP BUY! - Extended until 8-31!  Well, as they say, all good things must come to an end. Co-op members have enjoyed HUGE savings through the Co-op for the immensely popular Thinkwell video courseware for nearly two years, but we Thinkwell has announced that resellers will be required to sell at the retail price.
However, Thinkwell DID agree to let us sponsor ONE LAST GROUP BUY with our legendary savings, which is NOW LIVE at the Co-op website and continuing until August 18.
Between now and then Co-op members can save up to 45% on ALL Thinkwell courses. After that, of course, we'll still find a way to give you the BEST DEAL ON THE PLANET, probably in form of a generous bonus of SmartPoints, but after that you will have to pay retail prices.
SMART SHOPPER ALERT: Keep in mind that your Thinkwell subscription doesn't begin until you activate the course with the codes we provide, so you can buy even a year in advance and start the course at your convenience.
Great teaching begins with great teachers, but, unfortunately, not everyone has access to the best teachers. Thinkwell changes that by using the latest technology to bring these great teachers into your homeschool via the Internet. Instead of reading a textbook, students watch a series of dynamic 10-minute video lectures and then complete interactive online exercises that reinforce concepts and demonstrate mastery of the topics.
Thinkwell's presenters are actual professors from some of the country's top colleges, including Williams College, Rice University, Purdue, Middlebury, University of Chicago, and more. Each professor is one of the great communicators in his/her field. Their tutorials and extensive interactive exercises make the material memorable by delivering the unexpected with examples and stories.
NEWS FLASH: We were notified earlier this week that Thinkwell is taking a bit longer to implement their new pricing scheme, so this offer has been extended until 8/31 at midnight. However, if you placed -- or will place -- your order before our original 8/18 deadline, we will still fulfill by 8/23 as originally promised. |
Math Whizz - Save up to 50%
Move over ALEKS and BrainPOP! The Co-op is pleased to announce our first ever Group Buy Math Whizz from Whizz Education. Math Whizz is the 2006 "Best Math Software" winner of the BETT Awards, perhaps the most prestigious award body in Great Britain. Math Whizz is an online mah curriculum for 5 to 13 year olds, and uses interactive math animations and a unique software-based tutoring methodology to deliver proven measurable results in math. |
RightStart Mathematics - Free Shipping & SmartPoints
Activities For Learning will no longer allow us to discount this popular math curriculum for Grades K - 8, but we are pleased nonetheless to offer the BEST DEAL ON THE PLANET for RightStart Mathematics, featuring FREE Shipping and FREE SmartPoints (10 for each $ you spend) on orders over $100. Do you have visual, kinesthetic, or auditory learner? This hands-on visual program with manipulatives could be what you have been looking for. |
Mark Kistler Online - Save up to 60% The Co-op is pleased to a new Group Buy for Mark Kistler Online with group savings of up to 60%.
Over the past three decades, Mark Kistler has taught millions of children how to draw in 3-D at workshops around the world, including Australia, Germany, England, Scotland, Mexico and the United States.
Now members can gain the benefit of his experience in their homes with a 3-year family subscription to three of his programs: Online Video Art Academy, School of Imagination, and Mini-Marshmallow video art lessons for lil' young geniuses! |
Math Mammoth - Save up to 40% We are pleased to announce a new Group Buy for the hugely popular Math Mammoth math curriculum from Homeschool Math.
If you aren't familiar with this Co-op favorite, a good place is to start is on the member's Testimonials page. You'll find that members have had great success with this program when other better known programs have failed. Best of all, by joining our Group Buy, you can save up to 40%! |
YourTeacher.com - Save up to 40%  We are pleased to announce the BEST DEAL ON THE PLANET for popular online video math curriculum. If you were to itemize the elements of an ideal online math program, your list would probably include most of elements offered by YourTeacher.com, including video tutorials, self-tests, reports, Flash animations, SAT and ACT Prep and more. See why over 1,000 members have checked out this popular curriculum. |
Skills Tutor - Save 35%  The Homeschool Buyers Co-op is pleased to offer the award-winning SkillsTutor - an interactive, award-winning, skill-building, conceptual learning, K thru Adult program.
