Posts tagged book fair
Interview with Sonya Shafer of Simply Charlotte Mason
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I recently sat down with Sonya Shafer of Simply Charlotte Mason during the 2010 Texas Home School Book Fair to talk about the Charlotte Mason method of homeschooling. Sonya is passionate about this method. Whether you are new to homeschooling, still considering taking the plunge or looking for techniques to fine tune your homeschool, you’ll enjoy hearing Sonya talk about this effective and “gentle” education method.
Sonya and Simply Charlotte Mason have meant a lot to me. I’ve learned so much from the Simply Charlotte Mason website, and I’m so thankful for all the free helps that Sonya and her SCM partner Karen Smith and their families have included on it. If you haven’t yet visited Simply Charlotte Mason, don’t wait. You’re sure to find something to encourage and empower you and your student. Happy homeschooling, everyone!
2010 Texas Home School Book Fair: Part 3 Vendors
1More 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
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!
2010 Texas Home School Book Fair: Part 2 Workshops
0Conference goers had the option of attending 30 workshops. Identical workshops were held both days. The workshops consisted of general sessions by well-known speakers Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis, Tim and Lyndsay Lambert of the Texas Home School Coalition, Zan Tyler of Apologia Educational Ministries, Rosie Watson of The Center for Home Education and Todd Wilson of Familyman Ministries.
Special workshops included topics like “Which Way Do I Go? by Smoothing the Way spokesman Mary James, “Homeschooling Only One Student” by Donna Conner and “Special Needs Kids Fellowship” by Doug and Patsy Arnold. Vendor workshops were led by:
- College Prep Genius
- Excellence in Writing
- Gravitas Publicantions
- Homeschool Math
- Homeschool Travel
- Homeschool-How-To’s
- Joyful Living Distributors
- La Clase Divertida
- Latin Road/Phonics Road
- National Academy for Child Development
- Olive Tree Home School Resources
- Razzle Dazzle Learning Company
- RightStart Mathematics
- Scripture Memory Fellowship International
- Sonlight Curriculum
- Writing Strands
I visited the workshop “Give Your Children the Advantage in Science” by Patty Myers of Gravitas Publications and Real Science-4-Kids
Curriculum author Rebecca W. Keller, Ph.D.’s approach to teaching Chemistry, Biology and Physics, (Earth & Space is coming this summer) is logical and interesting. I previewed the material online before the conference and was impressed that although it broke scientific concepts down into easy-to-understand lessons, it didn’t talk down to the student, something I had found in other texts. I also liked that the experiments used everyday items.
Real Science-4-Kids begins with Pre-Level 1 for grades K-3, then continues with Level 1 for grades 4-6 and Level 2 for grades 7-9. Each level revisits the previous level’s material but in greater depth. Myers admitted that by the end of Level 2, students will have covered high school level material and could CLEP out of taking any more science courses. The levels are sold in Real Science-4-Kids Bundles
Additional online resources and support are available through the publisher’s Club Services. It includes online testing, videos of Dr. Keller teaching a class, conducting an experiment and giving talks at conferences. There are also additional experiments offered online, something that one conference attendee who had used the curriculum admitted she would use.
Another mother, who had used multiple levels and books, admitted, “I understood science, and I am not a science person.”
While I eventually decided to wait another year before introducing my child to the curriculum, I look forward to using it in my homeschool.
Next time, I’ll share about the vendors I met and share my interview with Sonya Shafer of Simply Charlotte Mason. So be sure to check back.
2010 Texas Home School Book Fair: Part 1
0Last week, I attended the 2010 Texas Home School Book Fair in Arlington, Texas. It was a great experience visiting the vendors, looking at products and attending workshops.
The convention was organized by Hearth and Home Ministries at the Arlington Convention Center. It grew out of one homeschooling mother’s frustration. She wanted the opportunity to shop for curriculum for her children all in one place.
“As a new home school mom, I was frustrated that I couldn’t go any place and shop for curriculum,” said Hearth and Home Ministries co-founder Beverly McCord. “Few publishers would sell directly to us because the majority of them thought we were incompetent to teach our own children.”
Much to her surprise, that first convention drew 1450 homeschooling parents. A decade later, that number grew to 6000 homeschool families. And, it continues to grow today.
A few things struck me about this convention. First was the efficiency and graciousness of the volunteers. I hadn’t pre-registered, so I had the pleasure of standing in a long line. Actually, my husband stood in line while I tended to our baby. The volunteer at the front of the line efficiently, yet kindly, moved everyone through the line.
As we entered the convention floor, volunteers greeted us with bags and smiles. Many of these volunteers were young people who took their jobs seriously and worked with a professionalism that is sometimes rare among those their age.
The hardest part of the convention for our family was that no strollers or wheeled bags were allowed. We had no choice but to carry our 20+pound baby through the convention. You can imagine that doing this for several hours can be challenging. So that was disappointing, however, the nursing mother’s room was comfortable and stocked with water, mints and two baby changing areas. And although I didn’t use it, many patrons checked their purchases in the Check Room so they wouldn’t have to schlep heavy packages around all day or make multiple trips to their cars.
It’s also important to point out that the day before the convention began was Homeschool Day at Six Flags Over Texas. The park was closed to outside visitors, so homeschool families could combine the convention with the amusement part to make a short family vacation. That alone makes the Texas Home School Book Fair a real treat.
Stay tuned. Tomorrow I’ll share what I found with the workshops.