Want to transition your young adults from simple obedience to mature responsibility? Steve shares the important phases that teens need to learn in order to take responsibility for their lives. Watch your kids move from childish irresponsibility to becoming young adults who embrace ownership and initiative as they move up the “Responsibility Tree."

Is behaving like a gentleman an outdated and antiquated idea? Join Dr. Steve in a discussion of how to teach our young men to be masculine in a society that seeks to squeeze them into a feminine mold. Becoming a gentleman starts at home. Come discover ways to cultivate a culture of masculinity without raising men who are brutes!

If we homeschool simply to achieve high academic marks, we are squandering the opportunity to influence our children for Christ. Character healthy leaders are those children who have learned to elevate virtues above feelings. If we spend our homeschooling hours simply on academics and activities, we may win the praise of man, but we risk losing the hearts of our children. In our few short years with our children we must focus on the first things first and character is always the first thing! In this workshop, Megan, a homeschooling mother of eight, will challenge your homeschoolers to use every opportunity to teach their children to serve God by loving others and to love others by faithfully serving God.

Are you tired of flashcards? Does your child cry when you give another timed math fact test? Are you beating your head against the wall because your child can’t seem to remember the multiples of 7? This workshop will show you fabulous and effective alternatives to worksheets and flashcards by playing easy and fun math card games from the RightStart™ Math curriculum. Imagine your kids asking to practice their math facts more! Come and discover games to help your child learn their math facts!

American Heritage Girls is the premiere national character development organization for girls ages 5 – 18 that embraces Christian values and encourages family involvement.

Toddlers, Tweens, and Teens, OH MY! Do you have a houseful? Are you planning on having a houseful? If so, then this is a great workshop for YOU! Heidi and Jay St. John are the homeschooling parents of seven perfect, never messy, always obedient, very sweet, usually tidy, generally obedient, always energetic, very curious children. They have homeschooled all the way through high school.

One of the most challenging aspects of homeschooling a houseful is figuring out how to teach them all while finding time to manage the rest of your day! Moms are always wondering if they are “doing enough” and finding the time to teach individual subjects, well, individually… can be overwhelming.

In this workshop, Heidi will share seven secrets of multi-level teaching that will empower, encourage and enlighten you! If you’ve got a houseful, then you’ve got your hands full! Let’s laugh together, and rediscover the JOY of homeschooling with a full heart AND a full house

Most teens crave to be independent, express their opinions, and control their lives. Smart parents will channel these tendencies to propel homeschool forward. Learn how to start to communicate with your teen to work together on your teen’s homeschool strategy.

Sarah and Grace Mally, two homeschool graduates, together with their father, will discuss the importance of being a Christ-centered family in an ungodly world. How can parents pass on a Biblical foundation? How can young people be prepared, not just for college or a career, but for the mighty works the Lord has called them to do? How can they avoid rebellion and shipwreck? How can they find purpose and gain zeal? When a family has an eternal mindset and takes initiative in ministry, the young people are given motivation and vision, the family learns to overcome struggles and work in harmony, and mighty works are accomplished for God’s kingdom. This workshop will give practical ideas, direction and encouragement to help children and young people become mighty warriors for Christ.

If you have a hyperactive or easily distractible child, you won’t want to miss this informative and sometimes humorous message shared from the perspective of a homeschooling father who was once a hyperactive homeschooled child himself. You will receive practical and Biblical insights into ADD/ADHD and encouragement that there is hope for your child!

Many parents say that one of their biggest struggles in home schooling is the bickering and fighting that occurs between their children. In this session, Sarah and Grace Mally, co-authors of the book Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends, will share how they have worked through pride, offenses, and irritations in their relationship, and learned to become best friends. This presentation, including ideas, insights, stories, and personal testimonies, is recommended for the entire family.

How do we get a witnessing conversation started? What if someone asks a question we can’t answer? What if we feel scared? How can we articulate the truth of the gospel with boldness, confidence, clarity and accuracy? In this session, Sarah and Grace Mally, together with their father Harold, share practical tips, ideas, and stories about how to effectively communicate the gospel to those around us. We only have one life to live, and it goes by quickly! Today’s Christian home school youth are in a position like Esther. God has raised them up “for such a time as this.” We need to work together and encourage each other. The question is, “Will our generation speak?”

