Is Education a neutral subject? Does God have a preference for how He wants children to be educated? What does the Bible teach about schooling? Is there one correct path for education? Are public schools a viable option for Christians? Why do you homeschool? When your children are grown, what will define success for you? What is the difference between a Biblical view of education, and the way most Christian parents (even homeschoolers) educate their children? These questions and more will be discussed in this engaging presentation.

This message is for anyone who is homeschooling a child that just doesn't seem to be "into" it. Books aren't really their thing, and the idea of writing is deplorable. Rebecca will introduce you to her spunky 12-year-old son, Malakai, who doesn't fit the mold of a book learner. You'll be laughing through the stories of these amazing kids who stretch us beyond what we thought was possible and walk away with some practical tips of how to understand the child you have and tweak your expectations to line up with the gift that God gave you.

In the last few decades, childhood has largely moved inside. With so many great opportunities that vie for our time, it's easy to consider outside play as frivolous. In this session, Ginny Yurich, founder of 1000 Hours Outside, reveals how "just" playing outside offers a myriad of developmental benefits to your child and how these benefits will extend through adulthood. Do less and yet gain more with nature immersion!

For over ten years now, Todd has been reminding moms and dads of the truth behind homeschooling. He tell them it's about relationships and letting their children be what God has created them to be, and on and on and on.. Moms often come up and say, " I believe everything you say..but how do I do that? How do I homeschool in light of all these truths?" Well, Madam Homeschooler, Todd is going to show you. Join him as we get down to the nuts and bolts of homeschooling in light of these truths. Buckle your seat-belts and hold onto your seats.

(Michele Earles) Hear about the tools that teach your children how to think well and develop understanding of any subject, topic, or trade. Using the Seven Wonders of the ancient world as a springboard, we will model these tools allowing you to experience them yourself!

Experience Classical Education in action! We will model and practice the three arts of the trivium: grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric. Using the life of Christopher Columbus as a springboard, this interactive session will demonstrate how learning progresses throughout a student’s life.

Whether you are a parent seeking to motivate your reluctant learner, or you desire to break through your own limitations, you will make more progress if you learn to listen better and ask the right questions (the right way!). Learn how you can help yourself and others recognize hidden assumptions and overcome obstacles through learning the art of asking questions.

Experience Classical Education in action! With the Renaissance as a springboard, this interactive session will demonstrate how learning progresses throughout a student’s life.

In this workshop, Karen will discuss the characteristics of the four personality types: Popular Sanguine, Powerful Choleric, Perfect Melancholy, and Peaceful Phlegmatic. Then she will discuss how these different personality types learn and how to apply these characteristics in how you teach/train your children.

The value of hands-on sensory experiences is still significant for the early elementary years. While our attention turns more to building phonics skills and learning math facts, most children don’t love the transition from all fun to more traditional schoolwork. This workshop will help you balance structured lessons with the sensory input and engaging learning activities children need to love school.

Experience the Classical Education Model (while learning about triangles) (Michele Earles) Experience Classical Education in action! We will model and practice the three arts of the trivium: grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric. Using the triangles as a springboard, this interactive session will demonstrate how learning progresses throughout a student’s life.

We can never underestimate the importance and necessity of reading. R.E.A.D. - Read. Examine. Apply. Do. The key to retention is unlocked in this session that encourages all students to read, examine, apply, and do what they read from the Word of God.

Online courses are a great tool to teach the subjects that you don’t feel comfortable or competent teaching. Your child needs to be prepared for a different type of learning experience. This talk will focus on what the parent should look for in an online course, what types to avoid and how to guide your child during the course to ensure a successful experience. We will also explore the proper balance of online and parent-taught courses.

For too many kids, their only outlet is … an outlet. Are your kids bored and grouchy unless they are plugged in to the Internet or a video game? What ever happened to catching frogs, picking dandelions, climbing trees, and lying in the grass to watch clouds? There is an outdoor world waiting to be discovered. Every child should explore the wonders of God’s creation because of three truths that can be found in one of the most exciting classrooms, the one outside.

