Homeschool Conventions

Here are some tips for navigating homeschooling conventions:

1. Determine your goals. If you need help choosing curriculum, you may want to spend most of your time at vendor workshops or the home school curriculum fair. If you are a veteran who is in need of encouragement, you will probably benefit from workshops led by experienced home educators.

2. Preview the list of workshops, and look for background information on conference speakers. Rank the list in order of workshops you want to attend. Make sure to leave plenty of time to peruse the homeschool book fair.

3. Read the conference rules. Can you bring children? Strollers? Are there provisions for nursing mothers? Be sure to make arrangements for meals. Some organizers prefer you to buy food from on site vendors. Others have no problems with attendees leaving and returning, or bringing their own lunch.

4. Make sure you have good directions to the event, and bring a map, if necessary. Arrive early, and have plenty of cash on hand to pay for parking.

5. Wear comfy shoes. Bring a jacket, camera, cell phone, totebag, notebook, pen, water, and snacks, if allowed.

6. Many conferences make an announcement 5-10 minutes before a workshop will begin, but check your watch frequently in case you don’t hear it. Don’t despair if you miss a seminar. You can probably hear the speaker next year, or order a set of tapes.

7. Remember that the speaker’s suggestions are not rules that you must follow. Workshop leaders offer advice based tools they found helpful. Their ideas make not work for your family.

8. File your notes in a notebook upon returning home from the event. Don’t overwhelm yourself by revamping every aspect of your home school at once. Choose 1 or 2 new ideas to implement.