This engaging workshop will review several different teaching approaches found in homeschooling, and then help attendees identify resources and curricula to fit their family’s particular style. Are you just getting started homeschooling? Needing to refocus and redefine what homeschooling could look like for your family? Come benefit from Nancy’s almost 30 years of experience and enjoy her dynamic style.

In a world that is moving at warp speed, it’s easy to forget that kids are still kids. Their needs haven’t changed: they need time to explore and experiment with the real world around them, to absorb life through all their senses, to process their thoughts at their own pace. All of these are crucial in laying a firm foundation for higher learning, but this TAKES TIME. Learn why this is so important and how to protect and defend your kids’ childhood.

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.

Time must be budgeted just like money. We must determine the difference between the fixed – what we must do, and the discretionary – what we would like to do and set our priorities. This workshop will be filled with practical tips and encouragement for everyday living as a homeschool family. Areas covered include understanding your calling, relationships, schooling, meals, household clutter and cleaning, and general household management. Attendees will leave with practical and applicable tips

Sometimes unexpected things disrupt the homeschool year. When this happens, it seems like all the best-laid plans go out the window. We will discuss how to make realistic adjustments to academics and life rhythms, manage stress and model resiliency for your teens.

We all have clear reasons that we decided to homeschool, but as we continue this journey, the lines can become blurred. It can be so easy to get caught up in how our kids (and we) are (or aren’t) performing when it comes to homeschooling. But what if that isn’t actually what we are called to? Mastery can be important. God talks about becoming skilled and the importance of diligence. But what if we are giving up purpose and exchanging it for performance?

The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties lends itself to overcoming the countless obstacles that life can bring. As adults, we have all experienced things we never thought we would face, and we know that our children will have their own share of difficulties. Though there is no way to know what those will be, we can prepare our children by helping them build resilience throughout their childhood

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.

In every generation except the last two or three, parents have taught their children how to grow their own food, keep animals, and provide for their basic needs. With wit and wisdom, this talk presents some ways parents can teach their children homesteading skills and “mend” the chain that has been broken with our great- grandparents.

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.

This is THE most popular topic I speak on! Most of us didn’t factor into the equation just how much sibling conflict would be part of our homeschooling days! It can be exhausting! As homeschooling parents, we have a unique opportunity to nurture sibling relationships among our children. Find out practical ways to do this and what an IMPORTANT part of our homeschooling it really is!

The Bible teaches that the basic economic unit of society is the Family—not the corporation, not the government, not the individual. This talk explores the basic elements of a family-centered economy and provides practical steps for families to reclaim productive households that will thrive in uncertain times.

The homeschooling journey becomes such a big part of our lives as moms. Sometimes it seems as though we will never see the finish line but talk to any homeschool mom with grown kids and she will tell you, ”The days are long, but the years are short.” What feels like a lifelong commitment soon becomes a distant memory and when you’ve given your all to this worthy task of homeschooling, the next season can bring a conflict of emotions. Durenda has graduated seven (so far) whom she has homeschooled from the beginning, and, in this session, she shares some key thoughts to consider as you near the finish line.

You can do this! The high school years can be the best homeschooling years of all. We will discuss the basics you need to know about planning and goal setting, figuring out what your unique teens need, finding the right resources, record keeping that doesn’t give you headaches, and preparation for your teens’ futures.

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.

Throughout Charlotte Mason’s six volumes we read about dozens of notebooks. We will look at this wide variety and see how they were used, why they were used, and which ones we should use today. Nancy will share examples from Mason’s day as well as what her own family has implemented, inspiring attendees to begin or continue this life-long habit of self-education.

One day a terrible parent in your state may do something criminal to a child— and the media may push the narrative that because the child was homeschooled, more restrictions should be placed on homeschooling families. This session will analyze some real-life situations where this has actually happened and equip you to give a compassionate, commonsense answer when family, friends, coworkers, or the local media assert that the problem is not enough homeschool regulations.

Wellness and how we fuel our bodies have become confusing topics, haven't they? It can be even more confusing to try to explain these concepts to our kids. What if you could strip away some of the noise around this topic and instead make informed, intentional decisions about how you fuel your body and your family? In this course, we'll walk through the foundations of wellness including a simple strategy for categorizing food (so easy my four-year-old can do it!), mindful eating, the key components of a nutrition label, and how you can incorporate these ideas into your homeschool. We'll wrap up with a brief discussion about our habits and the stories that surround them. At the end of our time together, you and your kids will be empowered to have positive conversations about how you fuel and move your bodies with intention.

We all begin our homeschool journey with high hopes, but it often doesn’t take long before we realize that some things simply are not working. We find ourselves and/or our kids in burnout mode. At the same time, we are confronted with the fear that we may somehow fail our children if we let go of something. Learn the importance of creating a sustainable homeschooling life unique to your family, bring joy back into your homeschool days, and help equip you to go the distance!

The apostle Paul calls us to “work with your hands ... so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.” (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12). This talk explores the biblical mandate to work hard, build community, and decrease our dependence on worldly systems.

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