There’s nothing more rewarding to a faithful father than getting together with his wife and children for the evening “family time.” But it’s not always easy to make good use of the time when Dad is tired after a hard day’s work. In this workshop Rick Boyer shares ideas he has used over the years with his fourteen children. Now you can have the tools to make the evening get-together a blessing for the whole family–without a lot of preparation!

Setting Them Free with Passion-Driven Learning: Scripture tells us to train up a child in the way “he” should go–not the way “they” should go. Every child is a unique creation of God, with his own fascinating blend of talents, interests and yes, weaknesses. To help them fulfill their life calling, we must develop a specific plan for the training of each one. Come and learn how to work “with” the uniqueness of your child. Escape the bondage of expectations and set your child free to pursue his passions and be the whole person God created him to be.

From scheduling to home organization, this workshop gives parents the confidence that they can provide a rich early education for their little ones. Lesli provides an overview of what every child from 3-7 needs to cover over the course of one year, and how to fit it all in. Lesli provides solutions for the many challenges parents with young learners face, such as time management and schooling multiple ages at the same time.

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.

Beth Mora brings her background as a case manager, and certified rehabilitation registered nurse (C.R.R.N.) to this session. She is a student of her patients and has learned a great deal from the families she has served. In this workshop, Beth will introduce the S.O.A.P. method to help you develop an educational plan for your child with special needs and help you locate that missing puzzle piece. Plan to leave this workshop feeling strengthened and empowered to continue your special needs journey.

Are you a caregiver for an aging parent?  Are you facing care giving in the future?  Do you ever wonder if those little memory slips are old age or the sign of something worse? Even if you aren't actively caring for someone, most likely you know someone who is, since 34.2 million Americans reported caring for an elderly parent in 2015. Many of us are in the sandwich generation, caring for parents and young children at the same time.  Care giving, especially for those with dementia, takes a special kind of grace and fortitude.  Add in home schooling and young children, and you have the makings of a hairy mess.  Join Danielle Olander, home schooling mother of five, as she shares her family's on-going experiences caring for a parent with Alzheimer's.  Juggling schedules, locating resources, and finding time to recharge, caregivers need support, resources, and sometimes, just someone to listen.  This workshop is designed to bring encouragement to those who are caring for aging parents or for those who want to support those that are caregiving.

Science doesn’t need to be a boring subject of textbooks and vocabulary. This workshop (for parents AND KIDS) shows you fun ways to learn about the Lord’s sky above with hands-on learning activities.

Regardless of the particular passion God has placed in your child, being successful in any profession depends greatly upon the ability to communicate effectively. As a leader, one must learn how to speak the language of your audience and present your message in a way that allows them to perceive and understand the exact purpose of your communication. In this workshop, Rick will give students and parents specific tools and skills to start them on a road to mastering effective communication skills.

The new secular training curriculum for millennials is called ‘adulting.’ Classes are now being offered in libraries, online, and even in churches. The urban dictionary definition: “Adulting (v): to do grown up things and hold responsibilities such as a 9-5 job, a mortgage/rent, a car payment, or anything else that makes one think of grown ups.” This workshop will address how to raise children who learn this curriculum at home, like every other generation did before the current one. 

Creating a high school transcript is easy yet a vital part of your child’s high school records. In this interactive, practical seminar you’ll create a transcript that can be used as a pattern when designing your own. We’ll guide you through transcript essentials, evaluation of credit, grading guidelines and scales, and calculation of grade point averages (GPA’s). In addition, you’ll receive sample transcripts depicting other formats for you to consider.

Every great scientist started out as a preschooler! Lesli teaches parents to give their children the best foundation possible. By modeling Aristotle’s Five Common Topics we can teach children to develop patterns of thought and cultivate wonder in the amazing world God has given us. Lesli will help parents provide their children with the best tools for exploring science during the early years.

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.

Do you feel out of place because all the other homeschooling families seem to be “normal”? You may be widowed, divorced, separated because of military deployment, or just flying solo because of marital discord in your home. Dena is a real, live single mom who traveled most of the home school journey alone through major family upheaval and eventual divorce. Although she often felt like she was going over Niagara Falls without a barrel, she has, in fact, lived to tell about it. Her kids survived, too! They both achieved National Merit Finalist standing and are pursuing their engineering passions. To all of you single parents wondering if you can make the journey – or convinced that you won’t make it to the finish line – take heart! Dena will share her successes and failures and help you develop a game plan for your own family. Come prepared to take a hard look at your own views about single parenting and consider a fresh perspective that may just breathe new life into your homeschool.

