In this talk Andrew Pudewa shares many humorous experiences (and painful lessons) he has learned over thirty years of teaching and homeschooling. You will be challenged, reassured, and sure to leave with an expanded vision of your calling as a home educator.

A life-long student of motivation, Andrew Pudewa has organized fundamental ideas of motivation into categories: four forms of relevancy, three laws of motivation, and two secret weapons. This expansion of Andrew's previous talk Teaching Boys & Other Children Who Would Rather Be Making Forts All Day includes new and updated stories, tips, and information.

Today, many of us have an intuitive sense that major changes are coming. When this happens, our lives may become very different in ways not necessarily convenient or comfortable. At the same time, we must live each day as though things will continue pretty much as they are. Resolving this cognitive dissonance requires that we carefully contemplate our circumstances because we are in a cultural war, fighting the "non-gospel" of aesthetic and moral relativism on three fronts: personal, familial, and social. What should our priorities be? How can we prepare children to be culture warriors?

As a pilot for American Airlines, Steve was very close to the events of 9/11. Steve was originally scheduled to be the co-pilot on AA Flight 11, the first flight to be hijacked on Sept. 11th, 2001. Through a extraordinary set of divine circumstances Steve was bumped from that flight the night before by a more senior pilot. Now, he tells his deeply moving story of God’s providence on that terrible day in our history. Come discover why God gave Steve a second chance and now uses him to teach parents all around the world to parent with purpose and urgency as he introduces you to The Nine Practices of The Proactive Parent.

Recognizing that a healthy marriage is the basis of a healthy home, Steve and Megan will teach from their book The Eight Rules Of Communication For Successful Marriages. They will finish the session with a fun, loving look at marriage and F-R-I-E-N-D-S-H-I-P.

Parenting and marriage have a great deal in common. Both are loaded with challenges and pitfalls. Ephesians 4:22-24 gives us insight into parenting and marriage success by introducing us to the principle of Put-off and Put-on. This joint seminar will give you the practical tools to raise the standard in your marriage and in your parenting.

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."

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. Teach men 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.

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!

Women thrive on relationships! But are our relationships glorifying to God or do they draw our hearts away from faithful obedience to the Lord and His Word? Megan will encourage women to use their relationships to encourage, edify, and exhort one another while also challenging women to examine their friendships and to structure Christ-centered, God honoring, faith deepening relationships.

All learning is founded on one key—the ability to take in information and then remember it. Each school year, students spend countless hours studying, only to have the information seemingly disappear when they need it most. Whether a parent or student, in this interactive and practical session, you will learn how to use study tools such as speed reading and memory techniques.

Learn how to teach and train your children in hearing the voice of God and gaining a heart to worship Him. Find out how to establish your own unique Family Identity and gain the treasure of holding your children’s hearts.

Dads and moms, in all the busyness of life and swell of expert advice, we’ve forgotten the fundamental truths of homeschooling and family. In short, we’ve forgotten why we do what we do. We have plenty of “how tos” but have forgotten the “why tos” and it evidences itself in our lack of joy of homeschooling, family, and parenting.

Good things are hard and hard things are good, and they go hand in hand. Sadly, most people don’t ever experience the good because they can’t handle the hard. They put the hard thing off, hoping it will get easier, or they avoid it all together, and all they end up with is a pile of regrets. Here’s the good news: you can handle the hard. In fact, if you’re faced with two choices, pick ‘HARD.’

Your house is a disaster, your kids seem out of control, and you wonder how you’ll ever make it through another day of school. Your “get up and go” has “gotten up and went”. You used to think homeschooling was the best thing since sliced bread, but now you’re feeling like burnt toast. Take heart – you’re not alone! No one homeschools because it’s easy. You do it because you believe it is best. But there are times when you need to be reminded once again why it’s best.

Are you having trouble finding the time and energy to meet the needs of your husband after a hard day of homeschooling? Maybe you’ve forgotten what his needs are. Would you like your husband to take a more active role in homeschooling? Maybe your husband refuses to be involved in training your children. Join Todd you look at your role, not as a homeschooling mom, but as a homeschooling WIFE. Your husband will thank you for coming! The discussion will be led by a real husband of a homeschooling mom.

