Each of our main speakers will take about 8 minutes to introduce themselves, share their passions, and what topics they'll be speaking on during the conference. What a fun opportunity for both speakers & attendees to kick off INCH 2025!! Come hear these fast-moving & energetic "TED-talk-like" presentations from Ginny Yurich, Israel Wayne, Phylicia Masonheimer, S.D. Smith, Kody Hanner, Karen Ehman, BJ Meurer, Krisa Winn, & Jean Burk!

Start the conference with this inspirational message

There has been a fundamental shift in our culture’s view of the role of parents versus government in the past two hundred and fifty years. Contrasting the statements of America’s Founding Fathers with ivy league professors and journalists today, you can better understand the battle over who should control the education and upbringing of children.

The public school system is very uniform, but the landscape of homeschool includes all sorts of variety. This variety can sometimes lead to confusion. But we know that God is a lover of variety. We can see that simply by looking at His creation. He made 7,000 different types of apples. You will learn how to cater learning to the individual interests of your children and you will leave embracing the freedom that homeschooling offers each family.

Studies show that 70% of churched youth abandon the Christian faith sometime before high school graduation. While there are no guarantees in parenting, there are steps parents can take that have been proven through various studies to statistically improve the chances of your child embracing and remaining in the faith. Learn what actionable steps you can take to help strengthen your child against unbelief.

With so many people embracing a self-sufficient lifestyle, we should be looking for ways to include our children. To do this, we need to create hands-on learning opportunities through life-skills and family relationships. Kody tells us how.

It is true that opposites attract–for a while. But often as the years go by in our marriages, opposites may also begin to attack. The habits and characteristics we once found endearing about our significant other are the exact things that drive us crazy years later! Whether you and your spouse disagree about finances, parenting, or how to load the dishwasher, your differences don’t need to divide you. They can actually bring you closer together–and closer to God. Discover how your “incompatibility” can become the strength of your marital team in this real-life guide to both living with and loving your spouse–differences and all.

Do you want to start building the foundation of educational readiness for your littlest learner? If so, this is the perfect workshop for you! Cheri Kay will teach you about the stages of development, the importance of learning through play, and the foundations for lifelong learning. She will share tips and tricks for making learning fun and engaging for you and your child, while sparking their curiosity about the world around them.

God's power and majesty are evident in all of creation, from the tiniest bacteria to the massive blue whale. Did you know that the robin’s song is distinct from the sparrow’s? A whale not only communicates with sounds waves, but those waves can travel for thousands of miles! These amazing animals didn’t happen by chance, they were created by God. Discover how learning about the world around us points to God's character and power, drawing us into authentic worship, even in our homeschooling! Join veteran homeschooling mom and The Mystery of Science author, Karri Iverson, for an exciting exploration of unique wonders- each pointing to our Creator.

If you have a unique learner, it’s easy to get tangled up in the stress of trying to get your child ‘caught up’ academically. In this encouraging and practical workshop, Krisa points out areas of progress that are sometimes forgotten. She helps you see that when it comes to kids- academic progress isn’t the only measure of success!

Sibling rivalry and squabbling is something we all deal with every day. It can be frustrating, as well as discouraging. We must teach out children how to respond to conflict Biblically so that arguing and strife don’t disrupt our home, and so they will be prepared to handle conflict in life. Learn the most common causes of sibling conflict and get practical Biblical solutions to the problem

Wait before you fill out any scholarship applications and waste precious time. You can learn the contests that are legitimate and, easiest to win and why sometimes you should NEVER apply for a single one. Discover the one place that contains nearly 85% of all the award money and how you can get your hands on it! There are 24 billion dollars’ worth of private scholarships each year. Discover key words to search for little-known scholarships and find out the key that the library holds to unknown money. No matter how old your child is, you can’t miss out on the money that is available NOW!