This workshop offers practical resources, lists of materials, and curricula to equip you as you work with a struggling learner in your homeschool. Krisa presents ideas for designing a unique home instruction program tailored to your child’s specific challenges.

Textbooks have their place, but all textbooks and no fun makes a lot of homeschoolers want to throw schooling out the window! Get ideas about how to carry on the spontaneity of homeschooling fun through the high school years without compromising on the necessary knowledge needed to get into college. Having five boys in or through college, she has insight and experience about what is really required to attend college. She will inspire your creative genius to think outside the textbook box and enjoy the last few years your teenager will be home.

The Bess Streeter Aldrich Foundation is committed to providing a number of FREE resources to help the next generation enhance their reading/writing skills, explore pioneer history, and learn about Nebraska Hall of Fame author Bess Streeter Aldrich. Come learn about all the ways you can challenge your students while working within a small budget: short story contest, traveling trunks, novel unit of study for A Lantern in Her Hand, botany lessons, children's literature exhibit, and field trips at the Aldrich House.

Does your child have a learning disability or severe special needs? Have you pulled your child out of public school where he used to have an IEP (individual education plan)? Learn the purposes and benefits of writing an SEP (student education plan), the homeschool version of an IEP. This workshop provides guidance on drafting an SEP. Look at sample student education plans and receive a template of a Student Education Plan, as well as a resource list of books that will assist in drafting a homeschool student education plan

(This is a duplicate of Friday session 304) How to start, where to find curriculum, when to school, and what a typical day looks like are some of the areas discussed. Get an understanding of Rule 13 and gain valuable information for your homeschool journey. This workshop is a MUST for new homeschoolers.

Are you looking for a way to make your “basic” academics come alive? Unit studies take the “we have to know this” lessons of reading, writing, math, handwriting, and communication and put them into practice. Your children will be excited to dig deeply into the topics that delight their hearts as they read real books, complete hands-on projects, and learn how to passionately present their findings to the whole family. Unit studies don’t have to be intimidating and time consuming. Join Megan and discover how the Hub and Spoke system of unit study preparation will open up new avenues of learning for your whole family.

We all want our children to be effective communicators, but which curriculum is best? Let's take the pressure off! The secret to teaching writing isn't wrapped up in which curriculum you choose. We'll explore some down-to-earth, hands-on ideas that you can adapt to your own teaching style, your students' learning styles, and your family's daily schedule to help writing instruction work your way. We will work through age-appropriate strategies, time saving devices, solutions for writing meltdowns, pros and cons of different curriculum choices, and troubleshooting writing woes.

Twenty-two years ago, Marcia began using the Structure of Intellect (SOI) assessment to help each student and adult discover how they can do their best. She helps with visual, auditory, and sensory-balance enrichment; dyslexia intervention; screening for Irlen light sensitivity overload that may be causing problems with focusing, visual fatigue, headaches, reading delays; or a number of other possible challenges that can interfere with learning and behavior.

This session focuses on the use of evidence-based instruction methods that address the core issues of autism spectrum disorders: communication and social skills. It integrates developmental perspectives and strategies to provide practical, functional intervention approaches that you can easily implement within your daily homeschool routine.

Homeschool veterans toss around terms like unit studies, classical education, Charlotte Mason, and more, never dreaming how confusing it can be for someone new. Understand the different approaches available and get practical help in making this next year of homeschooling enjoyable and effective!

The goal of this session is to share the joy of designing and teaching unit studies. Learn how this unique approach to teaching uses real-life experiences, books, games, projects, and other resources to encourage students to deeply explore topics and to become life-long learners. Discover ways to integrate subjects to make learning more meaningful and fun. Realize the wealth of knowledge to be gained through unit studies as well as easy methods of constructing them.

