As you consider how to go forward in your homeschooling journey, where are you standing? Are you on the field, in the stands, or in the blimp? It matters. What is obstructing your view? Who’s on your team? Where is the finish line? How can you best proceed? Why are you where you are? It’s difficult to answer any of these questions in the heat of the battle. It’s important to take inventory, to step back, to step away. Sometimes you have to go backwards to go forwards, to go down to go up, to go left to go right. What if there’s a place to stand so that you can really see?

In this talk I share stories from my own homeschool upbringing and the indelible lessons I unknowingly learned through the experience. In a profound way they informed my own journey as a homeschool parent. I hope these lessons from the perspective of a homeschool graduate will encourage homeschoolers from all backgrounds and remind them that they are uniquely positioned and equipped by God to teach their children in ways that reach deeper than the pages of any textbook, lesson plan, routine, or test.

Is behaving like a gentleman an outdated and antiquated idea? Join Dr. Steve in a lively 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. 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 first things first and character is always the first thing! In this session, Megan, a homeschooling mother of eight, will challenge parents to use every opportunity to teach their children to serve God by loving others and to love others by faithfully serving God.

Karen has graduated three out of four of her children. They did not all follow the typical post high school path, but have been successful as adults- not necessarily worldly success, but as disciples of Christ. Come hear their unique story of running away from homeschooling in kindergarten, to raising adults that are living for Jesus!

Join veteran homeschooler and mother of eight, Megan Scheibner, as she discusses the importance of thoughtfully traveling the road of change and maturity with your children. Discover the significance of traditions in building security, the necessity of relational transitions for building trust, and the power of transparency to break down communication barriers. Homeschooling isn’t just about preparing our children for success. Successfully homeschooling is a ministry training ground for parents and students alike. Come be encouraged as you see how God can use your faithfulness in homeschooling to reach your world for Him.

Our social media doesn’t dictate how our homeschool should look. God does. Learn to take your eyes off internet ideals and onto what God says. Let His Word saturate your mind rather than getting caught up in the false expectations of social media. Find freedom for your family to walk this journey with God leading you!

Recognizing that a healthy marriage is the basis of a healthy home, this Marriage session is a fun and fruitful way to invest in your marriage relationship. Steve and Megan teach from their book The Eight Rules of Communication for Successful Marriages and finish the session with a fun-loving look at marriage and F-R-I-E-N-D-S-H-I-P Practical advice in a guilt-free environment makes the teaching real and applicable to all those in attendance.

Want to transition your young adults from simple obedience to mature responsibility? In this session, Dr. Steve shares the important phases teens need to learn 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."

Although it’s easy to get caught up in our role as “MOM,” the greatest gift we can give our families is to show them how much we love fulfilling our primary role as “WIFE.” The Wise Wife session is jam-packed with practical ways to focus on becoming a wife who brings glory to God, delights the heart of her husband, and models a Christian marriage for her children. Being a godly wife is serious business, but you’ll get plenty of time to laugh as Megan shares some “What the Heck!” differences between men and women. Come be challenged and refreshed in your most important role!

Second-mile leaders are those counter-intuitive servants of God who earn the right to be heard by developing a consistent love of virtue, a disciplined approach to gratification, and a submissive love for the authority of God’s Word. Male leadership is essential to the success of marriages, families, the church, and society. This session will teach men how to Earn the Right To Be Heard, Prefer Proactivity, Reject Reactivity, Learn To Elevate Virtues Above Feelings, Build Moral Muscle, Seek Forgiveness, and Develop A Finisher’s Attitude. Powerful teaching that produces proactive fruit in our homes.

Ever feel like homeschooling is for those ‘blessed enough’ to afford it? Ever feel like you don’t have the financial resources to give your kids all the opportunities everyone else is giving their kids? Ever feel like if you just had a little more, your homeschool would be so much better? Come and learn tips and tricks to homeschool affordably and be reminded of the heart behind the Great Provider that has called us to this gig in the first place!