Are you feeling overwhelmed or are you just trying to make it to the end of each day? Let's refresh your purpose so you can exchange discouragement for fresh vision for your homeschool. Declutter things that are weighing down your days and gain tips for being fully present, prioritizing rest, and delighting in the time spent with your children when the days are long and the years are short! "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12

When children of any age struggle with big emotions like worry, sadness, and anger, they often push back against the very help they need. Their reactions can make it hard to know how to support them without escalating the situation further. But these moments—while challenging—are also opportunities to connect with your child’s heart. Learn the CALM approach to guide your child through emotional storms with wisdom and grace. Discover how to connect with your child when they struggle with a big emotion, help them navigate their big emotions in a healthy and effective way, anchor them in biblical truth, and equip them with a plan to move forward and face the challenges of life that brought on those big emotions. You'll also learn simple parenting scripts to use when you feel triggered, helping you respond with calm instead of chaos. Walk away with this powerful strategy to strengthen your relationship while fostering emotional resilience in your child.

Screens are everywhere, from the local pizza parlor to your minivan and everywhere in between. Screens offer considerable benefits in many arenas of life, but excessive use can severely hamper childhood development. Learn strategies to combat screen time in a tech heavy world.

Author S. D. Smith shares three bricks for building a faithful writing life. More than just cleverness and craft, our identity informs our creative life and the words we write and share with others.

Kids ask some insightful theological questions: Did Adam and Eve have to sin? Why does God allow bad things to happen? Where did God come from? Sometimes we don't know the answer -- or where to find it! In this session you'll learn how to make theology a natural part of your homeschool day, answer tough questions, and teach your kids how to find answers for themselves.

Recognize the challenges associated with teaching struggling or atypical learners in the high school years. Answer “How do I award my teen with special needs a diploma?” or “What do I do when my teen with dyslexia can’t read high school-level material?” look at alternative coursework, specialized curricula and learning materials, assistive technology, transcript options, possible graduation guidelines, high school programs for special learners, and post-high school options. She also offers tips for navigating the process of applying for testing accommodations for College Board tests.

Lab journals play a powerful role in both the academic and spiritual growth of students. They foster curiosity, reflection, and intentionality in young learners. They record experiments, cultivate gratitude, stewardship, and a deeper understanding of God's design. By engaging with their observations and reflections, students can recognize the Creator's purposeful order in nature, seeing that all scientific discovery points to His glory.

Does your student understand math concepts, but can’t master multiplication facts? Do you have a child with a math phobia or even a learning disability in math? This workshop includes a variety of teaching strategies and resources that will equip you to teach math no matter what curriculum program you’re using!

Are you just struggling to get it "all done" everyday, get your kids back in line, and your homeschooling rolling smoothly? As homeschooling moms, it is always a challenge to balance our many roles, and accomplish what we need to without being distracted. But it IS possible! Kathie will share practical ideas on staying focused, and being a wise manager of your time, so you can get those important things done!

Maybe your family you grew up in wasn't the strongest and you want your family to look and feel different. Sarah will share what types of activities lead to legacy building. The ones that build long lasting family memories and commitment to each other.

Discover the powerful, yet simple, strategies we used to cut our annual grocery spending by over $2500 – without relying on coupons, boxed meals, or sacrificing quality! Learn practical techniques for maximizing your food budget. We'll share our proven methods for building a nourishing pantry, minimizing food waste, and creating delicious, budget-friendly meals that your family will love. Say goodbye to processed foods and hello to real food savings!

talk about how to take up our God-given role as spiritual leaders in the home — not with pressure, but with biblical clarity and confidence. Learn to: - Lead our children into a growing knowledge of who God is - Make the Bible real and relevant in everyday family life - Build a home centered on God’s truth, love, and grace - Model a walk with God that kids actually want to follow Through practical teaching rooted in Scripture, we will discuss how to train up our children in the way they should go — not by perfection, but by faithful, intentional steps.

Bring Deuteronomy 6:7 to life! “You shall teach them (God's principles) diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” Opportunities to teach Biblical truths are all around us. Learn ten practical ways to teach truths through hands-on learning activities you can easily add into your school year.

Karen Ehman-a woman whose words have often landed her in a heap of trouble—-shares from experience the how’s (and how-not-to’s) of dealing with the tongue from her new book -Keep It Shut. Using biblical examples, as well as Karen’s own personal (and sometimes painful!) stories, Keep It Shut will equip you to know what to say, how best to say it, and when you’d better just keep your lips zipped!

Storytelling is everywhere, from Netflix and Disney+ to advertising and politics. Should Christian families be ignorant of the how and why of storytelling? In this talk, bestselling author S. D. Smith shares insights on how Christian parents can wisely think about the challenges and opportunities of storytelling. Christians should be at home with storytelling. After all, we follow a storytelling God.

