The only requirement you must meet in order to participate in a district spelling bee is to be part of a school that is enrolled with Scripps. To remedy this, a group was created and is called Learning at Home. Its sole purpose is to facilitate spelling bee participation for homeschool families. Without it, families whose school groups did not enroll would face enrollment on their own in order to participate in district spelling bees. At $145 for the early-bird special, that’s extremely impractical! When you register with Learning at Home, you receive the study materials Scripps has released for the year. These are invaluable for advancement in the spelling bee. As a member of Learning at Home, you will also receive curated study tips and FAQs from the spelling bee coordinator! Her job is to help homeschoolers get involved and be successful in the Scripps spelling bee system. It’s super easy to register with Learning at Home and get started on your 2017 spelling bee journey! All that is needed is some registration information and an $8 fee per family. This means that, no matter how many students you have who meet the eligibility requirements, all you pay is $8. This small fee helps recoup the $145 Scripps enrollment fee, as all of this is on a volunteer basis. Once the coordinator has both your registration information and your $8 fee, she will send you the study materials, study tips, and FAQs so that your students can begin studying right away. Here is the information needed, which you can send via email to Laura Tipps at latipps@gmail.com: 1. Name of Parent or Legal Guardian 2. Name(s) of Speller(s) in Household 3. Grade Level(s) and Age(s) of Speller(s) in Household 4. Phone Number 5. Homeschool Group/Covering/Co-op (Essential Church School) 6. Which District You are Closest to/Plan to Attend - which should be Birmingham for most The preferred method of payment is PayPal. The following link has Laura Tipps's information and the amount plugged in already: https://www.paypal.me/LauraAnnTipps/8. If you need to send a check instead, please contact Laura at latipps@gmail.com. The deadline to register with Learning at Home is December 31, 2016. After that, registration will be available until the date of your selected district bee for an increased price of $10. Please share this information with your homeschooling friends! Even if spelling isn’t your student’s strong suit, don’t let that deter you: the spelling bee is a great way to learn skills that will help them improve, not to mention its benefits in areas like self-confidence, competition, and friendship. Laura Ann Tipps latipps@gmail.com (256) 504-2768

Join BHC for a special time of ice skating fun!  Visit the event page (link below) for all the details and to secure your admissions by January 26th...or pay at the door and tell the ticket window you are with the homeschool group.  

Join us for perhaps the largest valentine swap in the world!  (And…we are not exaggerating) Get creative with your valentine boxes.  There will be prizes awarded for the most creative ones! Valentine boxes should be dropped off by 1:45 so that they are ready for valentine delivery and judging. Valentines may be delivered any time between 2:00-2:45. Please prepare at least 50 valentines to deliver! If you want to create more, that’s fine; we’ve found that 50 is about right in order to have plenty to give out. Also, bring a snack and drink to share! Lawn chairs and picnic blankets are encouraged for visiting in the open area at this park. If you win a prize for your valentine box, don’t forget to find a BHC representative to get a goody from our prize box which will include a book and activity kit from Discovery Toys.

You are invited to join us on campus for our Second Annual Homeschool Day! This day is specifically designed for Homeschool students who may be interested in Troy University. Homeschool Day’s activities will include a campus tour, breakout sessions about Campus Life,  time to meet with Academic Departments for those who are looking to major in some of our top programs, and you will hear from current TROY students who were also homeschooled.  Save the Date for March 31st! For more information visit the website troy.edu/tours and register today!! We look forward to seeing you and your students on campus!

Join us for a traditional Easter egg hunt as well as spring fun! Bring plastic eggs(with or without goodies inside) and baskets for the egg hunt, and bring a spring treat/drink to share. Teens and older students can help with egg hiding if they prefer. Dads often join us on this day too!

Join us for a family-friendly end of the year celebration!  We will enjoy the outdoor pool and playground offered by Life Time Fitness, as well as FOOD!  You won’t have to plan dinner for this evening. Lifeguards will be on duty to watch the children in the pool, and parents will have freedom to either swim with their children or share with other parents. COSTS: Adults can swim for free, but each child needs to pay $14.25 to cover lifeguard, pool reservation, and food/beverage costs. We have worked with Life Time Fitness to set a family fee for those of you with multiple children, and you can pay $38 for all your children. Adults do need to pay for their food, and you can choose to either pay in advance to cover pizza/beverage at $5/adult OR bring cash to pay for food at the facility. DETAILS: Every swimmer must take a swim test.  Non swimmers must wear a wristband. Each family needs to complete a participation waiver.  CLICK HERE to download/print the waiver. We may NOT have access to the water slides.  Please prepare your children for this. IF it rains, we will go to gym for planned group activities. TO BRING: Towels, athletic shoes, swimsuit, gym clothes, and Participation Waiver. RESERVE ADMISSION HERE:  https://birminghamhomeschoolers.com/event/end-of-the-year-swim-party-2017/