Music, composer study, artist study, handcrafts, folk songs, hymns, foreign language, free reading, and poetry. Do these sound like the always-just-out-of-reach, icing-on-the-cake courses? Do you feel you have too much else to do, and you just can’t fit in all these “fun studies”? Are these just special treats reserved for the super-organized mom sitting next to you at home school group? Well, Sue Pruett would like to encourage you that you CAN do these, and give your children the excellent education you desire for them! These subjects are just as vital as history, math, and science to your curriculum! Come, learn how you can have that icing on the cake – and give it to your children, as well – even first thing in the morning!

Writing that first draft of a large article or a book may seem daunting — and it is! But there are simple techniques that can help you break the job down into manageable steps. That’s what is revealed in this workshop.

Personally, I LOVE math. As a student, I would have been thrilled to have 50 or more math problems a day to work. I just loved to write the numbers, and coming up with the right answer was a BLAST! My husband also enjoyed math. I figured that my children would love math, too. Boy, was I wrong! It’s not easy teaching math to someone who just doesn’t want to learn it. Well, our family has been on quite a roller-coaster ride when it comes to learning math, but we have found peace. I want to share with you our journey, and how we came to a place where my children now look forward to math lessons…and I do, too! Charlotte Mason had the right answer for us, and she may just have the answer for you too.

It’s a basic fact of human nature — we tend to be blind to our own mistakes. (Otherwise, we wouldn’t make the same ones over and over again!) These tips on self-editing show you how to step out of your skin — to be “objective” in the truest sense of the word — and smooth out the rough spots in your manuscript.

You may have heard that “living books” are vital to an excellent education for your children. You may wonder, however, what is a “living book”? Is any book at my local library a living book? How can I tell? In this hour, Sue Pruett will define what a living book is, share examples of living books, and give you a guide on how to evaluate a book to determine if it is genuinely a living book. Sue will also share with you exactly how to use a living book in your child’s education, and show you just how EASY it is to use living books. You will be amazed at just how much can be accomplished with a few simple exercises – like copy work, for example. Join us this hour to learn how to cover all these subjects and more without driving you or your children mad!

Whether you are new to homeschooling, or a veteran of many years, the methods of Miss Charlotte Mason are worth checking into! In this seminar, Sue Pruett will introduce you to the gentle, natural, successful methods developed over a century ago by a woman dedicated to seeing that every child receive an excellent education. Sue will hit the highlights of a CM education in this introductory session.

Nature Studies sound so wonderful – and intimidating, don’t they? We are blessed to have a wonderful guide for us in Miss Charlotte Mason! She advocated getting children into the out of doors every day, in all kinds of weather and in all kinds of spaces. Whether you have no yard of your own at all, or you have acres of land right outside your door, it IS possible to give your children an excellent education about God’s creation. Join us at this session to discover how!

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.

If you’re a reader, you know how alluring strong story characters can be. They draw you in with their captivating personalities and keep you flipping pages to see what they’ll do next. Learn how you can create your own compelling characters that make readers beg for more!

When embarking upon this exciting journey of home education, figuring out which curriculum to choose for your child can seem daunting. In this very practical workshop, Linda will give an objective overview of the different learning styles and help you understand the most common teaching approaches including textbook, living books, unit studies, classical, Charlotte Mason, eclectic, unschooling, and more. Let Linda help you narrow down your choices and take the guesswork out of choosing curriculum. This workshop will boost your confidence in making educational decisions for success in your homeschool.

Picasso claimed, “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” Does your homeschool dust need to be washed away with some invigorating art ideas? Come and glean from Linda Crosby’s 30+ years of art education. Knowing that art captures the visual learner, entertains the kinesthetic learner, and awakens language learning skills, Linda determined to use art in every area of their homeschool to meet the varied needs of her children. Through her humor and life experiences, she will inspire you to branch out and experiment with art history, techniques, supplies, and ideas.

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” ~ Benjamin Franklin. As a homeschool parent, it is imperative that you have a plan in place for the success of your homeschool. Veteran homeschool mom, Linda Crosby, will show you how to lay out your year, month, week and day with schedules that will allow for flexibility in your homeschool. This practical session will get you started on the right foot with a workable schedule to keep you aimed in the right direction at the areas that are most important to you. Linda will present a variety of schedules to give you planning ideas, as well as helpful hints for dealing with interruptions, housework and chores, keeping the toddler occupied, fitting it all in, eliminating time stealers, setting goals for your child, plus more. Come join Linda and plan to succeed!