This engaging workshop will review several different teaching approaches found in homeschooling, and then help attendees identify resources and curricula to fit their family’s particular style. Are you just getting started homeschooling? Needing to refocus and redefine what homeschooling could look like for your family? Come benefit from Nancy’s almost 30 years of experience and enjoy her dynamic style.

an introduction to Charlotte Mason, including her belief in the child as a person and her viewpoint that education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life, and the science of relations. Who was Charlotte Mason? What was her educational philosophy? Can her methods be used in high school as well as in elementary school and middle school? Drawing from her 20 years of experience using Charlotte Mason’s methods, Nancy will talk about the basics of a Charlotte Mason education and how it can transform your homeschool.

Interested in a rich, vigorous, character-building education for your high schooler? Charlotte Mason had a successful plan for the high school years. Her offering was in response to the utilitarian system that was in place 100 years ago and unfortunately still reigns. This session will discuss Mason’s blueprint and offer principles and practices to begin planning what could be your student’s best years!

This workshop offers practical resources, lists of materials, and curricula to equip you as you work with a struggling learner in your homeschool. Faith explains multi-sensory teaching methods, direct instruction, modeled teaching, and “scaffolding” instruction. She also shares ideas for designing a unique home instruction program tailored to your child’s specific challenges.

Ever feel lost when trying to do Picture Study, tour an art museum or teach basic drawing? This workshop will train your eye to notice the 7 elements of art and how to teach them to your children. Navigating the art world is tricky for the homeschool parent. How do you choose a curriculum? Is the internet an ok substitute for a teacher? How do you critique your child’s art without being an artist yourself? Learn not just what to teach about art, but how to see art with an artist’s perspective, and how to convey that to your children through your own teaching style and at your own pace.

“The Principality of Mathematics is a mountainous land, but the air is very fine and health-giving.” ~Charlotte Mason Is this indicative of high school math in your home? Are you enjoying the fine air and taking in the summit view, or does the air feel thin and your student is seemingly stuck hiking in a circle? In this workshop we will learn how to help students retrace their steps to build a more solid understanding of place value, fractions, decimals, integers, and exponents. Then with this firm ground under our feet, we will navigate how to breathe life into your upper-level math lessons through hands on discovery and practical examples of Algebra and Geometry concepts. Come explore with us, for a world of truth and beauty awaits to be found in this mountainous land!

In every generation except the last two or three, parents have taught their children how to grow their own food, keep animals, and provide for their basic needs. With wit and wisdom, this talk presents some ways parents can teach their children homesteading skills and “mend” the chain that has been broken with our great- grandparents.

Throughout Charlotte Mason’s six volumes we read about dozens of notebooks. We will look at this wide variety and see how they were used, why they were used, and which ones we should use today. Nancy will share examples from Mason’s day as well as what her own family has implemented, inspiring attendees to begin or continue this life-long habit of self-education.

You may be asking: “What are the BEST books for my children?” Books that make for wonder! Books that make one kneel in reverence and respect! Books that challenge one to pursue trust in God! Books that are filled with truth! Make time to have shared moments by reading aloud with your family. Share the heartaches and joys of characters from living books tonight and every night with your family. When your family is grown, they will remember the joy of literature!

Homeschooling science is one of the most daunting challenges of the high school years. It requires high-quality instruction, with the student not just ingesting great quantities of knowledge, but performing the right activities and receiving coaching on those activities. Diane offers concrete guidance on how to recognize instruction of sufficient quality for your student to succeed with science. It addresses, the importance of labs, research reports, and tests as well as the benefits and shortcomings of AP & honors science courses, community college courses, and other options for fulfilling science requirements.

Who is going to build a house by starting with the walls? Without a solid foundation, those walls may hold up for a bit but eventually will come crashing down. Math is a lot like building a house. We need to start with a strong foundation and build up from there. It doesn’t have to be hard! Come and see how easy it is to teach math.

