Homeschooling has gone mainstream and with its growth has come all manner of variations: pod, micro, bridge, co-op, and etc. The list seems endless. They all claim to be homeschool and each has their own benefits, drawbacks, and unique features. But what does homeschool really mean, particularly in Idaho? What are all the options out there and what do they involve? How do you decide which option best fits your needs? Learn the basics of them all.

Debra will moderate a networking meeting for anyone leading a homeschool group or considering it. Learn new ways to recruit and cultivate volunteers, keep your members engaged, and fund your endeavors. Debra is the founder of three homeschool co-ops that are still going strong today.

Volunteering to lead a homeschool group involves sacrifice … and lots of it! In this session, we will talk about the various ways we pay a high price to encourage others in the home education journey, and why it is a worthwhile price to pay. But don’t lose heart! With great sacrifice comes great reward. You’ll be refreshed in knowing that the price you pay to serve is a worthwhile investment reaping eternal rewards. We will also discuss ways to keep wise boundaries, recruit help from others, and find a healthy balance as you juggle not only homeschooling your own children but serving and supporting other families.

Breaking out of the box of traditional schooling brought flexibility, creativity and substance to the Leedahl family. Cam will share how real life experiences can teach character, valuable life skills, and augment academic subjects. She’ll cover how to use your child’s strengths and passions in forming their homeschool plan, give practical tips for success, and show how to document learning that does not come from a book.

Examine the lives of 7,306 adults who were homeschooled and focus on adults’ general demographics: attitudes toward their own home-education experience, and success in life: success evaluated with respect to civic, social, educational, employment, worldview traits, performance in college, and in occupations. Many are _normal._ Though they are remarkably different than the general U.S. population. The findings of research defuse many of the long-held criticisms of those who doubted homeschooling’s benefits. And the findings will likely be a great encouragement to those parents and advocates of home-based education over the past two decades.

Homeschool Co-op Utopia is a place where community, learning, and great memories live. The road is not without ups and downs or unexpected turns. A well-organized co-op can make all the difference between success and an “I’ll never do that again” road trip. Join Beth as she shares from her years of experience and piles on an armload of resources to help you create a successful homeschool co-op. If you are in a co-op, thinking about starting a co-op, or wondering what life is like in a co-op, then take a seat and fasten your seatbelt! Be rready to go great places!

Volunteers are the backbone of nonprofit organizations. Without volunteers, visions crumble. How do you recruit qualified volunteers? How can a leader strengthen a volunteer to go the distance? How do you inspire your volunteers to serve with passion? Forrest and Beth Mora will share ten key principles to help you form a team that will thrive and create a lasting impact.

This is a “potpourri” of topics and attendees can bring up any subject they wish to discuss. Carol Topp will lead off with her Topp 10 tips for running a homeschool organization. Included are tips on bylaws, boards, avoiding fraud, hiring workers, buying insurance, and conducting fund raisers. A handout of tips for leaders to share with your board back home will be provided.

Presenter, Carol Topp, a homeschooling mother and CPA, has helped over 250 homeschool organizations understand their status with the IRS. She will teach leaders the required filings to keep their homeschool organizations legal but with the least amount of government paperwork and interference. Tips and handouts on required reporting, taxes, and several examples from Carol’s experience will be offered. This is an invaluable session for support group and co-op leaders.

We all know it. We all must face it and embrace it. The new homeschool family is an online family shaped by budget constraints and cyber culture. In this session, we’ll explore new ways of meeting the needs of the next generation of homeschool families. We live in an exciting time that’s filled with more opportunities to serve than ever!

We’ll identify Christian leadership, be specific on how to encourage and support, get a grip on the “basics” and delineate what really counts. Dick will answer questions about the support issue from a bibical perspective. He’ll talk about the problems that have plagued leadership since the beginning and he'll be a frank about the new problems that have sprung out of social media. If God has called you to lead – lead! If God has not called you to lead – don’t. If you want to help the leaders in your group, if you want to define you role in leadership, or if you want to start a Christian support group, join us in this fast-paced summary of Christian homeschool leadership. Your mentor has been led by the Lord for 60 years and has been serving Christian homeschool leaders for 30 of those.

Learn how to meet the needs of your newer families without losing the veterans. What is a mentoring group? Hear how some groups have mobilized their veteran homeschoolers to help pass the baton to the new families. Vicki discusses various types of mentoring programs available, practical ideas for success, and the benefits to your support group. Sample materials will be available.

The handout for this session is available at http://www.oceanetwork.org/2016handouts.pdf

Parents who have challenging children need specific tools for working with these kids. This session offers hope and encouragement to parents who desperately need it. In this session parents will understand how raising the character threshold can help kids do the right thing. Attendees will learn to use an Action Plan Worksheet to develop a unique plan for their child. Parents gain hope and encourage by learning a biblical plan to work with a challenging child.

Exactly what is homeschooling and how do I start? Is it legal? Do I have to have a degree? Where do I find my curriculum? Is a virtual academy the same as homeschool? These and many other questions plague most families just starting on the homeschool journey. This workshop is designed to answer the basic questions and help you on your way to a successful homeschool journey.

