K-12 homeschooler and Hillsdale College graduate, shares experiences from a lifetime of reading and encourages anxious Moms with a thought-provoking question: Can great literature help my kids succeed in a scientific and technological world? Ian provides an inspiring summary of an all-time classic story and argues that the self-knowledge, humility and wisdom that come from reading such stories are absolutely critical for success – and that you, as the Mom in the trenches, can lead them right to it. Literary education worked for Ian, and it can work for your students too.

Is there a link between the Bible and what our Founders crafted in the Constitution of these United States? Is it as some people claim a godless Constitution? Come discover for yourself the truth about our Founding Document. Walk away with clear, concise arguments to refute the godless Constitution myth being spread in our land.

Executive functioning describes a variety of cognitive skills which enable a person to engage successfully across environments. When these functions are not working effectively, students, despite strong abilities,can experience significant problems in many aspects of learning, including organization, task initiation, and/or task completion. Learn different ways that executive function can affect learning and get simple strategies to support successful experiences.

As a teacher, it’s so easy to give the answer, isn’t it? Oh, that’s right... you don’t do that. How long should a child think before you start helping? Sometimes we need to be quiet and let them wrestle with the problem to discover the answer. Do you know that children learn better and remember things longer when they discover the solution? The goal is to provide a way for them to learn how to solve problems. How might you go about doing this? Come to this workshop and find out how to help your child think their way through math.

Preparing teens for post-graduation goals requires planning. Get a timeline and checklist to ensure that important items are not overlooked! For college-bound teens, discover tips for the application and financial aid process. For teens headed directly into the workforce, explore job hunting and workplace skills. For teens interested in a military career, learn about the homeschool enlistment policy and get tips for applying to the service academies.

Preparing teens for post-graduation goals requires planning. Get a timeline and checklist to ensure that important items are not overlooked! For college-bound teens, discover tips for the application and financial aid process. For teens headed directly into the workforce, explore job hunting and workplace skills. For teens interested in a military career, learn about the homeschool enlistment policy and get tips for applying to the service academies.

Come get some help in identifying and encouraging spiritual heroes for your children. Help your children focus on character development through a daily understanding of God’s work in their lives to develop Christian character for eternal purposes.

Juxtaposition, metaphor, symbolism, irony, foreshadowing – HELP! Parents often avoid literature because of the intimidating vocabulary of literary analysis. The truth is, you don’t need a college degree in literature to understand this vocabulary; what you need is a well-written children’s story. Take a guided tour of literary devices and become a discerning literary analyst. Doing the same with your own children couldn’t be easier, but beware: soon, they will be finding onomatopoeia everywhere they look.

How do you evaluate your child’s academic progress with reading, writing, math, and early literacy skills? Get training on curriculum based measurement, a progress monitoring strategy for basic skills (oral reading fluency, math computation fluency, spelling, writing, and early literacy skills like phonemic awareness). These measures track progress on indicators of basic skills and facilitate decisions about the effectiveness of instruction in core skills that will serve them their entire lives.

Astronomy is not a peanut butter sandwich or even a fried bologna sandwich. Astronomy is more like chicken noodle soup with star pasta in it. Or maybe it’s like Christmas cookies cut out like stars ... but not ones with red green frosting.

Learn the definition, signs, and neurobiology of dyslexia in preschool children, along with improving brain processes with early interventions. Speech pattern development, milestones, stuttering, and auditory processing are reviewed. Gain information and activities to increase print awareness, knowledge of the alphabet, phonological awareness, and handwriting skills.

How do you plan a program for your high school student? What subjects do you teach and when? Do you follow a basic plan, a general college prep plan, or a rigorous college prep plan? How do you evaluate credits? Determine course grades? What about a transcript and diploma? If you are beginning to think about homeschooling during the high school years, come organize your thoughts and begin laying the groundwork for a viable four-year plan.

All children play make-believe. While they are little, allowing their imaginations to fuel their play is a harmless joy. But what if they soon yearn for the worlds they find in their favorite novels: strange worlds, imaginary worlds, non-Christian worlds? What if they lose themselves in fantasy? Get summaries of a few well-known stories and learn some simple literary tools to help you start meaningful conversations about the joys and dangers of fantasy literature.

Today more than ever we need Christian citizens who know the truth of God’s Word and have a working knowledge of our Founding Documents so that they can be the transforming power needed to bring our land back from the tyranny of socialism to the liberty secured under the American View of Law and Government.

