7 Tips for Using a Convention to Refocus your Homeschool

January 17, 2014 2 Comments

homeschoolconventiontips

There comes a time in a homeschool mom’s life when she needs to take a step back from the daily routine and evaluate whether or not her plans are working as hoped. It’s so easy to get sidetracked from our original goals or get caught up in all the activities that can crowd our day to day lives. Some of us do this more often than others (raising my hand here) by constantly second guessing our chosen approach. This is when I know that it’s time for me to replenish my energy and refocus my efforts.

Refocus Your Homeschool by Attending a Conference

Is something lacking in your homeschool life? Do you need more time with other moms on the same path? o your children need more time with other kids

Make a list of what you would like to learn for your experience. Do you need encouragement to move in a new direction? Are you looking for materials to breathe new life in to your routine? Write it all down!
Listen to a presenter speak on a topic that is new to you, such as creating high school transcripts or teaching a gifted child.
Explore a different approach to homeschooling. At the Great Homeschool Convention, you can attend workshops with experts to explore classical homeschooling, a Charlotte Mason approach, unit studies etc. This year they are offering 100′s of information packed workshops to help you and your family thrive as home educators.
Look for specific resources or workshops that will give you practical information for working with your unique children. At the convention, you’ll find resources for teaching all ages and types of students, including special needs and gifted children.
Connect with other homeschooling moms. Making new friends is not just about socializing the kids. Talking to other homeschooling moms is often the best way to refocus your homeschool. Having the support and friendship of another like-minded mom may be the most valuable thing you take away from a conference!
Explore the different ways you can take your homeschool out of the box. You’ll find a diverse selection of vendors (nearly 150) enabling you to take a closer look at all the best curriculum and educational products available. Take a look at the vendors before you leave for the conference and make a list of the ones you are most interested in visiting.
DO NOT allow yourself to get overwhelmed! If it all seems like too much, take a break for an hour or two.

You can find more tips and advice about conventions from veteran homeschool moms at iHomeschool Network or click on the image below.

Will you attend a homeschool convention this year? Do you have any tips for my readers? Tell me in the comments!

Melanie Chisnall

I know homeschooling isn’t as big here in SA as what it is there, but from what I’ve heard, it’s slowly but surely picking up. Going to share this on Twitter!
Cyndi

Wanted to stop by and say hey! I’m in the throes of grad courses and teaching and tutoring so my life is jam-packed (what was that you were talking about up there? About activities crowding out our lives?) Anyways, I think of you so much as I look into tutoring groups: adults, corporate (maybe) and homeschool groups. I did try to contact some of the ones you found for me on FB but they all bounced back to me: apparently you’re not allowed to email yahoo groups unless you’re a member. Ah well…I’ve posted flyers and the like. But I keep thinking that eventually they’ll find me – I keep emailing random groups of homeschool coordinators in the hopes that one will bite. Down the road, though, I want to go all-out online: create videos and ebooks to help people learn Spanish…and hopefully target a wider audience than just what’s in Asheville. Interesting, it’s been a long, long, long journey, but without me leaving public school and trying my hand at the whole blog/website thing, I don’t think I would have ended up back finishing my master’s and trying to take an untraditional approach to teaching. But it was cool people like you that inspired me to think differently. So, you’re awesome.