Okay, we’ve all heard that boys are from Mars. If you’ve ever tried to homeschool one of these little ‘aliens’ (who measure success by the loudness of their armpit farts), you’ll surely believe it. Once they hit the teen years, their alien-ness can seem to rob them of what little humanness they had (at least that’s the way it looks from our female point of view). How, oh, how do you begin to teach these miniature men that are so different from yourself? Susan, homeschool mother of seven boys (six already graduated and all seven following hard after God), will humorously share with you the joy and fun of teaching boys, and gently lead you to love and admire your sons, and to enjoy the journey in this laughter-and-wisdom-filled workshop.

Do you have days when you simply need to get out of the house? Are the kids ready and willing to set aside their indoor work for a while? You’ll be inspired to discover the joy of venturing outdoors as Linda shares her ideas and expertise about field trips! Whether it’s once a week or once a month, use field trips to enhance the learning in your homeschool. Two-and-a-half of Linda’s first 12 years of homeschooling were designated field trip years with extensive study specifically focused on learning away from home. Come and hear lively tales of hiking through cave dwellings, chasing sheep into pens, sailing on a tall ship, escaping on the Underground Railroad and many more! Uncover the wonder of God’s world with your children and broaden their homeschool experience.

You can read to your kids about Gutenberg’s moveable type printing press and they might remember it. Or the kids can glue macaroni letters backwards onto their own presses and print Bible verses themselves… and they WILL remember it! Hands-on learning is not simply to keep hands busy, it is a valuable tool to teach children various skills, help them retain information, and relate to the subjects and people they are studying. Linda addresses this issue using humor, anecdotes, and wisdom from her 25+ years of teaching. She is a veteran at keeping her children learning through doing and can show you how to be a fun parent and teacher. This seminar is especially for the mom who feels non-creative, unorganized, and ill-equipped to teach her kids! Don’t fret! You will leave with easy ideas to implement at home.

Homeschooling high school can seem intimidating. This is an informational session for those with children approaching high school or in high school. Basic information about transcripts, credits, tests, course descriptions, and some of the options available for high school courses and curriculum will be presented. This overview is designed to provide insight and encouragement as you enter this new phase of the homeschooling adventure.

Every aspiring novelist knows about the basics: setting, dialogue, character, plot. But there are even more foundational aspects of writing, little-known though they are, that can make a creative world of difference.

Sports can be an excellent tool to help train your child. Through healthy competition, one can foster key character traits in the development of a child. Dr. Lainna Callentine, a pediatrician, and her husband, D.R. Callentine — both former Division I Big Ten Scholarship athletes — will share the impact sports has made on their lives and the lives of their children. They will discuss sports competition, encouraging your children, recreation vs. competitive play, and college recruiting. Come to this interactive session and hear about the good, the bad, and the ugly of sports.

From toddlers to teens, kids today are growing up with technology. In many ways, technology is great. The Internet brings many opportunities for education, entertainment, and communication; however, many dangers exist online—dangers your kids need to be prepared to handle. Learn how to talk to your kids about sexualized media and pornography, and discover proven methods for raising discerning, media-literate kids.

Science offers an opportunity for your child to explore, wonder, and learn about our awesome God and the order He has placed in our world. Unfortunately, science is also one of those fields of study that many homeschooling parents find extremely intimidating. Dr. Callentine will help you unpack and address your concerns. Whether your student is currently in high school or in the elementary grades, you will be armed and ready.

Why are films so powerful? How does a film impact the culture? In this talk, we learn just how powerful films can be and how to use them for God’s glory.

If you want to be a filmmaker, where do you start? Should you spend a lot of money? Should you start with what you already have? In this talk, we learn what the best route is to take when getting into film.

Can you tell a story without saying any words? Can you get a message across with just showing something on the screen? In this talk, we learn all about visual storytelling and how to use it in your films.

