Does your son or daughter seem to be faltering in their efforts to learn to read? Is it the curriculum? Is it you? Based on current research, this workshop is designed to help parents better understand the most essential elements of the reading process, along with those critical ingredients that must be emphasized to produce a successful, capable reader.

For decades, learning specialists have understood the power of multi-sensory teaching. Often associated with learning disabilities, this dynamic teaching strategy has found a home in many non-disability settings as well. This workshop is designed to explain the research-based thinking behind multi-sensory teaching methods. Practical suggestions will be given for adding this powerful strategy in your own home.

Teaching the way we were taught is almost inevitable. It’s what we know ... what we’re most comfortable doing. Not everything we experienced in the classroom as children was wrong, but there is so much more we can bring to our own children. Come and learn what research, and experience, have to say about the most effective way to teach in a homeschool environment.

Learn how to manage the chaos of homeschooling and keep a heart of hope and joy through chores, messes, markers on the wall, and diaper changes!

When a homeschooled child seems to flounder for no easily identified reason, parents often exhaust themselves in their search for answers. At some point a parent may wonder if there might be a learning disability at the root of their child’s struggle. Kristen has designed this workshop to help parents sort out the difference between routine struggles and those that could well be a learning disability. We will also explore reasons you may or may not decide on formal testing and how to go about doing that.

In today’s technology culture the enemy’s lure of our young people’s minds to escape into an artificial world is great. As the line between reality and simulation blurs, the stronghold of escapism becomes more and more powerful. Apathy and self-indulgence are two destructive consequences that lead to broken relationships, broken homes, and broken hearts. Find some practical tools you can implement to help keep your children from getting caught in the snare of escapism.

This workshop is offered to provide practical application of the five key elements of reading discussed in the workshop "Why is Reading So Hard". Whether you attended the earlier workshop or not, you will be blessed by learning about teaching strategies and innovative activities that not only gives you fresh ideas for more effective teaching, but will also help you better understand the essentials for reading success.

This workshop will help parent-educators understand the scope, sequence, and logic of mathematics instruction from pre-school to adult. Join Tom Clark as he takes you on a sometimes humorous journey, describing all levels of arithmetic and mathematics courses encountered in school and college. In addition, considerable attention will be given to the "why" of mathematics with an emphasis on the development of concepts instead of rote memorization.

Most homeschooling parents feel uneasy when planning math courses for their children. Lots of parents say, "We learned our math a long time ago," or "We learned it a different way," or maybe "We learned it not at all". How can we know if the methods we are using will achieve the desired results in our students? In this workshop Tom Clark will expose ten common myths about teaching math and then counter those myths with solid, practical help for parents. You will also leave with a checklist of items which can be used to determine the best math course for your students.

What are thinking skills and why all the fuss? This seminar challenges traditional teaching methods head on by outlining the best way to teach so your child can remember and use what he has learned...even when he is an adult. Analysis, synthesis, and evaluation are explained; samples of creative and critical thinking are provided. You will leave with lots of resource suggestions and activity ideas that are uncomplicated, inexpensive, effective, and yet not time consuming!

It is amazing to study both history and the Bible and see the things young people accomplished. Teens such as Joash, Josiah, David, Alexander Hamilton, John Quincy Adams, David Farragut, William McGuffey, “Stonewall” Jackson, Charles XII, Peter the Great, Evan Roberts, Bob Jones, Sr., Vance Havner and others accomplished much in their teen years. We don’t have this in our day because we have no vision for it. In Luke 2 Jesus, by age twelve, had developed seven key qualities that parents should seek to develop in their pre-teen children.

Language is an amazing grace from God and a gift to steward and revel in. Skill and confidence in crafting words into stories and arguments will open doors for your children and lead them into their futures. Here’s how to cast a vision, encourage and support the journey, capture each child’s unique writer’s voice, and delight in the prose and poetry your kids produce. You may find yourself inspired to write as well.

Are you new to homeschooling or new to Pennsylvania? Are you thinking about homeschooling at some point in the future? Do you have questions about what homeschooling might look like and how to get started? This session is designed to encourage and equip you to homeschool your children. Topics include: Why homeschool?, how to get started in PA, a typical day, curriculum, record keeping, testing, portfolios, and evaluations. There will also be time for questions.

