The Bellevue Leader reports, eleven homeschooled students met for the first time to discuss the value of entrepreneurship and to display business ideas in which they were involved.

Janita Pavelka, a homeschool teacher and licensed entrepreneurship instructor, facilitated the day and commented on the value of a project like this:

"I thought, 'This is great to own your own business'. Why don't we teach children how to do it and give them a sense of confidence and working with the public - the skills that you can't learn in a book that you're going to learn from meeting the public.

Using Nebraska's 4-H "EntrepreneurShip Investigation" curriculum, Pavelka said the students were able to experience the details involved in starting their own businesses.

Some of our favorites from the Article:

A's Awesome Popcorn (www.freeweb.com/pavpacksales)
Amanya Pavelka, 7, makes gourmet popcorn. Flavors range from the traditional (cheddar cheese, butter) to the fancy (pesto, spinach dip, white chocolate cinnamon).

The Pretzel Dipper
Aunie Millon, 17, dips pretzel rods in anything sweet. From Snickers to Butterfinger to sprinkes. "Everybody loves these," Millon said, "especially kids because they're fun."

Michael's Movies
Michael McNulty, 14, has been making slideshows for four years. People send him pictures and he puts them to music on a computer.

Though their ideas are simple, the principles they are learning are great. The best lesson learned may be teaching these kids how to take ideas and turn them into ways to provide for their families when they're older.