Most purity resources these days focus on girls, but purity tends to be a much larger problem for young men, and many seem hopelessly naive about the battles our sons are facing. Today’s young men grow up with challenges to their purity on every side. In a time when over 90% of teens have been exposed to Internet pornography, how can we teach our boys to keep their way pure? What can we do when temptation is lurking on friends’ phones and beckons just a click away? How can we give them a Biblical context for sexuality–from their toddler years to adulthood? Come hear the parents of six sons give you frank, practical advice on raising your son to be a virtuous knight.

What is a “living book?” How can “copywork” really be that e!ective?” “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.

Is your second grader building a fusion reactor in your backyard or calculating rates of speed and velocity? Forrest and Beth Mora’s daughter, SmartCookie #1 received her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in three short years at 21 years of age and is a state certified teacher. Their son, SmartCookie #2 and twin to #1, received a 104% in Calculus 2 in his senior year of high school and reads C++ programming textbooks for enjoyment. Join Beth Mora as she travels back through time to when their “Smartcookies” were in their elementary years. Beth candidly shares about her journey home educating her two academically advanced children and learn how she kept the wheels of opportunity turning. She will also share the results of an interview she did with each of her “smartcookies” who are now adults. Learn what worked and what didn’t. If you have a “Smartcookie”, you won’t want to miss this unique perspective.

Come and learn how your kids can organize and preserve their work in a compact folder! This is a fun, hands on, instructional workshop where you will learn folding tricks, create several mini books, and make a lapbook to bring home for your children to start using. You don’t have to be a craftsy mom to use lapbooks. Linda will go step-by-step through the entire lapbooking process. Lapbooks can enhance any subject from pre-k to grade 12. The possibilities are endless. They are a fantastic, interactive, and educational tool for every style of learner. Join Linda and see for yourself why lapbooks are a treasure!

EXHIBITORS WORKSHOP A Practical Guide to Getting Over Yourself and Getting Your Kids in the Kitchen will motivate you to WANT to tear down the barrier between the kids and the food, because you'll have strategies to make it a win-win for everyone. Learn our Kids Cook Real Food system for teaching pre-readers measuring skills and giving them independence with recipes, a guide for teaching kids to use (gasp) sharp knives, and a philosophy on sharing kitchen skills that you can use again and again. You'll be able to implement these strategies the second you arrive home and begin to build life skills to help your kids grow into confident, healthy adults.

Have you ever had one of those days when it seems your children are constantly misbehaving, yet they really don’t seem to be rebellious? How do we discern the difference between irritating childish behavior and real disobedience? Here’s a sane, practical and proven method (Marilyn has 14 kids!) to turn irritations into solutions!

Unlock your child’s potential with a lifestyle of learning; educate without workbooks or textbooks. We’ll show you how to bring an outstanding education into your 21st century homeschool using the time-tested methods of Christian educator, Charlotte Mason. You’ll discover why “Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life” and learn the essentials of a living books education. We’ll also show you how the books and the method go together, and where to find affordable resources.

The years from 9 to 12 can be some of the most challenging of all. Long before peach fuzz or body changes, you have to cope with distractedness, tears, outbursts of anger and the “Nobody loves me” blues, but somebody’s got to be the adult around here. Learn how to survive, and make the teen years great!

Do you find your teen daydreaming ten minutes after giving him an assignment? Does he make careless mistakes in his work? Is it difficult for him to stay on task and finish school work? Or does your teen struggle with organizing personal and school materials? Does he seem to forget what he has learned the day before? These are all learning problems common among teenagers with ADD or ADHD. Many homeschooling parents find themselves frustrated and looking for answers on how to effectively teach their struggling learners. In this workshop we will discuss ways to help alleviate stress for both the parent and student by giving you practical ideas to help make learning easier for your teenager no matter what subject you teach or curriculum you use!

Want to transition your young adults from simple obedience to mature responsibility? Dr. Steve shares the important phases that teens need to learn in order to take responsibility for their lives. Watch your kids move from childish irresponsibility to becoming young adults who embrace ownership and initiative as they move up the “Responsibility Tree.”

Come and discover award-winning Excellence in Writing, a method of teaching composition that really works. Using this program, students of all ages will learn to write stories, reports and essays with style. Best of all, parents and students alike find it easy to use and effective in all their writing endeavors. This workshop will give you an overview of the program and show you how you can get started with even the most reluctant writing student so you can give it a try at home.