Do you want life-long learners who initiate studies on their own? Then let go of the wheel and start giving your children responsibility for their education. Here are practical, inexpensive steps that will encourage your children to pursue their own learning and prevent parent burn-out as well.

What goes on behind the scenes in public schools? This presentation serves as just one reminder why homeschool parents do not give their children away.

Looking for inspiration in your study of ancient times? Join Linda Lacour Hobar (author of the series The Mystery of History) to discover what happens when Bible history and world history meet face to face – literally! With a look at Daniel and Belshazzar, Esther and Xerxes, Jesus and Pilate, and more, you will see bible characters and world history figures “meet” on one seamless, thought-provoking timeline. Through stories and activities for all ages, let His-story be revealed.

How can a mom homeschool while her children constantly vie for her attention or bicker whenever her back is turned? Simply put, she can’t. But the Razvis understand that situation because that’s what it was like for them just after their first adoption of a sibling group of five children. Come and hear how they have conquered that sibling rivalry and forged strong bonds between siblings. They will share the tremendous impact sibling relationships have on Mom’s ability to teach. This workshop will leave you encouraged that you can truly have peace in your homeschool.

Need to brush up on art history? Want a better grasp on the classic artworks of the Renaissance? Join Linda Lacour Hobar, author of the award-winning series, The Mystery of History, for a delightful presentation of six major artists of the Renaissance that everyone ought to know. This fact-filled lecture includes beautiful, family-friendly slides of some of the world’s most famous masterpieces and a fun test for students of all ages. This informative session welcomes novices and connoisseurs alike.

Shaped by our personality types, grades have the power to motivate some and destroy others. Listen to Linda Lacour Hobar, author of The Mystery of History, share theories of grade keeping, as well as practical tips on keeping it simple. With Linda’s “real life” examples from the work of her own children, this session is designed to encourage newbies and veterans alike.

With over a decade of experience teaching high school level math, Kathryn Gomes knows the end game. What are the essential parts of an elementary math program that will set your child up for success in middle school, high school, and even college? This session will highlight the crucial skills that must be mastered and the experiences that will shape your child as a future mathematician. Kathryn fleshes out each point with resource suggestions and helpful tips to make math something your child looks forward to each day.

We are called to disciple our children. But what a beautiful thing it is to get to the place where our children are wishing to be discipled by us, coming to us to ask for prayer and counsel over sin struggles in their hearts. Do you know God’s vision for your family? Do your children know it? Are you headed there together? Are you connected to your child’s heart? If your child is a toddler, now is the time to begin paving the way to family unity. If he is already a teenager, don’t miss this workshop. If God’s love can conquer unity challenges in the Razvi’s family of 13 children (8 adopted and 5 birth children), He can conquer those challenges in any family. Come hear our story and take away practical tools for developing family unity.

How, when, and why should you teach your kids about sex? This practical presentation is anchored in the Scripture where parents can learn how to use the Bible as a starting point for sex-ed in the home.

For 20 years, Debby has been teaching this workshop based on the the biblical virtues of honor and respect. Both moms and dads rave how this teaching has created a peaceful home environment they were missing. Come ready to learn 8 standards with practical application ideas for training the heart attitude of your preschoolers.

Learn how to set up boundaries for screen time, without your kids voting you off the island. Learn some of the common roadblocks that will keep you from finding media balance in your home and the tools that will make "I'm bored" a thing of the past.

Join Tom Clark as he offers an entertaining and educational session designed to help you discover the reasons behind the difficulty on several of the traditional trouble spots in math. Topics discussed will be determined by the audience and may include division of fractions and multiplication of decimals (using those mindless rules), long-division, story-problems, positive and negative numbers, and numerous others, all of which seem to indicate that mathematics is just naturally “difficult”.

Come listen to Debby Sjogren share how God gave her creative ideas to train up children (even as early as 3) to serve others by starting in the family then expanding to their church, the broader community, and the world! Age-appropriate chores, serving the elderly, baking for “new mothers”, tutoring in the inner-city, and taking the Good News of Jesus Christ to a waiting world are just a few of the practical ideas you will leave with when attending this inspiring workshop based on the life of Jesus.

Why do earthquakes and volcanoes happen? Why are all continents shifting towards the Pacific? Why are the ocean trenches all arcs? Why is the moon so cratered? What is stumping the scientists about the current comet photos? Why do we have unique weather patterns? The answers are all related and might surprise you.

