Homeschool Connections Seminars on Writing

Yesterday I had the privilege of speaking to a couple groups of people about writing. I love speaking to groups (which amazes me since I hated it in school).

The first group of about ten homeschooling moms showed up for my morning talk on Evaluating Your Child's Writing. Most of the moms had elementary and junior high students. We settled in for a cozy chat on how to instruct their children in writing and assess the progress.

Later I spoke to a larger group of about 25-30 people, including some dads and teens, about writing a high scoring ACT essay. This information was distilled from my six-hour essay writing workshop, so I talked fast in order to include everything I wanted to say. I finished with one minute for questions. :-)

I felt really encouraged after speaking to these eager and diligent homeschool parents. I am confident that they left with more tools in their writing toolbox.

If you came here looking for the handouts to these seminars, here's a dropbox link.

"Buy me a map!"

We've been studying U.S. and World Geography all year using Mapping the World by Heart. This curriculum has some drawbacks and is not exactly what I thought it would be. HOWEVER, we have stuck to our study and are nearly done studying the geography of the world.

One benefit of doing this intensive study is that we've learned that James, age 13, loves maps! When I went to the homeschool convention a couple weeks ago, he had a request. "Bring me back a blank map!" He wanted a large map he could label.

So, I found a lovely large two-sided laminated map for him - world on one side, US on the other. Armed with a colorful set of permanent markers and a fine-tipped black Sharpie, he has (completely on his own) worked on labeling and coloring these maps. FOR FUN!

Went to Seminar - Wow!

I want to blog about convention, because it was WONDERFUL. But life has just become soooo busy that it will probably have to wait until after Memorial Day. Soccer and Graduation have taken over my life.

Here are the seminars I went to. If any of them pique your interest, I will start with those.

A Crash Course from Creation to Christ - Linda Lacour Hobar (Mystery of History author)
Increasing Your Child's Nonfiction Reading Level - Joanne Kaminski
Start Doing College Level Research Now - Regan Barr (Lukeion Project)

Throwing Light on the Dark Side: Good vs. Evil in Contemporary Youth Literature - Jim Weiss (Greathall Productions)
How in the World do I Grade Written Compositions? - Matthew Stephens (Essentials in Writing)
When Fractions, Algebra or Division Don’t Come Easily - Kathy Kuhl
Reality Homeschooling for this Generation - Amanda Bennett
A Saint, A Criminal and A Country Priest (G.K. Chesterton) - Jim Weiss (Greathall Productions)
Being a Disciple and Training Disciples in the Home - Steve Demme (Math-U-See)

Nine seminars =  tons of motivation and new techniques to try!