Another year, another Bee! Once again Village Home will be hosting the official Oregon Homeschool Spelling Bee sometime in January (registration opens in December). Last year the event was online, and was very successful. Our champion Chloe Willis went on to compete in the Regional Bee, which was also online.

We haven't worked out yet whether the VH Bee will be online or in-person - or maybe both? But we'll keep you posted! Follow this Blog for news about when and where and how, and for spelling and practice tips!

If you would like to get started practicing with this year's word lists, or if you have questions, send an email to bees@villagehome.org 

The Year's Almost Over - But Still Time to Register!

2021 is sneaking up on us fast! There are two more weeks to register for the Village Home Virtual Spelling Bee - read all about it in the last Blog post here! 

Key points:

Sign up for the Bee here by Monday, January 11! (The Village Home Bee is open only to Oregon homeschoolers - not charter school or public school distance learners.)

Email bees@villagehome.org to get this year's study list!

Check out the official Scripps Spelling Bee page here!

Are You Getting Ready for the Spelling Bee?

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is rolling with the punches, and has put together an impressive online event for 2021!

Village Home is happy to participate once again hosting the official Oregon Homeschool Spelling Bee. The format is entirely online. The test will be available mid-January, and must be completed by January 22. (Participants will receive full instructions.)

We'll also have a ZOOM party on January 25 with games, activities, and the announcement of winners. As in past years, we'll have two tiers of competition: The Champion Bee for spellers in grades 4-8, and the Junior Bee for spellers grades 3 or lower.

This year's Bee will include vocabulary questions, so this is a great opportunity to learn and practice vocabulary as well as spelling! 

Read more about the Bee here!

Sign up for the Bee here by Monday, January 11! (The Village Home Bee is open only to Oregon homeschoolers - not charter school or public school distance learners.)

Email bees@villagehome.org to get this year's study list!

Check out the official Scripps Spelling Bee page here!

Ⓑ ⓑ ꞗ ƀ Ɓ Ƀ ḅ Ḇ  🠈 spelling "B"s

And Now for Something Completely Different!

I'm sure you've all been experiencing a great change in your homeschooling and unschooling experience this year! And hasn't Village Home been remarkable in rising to the challenge of online classes and activities?

We were so disappointed that the National Spelling Bee was cancelled last spring, and along with it, the Regional Bee. Our Village Home winner, Rosemary Hungerford, was ready to compete and unfortunately was unable to have her moment on stage.

This year the Scripps Foundation has addressed the challenges of the pandemic by organizing ONLINE testing for all levels of the Bee - from the local school competitions to the national Bee. We don't have all the details yet, but what we do know looks very exciting.

With this new format, we will be able to host homeschoolers from all over Oregon! We will also be able to include a vocabulary component, which is a great way to study and learn spelling, and really adds a new dimension to the Spelling Bee program.

Stay tuned for more developments! And in the meantime, it's never too early to start studying!

Visit the official Scripps Spelling Bee website, and the Scripps Spelling Bee Facebook page, as well as following this blog.

You can download last year's word list to get started studying.

Registration Extended for GeoBee!

Do you have a budding geographer in grade 4 though 8? We need ONE MORE participant in order to hold the National Geographic GeoBee this Friday, January 31!

The Bee will be held Friday, January 31, 1:30, at Village Home Education Resource Center, 5150 Watson Ave., Beaverton.

This is a service to the community offered by Village Home to encourage a study of Earth’s cultural and geographic systems as well as current events and history. Sponsored by National Geographic, the local GeoBee is the first step in a process to progress to the National GeoBee. Winners of each local (school) GeoBee will take an online qualifying test, and the top 100 scorers will compete in the State GeoBee. One winner from each state will compete in the National GeoBee in Washington DC. The Homeschool GeoBee competition is open to all homeschooled learners who are at least in 4th grade and have not exceeded 8th grade or reached the age of 15 on or before August 31, 2020. Competition is FREE to all homeschoolers in Oregon.

Register HERE for the GeoBee!

Note: Due to multiple requests, we have decided to allow interested third-graders to compete in preliminary rounds of our Homeschool GeoBee. However, there must be at least six registered participants in the qualifying grades (4-8), and third-graders may not participate in the final rounds of
the Bee.

Can You Answer These Questions?

Just the experience of preparing for the GeoBee or Spelling Bee can help with learning more about your world and your language!

Here are some sample questions: (Answers at the bottom of the page)

• A $10 bill has a life span of less than five years. Most U.S. currency is printed at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Fort Worth, located in which state that borders the Gulf of Mexico— Wyoming or Texas?
• What's the definition of manger?
• The first ice skates were made from animal bones. These skates were used thousands of years ago in present-day Finland on which continent?
• What is the language of origin of the word peach?
• Casablanca is the chief port on the Atlantic coast of which country in North Africa?

Get a chance to answer these and other questions at the Homeschool Spelling Bee or Geography Bee!

Spelling Bee is January 24, 1:30pm, at Village Home Education Resource Center. Register HERE by January 24 to participate!

GeoBee is January 31, 1:30pm, at Village Home Education Resource Center. Register HERE by January 24 to participate!

Email bees@villagehome.org with any questions!



ANSWERS

Fort Worth is located in Texas.

A manger is a long open box or trough for horses or cattle to eat from.

Finland is on the continent of Europe.

Peach traces back to the Latin phrase malum persicum, literally meaning "Persian fruit."

Casablanca is in Morocco.

GeoBee and Spelling Bee Tips

The Homeschool Spelling Bee and Geography Bee are coming up at the end of this month! There's still time to brush up on skills and participate!

Preparing for the GeoBee

This Study Toolkit from National Geographic is specifically set up to prepare participants for this years GeoBee.

Part 1 includes 10 questions and a blank map of the United States. Prior to answering the questions, students can test their knowledge of the locations of each state by filling out the map on page 3. Then, students can answer the questions using the map they completed!

Part 2 includes 10 questions and a blank map of the world. Prior to answering the questions, students can test their knowledge of the locations of each of the seven continents and four oceans by filling out the map on page 5. Then, students can answer the questions using the map they completed!

Part 3 includes 10 questions and a blank map of Africa. Prior to answering the questions, students can test their knowledge of the locations of each of the 54 countries of Africa by filling out the map on page 7. Then, students can answer the questions using the map they completed!

An answer key is included.

Register for the GeoBee HERE!

Preparing for the Spelling Bee

Dr. Jacques Bailly, the Bee's official pronouncer, has great tips for studying in preparation for the Spelling Bee. He says:

"Start wherever you are."

"Reading is a great way to improve your spelling. Read frequently and look up the words you do not know in a dictionary or ask someone what they mean."

You can read his whole article on preparing for the bee HERE.

For a study list of this year's spelling words, email bees@villagehome.org

Register for the Spelling Bee HERE!