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Frequently Asked Questions What is Country Day NYC? Briefly, it's a monthly gathering in which homeschoolers can share what they have learned about a particular country. Students give presentations on topics of their choosing related to the country; each family brings a potluck dish inspired by the cuisine of the country, and we share a potluck lunch; and we divide students into teams to play "Country Jeopardy." For a more detailed description, see the page, "What is Country Day NYC?" Who can participate in Country Day NYC? Preteens and teens who are capable of research and creating and presenting information to their peers, and their parents. This is not a drop-off class; parents are expected to remain with their children, and listen to all presentations respectfully. Younger children are welcome to watch the proceedings if they can do so without interrupting or disturbing the program. We can all learn from the presentations! Where do we meet? Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church (basement entrance) on 66th Street between Broadway & Amsterdam, Manhattan. This is a large space with room for parents who wish to remain somewhat apart with younger children who can do activities such as drawing or coloring quietly. Who is the teacher leading the meetings? There is no teacher. Parents and students organize the lineup of presentations, choose an emcee, pick the next country to study, and so on. We welcome involvement and assistance from all parents whose children participate in Country Day. We will all chip in to set up the potluck and clean up after it. What is the cost to participate? Because this is a collective, group effort by our families, there is no fee for a teacher. Instead, there is a $5 per student charge per meeting which pays for our rental of the church basement for the class. Each family is also expected to bring a potluck dish for our shared lunch. And there is a 25-cent per person charge for paper goods (paper plate, cup, fork, spoon, knife, napkin) used at the potluck (this applies to all who share in the potluck, not just students who give presentations). Fees are paid in cash as you arrive at each meeting. Do we have to participate every month? No. You can participate as often as you wish, but you'll be expected to let us know whether you will attend each meeting at least a week in advance, along with students' presentation topics and potluck dish you'll be bringing. Note, we are not limiting attendance initially, but if crowding becomes an issue, we reserve the right to limit attendance at a later date. In that case, regular attendees will be given preference to continue attending. How are countries chosen for each month's study? Toward the end of the potluck lunch, before we begin Country Jeopardy, we will take suggestions from all who participate in the presentations as to which country we should study next. We'll then take a vote by a show of hands to choose the next country. My son or daughter has never used PowerPoint software to create a presentation. How will he or she learn to do this? PowerPoint is an easy program to learn and most kids pick it up pretty quickly just through experimenting with it. It also includes an online tutorial and readymade templates. We can also help each other out as needed through our mailing list and at Country Day. I don't own PowerPoint. Where can I buy it, and how much does it cost? What are the computer system requirements for it? If you have a copy of Microsoft Office, PowerPoint is included in it (along with Word, Excel, etc.). If you don't, you can purchase a Student/Teacher Edition of Microsoft Office for from Academic Superstore. To qualify this for the educational price, you must provide documentation of your child's homeschool status. Please see the company's Web site for details. There may be other sources that offer similar prices for educators; it's up to you to buy it wherever you like. Does my child HAVE to use PowerPoint or other software to do a presentation? No, it is not required. Sometimes Country Day presentations may be a demonstration of a traditional dance from that country or other physical demonstrations, such as the proper way to bow to people of various social status in Thailand. Musical students may play traditional music from the country. A student could tell a traditional folk tale. Some younger students may wish to simply give an oral report or perhaps add to that a poster or other visuals. However, over time, kids will learn from watching each other how interesting and effective a slide show presentation can be, in both organizing and sharing research information. We expect most students will want to do computer-based slide shows. How do we get our computer slide show to Country Day physically? The student can either email the presentation to our presentation coordinator, or copy it to a CD-ROM and bring the CD to Country Day for use on a laptop computer. What computer will be used for the slide shows? One of our families will provide a laptop computer connected to a digital projector for each Country Day gathering. Students will be able to use a remote control aimed at the projector to switch from one slide to the next during their presentations. What are some good sources for information about countries online? See our links to online information sources about countries. How can I make small Notes pages to hold while I give a presentation (on half a sheet of 8.5x11-inch paper)? See our instructions for how to do that.
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