We are pleased to offer SkillsTutor online subscriptions at Group Buy deep discounts for the 2010-11 school year! The Co-op has agreed to sponsor this program in order to make these online subscriptions available EXCLUSIVELY for our members! |
Colonial Williamsburg - Save up to $450  We are VERY pleased to announce that the Colonial Williamsburg new school year Electronic Field Trip program is NOW OPEN and live on the Co-op website. This program is in its 3rd year here at the Co-op and undeniably a member favorite. Co-op members enjoy EXCLUSIVE SAVINGS of UP TO 90% OFF! Collectively, when members reach the deepest discount tier, we will ENJOY A $49 PRICE for a program that is offered at $500 normally.
This year has exciting new programs like "The Amazing Trade Shop Science Rate!", "The Bill of Rights", and "Women of the Revolution"! This program comes complete with teacher resources, student activities, lesson plans, web adventures, Q&A with REAL Historians, primary source documents, and MUCH MORE!
Hundreds of Co-op members have taken advantage of this unique history program in past years, and you'll find their kudo's on our Testimonials page.! |
PCI Education - Save 25% We are pleased to announce our first ever Group Buy for special needs curriculum from industry leader, PCI Education. Members enjoy the BEST DEAL ON THE PLANET for a wide range of products that offer expert assistance across the entire curriculum for students with special learning challenges. |
Voyages In English - Save up to $32  We are pleased to welcome Loyola Press back to the Co-op just in time for the new 2010-11 homeschool year.
This Group Buy features savings for Voyages in English and Exercises in English. Loyola Press had been providing private and public school districts with high-quality writing and grammar materials since 1943.
What's more, this year's Group Buy has NEW LOWER PRICING! Thank you, Loyola!
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Homeschool Programming - Save 40%  If you missed out on our last, hugely popular Group Buy for Homeschool Programming -- not to worry! The company has agreed to let us reopen our Group Buy at the maximum 40% discount! These huge discounts are available EXCLUSIVELY to Co-op members!
These courses include everything you need to get moving forward with teaching technology in your homeschool classroom. Homeschool Programming has even added NEW GAME PROGRAMMING titles, too! What a way to romance your student into learning some seriously great THINKING SKILLS! Members are already at the deepest discount of 40% OFF! Check this one out and jump in these savings today!
What's more, no waiting! We'll have you set up with your new courses within 10 minutes of receiving your order. |
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New Grammarlogues 2010-2011 Homeschool Version - Save up to 50%
The Homeschool Buyers Co-op is pleased to announce a Group Buy for the 2010-2011 Homeschool Version of award-winning Grammarlogues®, a middle and high school grammar tool designed by top teachers and grammarians. Grammarlogues® has been featured in The New York Times, CBS, and BusinessWeek online.
In their new version, Grammarlogues has added a lot of new features based on feedback from Co-op members. Drop by for a rundown of the new features! |
LanguageQuest - Save up to 50% - Expires 9/1 GREAT NEWS! LanguageQuest.org has approved an extension of savings until 9/1/10! If you missed out on their first visit, NOW is the time to jump in. When this one expires, the savings are gone and we don't know when they'll be back! (NOTE - If you participated prior to 8/10/10, your order has been submitted to LanguageQuest for processing.) |
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PLATO Learning Middle School Science - Save 63%
Round 9 for this hugely popular online science curriculum (formerly called CyberEd) for kids in Middle School grade levels has begun! You choose from Life, Physical, or Earth & Space. Choose the time slot that suits your needs --- save extra bucks with set time slots OR bump up and enjoy 24/7 access --- YOUR CHOICE! This program is UNAVAILABLE elsewhere, as PLATO only offers their programs to institutions, thus we are pleased to provide this service for Co-op members. |
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PLATO Learning High School Science - Save 63%
Round 9 for this hugely popular online science curriculum (formerly called CyberEd) for kids in High School grade levels has begun! You choose from Physical, Biology, Chemistry, or Technical Fundamentals. Choose the time slot that suits your needs --- save extra bucks with set time slots OR bump up and enjoy 24/7 access --- YOUR CHOICE! This program is UNAVAILABLE elsewhere, as PLATO only offers their programs to institutions, thus we are pleased to provide this service for Co-op members. |
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Dave Ramsey Foundations in Personal Finance - Save up to 67% - Expires 8/16
It's LAST CALL for our Group Buy for finance curriculum for the whole family from DaveRamsey.com! DaveRamsey.com is a long-time Co-op member favorite and we are pleased to have him here for Group Buy savings! This Group Buy has some great new product choices for 2010 at the Co-op AND member tried-and-true crowd pleasers! You may already know and love Dave Ramsey from listening to his nationally syndicated radio talk show OR you're just getting introduced to him -- either way, this Group Buy offers you big pocketbook relief when bringing financial training into your homeschool classroom!
