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.

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.)

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.

Exploring the many ways people learn. Choosing approaches to learning that make sense for your family and making changes when necessary. Making learning easier and more fun for everyone. What to do when you get stuck.

Join other parents to discuss topics such as how to begin homeschooling special needs children, tools that help them learn, creating your own curriculum and an environment in which your child can learn, finding social opportunities for your child.

Organizing your daily life and homeschooling to meet the needs of people who thrive on order and enhance your family’s learning, play, and relaxation. Involving children in chores. Easy and enjoyable ways of keeping the house clean. Resolving conflicts among family members who have different housekeeping styles and standards.

Wondering if you’re good enough in English, or math, or chemistry? Worried about missing something? Feeling overwhelmed, or thinking you don’t have what it takes? Come be encouraged that you can homeschool well. Take away practical suggestions for overcoming these concerns. Bring your questions, concerns, and suggestions.

Save on homeschooling expenses (field trips, classes, books and supplies). Clothe kids for close to free. Sell for profit using eBay, Craigslist, resale, consignment. Make coupons pay. Reduce costs for groceries, utilities, home improvements, pet care, insurance. Bargain and trade. Thoughts on splurging, affording entertainment, and speaker’s family’s approach to getting out of debt.

How do we measure our success as parents? Is it the parent’s job to train the child in order to achieve certain behavior goals? Should you train behavior or the heart of your child? What do we mean by heart? Helping our children examine why they are behaving a particular way is far more important (and time consuming) than simply criticizing the behavior. See C-8 for parenting teens.

Finding time for ourselves in the midst of a busy homeschooling life. Deciding for ourselves what we really need. Overcoming obstacles that prevent us from meeting our own needs. Finding unconventional, satisfying approaches.

Explore the joys and challenges of homeschooling as a single parent. What has surprised you? What are the biggest challenges? Where do you find the support you need? How do you deal with your own doubts and the criticism of others? How does homeschooling affect your relationship with your child(ren)? What resources have you accessed to make this a successful journey? For beginning and experienced single parent homeschoolers and single parents considering homeschooling.

When dealing with someone who’s very different from us, or even among fairly similar people, we can gain a lot from acknowledging and accepting personality differences. Ways to identify and understand differences in temperament, such as the difference between an introvert and extrovert, and take them into account in homeschooling. Ideas to solve practical problems and resolve conflicts so we can function compatibly and productively while taking differences in stride. Perspectives that make it easier to relax and enjoy differences.

Confused by all the different styles of homeschooling that are available? Basic information about four different styles: purchased curriculum, unit studies, eclectic, and unschooling. How you can choose a style that works well for you and your family. Making changes when necessary. For both new and experienced homeschoolers.

How do the reasons that we work for pay affect the way we combine working, parenting, homeschooling, and the rest of our lives? How do we find time and space for the kids and make sure they get what they need? How do we deal with our feelings of pride, accomplishment, frustration, inadequacy, exhaustion, etc.? How do we get help from and give to our homeschooling community? How can we accept compromises when the ideal situation is simply not available? How do we make changes when circumstances change and previous approaches no longer work?

The same topics as B-5 but focused on parenting teens.

Ways to get out and stay out of ruts, get “unstuck” when faced with seemingly intractable problems, turn criticism and conflict into a stimulus for positive growth, liven up your homeschooling through preemptive creativity, and nurture the creative problem solving your children will need as adults. Drawing from other approaches (unschoolers learning from families who use a purchased curriculum and vice versa) and using cross-fertilization among subject areas (what works for memorizing multiplication table may help in writing that college essay). Share something unusual that worked for your family and learn from others in the group. Homeschoolers of all experience levels and approaches are welcome.

An overview of the purpose and benefits of documenting your homeschooling experiences and activities. Finding a method that suits you and meets your needs. Ideas for simple records that save time yet are meaningful and retrievable for portfolios, credentials, college applications, etc.

Listening to kids and communicating effectively. Solving problems. Understanding what kids need and balancing the needs of kids and parents so daily life goes more smoothly. The importance of eye contact and focused attention. Finding joy in parenting.

Challenge your ideas about how much stuff you need. Ask: “How is stuff useful?” Discover the freedom that comes from not having to spend as much time and energy taking care of possessions and the possibilities for doing more of what you love. Learn how to declutter. But beware of the pitfalls of going too far as a minimalist. Presenter lived happily in a 650 square foot house with her husband, 3 children, and family pets.