This workshop offers practical resources, lists of materials, and curricula ideas to equip you as you homeschool a struggling learner. Cheri Kay presents ideas for designing a unique home instruction program tailored to your child’s specific challenges. She also addresses homeschooling while working, teaching multiple ages, scheduling the day, and practical teaching strategies you can use regardless of your curriculum program. Finally, Cheri Kay explains multi-sensory teaching methods, direct instruction, and modeled teaching

The heart of a math-rich home is YOU as the parent - arranging and managing math enrichment items in your home. Discover specific "stuff" you can provide for your kids that stimulates mathematical thinking.

Are you looking for ways to bring music into your family and your homeschool? Come join The Growing Roots and Family as they share insights into making music a valuable educational, emotional and spiritual tool for children of all ages. They will provide tips for sparking musical interest, practice time and using gifts for the glory of God. Hear the fun with live demos from kids, stress relieving musical parenting hacks and interactive preschool songs!

Nature journaling is about deepening observation, curiosity, and connection with God’s creation. The author of Nature Study Companion and founder of Living Books Curriculum, will show you how to make nature journaling simple, pressure-free, and enriching for your homeschool. You’ll learn easy methods to integrate Scripture and science into your journals. No artistic talent is required—just a heart for wonder!

There is only ONE secret ingredient to giving credibility to a homeschool transcript. Discover the insider criteria that Harvard uses to judge applicants and why summer break needs to be more than just a vacation. Learn the differences between AP, Dual Enrollment, and CLEP courses and the pros and cons of adding them to your schedule. Find out about the 3-Tier credit plan, so you can correctly build a portfolio that will impress any admissions counselor.

Boys have more energy than you can keep up with? Providing an intentional atmosphere of learning for your son will result in successful lessons and joyful days. Hear stories and helpful tips from a veteran homeschooling mom of three boys. “Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.” Proverbs 1:8-9

Using Matthew 18, learn how to empower your children to handle disagreements biblically. Discover practical tools to teach them how to ignore without bitterness, confront without anger, and tell without tattling—while also equipping yourself to coach your children through conflicts rather than just referee their fights. Learn how to adapt these strategies to fit your children/teens’ ages, stages, and specific challenges. You'll also learn how to actually reduce conflicts through nurturing deeper relationships within your family. Walk away with a clear, actionable, heart-based family peace plan that everyone in your family can use.

Coffee, candle, armchair - Check! The perfect quiet time is all over Instagram -- but making it happen in real life feels impossible. Maybe it's because...it is! In this session, you'll learn how study times looked in Christian history, why our current ideal creates frustration , and how to sustainably show to the Word of God even while homeschooling.

Hear my husband’s story of being diagnosed with end-stage liver disease and how we turned our lives around to pursue a natural lifestyle. Our heart-wrenching story will bring tears to your eyes but doesn’t leave out some good laughs, steps to cleaner living, and working with your spouse.

Many conservatives support and promote school choice initiatives believing it is a way to offer more options to struggling families and give them a way to use some of their hard-earned tax dollars for private schooling or homeschooling. Israel Wayne gives reasons why true conservatives should sincerely question these initiatives.

Navigate the legal landscape of homeschooling in Michigan. Join experienced Michigan attorneys, Dave and Steve Kallman, as they walk you through the state’s homeschooling laws. Whether you're just beginning your homeschooling journey or are a seasoned educator looking for a legal refresher, this session will equip you with the tools and knowledge to homeschool confidently and legally. Dave and Steve Kallman will provide expert insights and practical tips to help you stay on the right side of the law. This session will also include time for Q&A, so come ready with any legal questions you may have about homeschooling in Michigan!

Games provide motivation and context for reinforcing math skills and concepts. Play math games - both home-made and commercial - to see how "active math" can be an intentional and fun part of your homeschool.

There’s so much to be said about teaching reading. In the session, you’ll learn about the science of reading, multi-sensory teaching, and best practices for teaching a student who’s struggling to read.

Sheila will show you how to integrate STEM and STEAM learning into your homeschool through the lens of faith and wonder. Discover how hands-on nature study fosters scientific inquiry, critical thinking, creativity, and a deep appreciation for God’s design. Learn five simple ways to connect science, faith, and the natural world, inspiring curiosity and a lifelong love of learning—no expertise required!