You may not crack open a book, work through a curriculum, or call it school, but it’s your job to train your children. Join me as we look at the trials, triumphs, and tribulations of training our children. Now don’t worry, I won’t make you feel guilty or give you a forty-six point outline, but I promise to tell it straight and to encourage you in the best job there is – fathering

X-Boxes, Game-Cubes, the INTERNET, Facebook, and iPhones have changed the way we live, have fun, and interact. Children quietly glued to game monitors for hours have replaced laughter and creativity. They beg to play, whine when they can’t, and even lie about the time they’ve spent on “the gadget”. Technology has become a powerful tool and ‘everyone is doing it’…but maybe you feel like you’ve lost control in your own home. Does the chill down your spine tell you that something is terribly wrong? Do you feel like a beast has invaded your home, but you don’t know how to handle it? If so, then join Todd as you talk together about the timely topic of taming the TECHNO-BEAST!

Do you have a child who doesn’t want to be homeschooled, in-laws who don’t understand your reasons for homeschooling, a spouse who isn’t sold on the idea, or a guilt complex reminding you that you have no business homeschooling your children? Those nagging, sometimes-silent disapprovals can crush a person under the weight of guilt and despair. Join Todd, as he goes face to face with the naysayers and shows you how to address their concerns, questions, and logic of why you shouldn’t homeschool your children.

Children like to do what they can do, they want to do what they think they can do, and they hate to do what they think they cannot do. If you want excited and enthusiastic children who learn well, you must understand these key laws of motivation, and focus on the essential requirement of relevancy. If it matters, children will learn it, and if it doesn’t, they won’t. This session will enlighten you with specific ways to find and create relevancy for children, even when they have no apparent interest.

Many see science as the final, authoritative word in understanding the past history of the earth. With the myriad of discoveries every year that overturn past “truths,” dare we replace God’s authority with a man-made one? It is critical that our children are able to differentiate between science and philosophy. This seminar will help you develop discernment in teaching your kids the difference between the two.

Discover, perhaps for the first time, the geology of your own state, using the book of Genesis as a framework.

Probably the least understood of subjects in earth history is the Ice Age and how it fits into a biblical worldview. We’ll examine the evidence for an Ice age caused by the Genesis Flood, how it could fit into the period between Noah and Abraham, and reinforce confidence in what the Bible says historically.

What do you do with those rocks your kids are bringing home? You identify them! This seminar will give you a short primer in basic rock identification, with encouragement to not be afraid of a dirty subject.

Compelling evidence that shows dinosaurs were on the Ark and the subsequent eye witness accounts.

There is more to building a solid worldview than having a right catechism of creation. Our culture is on the move to destroy Biblical faith. This is no more apparent than in the treatment of the book of Genesis. Part of the solution for our kids is in knowing what the Bible says and how it explains the physical earth around them. Learn about evidence for the Flood and the truth of the Bible with every step you take!

Do you struggle to complete schooling for multiple children along with other daily goals? Does instruction of different grade levels seem an overwhelming task to complete daily? Free your classroom of frustration by discovering and using the one room schoolhouse model. This workshop will help to explain what Classical Education is and why it works. We will demystify the concept of "classical" and explain its three learning stages. We will hone in on the “Grammar Stage”, and discover methods that energize your homeschool, no matter what curriculum you use.

Cullen Chong will take you through his story of growing up and of how he used fun and inspiration to overcome his difficulties with reading, writing, and math to discover who God designed him to be. You will understand how his difficulties long ago were the birthplace of FlashPoint STEM today. It is his hope that you, as homeschool parents, will take away some of these insights to use with your own kids, while also discovering what FlashPoint STEM has to offer as an alternative source in learning to apply Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math.

