Dear Fellow Homeschoolers:
My name is Wendy Jewell
and I am the parent of an 11-year-old homeschooler.
I would like to introduce you to The MY HERO Project
and its FREE, interactive Web site, myhero.com, which
celebrates the best of humanity, locally and globally.
Parents can use this program to help their children
discover that heroes come from all walks of life
and all corners of the world. Heroes can be their
Grampa, the kid next door, or someone we've all heard
of like Earthkeeper Hero Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.,
or Angel Hero Mother Teresa.
The MY HERO Project is
designed to help children of all ages understand
the various ways one can contribute to society and,
in the process, realize their own potential to make
a difference in the world. Anyone can be a hero.
Kids and adults of all ages write stories and create
art about who and what inspires them -- then share
it with the world on the MY HERO Web site.
You can participate in
The MY HERO Project in a variety of ways, regardless
of the age of your child or how you choose to homeschool.
Here are six easy ways:
1. CHECK IT OUT: Go
to www.myhero.com and
explore. Read and discuss the historical, contemporary
and hometown heroes that fall into hero categories
like Peacemaker, Earthkeeper, Scientist and many
more. For current events, see "HEROES IN THE NEWS" on
the home page, which features stories from the Associated
Press about today's heroes around the world.
2. GALLERY: The
MY HERO Virtual Art Gallery is a place where everyone
from crayon-toting toddlers to established artists
can create and submit original works of art portraying
heroism as they see it. Click on GALLERY and
follow the easy steps to upload your art. Or email curator@myheroproject.org for
suggestions on how to use the GALLERY with
your current lesson plan or project.
3. TEACHERS: This
section features lesson plans for every grade level,
giving you the tools you need to incorporate MY HERO
into your lessons with a minimum of setup time. A
thematic calendar alerts you to special events like
Earth Day, Freedom of the Press Day and Black History
Month. Parents can use these features as content
for lessons on specific themes that their children
may be exploring throughout the year. There are selected
stories to get you started, support materials and
other links such as the FORUM where
this month's topic is How Do We Choose Our Heroes?
4. GUESTBOOK: The
MY HERO Guestbook is a great place to write a few
sentences about someone who has made a difference
in your life. The Guestbook provides
a fun and engaging opportunity to introduce students
to the computer. Once their stories have been submitted,
their entries can be shared with fellow homeschoolers,
family and friends just by typing the student's name
into the Guestbook search engine.
5. CREATE: In
this section MY HERO provides a Web design program
that walks you through the steps of building an online
tribute to your hero using text, images and links.
The e-Create program
in the Teacher's Room offers a template so that your
group's stories can appear together online.
6. SHORT FILM FESTIVAL: This
section gives your homeschooler(s) the opportunity
to tell their MY HERO story with digital media tools
and Internet technology. Students of all ages are
invited to create and submit short films about the
people who have inspired them.
The LINKS page
on the site provides a great list of links to other
online learning opportunities such as iEARN (International
Educators and Resource Network), the largest K-12
global learning community in the world.
The MY HERO Project invites
you to participate as a group or with just one child.
It's easy to access and become a part of this global
community. Check out the Web site at: http://myhero.com ,
and if you have any comments or questions, email
them to myhero@myheroproject.org.
Have a great time!
Wendy Jewell
Homeschooler, Ontario, Canada
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