It's likely that -please and thank you- are a part of your family but is gratitude really at the core of who you are? Living a life of gratitude is more than just using manners. We will discuss ways to bend our hearts toward gratefulness and to teach our children how to be truly grateful.

Leadership is being like Jesus — in intention, in method, and in goal. Here dads discover what it means to lead their families the way Jesus leads us: with purpose, humility, and love. Through clear, biblical teaching and real-life application, this workshop equips fathers to: - Reflect Christ’s character in their everyday leadership - Shepherd their families spiritually - Build a home where God is known, honored, and followed

Don't react in ways you regret! Parental anger is a signal. Hear what the Bible really says about anger; listen for it in yourself, recognize its triggers, and redirect it toward meaningful growth. Respond with wisdom instead of reacting in frustration, create a more peaceful home environment for both you and your children. Walk away with biblical insights and practical strategies to help you break free from guilt, foster connection, and become the homeschool parent you aspire to be.

Getting Started on your homeschool journey can be overwhelming! In this message find encouragement that you CAN homeschool and hear about the nuts & bolts methods of how to begin.

AUDIO ONLY Join Ginny Yurich and S.D. Smith for an unforgettable interactive family night - featuring a LIVE recording of the 1000 Hours Outside podcast! Bring the kids and their questions - they'll have the chance to join in the conversation with two beloved, bestselling authors as they dive into a lively discussion full of adventure, family, storytelling, creation, and imagination. Whether you're reading Until the Streetlights Come On or The Green Ember, this fun and familiar evening promises something for everyone. This is the audio only.

Our culture is obsessed with self. But in the midst of this near-narcissism, people are less content than in decades past. They have forgotten the joy that comes from putting others first. This is both biblical teaching and doable suggested actions. Some are heart-tugging and sentimental. Others are sneaky and hilarious. All are simple and practical. As we scatter kindness, we create a safe space where we can openly share the gospel with others.

For many men, homeschooling has been looked at largely as something their wife does. Many believe that if they pay the bills, that is really all that God expects of them. Biblically speaking, what is the proper role for men in the process of home education?

Cliff will demonstrate how his speed math methods always prove faster than the old-fashioned algorithmic methods with which we all grew up. He’ll also show how these methods are often faster than with the use of a calculator! The directives of 3 of the Common Core Standards will play an important part in the discovery of these techniques. Many of these methods have long been in use in European and Asian schools and their textbooks, which explain why we currently find ourselves near the bottom as the 34th ranking country in the world in mental math and calculation abilities. Once learned, however, these methods will help bring our calculating methods into the 21st Century and, at the same time, will leave your calculator-dependent friends in the dust!

We know that leading little hearts is overwhelming! Without a supernatural help, it's impossible! We have been given that supernatural Helper in the form of the Holy Spirit! But many Christian parents have not been taught a strong theology of the Spirit: what it means to walk in step with Him, hear His voice, and allow Him to lead their parenting. This will look at the biblical theology of the Spirit and include practical steps for living under His influence with our kids.

Should parents send their children to public schools to be missionaries and evangelists? Homeschoolers are often accused of retreating from society instead of impacting it. What is the balance between protecting our children and reaching out to a lost world around us? Israel explains how you can equip your children for the ‘real world’ without putting them in harm’s way.

With over 20 years of experience in small business, including the agriculture and food industries, Kody works with homesteaders on the steps of sorting through the 'overwhelm' to choose the best income-producing product or service for their homestead.

Test-prep Guru, Jean Burk, will share her secrets of test success that have helped tens of thousands of students raise their SAT scores as much as 700 points, ACT 9 points! Learn how to find shortcuts in test patterns and save time on all types of questions. Math, Writing, Reading, Science and the Essays are all covered in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If you have kids in high school, you can’t miss this seminar about preparing them for the SAT and ACT!

Big emotions can easily derail a homeschool day, leaving both you and your child feeling frustrated and exhausted. But what if those emotional moments could become opportunities for growth, connection, and discipleship? In this session, you'll learn how to use a heart-based approach to helping your child/teen process anger, anxiety, sadness, and more—while still making academic progress. Walk away with practical tools to manage emotional challenges, reset negative patterns, and equip your child with lifelong skills for emotional resilience.