One of our favorite days of the year is almost here! Homeschool Jamboree at Eagle Creek Park will take place on April 1, 2016, at the Earth Discovery Center.

Homeschool Jamboree is an annual, day-long event just for homeschoolers age 8-14. This program takes place from 10:00 a.m. – 2:35 p.m. It includes four classes with lunch time in the middle. The cost is $15 per student. You can choose to drop off your kids or stay with them.

Registration begins on March 7 at 9:00 a.m. Register ASAP because this is a very popular event. Registration will close on March 18 at 5:00 p.m. You can register online (course code 9757) or by calling 317-327-7148. Leaving a message does NOT count as registration. *The park recently adopted a new registration system, so you might want to familiarize yourself with the site before March 7. At the bottom of this post I’ll include the park’s instructions for registering.

Classes to choose from (you will be asked to select six during registration: the four your child really, really wants, plus two alternates):

Archery: Maximum 12 students per session. No prior shooting experience necessary, learn the basics of archery in this intro archery class. We will go over safety, terms to know, and then get to try our hand at shooting! *Due to the popularity of this class, please do not choose this topic if you’ve already done Archery in a previous Jamboree, so everyone can get a chance to participate.

The Amazing Honey Bee: Why I like them and why you should too! Why are they so important? Why should I care? YOU will BEE surprised by the answer.

Canids; Wild Dogs: Come learn about wolves, coyotes, and foxes in a classroom setting. The class will focus on the behaviors, roles, and stories associated with these wild canines.

Nature Crafts: Join a Holliday Park Naturalist for crafty fun! Decorate your backyard and enjoy listening to the wind and watching the birds. In this session, students will be using natural and recycled materials to create unique wind chimes and clever bird feeders.

Extirpated Animals: Home, home on the range… Meet some of the grazers, predators, and prey that used to call Indiana home. Learn the difference between extirpated, extinct and endangered in this class on animals in Indiana’s past, present and future.

Landscape Architecture and Nature Journaling: Sigma Lambda Alpha, an honor society for Ball State’s landscape architecture students, will provide a workshop in Nature Journaling. In this workshop, students will be given the opportunity to become a landscape architect for the day. An important piece of landscape architecture is examining the landscape and recording discoveries in nature by sketching in personal journal books. Participants will be instructed in basic sketching techniques. Each student will be provided with their own homemade sketchbook and pen to use and keep, as Ball State student leaders guide them through nature to observe and sketch the surrounding environment.

Learn to Leave No Trace: During this class, participants will learn about the natural world and the connections between everyone and everything in it. Leave No Trace lessons will educate participants on ways to minimize their impact while in the outdoors and how to leave only footprints behind!

Orienteering: Learn to use a compass and navigate a scavenger hunt. This lesson is outside, so dress for the weather. It is helpful if students can read or have a parent attending.

Animal Tracks: Animals leave behind many clues. Learn how to recognize various footprints, walking patterns, and chew marks of several Indiana animals. Discover how to look for the subtle differences between tracks to determine what animal left them behind. Search for tracks and animals signs on a hike. Dress for outdoor hiking.

Tree Climbing: Maximum 12 students per session. Get a bird’s eye view of the park while getting to know your trees. Join us “Up a tree without a paddle”. Learn to climb a tree using arborist equipment. *Due to the popularity of this class, please do not choose this topic if you’ve already done Tree Climbing in previous Jamborees, so everyone can get a chance to participate.

Tree ID and Hike: Learn how to identify trees. This is more than a brief walk in the woods while trying to learn trees by memory. You will learn how to go through the step by step process of identifying the trees of Eagle Creek Park. About half the class will be the step-by-step process of learning how to identify a tree you do not know, and the second half will be in the woods putting to use what you have learned.

Water Safety: Join DNR Conservation Officers in a brief introduction and overview of the duties of a conservation officer and water/boater safety. Each participant will learn about general safety concerns around water and water related activities.

Wildflower Hike: Spring in Indiana brings forests carpeted with wildflowers of every color imaginable. Learn how to identify common spring wildflowers and learn about the different ways cultures have used them.

Indy Park’s 2016 instructions for registering:

1) Go to www.indyparks.org
2) Click the grey “sign-in” button in the upper right hand corner if you already have an Indy Parks account, or click “create an account” to create a new account. If you have registered for programs at Indy Parks before (including previous Homeschool Jamborees), and you get the error message: “Login name ’[email protected]’ is being used by another account” you will need to sign in with your email address and click “forgot password.” A temporary password will then be emailed to you. If you need additional help please call customer service at 317-327-7275.
3) Enter information in your account for all students you will be registering by clicking “Change Information about Family/Friends.”
4) Once you have created your account, click “Register for Programs / Activities” under Online Services. Next to the green “Search” button enter course code 9757.
5) Click the green “add to cart” button
6) Select the family member you would like to register from the drop down menu (if your student’s name is not there, you will need to go back and edit your account to add that name).
7) Answer course prompts by selecting your six class choices. If you would like your student to stay in the same classes with a sibling or friend, please enter those names at the prompt. If some of the class topics do not show up on the prompt list, it means that class topic is full.
8) If you are registering more than 1 student, click “Register Another Participant for this Activity”
9) Once you have registered all of your students, click “checkout” and enter your payment information.