Confused by the jumble of science curriculum available? There are so many possibilities: nature studies and real books, hands-on labs, Charlotte Mason, classical, or the traditional approach textbook. Then there are those blurred acronyms: STEM, STEAM, STREAM and even SEA. Do you sometimes feel like navigating through the Science is like wading into murky waters with no clear definition or vision? Finding the right fit for your family need not be disorganized chaos! In this workshop, we give you the tools to select the best approach for your family and provide an overview and comparison of the vast array of Science resources available. This workshop concludes with a Question and Answer session, so bring your questions about teaching science and get them answered!

This hands-on workshop will show how to use prime numbers to simplify both numerical and algebraic fractions, greatest common factors, least common multiples, simplifying roots and determining patterns in sequences. This workshop is for anyone who is pre-algebra to pre-calculus. The workshop is fast paced and fun whether you are a middle school student, high school student or parent. This is a must for parents of younger children preparing for pre-algebra!

Spelling You See – Radically Different Spelling Success Without Word Lists, Tests, Stress, or Tears Spelling You See’s unique low-stress learning experience guides students through four essential activities (listening, reading, copywork, dictation) presented at appropriate developmental stages. Without using word lists or tests, these activities help students transfer correct spellings of common words to long-term memory, so they can use correct spellings in everyday writing.

Apologia -Exhibitor Workshop Teaching science can seem like a daunting task, especially at the upper levels. You can break through the barrier of self-doubt and provide a positive and successful science education for your child. Along with practical how-to's and encouragement, in this workshop you'll discover reasons you can successfully homeschool through junior and senior high school science; how to prepare your child for evolution-based science in secular colleges and universities, and more! Ultimately, come learn how you can face science with confidence and make it an enjoyable part of the day for you and your child!

When we lead and interact with others (both family members and others), conflict can rise and feelings can get hurt.  How do you work through that in a positive way?  How can you tell them in love how they are doing? How do you respond when they tell you what you are doing wrong?  Come to this workshop, and learn how to tactfully and effectively give and receive feedback.

Linda discovered and used unit studies as a public school teacher and later exclusively used them during her years as a homeschool mom with four children since 2001. She will explain what unit studies are, how to effectively use them, where to find them, how to make your own as well as the benefits they provide for teaching several children at the same time. Other helpful hints Linda will provide include: connecting with each learning style, teaching with a toddler in the house, organizing your schedule around the unit, keeping God at the center of each unit, and expanding the lessons beyond the front door. If you want to simplify your homeschooling days, unit studies will help you succeed and thrive as a homeschool mom.

We all have at least one of these children. They take extra time to complete every lesson, if they complete them at all. And we can fall into the trap of sitting by them to “help” them finish, only to become an educational security blanket. Of course we don’t have time for that, and it is time for us to encourage these children to take up their own responsibilities. But the desire to be driven or to do hard work shouldn’t be for the end goal of becoming a millionaire; it is to work diligently for the Lord, using the gifts He has generously given us for His good! Come be encouraged that our occupation, whether it is student, mother, mail carrier, or king is one that is appointed to us. We’ll go over helpful suggestions to encourage those less-than-enthusiastic children and gain a better perspective of what is really going on.

This gives a basic overview of the process that takes place in the metamorphosis of an IDEA as it transformed into a book. Students will get a peek into the mind and routine of a Christian author, and a glimpse at the writing and illustrating process, the editing, printing, binding, marketing, and distribution stages of a book as it makes its way onto bookshelves and into the hands of eager readers.

As a parent homeschooling a teen (or thinking about homeschooling high school in the future), you may have your doubts about your ability…and your sanity. Are you weighed down by the seriousness of high school? Do you question your competence to teach your teen? Come and be encouraged as you discover a new, long range perspective for teaching your teen that is filled with much hope, faith, help…and joy.

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!

Without a Plan? You’ve Got to be Kidding! 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, and author of “Algebra: A Complete Course”, and “Geometry: A Complete Course”, 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

EXHIBITOR WORKSHOP Having a productive day is so much more than buying a planner or a tool for organization. The Well Planned Gal, takes listeners a few steps back, helping them begin with a philosophy and understanding of the uniqueness God has created in each family. From there, Rebecca explores ten essentials for having a Well Planned Day.

Exhibitor Workshop - Do you know where Liechtenstein is or what the capital of Czech Republic is? You will after this workshop, and you’ll have fun in the process. Best of all, you’ll remember. Come see just how easy we’ve made learning AND TEACHING geography. Bring the whole family!

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.

Entrance into college often hinges on a student's SAT or ACT score.  A strong score can also mean thousands of dollars in scholarships.  So how can we best prepare our children for these tests?  In this workshop, we will explore many of the common questions that home educators have in regards to the SAT and ACT.  Several resources will be shared to help you prepare your students to apply for college successfully. 