Bible memory is absolutely vital in our lives. Learn the benefits of Bible memory, how to choose passages of Scripture, and techniques that will allow your family to memorize Scripture quickly and effectively.

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.

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. We need to start with a strong foundation and build up from there. It doesn’t have to be hard! See how easy it is to teach math.

As an experienced homeschooling mother of four children, Jeannie Fulbright shares tips and ideas to make homeschooling children of different ages and abilities a breeze.

Is your second grader building a fusion reactor in your backyard or calculating rates of speed and velocity? Forrest and Beth Mora’s daughter, SmartCookie #1 received her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in three short years at 21 years of age and is a certified teacher. Their son, SmartCookie #2 and twin to #1, received a 104% in Calculus 2 in his senior year of high school and reads C++ programming textbooks for enjoyment. Beth candidly shares her journey of home educating her two academically advanced children and learn how she kept the wheels of opportunity turning. Learn what worked and what didn’t. If you have a “Smartcookie”, you won’t want to miss this unique perspective.

Why can my gifted student calculate geometric ratios but he can’t find his shoes? One moment you’re conversing with your student about the 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.” How do you meet the developmental and academic needs of a gifted learner? Beth Mora will address this in detail from experience with her two academically gifted children.

People, especially children, are visual learners. Approaching math from a visual perspective using an abacus is a sure-fire path to success! Learn how an abacus fosters quantity recognition and develops addition strategies. Investigate place value in a crystal clear format. Explain “borrowing and carrying” when adding and subtracting numbers. Discover the simplicity of multiplication. Find the easy way to learn the math facts.

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.

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!

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!

If we homeschool simply to achieve high academic marks, we are squandering the opportunity to influence our children for Christ. Character healthy leaders are those children who have learned to elevate virtues above feelings. If we spend our homeschooling hours simply on academics and activities, we may win the praise of man, but we risk losing the hearts of our children. In our few short years with our children we must focus on the first things first and character is always the first thing! In this workshop, Megan, a homeschooling mother of eight, will challenge your homeschoolers to use every opportunity to teach their children to serve God by loving others and to love others by faithfully serving God.

Being a Mom is about so much more than feeding, dressing, and driving our kids to play-dates. With only a few short years to impart important spiritual truths to our children, every day becomes an important opportunity for teaching, training, and modeling Christlikeness. Moms will walk away encouraged and strengthened, knowing that although discipling their children seems a huge task, God is on their side.

This workshop will give you solid reasons for educating and training your children at home. You can teach your children positive socialization skills, train their character and develop an academic program to fit their needs. You’ll also learn about the homeschool law in Hawaii and gets some tips on how to get started.

Are you tired of flashcards? Does your child cry when you give another timed math fact test? Are you beating your 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 from the RightStart™ Math curriculum. Imagine your kids asking to practice their math facts more! Come and discover games to help your child learn their math facts!

American Heritage Girls is the premiere national character development organization for girls ages 5 – 18 that embraces Christian values and encourages family involvement.

Toddlers, Tweens, and Teens, OH MY! Do you have a houseful? Are you planning on having a houseful? If so, then this is a great workshop for YOU! Heidi and Jay St. John are the homeschooling parents of seven perfect, never messy, always obedient, very sweet, usually tidy, generally obedient, always energetic, very curious children. They have homeschooled all the way through high school.

One of the most challenging aspects of homeschooling a houseful is figuring out how to teach them all while finding time to manage the rest of your day! Moms are always wondering if they are “doing enough” and finding the time to teach individual subjects, well, individually… can be overwhelming.

In this workshop, Heidi will share seven secrets of multi-level teaching that will empower, encourage and enlighten you! If you’ve got a houseful, then you’ve got your hands full! Let’s laugh together, and rediscover the JOY of homeschooling with a full heart AND a full house

You’ve been blessed with this amazing bundle of energy. He has spent the first years of his life climbing anything vertical, “shooting” anything that moves, turning every serious moment into a wrestling match – and doing it all at top speed. And now you want to put a book in his lap and convince him that reading word lists and adding columns of numbers is fun??? Yeah, right. Homeschooling is the PERFECT learning environment for this child! Susan, a mother of nine children (including 7 wiggly boys) shares with you ideas on how to homeschool these distractible little bundles of energy (who’d rather be doing anything other than school)in such a way that you’ll be enjoying and utilizing their boundless energy instead of quenching their fire. And, of course, we’ll look at our own heart issues which are so quick to well up and spill out on those energetic little heads. This is a grace-filled workshop that will keep you laughing.