Many parents think that good readers will naturally become good writers. Others think that writing talent is just that—a natural ability—some have it; others don’t. Both are myths. History and modern research show very clearly how good writers have developed. What are the two most critical things you can do as a parent to develop a high level of aptitude, from a young age and into high school? With humor and insight, Andrew will share the two easy but unbelievably powerful things you can do to build language patterns and nurture competent communicators in your family.

Are fairy tales good, even important, for Christian students? Where did they come from, what can they teach our children, and should we spend our valuable time reading them? In this session we will discuss several basic themes in fairy tales and traditional children’s literature (goodness, truth, beauty, hope, honesty, wishes) as well as key archetypes of literature and their importance to the moral imagination. With the confusion surrounding modern fantasy writing, many parents feel uncertain in discerning the good and important literature from misleading and confusing books, stories, and movies.

Knowing how to teach grammar is especially challenging for the parent who doesn’t feel confident in his or her own grammar proficiency. Grammar programs often consist of piles of workbooks, wasted dollars, and way too much time spent trying to fill that subject. Often what is taught in those workbook pages doesn’t translate into success in writing. The results are poor mechanics and a less than stellar understanding of “What is a verb?” or perhaps more importantly, “How do verb choices enhance writing?” If you are asking, “But what about grammar?” Andrew Pudewa has answers to your dilemma.

Middle school is a time of transitions. The next big step in homeschooling, it can be a time of great joy and anticipation. The good news is, there's nothing inherently terrifying or insurmountable about homeschooling middle school; there's much you can do to ensure the middle school years go smoothly and little you can do wrong. In this class, you will learn to move past fear and dread and gain the confidence to succeed. Learn the many benefits of homeschooling middle school, the purpose of middle school for students and parents, and how to plan and prepare for success.

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

Maybe you haven’t always homeschooled. . . you’re starting a few years in, or even mid-year. Can you really start mid-stream? What does homeschooling look like? Where do you begin? What should you expect? How can you ease the transition for all of you? We’ll cover these topics and more. Q&A time included, so bring your questions.

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

It is possible for the subject of history to be entertaining, exciting, and educational, not only for your kids, but for you! If you just rolled your eyes, this history teaching rejuvenation session is the one your kids want you to attend. Linda has been keeping history alive in their homeschool for more than fifteen years through hands-on learning. You can step away from the text and make history real. Our children need to know how God orchestrated each era of history and it is our job to teach them HIS story. Linda will share ideas galore for your note-taking pleasure for each of the stages of history. (Papier maché will only be mentioned once—maybe twice.)

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

You had a wonderful plan at the beginning of the school year for a well-rounded education, envisioning academic excellence and character development in your smiling, well-adjusted offspring. But then . . . life happened. How do you find “normal” again? In this workshop, Vicki helps you focus on the essentials when you're on the frontlines, especially in a crisis situation.

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

Young Adult Session
(Be advised: This session is a discussion session and all audio is not captured on the recording) For many of us, reading the Bible is far more painful than poignant. This highly-interactive collection of sessions will cross-apply the methods of literary analysis and film criticism to re-open our eyes to the extraordinary world of stories present in biblical passages. (Participants will need a Bible.)

Young Adult Session
(Be advised: This session is a discussion session and all audio is not captured on the recording) Making a difference starts with making space. This brainstorming session is designed to help students sketch ideas for everyday discipleship.

This is a new era for the Maker. A maker is anyone who loves to build and figure out how things work. How can the parent with the kinesthetic learner keep a stash of supplies and activities readily available for that creative mind?

Homeschooling can be a lot of things, but most assuredly it is the adventure of a lifetime. This workshop begins by helping you build a road map for your homeschool journey, and concludes with practical suggestions on how to follow that map.

With a unique and humorous approach, Steve demonstrates how to use hands-on manipulatives to illustrate important math concepts such as algebra, place value, exponents, regrouping (carrying and borrowing), double digit multiplication, fractions, and factoring.

Use Pinterest as a springboard to design simple inquiry-based STEM activities that teach real concepts and engage your at-home learners.

This highly practical workshop will compare and contrast the many different teaching methods and styles commonly employed by homeschooling parents. Linda seeks to share advantages and disadvantages within each method, without preference. Bring your questions.

