“How’s school going?” I get that question a lot. Do you? I’m never quite sure how to answer it either. Because if your family is anything like my family, You started the year off with your head up, shoulders back – sprinting your way through. Checking off every box on your lists.
By Christmas break, you’re a little behind but it’s the holidays! You’ll catch up in January, right? January came and went – the checklists disappeared sometime in February – and here we are in the middle of March, dragging our feet and just hoping we can make it to June.
BUT the next thing you know… it’s here. Time to set aside the schedule for a day or two. Put on some comfy tennis shoes, stock your wallet with a little cash and break out the old rolling cart – it’s convention season. As reviving as the spring air, a homeschool convention is refreshing – like a nice cup of tea and a soft blanket in a front porch swing on a rainy March afternoon. It’s time to relax, rejuvenate and rejoice with your fellow homeschoolers.
Last year I attended my first homeschool convention, the Greater St. Louis Homeschool Expo. What an encouragement it was to me! I learned so much from the workshops. I met several homeschooling veterans who gave me wonderful advice. AND I found some new resources to take home with me. : )
Conventions are one of the best resources a homeschooling family can have and I encourage everyone to attend if they possibly can. If you can’t, find a way! It’s definitely worth it.
While I benefitted from my first convention I wish I had been more prepared. So this year, I took the time to familiarize myself with the who’s, what’s and why’s of conventions through an ebook WeE-book called The Value of Homeschool Conventions It’s available for $1.92 from The Old Schoolhouse Store.
This handy ebook will give you all the reasons why you must need to attend your local convention. It will explain the difference between a workshop, a vendor workshop, a session and the exhibit hall – knowing what to attend at a convention is almost as important as going! You don’t want to waste your time in a workshop that doesn’t apply to your homeschool. Discover the benefits of an exhibit hall and don’t forget to look through the handy section entitled “How to Begin Homeschooling”. This section of the appendix contains definitions for different homeschooling styles and many links for support as well.
You could download this ebook today and be ready to attend your first (or 50th) convention tomorrow, prepared! And for those of you in the St. Louis area, make your plans now to attend the Greater St. Louis Homeschool Expo March 26th – 28th and the CHEF Conference & Curriculum Fair June 23rd, 24th.