Sarah and Grace Mally, two homeschool graduates, together with their father, will discuss the importance of being a Christ-centered family in an ungodly world. How can parents pass on a Biblical foundation? How can young people be prepared, not just for college or a career, but for the mighty works the Lord has called them to do? How can they avoid rebellion and shipwreck? How can they find purpose and gain zeal? When a family has an eternal mindset and takes initiative in ministry, the young people are given motivation and vision, the family learns to overcome struggles and work in harmony, and mighty works are accomplished for God’s kingdom. This workshop will give practical ideas, direction and encouragement to help children and young people become mighty warriors for Christ.

If you have a hyperactive or easily distractible child, you won’t want to miss this informative and sometimes humorous message shared from the perspective of a homeschooling father who was once a hyperactive homeschooled child himself. You will receive practical and Biblical insights into ADD/ADHD and encouragement that there is hope for your child!

Many parents say that one of their biggest struggles in home schooling is the bickering and fighting that occurs between their children. In this session, Sarah and Grace Mally, co-authors of the book Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends, will share how they have worked through pride, offenses, and irritations in their relationship, and learned to become best friends. This presentation, including ideas, insights, stories, and personal testimonies, is recommended for the entire family.

Music, composer study, artist study, handcrafts, folk songs, hymns, foreign language, free reading, and poetry. Do these sound like the always-just-out-of-reach, icing-on-the-cake courses? Do you feel you have too much else to do, and you just can’t fit in all these “fun studies”? Are these just special treats reserved for the super-organized mom sitting next to you at home school group? Well, Sue Pruett would like to encourage you that you CAN do these, and give your children the excellent education you desire for them! These subjects are just as vital as history, math, and science to your curriculum! Come, learn how you can have that icing on the cake – and give it to your children, as well – even first thing in the morning!

Personally, I LOVE math. As a student, I would have been thrilled to have 50 or more math problems a day to work. I just loved to write the numbers, and coming up with the right answer was a BLAST! My husband also enjoyed math. I figured that my children would love math, too. Boy, was I wrong! It’s not easy teaching math to someone who just doesn’t want to learn it. Well, our family has been on quite a roller-coaster ride when it comes to learning math, but we have found peace. I want to share with you our journey, and how we came to a place where my children now look forward to math lessons…and I do, too! Charlotte Mason had the right answer for us, and she may just have the answer for you too.

You may have heard that “living books” are vital to an excellent education for your children. You may wonder, however, what is a “living book”? Is any book at my local library a living book? How can I tell? In this hour, Sue Pruett will define what a living book is, share examples of living books, and give you a guide on how to evaluate a book to determine if it is genuinely a living book. Sue will also share with you exactly how to use a living book in your child’s education, and show you just how EASY it is to use living books. You will be amazed at just how much can be accomplished with a few simple exercises – like copy work, for example. Join us this hour to learn how to cover all these subjects and more without driving you or your children mad!

Whether you are new to homeschooling, or a veteran of many years, the methods of Miss Charlotte Mason are worth checking into! In this seminar, Sue Pruett will introduce you to the gentle, natural, successful methods developed over a century ago by a woman dedicated to seeing that every child receive an excellent education. Sue will hit the highlights of a CM education in this introductory session.

Nature Studies sound so wonderful – and intimidating, don’t they? We are blessed to have a wonderful guide for us in Miss Charlotte Mason! She advocated getting children into the out of doors every day, in all kinds of weather and in all kinds of spaces. Whether you have no yard of your own at all, or you have acres of land right outside your door, it IS possible to give your children an excellent education about God’s creation. Join us at this session to discover how!

The goal of this session is to share the joy of designing and teaching unit studies. Learn how this unique approach to teaching uses real-life experiences, books, games, projects, and other resources to encourage students to deeply explore topics and to become life-long learners. Discover ways to integrate subjects to make learning more meaningful and fun. Realize the wealth of knowledge to be gained through unit studies as well as easy methods of constructing them.

