I love homeschool conferences—aisle after aisle of vendors and so many books. This weekend my 15-year-old son and I will be working at the Math-U-See booth at the GHEA conference in Atlanta. Stop by and say “hi” if you’re there!
As much as I love homeschool conferences, they can be a bit overwhelming without a game plan. Make a list of the books you know you need (like next year’s math), and the things you think you want to try. Being able to see the books in person is one of the biggest benefits of a conference.
As great as the reviews or curriculum description may be, sometimes you open a book that’s on your “must have” list, only to be completely unimpressed with it in person. Maybe it just doesn’t fit your teaching style or your kids’ learning styles; sometimes you can’t put your finger on it, but you just know “we won’t use this.” Let it go, even if you thought this book was going to be a huge part of “the plan” for your next school year. Trust your instincts.
Some of our favorites include:
Our family now participates in Classical Conversations. While CC won’t have a booth at our conference, it’s a great place to find the literature we’ll need. Children’s Books and Rock S.O.L.I.D. are great sources. Often you can purchase books from out-of-state vendors and you won’t have to pay sales tax!
Will you be attending any upcoming conferences? Do you love them, hate them, or fear them? (HA!)
Don’t forget to stop by and see me if you’re at the GHEA conference in Atlanta this week!
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
We love MUS! I just received my order from them last week. Can you believe we have ALL of our books for next year already? It is SO hard to not quit right now and start next year’s material!
Oh, another good thing to take with you to a convention is a list of things you already have! I am quite the book hound and have a big collection of homeschooling books. And yup, I’ve purchased some fav’s twice!
.-= Marsha´s last blog ..On the Grill: BBQ Babyback Ribs =-.
I love Homeschool conferences! I need at least one each year… two is better. They help me to refocus, refresh, and come back to teaching my kids with passion and vision.
I’m heading down tomorrow to GHEA. I love the used book sale. Of course the vendor hall is AWESOME! I’ll look for ya!
Marsha, I am quite impressed with your preparedness (is that a word?)! Yes, I ordered at least our 4th copy of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland a couple of weeks ago. It’s so hard to keep track sometimes (although that one shouldn’t have been too tough).
Why no CC booth? It’s helped OH/KY/IN to grow in so many ways by having a booth and workshops at the Midwest Convention…
Anyhow, I hope you have fun! I still love going to the convention, even though I pretty much stick to the same curriculum choices each year (and with CC, I find I don’t need much–yay!). At our’s a few weeks ago, Tim Hawkins gave a few performances and it was awesome! A nice change from the heavy convention speakers. :)
Love you, Dawn!