Can you recall those early days when your children were very little? What do you remember most? The happy times? The fun adventures? Or do you remember the mistakes you made and the ways you failed? Science and research have shown that our brain is hardwired to recall negative memories over positive ones. It’s vital that you take steps now to ensure your memories are not distorted with this natural tendency to focus on the negative. In this session Jeannie will share what you can do now to preserve joys of your homeschool journey and how this will increase the joys your family experiences in your daily life.

There is a reason that American school children score at the bottom on international science assessments. It is the ineffective way in which science is taught in schools. Most of us were subjected to this system and obtained only a cursory understanding of science. As homeschoolers, we have the freedom and opportunity to throw out those unproductive techniques. We can truly impart a deeper knowledge and love for science. Jeannie will share five vital steps, inspired by Charlotte Mason, that will ensure you impart a superior science education. These five steps will not only enrich your homeschool, they will prepare your children for high school and college.

As a homeschooler you have a plethora of opportunities to enroll in classes, co-ops, extra-curricular activities, clubs, and organizations, as well as service, and ministry. You even have an abundance of curriculum choices for every area of education. The question you must ask yourself is, “How will choosing to do this affect your day, your week, and the atmosphere of your homeschool?” It’s vitally important that you guard against being overscheduled with courses or activities that ‘seemed wonderful’ when you were presented with the idea but do nothing but create stress and an atmosphere of chaos and hurry. Jeannie will share stories of her own mistakes and triumphs, as well as how you can know when to say “yes”, and when to say “no” when creating your homeschool schedule.

Writing is one of the subjects a homeschool mother dreads to teach. There is a reason for this. Most people do not understand the difference between academic writing and creative writing. In fact, the difference is so vast that most publishers won’t publish a novel from a person who is accomplished in writing nonfiction. Nonfiction, like math, is formulaic and easy to master. But few students are given the formula. Instead, they are given curriculum that increases writing anxiety, requiring flowery prose, metaphors, similes, onomatopoeias, alliteration, and the list tirelessly goes on. The truth is that this is not the kind of writing that earns one A’s in college; it’s quite the opposite. In this talk, Jeannie will share the simple formula that will make writing the easiest subject you teach.