Maybe you struggled with math, so how do you choose a curriculum to avoid the same fate for your child? Maybe you are really good in math but are unsure how to teach it now? Should you include manipulatives or not? What DOES it take to be the best teacher for your child? Find out the science and the art of teaching math. It is a science because much research has been done on how children learn, especially in math. It is an art because each child is different and lessons need to be tweaked. Come learn and be encouraged to become a great math teacher.

So, you’ve got a box full of unused planners and half-erased lesson plan books. Trust me, you’re not alone! There is a simple way to plan your whole school year in just ONE week. Reclaim your Sunday nights and your sanity by joining veteran homeschool mom, Kim Sorgius, for this session.

How to start, where to find curriculum, when to school, and what a typical day looks like are some of the areas discussed. Get an understanding of Rule 13 and gain valuable information for your homeschool journey. This workshop is a MUST for new homeschoolers.

This interactive workshop will cover using games to bring math to life and increase understanding in students. We’ll discuss how to use games to enhance any curriculum. We’ll then dive into a highly visual and interactive review of games to use for specific goals, e.g. understanding number basics, mastering basic math fact, grasping the base-ten system, using multiple operations, and more. Let’s play!

Mrs. Deckert covers the North Dakota requirements for home schooling. She gives many practical hints including suggestions for lesson planning and record keeping. This is the place to start if you are just beginning the home education journey or are just “checking it out.”

Understanding your child’s learning style and gearing curriculum and teaching to that style will help avoid much frustration in your home school. Through this workshop you will learn points to help you determine your child’s learning style as well as your own learning/teaching style. We’ll also discuss some of the common home school teaching methods.

Is your child interested in electricity and you aren’t sure how to support their interest? In this workshop we will demonstrate the best ways to present abstract concepts around electricity. We will also provide your family with a number of simple, low cost and high interest experiments to help cement learning.

All too often children spend years and hundreds of hours taking music lessons and practicing only to relegate music to something they did when they were younger. The music ends when the lessons and recitals end. What a shame! Music is not something we simply add to our regiment of schooling. The Bible tells us again and again to have music be part of our lifestyle forever. Not just when we have time to practice and perform but when we are about our day serving our Creator. But how do we equip our children to do this?

Many people think that some are just born with a “photographic memory”. But we now know that this amazing ability can be easily taught. The ability to use the photographic memory is one of the best gifts you can give your child. Your child can store his spelling words in his photographic memory for quick retrieval. Vocabulary is learned in a totally different way! Imagine your child actually having fun improving his vocabulary for the SAT.

Do you have a child whom you suspect has an Auditory Processing Problem? There are ten auditory channels. Some channels affect academics (reading, phonics and sight words, spelling, and math), while others affect everyday life (easily confused, misunderstands verbal information, poor working memory, speech delay or articulation issues). Become your child’s own diagnostician as you identify, bypass, and correct auditory processing problems at home. Learn to bypass the auditory learning glitch by using the child’s natural photographic memory and how to correct the auditory glitch by using the proven methods of home Brain Integration Therapy and Targeted Nutritional Interventions.

Gain a fresh perspective on how your children’s actions and attitudes help you discover their natural bent, so you can plan strategies that will help them grow into the person they were created to be. We’ll peel back the layers to reveal pieces of the puzzle that go beyond the usual “auditory, kinesthetic, and visual” discussions. This workshop will provide you with insight into a variety of ways you can effectively teach to various learning styles in your children.

Mrs. Deckert will cover the North Dakota requirements for home schooling. She will also give many practical hints including suggestions for lesson planning and record keeping. This is the place to start if you are just beginning the home education journey or are just “checking it out.”

Educational pioneer, Charlotte Mason, championed the idea of “notebooking”. But, this wonderful extension of learning can be dated back long before she gave it a name. For centuries, The Greats cataloged what they learned in notebooks… rehearsing their daily discoveries with pen, paper, and imagination. Discover how to inspire learning through a simple notebook, see several types of notebooks and how to use them effectively, and learn about some simple tools and techniques for drawing your children into notebooking with purpose.

