CHEA convention

I spent all day Sunday at our state's CHEA convention for homeschool families. I'd heard that all the information can be overwhelming. I was anxious to learn and, yet, nervous about what would actually sink in.

I went and I conquered. I already knew that I wanted to use the Charlotte Mason philosophy/method of teaching and I knew that I would use Math-U-See. So, at the convention I planned on hunting for a good science, history and art curriculum.

After I registered, I went straight to the used curriculum room. I found an old Math-U-See teachers guide and 2 tapes for $25! But, nothing else because it was the last day of the convention and there were slim pickings.

Throughout the course of the day I went to 3 workshops and 1 exhibitor demonstration. The workshops were fabulous. I took lots of notes at Joyce Herzog's "Nifty Tricks." I was surprisingly enthralled by Debe Haller's "The Challenge of Raising Cain"--I bought one of her books and a kit for her ticket system. My last workshop was with Chuck and Pam Geib's workshop, "When You Walk Along the Road," about incorporating Charlotte Mason's philosophy of educating into modern, everyday homeschooling. Then I ended the day browsing around in the Homeschool Marketplace (showroom) for the last hour. I collected as many brochures/catalogs from the science, history or art curriculum exhibits that I could. Needless to say, I am swamped with loads of material to wade through. It is exciting to see the wealth of information and support available for home educators.

I am most thrilled about the prospects of joining a particular ISP in my area. I'll let you know more, later, if it pans out.