Exceptional means extraordinary, or more simply “extra – ordinary,” beyond ordinary – not normal. The political and economic structures of America produced results never before seen in history, from Her prosperity to Her power, balanced by Her benevolence. Yet She is slipping away from the principles that produced Her success. In this presentation, Rick Green defines both National and personal exceptionalism and charts a course for nations and individuals to use proven principles to achieve extraordinary results personally, in their family, and in our Nation.

In this presentation, Rick zeroes in on that specific part of the Exceptionalism formula that deals with the role of faith in an exceptional society. Were the Founding Father’s of America men of faith? If so, did that faith influence our founding principles? Should faith be separated from public life and government policy?

Honoring the sacrifice of those who paid the price for our freedom is an essential part of preserving liberty for future generations. How do we best honor the sacrifice of those who gave their lives so that we could live in liberty? By LIVING the liberty they secured! In this presentation, Rick will challenge attendees to live their liberty with a renewed sense of purpose and passion, especially through the raising and preparing of the next generation.

Rick will take attendees through the entire Constitution in 50 minutes or less, leaving them with a clear understanding of where their essential freedoms are guaranteed throughout America’s Founding Document. We the People authorized only 17 specific powers for the Federal Government, yet today She engages in thousands of activities never approved by the American people or added to federal constitutional jurisdiction. Rick will quickly cover these specific powers and point out how simple the Constitutional jurisdictions are to understand for every citizen.

America is no longer governed by our Constitution, but rather by the whims of Supreme Court. Is it over for America? What can be done to right the ship and restore our Constitutional Republic? Rick lays out a clear, positive, peaceful path to restoring the republic and preserving liberty for the next generation.

Whether it’s in front of your family, a speech competition, a business meeting, or your local church, public speaking can either be an embarrassing disaster or an extremely effective tool for God to use you to bless others. Rick will share 7 secrets that will equip you to approach your speaking opportunities with confidence, poise, and skill.

Ever had someone get mad at you and you had no idea why? After asking what you said, they replied, “It’s not what you said, it’s HOW you said it?”  Maybe we should learn how to better say things!  Ever had trouble getting someone to understand your perspective or your instructions? Did you know there are four very different “languages” used by most people? Being aware of these different communication styles and learning to speak all four will greatly enhance your relationships, your leadership, and your effectiveness.

Our children live in the midst of a secular culture facing a host of issues and moral dilemmas that we never had to deal with at their age. Because many children are not prepared to counter our culture, startling percentages of those raised in evangelical homes abandon their faith and beliefs as they move into adulthood. For this reason, training our children to develop a strong biblical worldview is one of the most important things we can do for them. Teaching them to think biblically about all areas of life equips them to become powerful thinkers, leaders, and communicators. Most importantly, it also gives staying power to their faith as they face opposition. In this session, Zan Tyler provides practical answers to the following questions: • What is a biblical worldview and why is it crucial for my children? • How can I teach worldview—especially if I don’t understand it myself? • How can I teach worldview to my elementary-aged children? • How can studying the life of Daniel change my teenager’s life? Our goal as Christian homeschoolers must be bigger and broader than turning out kids with exceptional talent and high SAT scores. By incorporating worldview training, we can better equip them to use their gifts to impact the world for Christ, help others by solving real problems, and bring glory to God in the process.

When you look at your children, do you see only little people making demands on your time? Or do you see what God sees—a landscape of amazing possibilities? Author and homeschool mother Zan Tyler wants to take you beyond the demands of everyday life to embrace a wondrous, life-giving vision for your children’s future. You will learn to recognize the signs of potential in your children’s lives—signs that are easy to miss yet ripe for cultivation. You will begin to see every facet of each child’s life through the eyes of faith and the lens of Scripture and create a vision of hope and beauty. You will also look to the Master Gardener as you learn to use the tools He has given you for cultivating that child’s potential.