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.

There are neurologically based learning challenges that affects reading, handwriting, spelling, composition, and sometimes math. You may have the diagnosis and understand what is happening in your child’s brain, but the question remains, how do I teach my child? Beth Mora will present educational life hacks that will help your student thrive in all subjects areas.

Luke and Trisha take on some of the most common mistakes Christian parents make when it comes to sex education…and how to make changes today.

The high school years are a prime opportunity to equip your teens with skills they will need for future success. If your teen is headed to college, the workforce, or the military, they will benefit from study and time management skills. This session provides parents with ideas to incorporate these skills into high school coursework and lists resources to help teens cultivate these essential skills.

Children with learning disabilities must truly understand in order to remember. Their brains tend to store information in pictures, not words. The traditional approach of teaching mathematics using heavy doses of counting, flash cards, and rote memorizing does not work for them. Learn ways to minimize counting and concentrate on place value, strategies to teach the facts with visual pictures, and techniques for mastering the four operations.

For kids and parents who simply love words…puns, alliterations, rhymes, tongue-twisters, coining new phrases, etc. This is a workshop for those who might want to spruce up their writing by stretching their minds to create playful, descriptive, and memorable original expressions.

Exhibitor's work shop by Math-u-see

Government, history, economics…these topics usually put students AND parents to sleep, yet they are some of the most important things we’ll teach if we expect the next generation to be good citizens and preserve the republic. In this presentation, Rick shares tips and methods for bringing history and civics to life, keeping it fun, engaging the students, seeking truth, and making the lessons count for generations to come.

Academics are important, but they are not the key to a successful life. When your children grow up and leave your home, you want to be sure that they have learned the life lessons that will serve them well for time and eternity. This workshop discusses the issues that matter most in life and how you can pass them on to your children in the brief time you have with them.

Non-GMO, all-natural, cage-free, Organic...there are so many catch phrases put to our foods now but what is worth the cost and what isn't? Come learn how to boost your families nutrition without breaking the bank!

Why is documentation of high school course work important? Keeping good records does not need to be time consuming or burdensome; it will actually save you time and effort in the long run. Learn what, when, and how to track your student’s progress through high school.

In this workshop Lesli demonstrates how to create a set of activity boxes that can be used to entertain and educate toddlers, providing Mom with an easy, organized way to keep those little ones constructively busy while educating older children or attending to household tasks.

Do you know how Classical Education is different from other models of learning? Join us for a clear description of the Classical Model of Education in a way that helps one to understand, reiterate, and practice it a homeschool setting. No particular curriculum is necessary. We will provide you the knowledge, understanding, and wisdom of how this method works. It has proven to develop life-long lovers-of-learning who enjoy academic success and incomparable thinking skills. Classically trained students know how to learn and think, not just what to learn and think. In this workshop, we describe the Classical Model in harmony with a Biblical Worldview foundation by putting God in the center of all learning. This inspires students to explore the truth, goodness, and beauty of God the Creator and His glorious Creation.

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.

Why can my academically gifted student calculate geometric ratios but he can’t find his shoes? If can be baffling, can’t it? One moment you’re conversing with your gifted student about the latest research on genetics and the next moment he’s arguing with you that his superman cape can sustain flight because it has super powers. Gifted children often experience what’s called “asynchronous development,” or out of sync development. How do you meet the developmental and academic needs of a gifted learner? Not an easy answer but one that Beth Mora will address in detail from experience with her two academically gifted kids.  

Have you ever wondered why you should study history?  While it is interesting to see how people lived in the past, what other uses does history have? Join historian Jordan Jachim in exploring the importance of history in this lecture.  Knowledge of the past can help us make decisions in the future, avoiding errors that previous generations have committed.  “Those who do not learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.”  But history can also encourage us.  While one act of kindness to a stranger sometimes seems insignificant, did you know that this resulted in the discovery of a hidden cache of treasure during World War II?  History can also educate us and entertain us, but most importantly, it shows us how faithful God has been in guiding our lives.

So, you’ve decided to homeschool your children. Now what? If you are at this jumping-in point and need direction navigating your homeschool journey, this workshop is for you! Homeschool mom-survivor since 2001, Linda Crosby is equipped to answer your questions: How do I teach several kids at different levels? Where do I find curriculum? What about report cards? Do I need an American flag in the kitchen? Do I need a teaching certificate? Can video games count as something? How much does this cost? Are pajamas a homeschool uniform? Where is the teacher’s lounge? Plus many, many more.

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