Jr. High and High School Robotics – Introduction to FIRST LEGO League and FIRST Tech Challenge: 1) Introduction to the game; 2) Hardware and Software; 3) Starting and coaching a team; 4) Stay tuned for the 2016-17 Season

This session will outline a practical approach to developing basic foreign language skills at home, using free digital resources. You will see examples of various resources, walk through a sample daily lesson plan, and discuss both the advantages and limitations inherent in this approach. Ideas will also be presented for the next steps if your student wishes to further develop in foreign language proficiency.

Many purity resources these days focus on girls, but purity tends to be a much larger problem for young men, and many parents seem hopelessly naïve about the battles their sons are facing. In a time when over 90% of teens have been exposed to Internet pornography, how can we teach our boys to keep their way pure? What can we do when temptation is lurking on friends’ phones and beckons just a click away? How can we give them a Biblical contact for sexuality–from their toddler years to adulthood? Come hear the parents of six sons give you frank, practical advice on raising your son to be a virtuous knight.

Find out why Thomas Jefferson wrote at a standing desk, how a whiteboard can turn on a light bulb, and why your son does the things he does. Make school more fun for everyone and equip your boy with the learning he needs for manhood.

You may have been bored by it in school—just a bunch of names, dates and events. But history is critically important. And when you and your kids learn the truth about America’s past, you will find that it is also fascinating! Today as never before, Americans are ignorant of their own history. And because of this, we are losing the freedom that makes America so exceptional among the nations of the world. By returning to the way your great-grandparents learned history, you can give your children a passion for their heritage and prepare them for the battle to preserve it.

Blossoming young men can be very challenging to a mother. What’s a mom to do with her son’s seeming disrespect? How should she correct him? Does there come a time when a mom can no longer tell her son what to do? Wives have similar questions about relating to their husbands. What’s a mom or wife to do? Norm provides answers to these questions and more.

Do you ever have those moments of panic when you wonder if you are giving your children everything they need to succeed in life? Do you worry that you are inadequate for all that homeschooling requires of you? Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night plagued by the long list of important things that still need to be done—and know there will never be enough time in the day to accomplish them? In this session, we will discuss five areas that pose particular challenges to homeschool moms and be reminded that He always holds us in the palm of His hand. This workshop contains many practical tips for solving problems and overcoming obstacles. It also encourages a biblical vision for what you are ultimately trying to accomplish in your children’s lives through homeschooling—a vision that will sustain you through the hard times and difficult days that are sure to come.

The secular ACT and SAT are the single most important credential students bring to admission committees. Fortunately, home schooled Christians, of all race, gender, and nationality are the leading scorers in these exams. Preparing for these exams is one avenue God has before our children to prepare to be the kind of Christians who will change their world no matter what the obstacles. In light of the changes to the new 2016 SAT I, this workshop is especially relevant. Dr. Stobaugh has scored more than 25,000 CollegeBoard SAT essays grader and has many pertinent insights about this part of the SAT. No family with a college bound student should miss this workshop!

Movies and music are the languages of this generation—but what does Scripture say about how we should interact with the good, the bad, and the ugly in our culture? How do we teach kids to think about the arts from a biblical worldview? With concrete examples and easy-to-apply principles, this workshop provides valuable tools that anyone can use. You will be challenged to grow in wisdom and grace as you choose and appreciate movies, books, music, and more.

You had a wonderful plan at the beginning of the school year for a well-rounded education, envisioning academic excellence and character development in your smiling, well-adjusted offspring. But then . . . life happened. How do you find “normal” again? In this workshop, Vicki helps you focus on the essentials when you’re on the frontlines, especially in a crisis situation.

Did you know that Mathematics has parts of speech and sentence structure, just as does any spoken language? Did you know that understanding the “grammar” of Mathematics greatly helps student understanding of problem-solving and applications? In this workshop, Tom Clark, founder of VideoText Interactive, and author of “Algebra: A Complete Course,” and “Geometry: A Complete Course,” clearly and humorously demonstrates this quality of mathematical language. At last, you will truly understand the roles of all types of mathematical symbols, and you will see how easy it is to translate between Mathematics and English, enabling you to improve your understanding, and teaching, of “story problems” at all levels.

Algebra is the study of relations (equations and inequalities). It is therefore essential that students completely and conceptually understand the basic concepts necessary to solve them. In this workshop, Tom Clark, founder of VideoText Interactive, and author of “Algebra: A Complete Course”, and “Geometry: A Complete Course”, will help you to develop an inquiry approach which is applicable to all basic relations. You will discover the analytical questions students need to ask, in order to “undo” all of the complications they may encounter, when solving equations and inequalities.