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Dave Ramsey Generations - Save up to 40% - Expires 8/16
It's LAST CALL for back-to-school special savings offer for Dave Ramsey's financial bible study curriculum for teen group studies --GENERATION CHANGE! Dave has released this UNIQUE curriculum to teach teens what the Bible says about managing their money and about giving! You can host a Bible Study in your home or purchase for your child's local youth group!
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Digital Frog - Save up to 60% - Expires 8-22
It's LAST CALL for award-winning natural science software curriculum from Digital Frog International! We are delighted to have Digital Frog return to the Co-op with deep discounts for members in time for the new school year! If you've missed them before, NOW is the time to get a "jump" on these super savings for your Science studies! If you're a new member at the Co-op and you've never been introduced to Digital Frog; then we encourage you to check out these unique CD-Rom curriculum choices for your Natural Science studies! |
~~ Group Buy Summary ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
View our summary of ALL the Group Buys by subject matter, with a new column showing recommend grade levels.
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~~ In the Pipeline ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here's your sneak-peek into our Group Buy pipeline.
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COMING SOON
These Group Buys are "in the bag", but there are a few more details to be worked out before we can go live. We hope to take these Group Buys live very soon. Stay tuned! |
- Intellego Unit Studies
IT's OFFICIAL! WE HAVE A DEAL! Intellego offers "an integrative approach to web-based, secular K-12 education that embraces the learning styles and multiple intelligences of every child."
Take a look and let us know: What do you think?
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- Lamplighter Publishing
The spring Group Buy for Lamplighter Publishing was a big hit with Co-op members. Shall we do it again for the new school year? Give us your feedback, so we know what's on your wish list!
Take a look and let us know: What do you think?
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MORE GROUP BUYS COMING SOON:
The History Channel Multimedia Classroom - Both AMERICAN and GLOBAL History! Choose from the ENTIRE SET or you can build your own 3-pack mini-bundle. 42 title choices! This one will be LIVE THIS WEEK!
Ginger Software - We are pleased to announce that we have a new agreement with GINGER! This program will be available within the next couple weeks! |
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NOTE: Please understand that Group Buys work best for software or online curriculum with retail values over $100. We would love to do Group Buys for books or computers, as many of you have requested, but our experience is that in most cases these companies can't offer significant discounts. |
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POSSIBLE GROUP BUYS
Negotiating and sponsoring a Group Buy is an expensive and time-consuming proposition, but we love doing it, especially when there is strong member interest. This section of the newsletter is really important to us: it is your opportunity to see -- and influence -- what's on our radar screen. Please take a look, and let us hear from you. What do you think? |
- Rose Publishing
Thousands of members have been taking advantage of the free PDF wall charts in our FREEBIES section. The freebies, of course, are but the barest sampling of the many bible reference products available from Rose Publishing.
We had a great conversation with the CEO of Rose Publishing last week, and she is willing to give members a great deal if we can put together a large enough buying group. We could get significant discounts on your choice of many of their books, pamphlets, wall charts, and PowerPoints.
Take a look and let us know: What do you think?
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- Think Like A King Chess Software
We've been on the phone with some companies that have programs that are just what the doctor ordered for THINKING SKILLS! Think Like A King has been requested by Co-op members and the supplier is willing to give our members a good deal. Does this look like something that you would like to see offered here at the Co-op? This one has a lot of details to get into place, so we'd like your feedback.
Take a look and let us know: What do you think?
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~~ Field Trips Update ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our Field Trips database is bigger and better than ever!
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~~ Free Curriculum ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please let us know if YOU find any great educational websites! |
 | FREEBIES! |  |
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Bible eChart from Rose Publishing | FREE!
Quick Start Guide to Carschooling | FREE!
design and development software from Microsoft | FREE!
Enjoy a full subscription to YourTeacher.com through August 31, 2010 - a $69.50 Value! | | | | | | | | | |
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~~ Just For Fun ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you have any videos, games, jokes, quotes or other light-hearted Internet discoveries that you would like to share with us? Tell us about it. |
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We appreciate you at the Co-op!
Brett Walter
President
Homeschool Buyers Co-op
Contact Information:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ email: news@homeschoolbuyersco-op.org
phone: 650-648-0808
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