We all have at least one of these children. They take extra time to complete every lesson, if they complete them at all. We may fall into the trap of sitting by them to “help” them finish, only to become an educational security blanket. We need to encourage these children to take up their own responsibilities. Their desire should be to work diligently for the Lord. Join us as we go over helpful suggestions to encourage those less-than-enthusiastic children.

“Montessori, Charlotte Mason, Unit Study, Un-Schooling, Project-Based Learning, Waldorf, Traditional Textbook, and the list goes on! There are so many different teaching methods and approaches to homeschooling that it can be overwhelming to choose just one. They all have their strengths. But, then again, they all have their struggles. Let me introduce you to the most popular methods and philosophies of education, show you the pros and cons of each, and help you to discover which, if any, is right for you and your kids.

As the teen years approach, the impending need to teach science often creates fear for students and parents alike. This workshop will take the fear out of teaching science and will create excitement and enthusiasm for everyone. If you enjoy learning, then you can definitely get excited to learn along with your students. Get ready to meet your inner science geek and help prepare your teens for their future.

Homeschooling families are often heard saying, “The older books are so much better!” Is that really true? Why do people say this? This workshop explains what it is about Christian books from the 19th and 18th centuries that makes them unique, so rich in content, and helpful for the formation of godly character. The result is, you'll learn how you can best use literature from that era and, in fact, the great literature from every era, to promote Christian character in your children.

Exhibitor Workshop - no description available

Learn a crucial but frequently misunderstood topic related to special needs homeschooling. In this power-packed workshop, Faith explains the difference between accommodations and modifications, describes 504 Accommodation Law, and answers homeschooling parents’ most frequently asked questions. Faith also shares a disability resource guide for teens and young adults.

You have searched the library's catalog and placed holds on books, but did you know there is so much more you can access on the library's web page? Libraries subscribe to many online resources that are available for you to use from the convenience of your own home. Discover how to access new software knowledge and technical learning, enhance your reading lists, learn 100 languages, even access a live tutor, plus much more. It is all available with your library card—and learn how you can get one too!

Join Sonya for a practical and encouraging overview of the simple yet effective methods used in the Charlotte Mason approach. Learn about Charlotte and experience using her methods for yourself during the session.

This message outlines how to use many of the tried and true aspects of the Charlotte Mason method today while remaining pertinent to the time period in which we live. Learn about who Charlotte Mason was, the cultural differences and similarities of Charlotte Mason’s world vs. ours, what the main aspects of Ms. Mason’s method looks like in a modern homeschool, and how we can easily adapt her method for our use.

Maybe you struggled with math, so how do you choose a curriculum to avoid the same fate for your child? Maybe you are really good in math but are unsure how to teach it? Should you include manipulatives or not? Find out the science and the art of teaching math. It is a science because much research has been done on how children learn, especially in math. It is an art because each child is different and lessons need to be tweaked. Come learn and be encouraged to become a great math teacher.

Explores the natural sequence of language learning beginning with the early years of learning to speak, followed by the reading stage, and then on to writing. Discusses the stages that are input or output, what’s essential, and how to set goals for different seasons. Topics covered include phonics, reading, penmanship, grammar, spelling, creative and formal writing, and literature. Get a fresh perspective on this subject that frequently frustrates or confuses homeschool parents.

The common approach to teaching geology is to hit it once, probably in 8th grade. But, geology is the beginning point of understanding biology, astronomy, paleontology, anthropology, archaeology, and so much more. If we hope to win the battle for our children’s minds in the area of worldview, it is vitally important that we teach geology with the importance that it deserves. This seminar will equip you on how to teach geology effectively

What does it mean to truly be educated? Many homeschoolers are schooled but not educated. This workshop walks through essential elements necessary for a child’s success. Topics include: gaining a knowledge of history, being good with money, knowing apologetics, desiring purity, and acquiring life skills.