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. Join Zan and be encouraged by God’s promises of hope, strength, power, and help for those of us who are weary and imperfect

We want our children to be leaders, but what does that mean? How will they lead? How should they lead? How do leadership principles square with the Gospel and the clarion call in Scripture to love and serve our neighbors? Training your children to have a servant’s heart is foundational to teaching them to become leaders. As service becomes part of your children’s lives, teaching leadership principles and skills is the next step. In this workshop, we will also discuss how the flexibility of homeschooling allows you to build service/leadership projects into your school day.

Homeschooling is more like running a 26-mile marathon than a 100-yard dash. If you want to complete the race successfully, you must develop a training strategy that builds your strength, stamina, and vision and enables you to persevere until the end. We will discuss lofty topics like creating a powerful and sustaining vision. And we will look at down-to-earth topics like pacing yourself, choosing curriculum, and developing homeschool mentors and friends. Zan Tyler, who homeschooled her children for 21 years, provides training tips that will help you complete the God-given task of homeschooling and help you and your children “run with endurance the race that lies before us.”

Homeschooling is more like running a 26-mile marathon than a 100-yard dash. If you want to complete the race successfully, you must develop a training strategy that builds your strength, stamina, and vision and enables you to persevere until the end. We will discuss lofty topics like creating a powerful and sustaining vision. And we will look at down-to-earth topics like pacing yourself, choosing curriculum, and developing homeschool mentors and friends. Zan Tyler, who homeschooled her children for 21 years, provides training tips that will help you complete the God-given task of homeschooling and help you and your children “run with endurance the race that lies before us.”

Examine your husband’s role in the homeschooling from both a biblical perspective, and from our experience from homeschooling four children. A strong marriage will bring balance and joy to counter the often busy demands of homeschooling. Ultimately, this will give your children a powerful living example of trusting God in their calling to love others as you love as husband and wife. What a profound and secure foundation to allow God to build your family on! Explore three core reasons that we should homeschool our children and why it is so important to draw your husbands into the daily workings of your homeschooling day. We will also share practical tidbits of ways to include your husband in the homeschooling so that he is both honored and respected. Share the excitement of becoming a team to raise and teach your children.

Joe Tyler discusses the key issues dads face as we strive to instill a Christ-centered vision in our sons. Joe addresses the cultural pressures on our young men and shares practical advice to counter the culture and instill a vision of purity in our sons and daughters. Because of the frank and sensitive nature of this discussion, we request that only men attend.

A cell phone commercial features an NBA point guard trying to play basketball blindfolded. Because he can’t see the goal, he’s never sure if he’s scoring. Too often, men take on the tasks of husband, father, shepherd, principal, coach, and disciplinarian without the vision necessary to define and accomplish the goal. In this session, Joe Tyler helps define the goal and shares how to discover the divinely appointed means of achieving it. You may even learn the secret to making your wife deliriously happy, your home a quiet and peaceful kingdom, your children rich beyond measure, and your father-in-law in awe of your great accomplishments. Come join us in our discussion of what it really means to leave a legacy as a Christian husband and dad.

Courtship sounds so old-fashioned.  What exactly is courtship and how does it differ from dating?  Learn how to escape our culture’s practice of one relationship after another that is even prevalent in our churches.

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.

What does it look like to live out your faith while still in high school? In this interactive session, students will explore how to effectively lead and serve like Christ as a teenager.

“Whatever is the meaning of life?” “Whatever happens when one dies?” “Whatever is your highest value?”--questions that demand more than a “Whatever!” answer. The “Whatever!” answer of Secular thinking dampens and even squelches serious thought and attempts at engaged conversation in our culture. The “Whatever!” of Secularism even invades the church. Rather than be discouraged, take heart in God’s command in Deuteronomy 12:32

“Would you agree the Bible teaches…that men are superior to women…that God helps those who help themselves…that Jesus’ main message was to love one another…?” Listen and watch in amazement at the responses from college students and people on the streets give when Bill Jack asks about their knowledge of Scripture. See how people love to display their ignorance. Learn how conversationally to destroy “arguments raised up against the knowledge of God.”—II Corinthians 10:5

Train your students to discern world views and to understand their impact on every aspect of our culture. We will analyze the impact of world views on our culture through interviews with those who hold opposing world views. Great opportunity to learn practical tools to learn how to reach non-Christians and to confront the culture with the Truth.