How to start, where to find curriculum, when to school, and what a typical day looks like are some of the areas discussed. Get an understanding of Rule 12 and 13 and gain valuable information for your homeschool journey. This workshop is a MUST for new homeschoolers.

Learning key management principles helps build a framework to successfully teach multiple ages. From curriculum choices to organizing lesson plans, from school to family life, from toddlers to high school, this workshop provides tried and true guidelines for successfully homeschooling your family.

Vision is much more than 20/20 eye sight. Symptoms of underlying visual disorders may include skipping small words or lines, frequent letter or number reversals, poor comprehension, and/or headaches at the end of the school day to name a few. Learn about more than 20 areas to vision that impact the ability to learn, how they are detected, and treatments including vision therapy.

High school is a prime opportunity to equip your teens with skills needed for future success. If your teens are headed to college, the workforce, or the military, they will benefit from study and time management skills. Learn ideas to incorporate these skills into high school coursework and get resources to help teens cultivate these essential skills.

What is The Socratic Method and how can it make me a better teacher? Is it a separate curriculum? Is it difficult to learn? Is it a lot of work to apply? Can I use it with what I'm already doing? Adam lays out simple answers to these questions by explaining and demonstrating a Socratic discussion to encourage and inspire parents to imitate the ancient philosopher. Parents of kids in K-12 will learn a simple technique can be applied in any subject to dramatically increase the power of contact time. Best of all, there's nothing to buy – all you need is a kid and a kitchen table!

There is a very real war for the hearts and minds of the next generation. If we do not engage the fight we are guaranteed to lose. Be equipped to stand successfully in the battle for truth. Parents may fear that when their children graduate they may turn against their homeschool upbringing. Is there a way to prevent that from happening? Explore the powerful tools God provides as well as learn from the experience of other homeschooling parents.

Students with significant learning and behavior difficulties are often referred to a professional (e.g., a school or a private psychologist) to determine if they have an educational disability that qualifies them for additional services. The professional administers a battery of psychoeducational tests and makes a diagnosis with prescriptive recommendations. But how reliable and valid are these practices and diagnoses, and just how helpful are they? Gain knowledge about these practices so you are informed when a child is evaluated.

Learn three essentials every student needs to make colleges want him or her. Excelling in these areas can save thousands of dollars and help your student graduate with little or no debt. Watch colleges compete for your student and make the college dream a reality.

The high school years present an opportune time to develop skills that young adults will use the rest of their lives. Learn about the importance of teaching finance, health care, car ownership, job preparation, spiritual principles, and more. These areas will benefit your teens when they become independent adults. A list of resources is provided.

Interested in including the teaching of the Holocaust in your program? Unsure of what written materials to include? You know about Anne Frank, but is there more out there to use? This session is for you. We will discuss the guidelines for teaching the Holocaust, some of the common “dos and don’ts“ and a plethora of reading designed for all ages. Take a look at materials and receive an annotated bibliography to take with you. Several on-line resources will be given to you, so you can research on your own to find the perfect fit for your student.

How do you teach your students to apply a “Christian Worldview” to the books they read, the movies they watch, and the culture they live in? The answer may surprise you, for well meaning Christians often misunderstand the basic principles of worldview analysis. This misunderstanding often prevents Christian students from thinking clearly about contemporary culture. In this enthusiastic and engaging discussion of a literary classic, learn to avoid a serious (though common) teaching mistake and get three steps for understanding a story-teller on his own terms. Discover how to uncover, identify and evaluate an artist’s worldview – and to teach your students to do the same.

What will I do with my preschoolers while teaching older children? Has this question ever crossed your mind? Carol wants to help you create a family learning lifestyle that meets the needs of everyone in your home. Integrating preschoolers into your busy day can be easy and fun! Additionally, if you have specific questions, please deposit questions in a box marked “Questions for Carol” located at the NCHEA table that Carol will address as time permits during the workshop.

Are you tired of flashcards? Does your child cry over timed math fact quizzes? Are you both beating your head against the wall because your child can’t seem to remember the multiples of 7? Learn the fabulous and effective alternatives to worksheets and flashcards by playing easy and fun math card games. Discover games to help your child learn their math facts.