Being a Mom is about so much more than feeding, dressing, and driving our children to play dates! With only a few short years to impart critical spiritual truths to our children, every day becomes an eternal opportunity for teaching, training, and modeling Christlikeness. The Disciple-Making Mom session will give mothers the tools they need to disciple their children in the most critical areas of prayer, service, Bible study, scripture memorization, and genuine fellowship. Moms will walk away encouraged and strengthened, knowing that although discipling their children seems a huge task, God is on their side!

As Christians we face a spiritual battle every day of our lives. And homeschooling is no different. Expect battles. Be equipped for them. And know that as you fight them, you are becoming stronger in the Lord each day.

Can your students read between the lines? Decode advertisements? Interpret political cartoons? Make judgments about logic? Discern between inevitable biases and compromising agendas? Take counterarguments seriously? Pinpoint ideology? Contextualize events in history? Tease out nuance? Define subtlety? Take apart rhetoric? Account for psychology? Distinguish between intuition and reason? Assess the impact of the medium? Discuss images vs. text vs. video? Read laterally? Research reliably? Uncover original sources? Identify circumstantial evidence? Tolerate boredom? Frame and characterize charitably? Distinguish between facts, opinions, and value judgments? Distinguish between readily-available sources, well-financed sources, aesthetically-pleasing sources, and good sources? Breakdown satire? Unpack persuasiveness? Co-exist with misinformation, disinformation, and fake news? Literacy with today’s media requires a world of insights from history, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and media studies. Come learn how to structure a course that targets all layers of a student’s needs in today’s information and media environment.

Do your children struggle with learning hard concepts or facts but can quote their favorite movie to you verbatim? Join me as we discuss how and when to use educational apps to help your children master hard concepts and learn facts without the tears. Cherie will share some of her favorite learning apps. If you have favorites please be prepared to share about them.

Why do military families choose to homeschool? The last survey completed by Blue Star Families estimates that at least 6% of military families homeschool. This number is continuing to rise post-COVID as more military families choose to homeschool. This session will give an overview of these reasons and examine some of the challenges—and solutions—to homeschooling military-style.

As a pilot for American Airlines, Steve was very close to the events of 9/11. Although initially scheduled to be the First Officer on Flight 11, the first flight to be hijacked on September 11, 2001, Steve was bumped from that flight the night before through an extraordinary set of circumstances. In this session, he tells his deeply moving story of God's providence on that terrible day in our history. Discover why God gave Steve a second chance, and how He now uses Steve to teach parents around the world to parent with purpose and urgency, as he introduces you to The Nine Practices of The Proactive Parent. Intensely practical and Bible based, the Nine Practices of The Proactive Parent is designed to give parents the tools they need and the necessary hope, to build a Christ-centered and character-driven home environment. We’ll never be better as homeschoolers than we are as parents! The Nine Practices are a great way to revitalize parents in their all-important task of parenting. This session will take highlights from the 10- week Parenting Matters small group study. Join Steve as he unwraps the Three Pillars of Parenting, The Motivation Model, The Growth Continuum, The Proactive vs. Reactive Parent, and more.

How do you keep going when it seems like you are going nowhere? This seminar will talk about maintaining endurance through all the various stages of child development from infant to teen. This session will emphasize both practical and spiritual implications.

Lesson plans, diaper changes, times tables, and dinner…again! Do you ever catch yourself, during the mundane days of motherhood, dreaming of more? Do you feel like the daily demands of mom-life takes a super-human strength that you just aren’t sure you have? Do you feel ‘less than’ as you look around at all the super-moms out there? Do you ever dream of trading in your apron for a cape and doing bigger things in this world? Then this session is for you! You are guaranteed to walk away encouraged, changed, and ready to embrace your calling like never before.

Parents have a dream for how they envision their sons will ‘turn out’ at the end of the journey. How can you carry out the plan successfully if your son spends all day under the direction of a woman? In this session, Beverly will share ways to implement practices that will encourage your teen boys to grow into happy, mannerly, intelligent leaders for their future families – leaders who respect and protect women, embrace their role with confidence, and are comfortable in their manhood. Be encouraged by a mom with six sons that it is in fact possible…and fun!

Having trouble staying on schedule with your chosen curriculum? Wondering if you can keep up with everyone else for just one day? Hear Rachael’s confession of her own personal battle with homeschool schedules and how she looks to God to help her persevere.