In this session, multiple award winning author and longtime homeschool mom of six Dr. Sandi Queen discusses the many facets of language arts - phonics and reading, grammar, handwriting, spelling, vocabulary, writing, etc., and how to teach each of these using the Charlotte Mason approach. Included will be information on how to identify and choose materials that fit into this method.

Math is so much more than memorizing rules and facts. With a unique and humorous approach, Steve demonstrates how to use hands-on manipulatives to illustrate important math concepts such as place value, double digit multiplication, fractions, algebra, exponents, squares, square roots, and factoring trinomials.

What is a “living book?” How can “copywork” really be that effective?” “How do I fit nature study into our day – and why do I want to?” “What about math, language arts, and other ‘core’ subjects?” Dr. Sandi Queen, award winning author of over 400 books for Charlotte Mason style educators, discusses who Charlotte Mason was, and how her ideas for educating children are as applicable today as they were during her lifetime. Come and learn how implementing the Charlotte Mason approach can lighten your load, increase your child’s retention and attention span, and foster a true love for learning. Also discussed will be how to identify curricula that fits into this style of learning in all subjects. For parents of children of all ages.

The goal of this session is to share the joy of designing and teaching unit studies. Learn how this unique approach to teaching uses real-life experiences, books, games, projects, and other resources to encourage students to deeply explore topics and to become life-long learners. Discover ways to integrate subjects to make learning more meaningful and fun. Realize the wealth of knowledge to be gained through unit studies as well as easy methods of constructing them.

Does it seem that your older teen is ‘behind’ in school? It could be because of learning challenges, family or health distractions, previous school history, etc. Whatever the reason, the school ‘to-do’ list seems to be larger than the amount of time you feel you have left with your child. In this session, Bev will talk about strategies you can use when determining what concepts must be covered, how to capitalize on your child’s strengths to cover the material, the necessity of supporting their sense of self, and what resources might be ‘friendly’ to this type of situation.

If you are looking for ideas on how to organize your homeschool then this workshop is for you. Janelle will be sharing numerous ideas for lesson planning, organizing your student’s work and grades, creating ways for your child to work independently and setting up your homeschool. There are plenty of ideas to choose from. Pick the ones that work best for you and your family.

Homeschooling jargon can be confusing even for seasoned homeschool parents. In this workshop, Nancy will give an overview of many of the most common curriculum approaches including textbook, unit studies, classical, Charlotte Mason/living books, eclectic, and relaxed/delight-directed learning. We will also go over examples of curriculum and resources that tend to work best with each approach.

Math is sequential. Often students struggle in math due to gaps in understanding of basic concepts either previously presented or not presented at all. The first step is to find the gaps, then effectively fill in those missing pieces. Sue will provide ways to evaluate and develop strategies to develop math confidence and understanding.

Do you have students loves art and does not seem to enjoy math or loves math and does not enjoy art ? Artist Sue Wachter will present information from both personal experience and research to consider how to motivate your student to find success in both math and art. Attend expecting to enjoy interaction and discuss possibilities to creatively assist your student to discover that important combination.

Drawing on her experience as a mom of seventeen homeschool students and a curriculum counselor for a statewide homeschool organization, Vicki shares secrets for you to map out a successful course of study. Vicki helps beginners get a solid start in home education and encourages veteran homeschoolers to re-examine goals and priorities. She also includes a basic overview of different teaching approaches.

Homeschooling jargon can be confusing even for seasoned homeschool parents. Nancy will give an overview of the most common curriculum approaches including textbook, unit studies, classical, Charlotte Mason/living books, eclectic, and relaxed/ delight-directed learning. We will also go over examples of curriculum and resources that tend to work best with each approach

All textbooks and no fun make many homeschoolers want to throw schooling out the window! Dara will share ideas of carrying on the spontaneity of homeschooling fun through high school without compromising the knowledge needed to get into college. She’ll inspire you to think outside the textbook box and enjoy the last few years your teen will be at home.