dream HS conference?

[umami_mommy]

i am wondering if anyone wants to share their wish list for a
homeschooling conference. if you could describe your perfect
conference how would it look? who would be there? what activities
would there be? when would it be? where would it? how long would it
be? how much would it cost?

what would make you excited enough to pay money and travel to a
conference?

thanks for your input.

[earthmama369]

My dream homeschool conference would represent a WIDE variety of homeschooling and unschooling styles and reasons, or at least be nonreligious (because a lot of the ones I've seen have been Christian to the extent that they're exclusive even though their mission statement is to be inclusive). It would also include activities and workshops for children of all ages through the entire conference so that parents could have a reasonable shot at attending the conference with their children. It would offer many volunteer opportunities and have a variety of vendors, both corporate and local/WAHP/from within the homeschooling community. There would be time to network with other families built into the schedule, maybe a daily community-building activity. And there would specifically be some discussions and workshops focusing on addressing special needs and accessing educational and special need resources as a homeschooler.

[umami_mommy]

nice. my ideas too...

keep 'um coming!

[earthmama369]

I thought of another.... I'd love to take part in a discussion or workshop that approaches homeschooling primarily as "teaching to the child." In other words, so many of the workshops and discussions I've seen are about curricula and the "magic" method (you know, THIS one will work for almost everyone, this one is an improvement over X method, THIS is how children develop and therefore you should approach homeschooling this way, etc.). Those have their place, but I'd love to take part in a discussion about really focusing on your child, using your imagination and creativity in your approach, and working from yourself and from your child's cues, without talking about which curricula is the "right" one. Or without even talking about curricula at all. Something that's more about pure learning and experiencing. Something to encourage new homeschoolers that it's not about wading through reams of material and choosing the one right resource. It's about YOU learning your child. Does that make sense? I'm not sure I'm articulating it well.

[umami_mommy]

sounds like you are kinda talking about unschooling... taking your cues from the child and *facilitating* his/her learning process.

[Lillian J]

Here's a copy of the actual 50+ page brochure attendees used for this past summer's conference put on by the HSC, the HomeSchool Association of California: "Finding Our Balance". It's mind boggling - there's something for everyone, and then some - parents, families, teens (much of which is planned by a teen committee), and children - educational, inspirational, and amazing fun. And these conferences are very much what earthmama360 describes... Ticket prices vary - members of the organization get huge discounts.
- Lillian

[CParker]

I agree with LillianJ, the HSC conference last summer was amazing! Every possible topic imaginable, plus activities for toddlers through teenagers. Can't wait until the next one!