Whether currently using or evaluating foreign language programs, examine steps necessary to learn a language, various teaching methods, and how to select the curriculum to best meet your family’s needs, pre-K to high school. Get ways to implement learning and practice for novice, intermediate, and advanced learners. Also get information to help you decide whether to include Latin in your studies.

It’s not just about the program, but instead the key components of instruction necessary to master the complex skills needed to read. Through her video, Pam Bazis, UNL, will focus on why the components of Orton-Gillingham based reading instruction are effective in learning to read based on research and theory into reading instruction and how the brain processes information in relationship to dyslexia. Pam will share strategies and practices that can be incorporated into teaching individuals to learn to read and spell. This workshop is a 2-session presentation moderated by Becky Kugler and Gwelda Carlson of the Nebraska Dyslexia Association.

Creating a transcript is a vital part of high school records— but it doesn’t have to be hard! Learn to create a transcript for a pattern when designing your own. The session guides you through transcript essentials, credit evaluation, grading guidelines and scales, and calculation of grade point averages (GPAs). In addition, you’ll receive sample transcripts showing other formats for you to consider.

No matter the author or genre, every work of literature is built in part on symbols. Identifying them, however, can be frustrating and difficult. Often it seems that an author’s symbols obscure his themes instead of making them clear. In a riveting presentation of one of the earliest English Poems, Ian Andrews explains this powerful device and shows how it can help you unlock the meaning of even the most difficult classics. All you need is the right series of simple questions.

Are you concerned about college entrance exams for your homeschooled students? Learn about the various national tests and how Nebraska students compare with other states on those tests. This workshop will present alternatives to the Common Core-aligned SAT test.

What do you do when your child is not progressing as expected? Discover a simple model for identifying skill and performance deficits. Learn how to test whether the child has a skill or a performance deficit and select strategies to improve performance. A variety of instructional and motivational strategies that can be added as a supplement to the curriculum will be presented and described to try at home.

In Nebraska, fourth graders learn all about Nebraska. For homeschoolers, teaching this can seem intimidating. How can this subject be tackled at home when multiple grades are involved? Learn how to study Nebraska in a purposeful way and get interactive ideas, book lists, and project possibilities. Discuss a recommended textbook and get online ideas for helping Nebraska become a meaningful topic at home.

In Nebraska, fourth graders learn all about Nebraska. For homeschoolers, teaching this can seem intimidating. How can this subject be tackled at home when multiple grades are involved? Learn how to study Nebraska in a purposeful way and get interactive ideas, book lists, and project possibilities. Discuss a recommended textbook and get online ideas for helping Nebraska become a meaningful topic at home.

It’s not just about the program, but instead the key components of instruction necessary to master the complex skills needed to read. Through her video, Pam Bazis, UNL, will focus on why the components of Orton-Gillingham based reading instruction are effective in learning to read based on research and theory into reading instruction and how the brain processes information in relationship to dyslexia. Pam will share strategies and practices that can be incorporated into teaching individuals to learn to read and spell. This is Part 2 of a 2-session presentation moderated by Becky Kugler and Gwelda Carlson of the Nebraska Dyslexia Association.

As a parent homeschooling a teen (or thinking about homeschooling a teen), you may have 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? Be encouraged as you discover a new long range perspective that is filled with much hope, faith, help and joy!

Many have been led to believe the lie that all our Founders were Deists or non-christians. Examine the evidence from the lips of our Founders themselves and you will be very encouraged to discover not only what they believed but that they held a Biblical View of Law and Government which was the foundation upon which they built a Republic designed to secure the God given rights of every person.

Does literature seem like a mystery? Are you at a loss about how to understand it yourself, much less teach it? This inspiring lecture demonstrates that everything you need to know about understanding and teaching literature is present in your second grader’s bedtime story. Adam reads a classic children’s story and leads a discussion of eternal literary themes. Learn how you can do the same at home by following five simple steps. Your literature curriculum – to say nothing of family story time – will come alive. You’ll never put the kids to bed the same way again!

Education is not an object we can posses; it’s a state of the heart, mind, and soul. All great leaders share certain attributes in these areas, and Job was one of the greatest! Adam’s unique perspective on Job’s career inspires parents to prepare their students for leadership. Get a renewed vision for the liberal arts and practical suggestions to applying this vision at home.