As moms, we are so used to putting others first - our spouse, our children, our aging parents, our church, our hairdresser's third cousin's next-door neighbor - you get the point! While we are called to serve, if we don't care for our physical health, we won't be able to serve for long. Come learn the 4 pillars of good health and how to harness the power of habits to get and stay healthy. We'll discuss what's essential, and determine what's "nice but not necessary." We'll also troubleshoot those crazy seasons of life like having a newborn, a family crisis, the holiday season, and more.

Homeschooling places great demands on parents and leads to great expectations. This combination often sets us up for an intense sense of failure and disappointment. Homeschooling doesn’t always go according to our plans. Even when we are doing our best to follow God and love our families, we may find ourselves in the “fiery furnace.” In this workshop, Zan Tyler explores the causes of burnout and talks about ways to avoid them. She also explains what to do if you are already there—ready to throw in the towel and put your children on that appealing yellow school bus. This workshop contains many practical tips on streamlining your life, but it also focuses on developing a powerful, biblical vision of what you are ultimately trying to accomplish in the lives of your children through homeschooling—to sustain you through the hard times and difficult days.

Enjoy tea and cake as ladies share the experiences as a homeschool mom, pursuing excellence, and trying to find that ever-elusive "balance." Several ladies have prepared something to share, but the time is flexible enough to address the needs and concerns of the attendees.

As homeschooling parents, we don't want our children missing out on the opportunities and activities of their counterparts. However, providing our children a myriad of extra curricular activities can become costly. Over the past few years, we have been able to identify several free or low cost activities, field trips and family experiences that will enrich your homeschooling experience.

Families with children who desire competitive athletic experiences have several avenues to meet that need. Hear how families have addressed that need, and what opportunities may be available for your athlete.

This session explores using co-ops to enrich the homeschooling experience. We will consider different kinds and sizes of co-ops, discuss the pros and cons of belonging to one, and find out how to start one of your own.

Sometimes we need helping hands when it comes to homeschooling. Support groups can be a lifeblood in times of discouragement, hardships, and day-to-day drama. Without them, homeschooling can seem daunting and overwhelming. This workshop will speak to how to start a vibrant support group, what can be accomplished through a support group, and ways to connect using the digital medium of today.

Look behind the scenes to learn what prepared, inspired, and motivated the great minds of Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Einstein, Edison, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and more. They all had something in common—something available to all—something that drives initiative, ignites motivation, revives the imagination, and inspires excellence.

I Corinthians 13:11 says, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” As homeschooling parents, how can we prepare our children for adulthood? And how can we prepare our hearts (through prayer and effective communication) to release our kids into a new season? There’s life after graduation– with college, careers, romance, weddings, and next-generation purpose. Let’s aim and launch our arrows, to hit God’s mark.

Many home educators feel tension between themselves and their churches, but do not know what to do. We can all think of many "helpful" suggestions or comments we could offer to our pastors, especially concerning home education. But are those suggestions really helpful? Listen to David Watkins – pastor, state homeschool leader, homeschooling father of eight and grandfather of 15 – share some things not to say to your pastor! See what homeschoolers are really like through the eyes of their pastors.

Have you experienced some trials in leadership lately? You're not alone! Leadership can be messy. Wise leadership requires the strength of a warrior and the heart of a shepherd. The heart of a strong leader requires a love that will get involved in the struggles and messes that will inevitably come up within their organizations. It may be frustrating, even exasperating at times, but successful leading in the body of Christ is not just about accomplishing a vision. It is about growing other leaders and knowing how to respond to challenging situations. Come learn some of the foundational principles of strong leadership - as well as some of the warning signs that will help you avoid division within your ministry and even GROW in the midst of adversity

As parents we try to figure out the "right" way to raise our children. Is there a "right" way? After raising four adult children and being grandmother of 5, plus running a performing arts school with over 22,000 students nationwide, I've discovered some common threads of raising healthy, contributing and well-adjusted children.

But I didn't volunteer for this job… or perhaps you did volunteer but you wish you hadn't! If 20% of the people do 80% of the work, and you are in the 20%, how do you keep from getting over worked and becoming resentful? Hear insights which every volunteer leader needs to apply. Your sanity may depend on it!

YES YOU CAN. Hey, we won't lie to you! It can be intimidating. But the fact of the matter is that you really CAN do it! Homeschooling through high school is the gift that keeps on giving because it affords the one thing that is so fleeting in the teen years: time.

Watch out for these guys! Kevin describes the seven species of termites that are known to eat out the core of our homeschool organizations (or even churches or families). This information is an essential requisite to anybody in leadership.

Voddie Baucham give sound advice from a Biblical perspective that is appropriate for any that find themselves in leadership.

Rainmakers Home School Speech & Debate Clubs, coached by Gregg & Sono Harris, display the potential of delight-directed study and the power of companionship in bold relief. By creating a social environment supportive of the pursuit of excellence, and providing an outlet for each members' work, Rainmakers has become a launching pad for many excellent young speakers and debaters age, 12 to 18. Samples of a few "winning speeches" by Rainmakers club members will be presented.