Homeschooling one child can be a challenge but throw in multiple children and things can get crazy. If you are overwhelmed with homeschooling several children then find encouragement and practical tips in this workshop. Janelle Knutson, veteran homeschool mom of seven children, will share how to homeschool multiple grades without losing your mind.

Instead of being drawn into power struggles, yelling and giving meaningless consequences, Kirk will show you 10 ways to discipline with dignity so kids listen to, respect and trust you. Stop the whining, complaining and tantrums. Get kids to listen when they are loud in the car or interrupt on the phone. Teach kids to control their own behavior (self-discipline) so you don’t have to “make them” behave.

This highly practical workshop will compare and contrast the many different teaching methods and styles commonly employed by home educating parents. Linda seeks to share advantages and disadvantages within each method, without endorsing any one in particular. Hopefully she can help you to choose the one that will work effectively for you and your children.

God has hard-wired us to learn, and the science behind His masterful plan will strengthen your resolve to help your child blaze new neural pathways. Come and get the inside scoop of how the lightbulb of learning goes on, and more importantly, how you can increase “ah ha” moments on Monday. Beth Mora, author, blogger, and former Certified Rehab Nurse in discovering that science is rooted in God’s words of wisdom. This information is perfect for all types of learners including gifted and those with special needs.

Using student created notebooks encourages an atmosphere and creativity as children essentially produce their own work to display their learning. Jeannie explains why and how to use this easy and effective educational approach that replaces workbooks, enhances learning and retention of the subject, and develops a true love for learning. Examples and visual aids make the information easy to understand and implement in your homeschool.

Jessica Hulcy, speaks frankly and transparently about her journey of homeschooling and life with marvelous triumphs and glorious victories and agonizing priority losses that netted damaging consequences. This is a testimony of God’s amazing love and care for each of HIS chosen believers to not lose sight of what The God of the Universe requires of each of us.

Tick Tock. Have you ever experienced a series of days, weeks or even months when you felt like you just could NOT get on top of all that you had to do? Have you just decided that it’s either school or dinner? Or maybe you just gave up school and now everyone has matching socks again! Most moms struggle with finding a balance when it comes to homeschooling and staying on top of the rest of your day. Have you ever read 2 Corinthians 12:9? You probably have… it says, “My strength is made perfect in weakness”. Homeschooling reveals weakness … it’s true! And that’s a good thing, because it means you get to give even more glory to the Lord when you graduate your kids and see that they are walking with the Lord. Homeschool mom, if you’re struggling with trying to do it all, you will enjoy hearing some of Heidi’s favorite tips for managing homeschooling and homemaking…and still finding time to fit in “other things” (like alone time with your husband!) This is an opportunity to GET SET FREE from the expectations of others, laugh out loud learn how two words: BE INTENTIONAL can make a huge difference in your ability to manage your home and your homeschool well. Heidi really loves to use acrostics and this is one of her favorites! Bring a friend and leave your preconceived ideas at the door because real moms sometimes serve Cheerios for dinner!

“No Drama, Mama!” Come away and learn to blunt the strife and struggle that can bring unwanted drama into your relationships. The Lord wants you to find peace in the most important relationships that surround you. Using examples from her own life, Heidi will show you some things you *might* be overlooking in your relationships with others, including when to speak up, and when to be quiet.

What comes first? The marriage or the math lesson? Most homeschool moms (every mom, for that matter) have felt the pull and pressure of trying to balance their marriages and their commitment to motherhood. Hey, most homeschool moms are happy to find time for a shower, let alone a romantic night with their husband! Yes, it’s true. Homeschooling adds a new dynamic to the pressures of motherhood – but it doesn’t mean you need to let your marriage suffer! In fact, it’s never been more crucial than it is right now to strengthen the core of your family. In case you are still wondering, your marriage comes first. In this workshop, you’ll learn several key ingredients to balancing your love life with language lessons—and how you can become the most romantic homeschool mom on the block! Come hear a story of personal experience that will challenge the way you view your marriage and inspire you to seek God’s heart as you model a strong healthy marriage for your children. This is Heidi’s favorite topic, so bring a notepad and fasten your seatbelts! It’s time to put the “real OO” back in your Homeschool!