Non-Christians seem to have the advantage in our culture. We, as Christians, are sometimes intimidated by or even afraid to talk with many atheists, new-agers, evolutionists and other Wizards. Too often, we fear we won’t have answers to their tough questions.

“Who cares whether it was 6 days or 6 million years!?!?!? Isn’t this discussion unnecessarily divisive to the Christian community? Are we not losing credibility with the scientific community and hurting the cause of Christ among non-Christians by insisting on a literal interpretation of Genesis 1-3?” Learn to respond biblically to such charges so that “no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception.” Old-earthers, progressive creationists and other Wizards come try and stump the wild-eyed, fanatical, six-day creationist.

Be encouraged. Learn four killer questions that will help to destroy the Wizards’ secular thinking that is encasing the minds of friends, relatives and others. Learn to destroy the Wizards’sloppy, secular arguments without destroying the person.

The biggest and most enduring Counterfeit Reality of all time is most cleverly foisted upon people through film. See how moviemakers convey a secular worldview to the public…in the blink of an eye! Keep in mind Colossians 2:8, and keep focused on Bill Jack’s media examples and use of technological illusions. Otherwise, you may lose sight of True Reality.

What can evangelical Christians, evolutionists and atheists have in common? The Pharisees wanted people to observe the law, but they forgot the purpose of the law and ended up honoring God with their lips but having hearts far away from Him. Learn how to recognize the masquerade of artificial authority when it parades in culture and even marches into church.

God is working redemptively through homeschooling. Here is the hope we have for our failures, weaknesses and frustrations. God is at work to make Himself known to you more deeply and fully.

Welcome to the digital age. What does the future of education look like, and how can the homeschool community take advantage of this? Here's a look at free tools and free content sites online that can make your homeschool more efficient, more economical and more powerful. Harness the educational advantage of online learning and give your kids a jumpstart on their future. We will look at how Web 2.0 applications are changing the definition of education - blogs, wikis, Google applications, Skype, VoiceThreads, open courseware, YouTube, Facebook and even Twitter, when used appropriately can really help kids learn.

The 20 Power Tools of Learning and the brain science behind them. For teens and their parents. Cut your study time in half, remember what you learn, recall it when you need it.

A love for learning is a blessing God has for His children-- one that is meant to enrich our lives, give us purpose and draw us into a quest to know the Creator. This workshop will give you a biblical foundation for safeguarding a child’s natural curiosity and joy of discovery; and suggest ways to approach homeschooling that keeps this important element alive and growing in your child.

Do you want a lifelong learner who initiates studies on his own? Then let go of the wheel and start giving your kids responsibility for their education. Here are practical, inexpensive steps that will encourage children to pursue their own learning, and prevent parent burnout as well.

From the perspective of a mom who raised four teens, long time high school level teacher and evaluator of numerous high school homeschool programs. The high school years are your child's resume for the future. Here's how to maximize his time, prepare him for a changing job market, get doors to open, and facilitate non-traditional learning experiences.

The Lord gave each of us 24 hours to commit to our calling as wife and mother. But how do we get everything done? Learn some helpful tips about managing your time and organizing your home so you can keep up with the cooking, cleaning, and laundry while still teaching and discipling your children to the glory of the Lord.

In 1925 the U.S. Supreme Court said children are not mere creatures of the state. The 1945 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes that parents have the “prior right” to decide what kind of education their children will have. Is homeschooling a “human right” of the first order? HSLDA Staff Attorney, homeschooling father of seven, and Director of International Affairs Michael Donnelly explores this question and shares a presentation he delivered at the world’s largest human rights conference on the philosophy of law and social philosophy. In this talk, Donnelly examines philosophies on the relationship between the family and the state and looks at how human rights doctrine is applied globally towards homeschooling.

Tracy Klicka identifies common causes of stress in homeschooling and family life, and provides helpful ideas on how to deal with stress from a godly perspective. Included in her talk are the issues of lifestyle, use of time, and getting help.