When embarking upon this exciting journey of home education, figuring out which curriculum to choose for your child can seem daunting. In this very practical workshop, Linda will give an objective overview of the different learning styles and help you understand the most common teaching approaches including textbook, living books, unit studies, classical, Charlotte Mason, eclectic, unschooling, and more. Let Linda help you narrow down your choices and take the guesswork out of choosing curriculum. This workshop will boost your confidence in making educational decisions for success in your homeschool.

Picasso claimed, “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” Does your homeschool dust need to be washed away with some invigorating art ideas? Come and glean from Linda Crosby’s 30+ years of art education. Knowing that art captures the visual learner, entertains the kinesthetic learner, and awakens language learning skills, Linda determined to use art in every area of their homeschool to meet the varied needs of her children. Through her humor and life experiences, she will inspire you to branch out and experiment with art history, techniques, supplies, and ideas.

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” ~ Benjamin Franklin. As a homeschool parent, it is imperative that you have a plan in place for the success of your homeschool. Veteran homeschool mom, Linda Crosby, will show you how to lay out your year, month, week and day with schedules that will allow for flexibility in your homeschool. This practical session will get you started on the right foot with a workable schedule to keep you aimed in the right direction at the areas that are most important to you. Linda will present a variety of schedules to give you planning ideas, as well as helpful hints for dealing with interruptions, housework and chores, keeping the toddler occupied, fitting it all in, eliminating time stealers, setting goals for your child, plus more. Come join Linda and plan to succeed!

Do you have days when you simply need to get out of the house? Are the kids ready and willing to set aside their indoor work for a while? You’ll be inspired to discover the joy of venturing outdoors as Linda shares her ideas and expertise about field trips! Whether it’s once a week or once a month, use field trips to enhance the learning in your homeschool. Two-and-a-half of Linda’s first 12 years of homeschooling were designated field trip years with extensive study specifically focused on learning away from home. Come and hear lively tales of hiking through cave dwellings, chasing sheep into pens, sailing on a tall ship, escaping on the Underground Railroad and many more! Uncover the wonder of God’s world with your children and broaden their homeschool experience.

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.

Sports can be an excellent tool to help train your child. Through healthy competition, one can foster key character traits in the development of a child. Dr. Lainna Callentine, a pediatrician, and her husband, D.R. Callentine — both former Division I Big Ten Scholarship athletes — will share the impact sports has made on their lives and the lives of their children. They will discuss sports competition, encouraging your children, recreation vs. competitive play, and college recruiting. Come to this interactive session and hear about the good, the bad, and the ugly of sports.

From toddlers to teens, kids today are growing up with technology. In many ways, technology is great. The Internet brings many opportunities for education, entertainment, and communication; however, many dangers exist online—dangers your kids need to be prepared to handle. Learn how to talk to your kids about sexualized media and pornography, and discover proven methods for raising discerning, media-literate kids.

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.

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.

Is your second grader building a fusion reactor in your backyard or calculating rates of speed and velocity? Forrest and Beth Mora’s daughter, SmartCookie #1 received her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in three short years at 21 years of age and is a state certified teacher. Their son, SmartCookie #2 and twin to #1, received a 104% in Calculus 2 in his senior year of high school and reads C++ programming textbooks for enjoyment. Join Beth Mora as she travels back through time to when their “Smartcookies” were in their elementary years. Beth candidly shares about her journey home educating her two academically advanced children and learn how she kept the wheels of opportunity turning. She will also share the results of an interview she did with each of her “smartcookies” who are now adults. Learn what worked and what didn’t. If you have a “Smartcookie”, you won’t want to miss this unique perspective.

In this world filled with technology and devices, intentional parenting is a MUST. Children get one shot at childhood and it is our job to make it count. In this presentation I will give you practical tips on how to engage and connect with your child. We will take a trip down memory lane that will make you laugh and possibly shed a few tears. Either way, you will be challenged and hopefully changed to take on parenting with a newfound passion.

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!

Exhibitors workshop

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.

Is my child behind if they are not reading by four? Will my child be okay if they prefer to play in the mud instead of write their letters? How can I make sure that my child will be successful in school? Join me for a fun and creative presentation that will answer these and many other questions parents have about academic success. I will share how to create an amazing foundation for your child based on the latest in scientific research on brain development. This information packed session will help you prepare your child for lifelong learning, while making wonderful memories along the way!

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.

