Identify your top reasons and ultimate objectives for homeschooling. Understand your motivations for homeschooling. Develop a set of replies you can use to answer questions about homeschooling with confidence. Learn the skill of responding to inquiries about your homeschooling decision with definiteness and conviction. Decide when to engage in a conversation about homeschooling and when not to.

Find out how you can teach history so it becomes one of your children’s favorite subjects. Ideas for using good books, pictures, novels, crafts, various activities, and other resources to make studying history a fascinating adventure whether your children are in the early grades or are teens preparing to take CLEP tests for college credit.

Feeling overwhelmed? Here’s a way to get organized, be more relaxed, and get more done. Gather all your projects and obligations, then sort them into manageable categories. Make lists that free you to think more clearly and act more effectively. Advantages to “Next Action” lists rather than “To Do” lists. (Based in part on David Allen’s book Getting Things Done.)

An overview of some of the many approaches to homeschooling and helpful hints for new homeschoolers. Complying with the law, including filing the required online form PI-1206.

Using a pony passion to explore art to zoology while developing traits from patience to perseverance. Merging reading, writing, ‘rithmetic with riding. Exploring opportunities such as such as the 4H Horseless Horse Project if you don’t own a horse. Note: This general approach to passions and curriculum can be used with other passions as well.

How to move from reading, hearing, and thinking about the ideas behind “child-led learning” to taking the leap of faith and putting them into practice with your own family. Creating an environment where your child can either stop and smell the roses or excel at the speed of light. Speaker will discuss the joys and challenges of learning while we live using examples from her family. Also see D-1.

How does homeschooling (and especially unschooling) influence our role and responsibilities as parents? What kinds of decisions are appropriate for young people to make? When do less than ideal outcomes turn into good learning experiences and when do parents need to step in? Can parents set boundaries and still respect their children as individuated humans deserving of respect?

Reclaiming parents’ essential roles in children’s lives. Working to ensure that family (rather than work for pay) is the basic building block of society. Strengthening family bonds by spending time together. Communicating values, principles, and beliefs to children. Maintaining close contact with grown children.

Ways to positively and confidently engage the world, particularly those people, situations, and ideas that feel unfamiliar, uncertain, or threatening. Helping your children develop the confidence to learn from new experiences and ideas without losing their sense of self and their own values. Learning to disagree constructively and agree critically. All ages welcome; teens particularly encouraged to contribute their viewpoints.

Join a group of homeschooling teens for icebreakers and other games and informal conversation. An adult coordinator will be present.

Take a step back into the Middle Ages. Discover similarities between their clothes and what we wear. Learn about the four levels of armor and how it was made. Find out what changed hand to hand combat on the battlefield. Hold a real gauntlet and feel the weight of a shield. All ages welcome.

Make friends while having fun playing these classic games that only take a minute to learn and encourage language arts skills. Games recommended for ages 9 and up, but younger kids can be paired with someone older. Limit 40.