In this session, Tracy Klicka emphasizes the foundational importance of cultivating your child’s relationship with God. She will discuss the importance of reaching the heart of your child through study of the Word, prayer, and open, honest communication. She will share special encouragement for the toddler and teen years.

Struggling herself with the frustrations and interruptions that seven children inevitably bring, Tracy Klicka has a strong desire to encourage other moms not to forget their number—one priority. She shares realistic ways a mother can find time to walk with her Lord in this busy season of life.

In this workshop, Tracy Klicka will discuss the wisdom of doing “all things decently and in order,” and will highlight principles of ordering one’s day and organizing the home for the glory of God.

Tracy Klicka hasn’t met a homeschool mom yet who at some point in her homeschooling experience doesn’t desperately want to quit. Sometimes it seems the challenges are more than we can take, but there is hope. Be encouraged not just to survive, but to thrive in raising children for the Lord.

Is your child frustrated with schoolwork? Does he seem to detour easily? Discover hope from a non-standard learner who was told she would not graduate.

College? Homeschoolers may be better prepared for it than many other college—bound teens, but that doesn’t mean they should automatically get sucked into the “college conveyor belt.” But if not college, what do we do with our bright, well—educated, well—socialized homeschooled students? And where do we find resources and apprenticeships to help guide homeschoolers through this process of vocational preparation and calling? Get practical tips and insightful advice in this talk by HSLDA attorney and homeschooling father Michael Donnelly.

Grades and graduation may be part of school, but should they be part of your school? Are we limiting ourselves by thinking in these terms? Should we really care about grades in a classroom of one? Or is there another way to think about academic, spiritual, and emotional progress? HSLDA Staff Attorney and homeschooling father of seven explores the freedom and flexibility homeschooling offers you and your children.

Are you sitting on the sideline in your homeschool, Dad? Your wife needs you to get involved. But with so many demands in today’s world how can a busy Dad do it? How can you be involved in homeschooling? Teaching a class? Casting a vision? Leading devotions? These are important, but in order to find time to do these things, you have to manage your schedule and carefully prioritize your time. HSLDA Staff Attorney and homeschooling father of seven Michael Donnelly shares how you can do all of this.

Homeschooling families face many challenges. Financial, emotional, and physical demands put significant strain on our relationships and our families. The homeschooling community is not immune to the problems facing our society, including broken marriages and broken children. But, it’s never too late to try to fix something that’s broken. It may be easier to try to hide the pain than to confront essential elements required for “fixing” these complex and serious issues. HSLDA Staff Attorney and homeschooling father of seven Michael Donnelly was raised in a broken home and will explore the necessary ingredients to helping homeschooling families stay connected and whole amidst the pressures and stresses of life.

Today’s father has precious few waking hours that are spent going in countless directions to address seemingly great causes—not least of which is family. Our children have only one earthly father and our wives but one husband. How can we best invest our most precious resource time? And where should we be investing it for eternal value? How can we properly lead our families and serve God in an increasingly demanding and busy world of sports, music, drama, church, school, support groups, homeschool co—ops, extended family responsibilities, and ministry programs? How do we know when to say yes, and more important, when to say no? Must we choose between competing priorities to be effective stewards? Come hear thoughts on answering these questions from Mike Donnelly as he shares insights gained from his experiences as a father of six and as an army officer, entrepreneur, company executive and attorney for the Home School Legal Defense Association.

In 1923, the United States Supreme Court ruled that parents have the fundamental right to direct the education and upbringing of their children. So why are parental rights suddenly endangered? Come hear HSLDA attorney and homeschooling father Michael Donnelly discuss the next biggest threat to homeschool freedom and what you can do about it.

As Tracy Klicka has experienced, it is not always easy for a homeschooling mom to keep her focus, her joy, or the hearts of her children. More than academics, homeschooling is about growing in God’s grace for both parents and children! If you are feeling discouraged, come and be renewed in five crucial areas of your homeschooling adventure.