Learning Fair To Show Off Work Of Homeschooled Children

Lila Gray remembers the thrill of having her best schoolwork hung up at school.

That’s something Gray, who homeschools her two younger children, and other homeschoolers want to recreate, through an event called the 1998 Learning Fair.

“With homeschooling, the kids work hard on their projects, they finish it, they show it to mom and dad, and that’s it,” Gray said. “Back when we went to school (in St. Maries) if you did something like a really neat drawing, it was stuck up on the bulletin board at school.”

The learning fair is scheduled for Jan. 30 and 31, at Fire District 8’s community room in Valleyford. The event is organized by the South Spokane County Homeschoolers. Entries must be in by Jan. 14. There will be categories for language arts, history, geography math, science and miscellaneous. Ribbons and trophies will be awarded in each category.

Gray, who lives in Mica with her husband, Rob, and three sons, said the homeschoolers group includes about 15 families.

The group meets monthly, giving parents a chance to help each other with education problems - and giving the children a chance to play.

“I’m finding out there are a lot more families in this area homeschooling, since advertising the learning fair.”

Gray has seen homeschooling projects that would make good entries, she said. Dioramas, Playdough volcanos, spiders made of chocolate marshmallows, relief maps.

Judges for the learning fair will be instructed to take a child’s age into consideration.

Educational demonstrations will add to the second day of the learning fair.

Washington Water Power staffers will demonstrate how a fuel cell works. The Weyean Apiary will offer children a chance to roll their own beeswax candles. And the Spokane Art School will be there, with a metal tooling art project.

Gray hopes the fair will attract as many as 100 entries and become an annual affair.

“It’s like a country fair, but it’s a learning fair for the kids,” she said.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: REGISTRATION For information about how to register for the 1998 Learning Fair, contact Lila Gray at 891-1370.