The Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers
VaHomeschoolers.org
Your Resource. Your Voice. Your Association.
The Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers
VaHomeschoolers.org
Your Resource. Your Voice. Your Association.
July 20-21, 2007
Science Museum of Virginia
2500 West Broad Street
Richmond, Virginia
"I left the conference with renewed confidence in the path we're on, and with a peace that comes from being in touch with people who also think outide the box"
– Jenny Stevens, Richmond
Are you thinking about homeschooling but feeling a bit overwhelmed? Or are you new to homeschooling and wondering what you got yourself into? Stephanie and Celeste will help you understand the home education statutes and address your concerns about filing a notice of intent, showing evidence of progress, and finding support.
Parents can have a major impact when their teenagers face the academic, emotional, and developmental challenges during this important "growing-up" phase of their lives. Explore strategies to help homeschooling teens prepare for work, college, and life.
Is your child a "late" reader? Does your child not remember math facts no matter how many times you go over them? Does your child hate to write, or his or her handwriting is barely legible? Your child may be right-brained and/or a visual-spatial learner. Cindy will discuss characteristics of this learning style and help parents discover their child's path to learning with joy. Come celebrate the gifts of the right-brained learner while understanding why certain subjects may develop "later." Cindy will specifically cover reading, math facts, writing, handwriting, and more!
The dean of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Engineering will provide an overview of careers in engineering and discuss the possible areas of study for undergraduate engineering students. He'll discuss the kinds of math, science, and critical thinking activities and academics that prepare middle and high school students for the pursuit of engineering at the university level. Roundtable discussion.
Many families find that the homeschooling method that works best for them is an eclectic style of choosing resources, activities and experiences that are based on a child's individual learning style, interests, and pace. Eclectic homeschooling parents explore and are influenced by many homeschooling styles, using what will work for their family and their situation. Consider how you can synthesize aspects of various curricula and methods to create the right structure, academic content, and daily life that will work well for you and your children.
An overview of "how to homeschool," with time for your questions and concerns about how home education can work in your family. Gain the knowledge to give yourself the confidence that you can do this as you get started on your homeschooling journey.
Some homeschooling parents use community college dual enrollment, online courses, correspondence courses, homeschool co-ops, experiential learning or tutors to cover high school material. Helping your child learn "the difficult classes" during high school can challenge a parent's confidence; hear about resources, methods and ideas other parents are using to meet this challenge.
Through slides, lecture, and experiences, Dr. Armstrong explains
how each child is born into this world as a natural genius (the
root meaning of "genius" is "to be born"). He explores the twelve
qualities of the natural genius of students (including creativity,
vitality, flexibility, curiosity, and playfulness), explores the
neurological, developmental, and behavioral foundations of genius
in kids, describes how that genius shuts down through influences
in the home ("home-miliation"), the school ("dysteachia"), and the
broader culture ("media-ocrity"), and finally, provides practical
strategies that parents or educators can use to help reawaken that
original genius in all children.
(This address will be repeated in session 4-C.)
Nature study, exposure to great "living" books, children's narration, and short but focused lessons are among the tenets of this popular homeschooling methodology. Get an overview of Miss Mason's well-loved principles of education and learn about resources to explore further. A roundtable discussion.
Providing opportunities for music, art, theater, dance, creative writing, or film-making in your family's homeschooling will help many children discover their gifts and can provide a lifetime of enjoyment. Learn about the benefits of an arts-rich education and gain ideas for making participation in the arts a reality for your family.
If you lead a support group, come join us for the kick-off of the VaHomeschoolers Support Group Council. Open to leaders of online and "in real life" support groups, networks, and co-ops, as well as those with interest in starting a homeschool group. Let's provide one another with encouragement and ideas, and enjoy the camaraderie of other homeschooling leaders.
Ideas for homeschooling, engaging and nurturing your eight to thirteen year olds, as they move from childhood and dependence toward potential to be more independent learners.
Experienced parents explain how they worked or are working toward creating the experience and the documents to gain their children admission to higher education.