Eighty percent of the children labeled “Learning Disabled” in school are boys. That’s why wise parents understand that the confinement, boredom and regimentation of school are things to be avoided if boys are to thrive. The key to understanding and cooperating with the drives God has built into boys is in recognizing that boyhood is preparation for the roles of family protector, provider and leader that naturally and Biblically fall upon men. We must understand that we are not raising boys, but training future men if we are to make boyhood the exciting and profitable season of life that God intended it to be.

Marilyn Boyer has taught all fourteen of her children at home, so she has plenty of experience with any age group you can name. But her very favorite age to teach is those eager, curious, exciting, challenging munchkins we call preschoolers. This, Marilyn says is the time when we lay the foundation for greatness by pouring love and acceptance all over them – instead of treating them like a nuisance. Preschoolers aren’t just little interruptions to be kept “occupied” while older siblings study. This season in a child’s life is the time to tap into his huge potential by maximizing his natural love for learning and helping him to see that God is preparing him for a lifetime of important service. Come and learn from Marilyn how to make your little ones a valuable part of the team!

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.  

Come and discover award-winning Excellence in Writing, a method of teaching composition that really works. Using this program, students of all ages will learn to write stories, reports and essays with style. Best of all, parents and students alike find it easy to use and effective in all their writing endeavors. This workshop will give you an overview of the program and show you how you can get started with even the most reluctant writing student so you can give it a try at home.

Many parents think that good readers will naturally become good writers. Others think that writing talent is just that—a natural ability—some have it; others don’t. Both are myths. History and modern research show very clearly how good writers have developed. What are the two most critical things you can do as a parent to develop a high level of aptitude, from a young age and into high school? With humor and insight, Andrew will share the two easy but unbelievably powerful things you can do to build language patterns and nurture competent communicators in your family.

Are fairy tales good, even important, for Christian students? Where did they come from, what can they teach our children, and should we spend our valuable time reading them? In this session we will discuss several basic themes in fairy tales and traditional children’s literature (goodness, truth, beauty, hope, honesty, wishes) as well as key archetypes of literature and their importance to the moral imagination. With the confusion surrounding modern fantasy writing, many parents feel uncertain in discerning the good and important literature from misleading and confusing books, stories, and movies.

Knowing how to teach grammar is especially challenging for the parent who doesn’t feel confident in his or her own grammar proficiency. Grammar programs often consist of piles of workbooks, wasted dollars, and way too much time spent trying to fill that subject. Often what is taught in those workbook pages doesn’t translate into success in writing. The results are poor mechanics and a less than stellar understanding of “What is a verb?” or perhaps more importantly, “How do verb choices enhance writing?” If you are asking, “But what about grammar?” Andrew Pudewa has answers to your dilemma.

It is possible for the subject of history to be entertaining, exciting, and educational, not only for your kids, but for you! If you just rolled your eyes, this history teaching rejuvenation session is the one your kids want you to attend. Linda has been keeping history alive in their homeschool for more than fifteen years through hands-on learning. You can step away from the text and make history real. Our children need to know how God orchestrated each era of history and it is our job to teach them HIS story. Linda will share ideas galore for your note-taking pleasure for each of the stages of history. (Papier maché will only be mentioned once—maybe twice.)

The handout for this session is available at http://www.oceanetwork.org/2016handouts.pdf

You had a wonderful plan at the beginning of the school year for a well-rounded education, envisioning academic excellence and character development in your smiling, well-adjusted offspring. But then . . . life happened. How do you find “normal” again? In this workshop, Vicki helps you focus on the essentials when you're on the frontlines, especially in a crisis situation.

The handout for this session is available at http://www.oceanetwork.org/2016handouts.pdf

Parent/Child Session
Through the eyes of a newspaper reporter, you will come to view Abraham Lincoln in a new way.

Parent/Child Session Tales from America’s past. You will hear about wise and foolish decisions and the people who made them.

Does teaching reading and writing seem like a daunting task? It doesn’t have to be. Designed for parents of preschoolers and kindergarteners, this workshop will feature developmentally-appropriate activities and experiences that will encourage early forms of reading and writing to flourish.

Parent/Child Session From wagon trains to steam trains, from wilderness trails to super-highways; Bruce’s stories will give you a sweeping look at America’s history and some of the interesting ways people travelled across this great land.

This is a new era for the Maker. A maker is anyone who loves to build and figure out how things work. How can the parent with the kinesthetic learner keep a stash of supplies and activities readily available for that creative mind?