More than 200 vendors—curriculum suppliers, authors, booksellers, online schools and service organizations—attended this year’s conference. With all the excitement and energy in the room, it would be easy to get overwhelmed.

I was thankful that I had planned for my visit. This kept me from getting caught off guard and caught up in the frenzy of activity. This was a relief to my budget and my sanity. My husband and I moved from booth to booth, thought about our homeschool for next year and even made notes for future years. It helped having him with me because we made united decisions. He loved the Learning Language Arts through Literature curriculum that I bought and wisely reminded me to resist the urge to make things too complicated.Learning Language Arts through Literature

I especially loved talking to the leaders of the International ALERT Academy, a non-denominational Christian training and service organization that encourages father-son relationships. And the leaders of Champion Chess made a strong case for teaching chess, with all its logic and problem solving, to children. They even hosted a Kids’ Chess Tournament on Saturday afternoon. Several colleges and universities attended the conference, making it clear that the question of whether or not homeschool students can get into college is a silly one.

During my visit, I had the chance to sit down with Sonya Shafer of Simply Charlotte Mason and ask her about the Charlotte Mason method of homeschooling. It was a lot of fun to meet Sonya and look at several of the Simply Charlotte Mason products that I had read so much about. Take a look at our interview.

Next year’s conference is scheduled for May 6-7, 2011. I look forward to attending it again—minus my 20+ pound mascot—and seeing what new products are available. If you are able, make plans to attend next year’s conference or another conference in your area. There is nothing like coming together with homeschoolers from around your state to share ideas, trade war stories and encourage one other. And there’s also nothing quite as reassuring as examining curriculum up close to see if it’s right for your student. As great as recommendations and reviews are, no one knows your child quite like you and only you know when a curriculum will work. Happy homeschooling, everyone!