Anansi the Spider is up to his old tricks again in this show that brings to life two traditional West African stories: Tug-of-War and A Story, A Story. Colorful scenery, original music and lots of puns create a wonderful backdrop for the antics of these expressive rod and hand puppets. It's a high energy show with fun for all ages! Following the performance, audience members will have an opportunity to see the puppets in action, ask questions of the puppeteers, learn how the Rugg family combines touring and homeschooling, and hear a bit about puppetry and homeschooling!
Ideas for managing so older children are learning with little ones in the house. Support for parents with concerns about taking care of Baby and homeschooling Big Kids at the same time.
A panel of experienced homeschool dads talk about their experiences, challenges, and insights. Fathers address their unique concerns and answer other dads' questions.
This round table discussion will explore how some of the core Montessori educational concepts, such as Universal Tendencies (language, independence, self-discipline, movement, exploration, etc.) Planes of Development, Sensitive Periods, and the Prepared Environment can be incorporated into the homeschool experience.
How families can self-publish their works and words to engage young writers and their parents in the writing experience.
Homeschoolers can host international exchange students, study foreign language and culture, and travel and live internationally. Hear how and why they've done it and learn about resources and possibilities for your own family.
Through slides, lecture, and experiences, Dr. Armstrong explains
how each child is born into this world as a natural genius (the
root meaning of "genius" is "to be born"). He explores the twelve
qualities of the natural genius of students (including creativity,
vitality, flexibility, curiosity, and playfulness), explores the
neurological, developmental, and behavioral foundations of genius
in kids, describes how that genius shuts down through influences
in the home ("home-miliation"), the school ("dysteachia"), and the
broader culture ("media-ocrity"), and finally, provides practical
strategies that parents or educators can use to help reawaken that
original genius in all children.
(This address is a repeat of session 2-C.)
An introduction for homeschoolers wishing to incorporate aspects of Waldorf education into their homeschooling. Waldorf philosophy includes education for the whole child - head, heart and hands, and emphasizes creating education that matches a child's unfolding development. Waldorf includes attention to emotional development and learning through experience as well as through academics, and it incorporates a creative, holistic approach to learning. A roundtable discussion.
Your family can use unit studies to enrich every area of learning and meet the needs of multiple ages of children. Explore ideas for creating your own unit studies and appealing to different learning styles during the same unit study.
Experienced homeschool parents and teen and young adult homeschoolers address concerns about homeschoolers' development of appropriate social skills, independence, and ingredients for success. This panel will provide reassurance about how homeschooled kids get along in "the real world."
Special needs covers a host of labels anywhere from what Cindy calls "school-created labels" because they could be associated with learning differences such as ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, gifted, learning disabled, dysgraphia, etc., to more "traditional labels" such as autism, Asperger's Syndrome, Down's Syndrome, mental retardation, etc., to those that may or may not affect cognitive ability such as cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, Tourette's Syndrome, or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Whatever the special need, it appears that society's view is one of "less than" or "broken" or a "problem." Cindy would like to share her perspective and experiences on interacting with the special needs in her family from a strength/weakness paradigm, which allows children to shine in their gifts while working through difficulties step-by-step in a mentor-supported, success-based environment.
A discussion about setting up your home so it's conducive to home education, minimizes preparation for learning, and helps children help themselves to learning materials and experiences. Ideas for the reality of having kids "use" your home all the time, coping with wear and tear, and providing a home front that works for your family.
Come learn about the exciting world of homeschool blogging! Keep family and friends informed and track activities and accomplishments. Connect with other homeschoolers and discover new resources. Even get the kids involved! See how blogging can bring an added dimension and a lot of fun to your homeschooling. Roundtable discussion
Some families intentionally avoid TV, video games, and children's access to the internet, some families keep their TV in the closet, some families are totally plugged in, and some families moderate screen time according to children's ages or media content. What are the rationales for various approaches to "screen time" and what issues should you consider as you refine your family's approach to electronic media? How might screen time be a learning tool and when might it be a liability? Panel discussion.
Homeschooling - A Passport To Learning |
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