When you had one child, it seemed easy, but adding more children sometimes makes homeschooling feel like a zany plate-spinning act. Vicki shares ideas for keeping the homeschooling “plates” from crashing to the floor! Practical tips for teaching multiple ages—from a mom of 17 homeschooled students (seven school-age at a time).

This workshop is designed to help parent-educators understand the scope, the sequence, and the logic of mathematics instruction from pre-school through adult. Join Tom Clark, founder of VideoText Interactive, as he takes you on a sometimes humorous journey, describing all levels of arithmetic and all mathematics courses encountered in high school and college. In addition, considerable attention will be given to identifying the “why” of the study of mathematics with an emphasis on the development of concepts, instead of rote memorization. (NOTE: This workshop is especially helpful for beginning homeschooling parents.)

Can your child’s future really be boiled down to something as simplistic as whether they are right-brained, or left-brained? Surely, as homeschooling parents, we want our children to believe that they are capable of using “both sides” of their brains. In this educational and entertaining workshop, we will explore the natural and logical connections between Mathematics and Art. We will investigate mathematical principles, and see how they are related to, and illustrated by, artistic applications. Likewise, we will explore several artistic concepts, and see how they are based on mathematical ideas. Of course, throughout, the importance of language and communication will be stressed, as it must play a key role in the understanding of both areas.

Is your second grader building a fusion reactor in your backyard or calculating rates of speed and velocity? Forrest and Beth Mora’s daughter, SmartCookie #1 received her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in three short years at 21 years of age and is a state certified teacher. Their son, SmartCookie #2 and twin to #1, received a 104% in Calculus 2 in his senior year of high school and reads C++ programming textbooks for enjoyment. Join Beth Mora as she travels back through time to when their “smartcookies” were in their elementary years. Beth candidly shares about her journey home educating her two academically advanced children and learn how she kept the wheels of opportunity turning. She’ll also share about the challenges “smartcookies” can present and what you can do to help.

Maybe you haven’t always homeschooled. . . you’re starting a few years in, or even mid-year. Can you really start mid-stream? What does homeschooling look like? Where do you begin? What should you expect? How can you ease the transition for all of you? We’ll cover these topics and more. Q&A time included, so bring your questions.

Whether you want ready-made unit studies or the tools to develop your own, this workshop could be the answer! Come for an overview and explanation of definitions, comparisons, and resources for implementing unit studies into your home. In this workshop, we will also develop your personal Unit Study P.R.O. skills and provide you tools to create your own unit study at home.

Homeschooling high school can seem intimidating. This is an informational session for those with children approaching high school or in high school. Basic information about transcripts, credits, tests, course descriptions, and some of the options available for high school courses and curriculum will be presented. This overview is designed to provide insight and encouragement as you enter this new phase of the homeschooling adventure.

Teaching reading is as easy as A-B-C…or is it? Join us as we examine the popular approaches of teaching children to read, current research on reading success and provide an overview of the wide range of available curriculum. Pre-reading exercises and tips designed to develop reading fluency and comprehension will be shared to equip your emergent reader.

Does the idea of homeschooling a high school student strike fear deep into your heart? Or are you ‘in the trenches’ of homeschooling high school and looking for direction. Join us in this practical workshop designed to provide you with a road map for navigating high school. High school record keeping, graduation requirements, transcripts, apprenticeships, and PSAT/SAT and ACT testing will be explored. We will also journey across the myriad of college and military opportunities available to our young adults a they reach their final destination in the homeschool expedition. Q & A time will be specifically set aside to get your questions answered!

Who am I? Do I have a purpose? Will I ever be good enough? These are the questions we ask ourselves as we compare our weakness with someone else’s strength. In a social media age it is very easy to become discontent and stuck in the trap of comparison. It is also easy to become discouraged when we look to others for approval or with envy instead at looking to God and the purpose He has for us. We were each created for a purpose and given the exact circumstances that our uniquely ours. Learn to embrace who you are and where God has you!

Tyler Hogan graduated homeschool and went to college when he was 16. During his college and young adult years, he made some really stupid mistakes (and stumbled onto a few things that worked out really well). You will hear frank and timely words about busting stereotypes, owning your faith, navigating relationships, and how not to wreck your life after homeschool.

