Homeschool Conference 2018: Right at your Kitchen Table August 7, 2018 By Bekki Leave a Comment This content may contain affiliate links.Inside: a personal invite to a homeschool conference in your yoga pants! About 20 years ago, five homeschool moms jumped into a van and went on a journey to our first homeschooling convention. Leaving behind husbands, babies, and small children we were convinced we needed this conference to set us up for success in our school year. I still remember my favorite parts of that FIRST Conference Getting a breath of fresh air. I LOVE my children, but I am a much better mommy when I can steal a few moments away from home a few times a year. Laughter. I’m a pretty quiet girl. But these women knew how to laugh! Curriculum fair. In between the classes, we took the time to walk the exhibition halls. Boy, if you really want to be confused about which curriculum to use for homeschooling your kids… go to a homeschool convention! Since I’m not a shopper, I didn’t buy anything, but I did enjoy touching, feeling, and smelling all the curriculum. Classes. Wow, it is incredibly helpful to sit in a room and listen to someone is further down the path you just decided to take! I decided right there, at that first conference, that I’d become a professional student of learning and teaching. Related: Six Reasons to Attend Your First Homeschool Conference Homeschooling is such a personal journey. Some parents resist gleaning wisdom from others because we want complete and total control over our kids’ education. Not me, I became a collector of wisdom, tips, and advice from the beginning. Check the Fruit: Don’t just accept everything you hear In all areas of life, you want to check the source of information, but in parenting and homeschooling, it’s critical. My favorite pastor calls it “checking the fruit”. Before you adopt teaching techniques, parenting tips, or homeschooling advice, check the source. Everyone is an expert, right? You can find 1001 tips for helping your baby sleep through the night teaching your 2-year old how to read how to homeschool your three kids All on the internet. But is the information TRUTH? True, Right, Useful, Thoughtful, Helpful Heaven forbid that you ask a simple question in the wrong homeschooling facebook group. Not only can you get all kinds of crazy advice, but trolls creep out from under the internet bridge and tear you, your parenting, and your core beliefs to shreds. Psst- This Facebook group is different. Check the Fruit before adding it to your life: This applies to all areas of life, but let’s focus on homeschooling. Does the advice come from a homeschooling parent? Is she calm and confident, but NOT arrogant? Are her kids content, helpful, energetic, and eager? Do her children complain, grumble and fight against everything? How does she measure success: academics, attitude, effort? Does she judge the way others educate their children? Does she honor her husband and protect her family? Does she listen? Are you standing on the same foundation in your faith? When I began my homeschooling journey, I was incredibly lucky. Ok, blessed is a better word. I found myself surrounded by a handful of like-minded homeschool moms who all happened to be relaxed, certified teachers. They encouraged me to breathe, trust the Lord’s leading, respect my husband, trust my gut, listen to my kids, and to be creative. As a writer, I began documenting my own homeschooling journey for many reasons. I think better on paper. My sons may choose to homeschool my future grandbabies. I wanted to create a lasting resource to help them remember my mistakes and duplicate things that worked. I take Titus literally. As my hair gray, I realize I have become the older woman and I have a heart to come alongside and bless younger women. The Homeschool Huddle is Born. I think every homeschool mom should try to attend at least one homeschool conference. A huge gathering of like-minded families mixed with amazing teaching does wonders for boosting homeschooling confidence. But what about moms who can’t physically get to a conference? Recently, I began organizing a homeschool huddle membership group. It’s an online spot for 2-3 monthly video meet-ups where we will go through topics like: Back to school: vision and goal setting Getting your home to “hum” Projects homeschooling through the holidays writing, math, history, and science ideas ideas for homeschooling without paper and pencils and much, much more. The Homeschool Huddle Online conference happens 4 times a year: August, November, January, and May Everything is waiting for you here. 4 Magic Seeds of Homeschooling to Help You Teach Your Kids with Conference, Peace, and Joy Catch the Replay HERE. What? Bekki (hey, that’s me) will offer 4 homeschool sessions {About Bekki} 9:00 am Casting vision for your homeschool journey and school year 10:00 am Inside out homeschooling 11:00 Homeschooling multiple ages/stages 12:00 Magic and keeping it fu The huddle Includes: Workshops by Bekki, a 20-year homeschool veteran, mom of five sons, and a woman crazy for coffee and Jesus Free Printables for each session to make your homeschooling journey easier Just want the printables? You can grab those here Related: Looking for a physical homeschool conference? Try one of these! Hope to see you there! Print this free homeschool mom reminder. This post comes with a free printable reminder list to help keep your heart focused on the heart of homeschooling. I always have the hardest staying focused. This printable simplifies it! Here is a sneak preview… Download Your Free Printable Download the checklist. You’ll get the printable, plus join 9,000+ homeschool moms who receive my weekly parenting tips and ideas! Print. Any paper will do the trick, but card stock would be ideal. Place it on your refrigerator as a helpful reminder.