If you and your family are planning to attend a homeschool convention or just aren’t sure if a convention is for you, here are some great reasons why you should attend a homeschool convention this year.
- You are hoping to switch to a new curriculum. – or maybe you are just interested in seeing if there is something better for you and your family. The convention is a great way to get a chance to see other popular curricula, the “tried and true” as well as the “up and coming.” You can touch the books, look through the chapters, see the workbooks, and talk with people that are experienced in explaining their books and curriculum. The vendor hall display could be the reason all by itself. With many being wall-to-wall homeschool supporting vendors, you will be amazed if you haven’t seen the vendor hall what is available to today’s homeschoolers.
- You are in a rut with your homeschool. – if you are in a rut, a homeschool convention can provide excellent lectures, suggestions, and new ideas for re-purposing, refocusing and rejuvenating your homeschool.
- It takes place in your local community. – if you are fortunate to have a homeschool convention in your local areas, attending the convention is a great way to see what your community has to offer. You can learn about homeschooling sports, music lessons, and co-ops among many other groups and activities that you probably never thought of.
- You need some homeschool inspiration. – we all need inspiration from time to time. Being among our peers, whether our peers are other homeschooling students or other homeschooling moms and dads, a homeschool convention can give you inspiration to keep on your chosen path and feel inspired to try new and exciting things in your homeschool.
- You know what you want and want to save on shipping. – if you have a curriculum or particular vendor product that is working for you, attending the homeschool convention can save you shipping charges and maybe even more. May times vendor give discounts to convention attendees so attending the convention can be a great place to pick up your material for next year.
- You and/or your family need to see you are not alone. – if you are ever feeling alone as a homeschooler, attending a homeschool convention is a quick way to realize that you are FAR from alone. Sometimes family members are on the fence with their support as well. Attending a convention with you can help them see that this is a real choice with real options and hear and see the advantages of your chosen educational path.
- You have never been to one. – I saved the best for last as really, when it comes down to it, this is a really good reason to attend a homeschool convention even if you have no other reasons but this one. If you have never been to one, it is amazing to be a part of a convention. You can show your support to the homeschooling community as a whole. You learn that there are many families that are on this exciting path with you and you find much needed support when you need it. It can help show families that there are other options for their homeschool if their current curriculum is not running as they desire, and the many available lecturers can give you new and exciting ideas to bring into your home and your teachings.
Homeschool conventions are an amazing sight to see and experience. If you are considering attending a homeschool convention this year, see if you can find it in your schedule and budget to do so. It will be a great experience for the whole family.
Thanks for sharing..I have been exploring the idea of homeschooling my daughter. I didn’t know there was a such thing as a Homeschool Convention. I will have to look into seeing if there is one in Washington State. Thanks Again!!
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We have been very blessed to be able to homeschool our children. It is such a great experience. Here is a homeschool convention in Washington State I found http://washhomeschool.org/convention/convention.html and here is the link to a national convention that I’m attending for the first time this year http://www.greathomeschoolconventions.com/. It appears the closest to you would be California. We are driving to the next state to attend. It is regional and I have only attended a smaller state convention. Looking forward to attending this regional one. I have heard amazing things. We will be seeing the Sleepy Man Banjo Band (homeschooling kids that have gone national with their talent) and Mike Huckabee and his new History Curriculum. Good luck on making your decision; if you are truly trying to decide a convention can be a great way to get exposed.
Great points…
I have been homeschooling since 2005 and have never been to a homeschool convention. :/ We were rather lucky in finding a curriculum/program that really fit our family (Time4Learning) early on, so I never really thought about attending a convention. But, I was really only thinking about curriculum. I never really thought about the enormous opportunity to meet and interact with so many other homeschooling families at once!
Having said all that, I’m thinking I will be attending a convention or two soon. T4L only goes through 8th grade and my oldest will start 8th grade this fall….and we have yet to find something we all like for high school yet. Gulp. 😉
I enjoyed reading this, thanks for sharing!
Katie 🙂
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We really like Time for Learning and have used it on and off as a supplement. Great that it has worked for you guys. We had fun meeting people and learning about so many fun people and curricula. Hope you get the chance to go. Next year we are making it a mom and dad event. Yeah!
Well, I’m still a newbie to hneischoolmog, but there are so many things I love about it already! I love the time we get to spend together as a family learning. Watching the kids get excited about learning and sharing what they have learned with one another. I am also coming to enjoy the added accountability on my part to be diligent in what I teach. As a parent I am already accountable for training my children, but as a homeschooler there is that added sense of accountability.
I love being able to let my daughter live a more narutal life, one that is not regimented by timetables, bus schedules, and bells. There is plenty of time for all that later.I follow Homeschool Horizons magazine on facebook and love the magazine.
I couldn’t agree with you more. Here in California, there are a few difnereft options, and each one of them are always being tweaked in some way or another. Also, homeschool has many names such as: Independent Study Programs, Charter Schools, Private Satellite Programs, and Affidavits. For a family looking for homeschool information, this can be quite confusing! I have explained the differences for California on my website.
thank you very much for sharing all this great information with us! it’s definitely appreciated. well worth the time in reading!http://www.pisconsulta.com
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I love homeschooling bsacuee it allows my girls to be friends regardless of their age gap. It also allows me to see their progress from day to day and to really understand my girls and allow them to be themselves without the pressures of school or schoolmates.