As a thirteen-year-old homeschooler, Hope started writing her first historical fiction book. It was published in Spring of 2012 as the first of a four part series, and she now has a second book and a radio drama released to the world! She knows that the process from concept to publishing can be overwhelming, especially for a young, first-time author writing for God’s glory. She is here to inspire and encourage other homeschoolers who are starting their own writing journeys. She has made the talk enjoyable and beneficial to aspiring writers, parents of aspiring writers, parents of struggling writers, or anyone who likes writing in general.

One thing is for sure, if you have homeschooled for more than a week, people everywhere will question you about it—from grandparents and neighbors to pastors and friends to grocery store clerks and legislators. You need to be able to articulate the apologetics of homeschooling and answer questions that come from those who know you, from curious by-standers, and from those who are hostile toward homeschooling. Do you know why your parents have chosen to homeschool you? Do you know the advantages of being given a custom-designed, tailor-made education? Do you know the spiritual, emotional, and social benefits of being homeschooled? We will have fun learning how to answer these questions, as well as others that people love to ask you when they can get you away from your parents: Do you really like homeschooling? What do you think you’re missing in life? What have you been studying lately? When it comes right down to it, you will probably be called upon more frequently than your parents to make the case for homeschooling. Come and learn how to do it well.

How do we acquire and nurture in our children a God-honoring worldview that strengthens joy, comfort, and faith in God and Scripture, even while exposing the unreasonable blind faith of unbelief? It’s much easier than you think if you start in the right place. God is the infinitely excellent creator and sustainer of all things, apart from whom we have nothing, including life, knowledge, truth, authority, and moral absolutes, on whom we depend for everything, to whom we owe all things. God, then, constitutes the proper starting place for a proper worldview. You will be surprised how many mysterious and confusing threads fall into place in the marvelous tapestry of God’s work and purpose when we begin with the source and explanation of all things. Indeed, apart from God as their source and sustainer, life and all things reduce to an impossible and pointless absurdity.

Don’t settle for being a pretty good writer—become an outstanding communicator! Whether you’re polishing a bibliography for that 10-page research paper you just wrote or you’re putting your résumé together for the job fair on Tuesday, college- and career-bound homeschoolers need impeccable writing skills. This workshop will explain what skills colleges and employers expect and give you a game plan for mastering them.

Paul Revere, aptly portrayed by Philip Jacobson, will speak to the audience not only of his famous midnight ride but his life as a silversmith, husband, father and patriot for the freedom he and so many other men and women lived and died for. While remembered most for that ride into Lexington, Paul was instrumental in much more of America’s history. Paul will share candidly, engaging the audience with the true story of how he and a group of shopkeepers and artisans who called themselves The Loyal Nine came to be known as the Sons of Liberty.

History is HIS story about HIS people and HIS world!! Join Amy in "blowing the dust" off those old texts that many consider dry and boring, and learn creative ways to teach these topics. Ways that will captivate your student's hearts, minds and interest!

After a short overview of Classical Christian Education, we will delve into the unique characteristics of 7th through 12th grade students, along with how the Classical Christian approach works to equip them for life and motivate them for a life of service to Christ. We will focus on the end product, what qualities will define our children when they graduate from our high schools, socially, academically and spiritually. We will discuss how Logic and Latin, along with other uniquely classical subjects, fit in to the big picture, guiding your child to embrace a Christian worldview and discover his or her life's mission. You will leave this workshop with a more clear understanding of Classical Christian education’s goals, along with strategy and resources for achieving those goals.

The study of classical rhetoric is one step to helping students become masters of words in their intellects, and living all of life with biblical wisdom. In this workshop I tell several stories, including the birth of the art of rhetoric, remembering my first school speeches, and my speaking experience as an engineer. I then summarize the skills learned in the study of rhetoric, and defend the use of unbelieving sources for believing students. I close with a description of my new rhetoric curriculum, Fitting Words.

Planting seeds of scripture in the hearts of our children begins at an early age.  At this session, we discuss a Bible-centered approach to home schooling. Can one book possibly cover all subjects?! Come and see how the Bible becomes the primary "curriculum" to educate your little ones.  Ages 4 and up.