If you had only one hour in which to give your student a complete education, could you do it? If you accepted the challenge, what lesson would you teach? Adam Andrews argues that a complete and profound education can be acquired in one lesson – and then sets out to prove this audacious claim in an eye-opening, inspiring presentation. Adam first demonstrates the lesson using an example from his own subject, Literature. He then shows you how to teach it in your own area of interest. Adam gives examples of the lesson from every subject in the curriculum and invites the audience to contribute their own ideas. The power of this lesson may revolutionize the way you teach on a daily basis – and it only takes an hour!

Are the “Terrrible Twos” eating your lunch? Need help managing your homeschool day with toddlers in the house? In this workshop Megan draws on her many years of homeschooling experience with 8 toddlers in tow to help you craft a plan for success. This workshop is intensely practical and will help you transform the terrible twos into the terrific twos!

They’re in every grade level- how will they survive? We’ll discuss why this happens and what to do to help the struggling reader. This session also addresses reading difficulties, accommodations, support, and self-advocacy.

The decision to homeschool your high school student is often surrounded by doubt and worry, and sometimes questioned by bewildered friends and relatives. Do you have questions about how to prepare your teens for the world that awaits them? Join Carol as she shares practical ideas, heart-felt advice, and real-life experiences as a mom who has graduated four of her own.

How to start, where to find curriculum, when to school, and what a typical day looks like are some of the areas discussed. Get an understanding of Rule 12 and 13 and gain valuable information for your homeschool journey. This workshop is a MUST for new homeschoolers.

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

Want your teen to take more initiative around the house? Want to reduce the “Drama” level in the family? Want to get your pre-teens, teens, and young adults excited about character healthy living? Join Dr. Steve Scheibner as he reveals seven practical steps to raising the behavior bar in your home. Begin the process of moving your young people from ordinary to extraordinary.

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

At 150 years old, the state has covered a lot of ground, both geographically and historically. Nebraska is often seen as flat land without a lot of possibilities, and that is far from the truth. Do you know the treasures your area has to offer? Be taken on a visual tour of the state, get ideas for enjoyable field trips, and learn ways to make any locale more “kid friendly” (including photo scavenger hunts!). Places include indoor museums and outdoor sensations that could only have been created by God.

Are you tired of flashcards? Does your child cry when you give another timed math fact quiz? Are you both beating you 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. Imagine your kids asking you to practice their math facts more! Come and discover games to help your child team their math facts.

The importance of learning the Constitution in the midst of the culture war against faith and conservative values such as home education.

Child Evangelism Fellowship

Learn to share the entire Old Testament in two minutes. By using hand signals, the Bible unfolds so that you will know what, and to who, each prophet was speaking. You will see how many kings both Israel and Judah had , how many were good, how many were evil. As a teacher, Brian taught this to students and years later they were still able to sign the Bible. Let us walk through the Bible and remember it.

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!

What is a heritage and why is it important? Just as Christ made disciples and intentionally trained them to pass His salvation message to future generations, families have this same privilege. As we pass on our vision and passion for sharing the love of Christ with others to our children, future generations will have the possibility of knowing and loving God! We have an incredible and joyous opportunity to build a heritage of faith to last for generations upon generations. Join Carol as she imparts a passion for equipping our children to share the message of Christ into the next generation with a vision for the generations to come. Our children will make their own choices, but we as parents are called to help them build a sturdy foundation to make those choices with God’s will in mind. Learn from practical ideas and examples that will encourage you in your quest to build godly heritage to benefit future generations.

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!

Planning for higher education from an early age is crucial. Come learn what your students can do in middle school and high school to prepare for college. This workshop will equip you with a step-by-step, year-by-year calendar of strategies that free your student to attend the best college for him or her at the lowest cost. Be proactive and see your home-educated child reap the benefits!

Dive into the religious beliefs of the Framers and the philosophical worldview of the U.S. Constitution. Learn how to equip your child with a solid, biblical worldview of American Law and Government.

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.”

This workshop offers practical resources, lists of materials, and curricula in order to help equip you as you homeschool your struggling learner. Ideas for designing a unique home instruction program tailored to your child’s specific learning strengths and challenges will be presented.

Learning is not all in books. Have fun while you add more tools to your parent resources. Join in on this interactive session where you will learn: How games and activities reinforce learning. How games to build skills in phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary building and comprehension. To make an activity to take home with materials provided. Valuable learning activities.

Whether you want ready-made unit studies or 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. We will also develop your personal Unit Study P.R.O. skills and provide you tools to create your own unit study at home.