Session 1    9:15 - 10:30 Seminars shown below are 2010 seminars

Room 101   Apples Of Gold For Homeschooling Moms   

Louise House

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver (Proverbs 25:11) Come and be inspired as Louise shares golden apples of encouragement to homeschooling Moms. Find out how doing less can mean more for your family; seeing the truth about your home school can give you energy; and how being real can result in freedom to be who you are, so you can enjoy your homeschool journey to its fullest. Louise and her husband Harold have homeschooled their four children since 1990. Together they own and operate the Learning House, a homeschool curriculum company. Louise is also a trained facilitator with the National Institute of Learning Disabilities.

Room 102   Keeping The Wow Factor In Your Marriage!  

Jacki Knight

Intimacy and partnership should be the main purposes of a covenant relationship with the foundation being communication. As busy home educating couples, we can sometimes lose sight of the importance of our marriage relationship in the everyday stress of raising our families. How we as couples approach, deal with and solve conflict can bring us closer together and strengthen the bond between us. Jacki has been married to Richard for 35 years. She will share candidly their journey and share some of the tools they have found useful in building a lasting marriage.

Room 103   Philosophy, Education And The Rubber Band Theory  

Kelly Smith

Whether new to home schooling or an old hand, this session is for you! Kelly, veteran homeschool mom of 20+ years, will share some core principles that will help any homeschool run smoother, be better organized and yet more relaxed! Using personal testimony, object lessons and pictures, we’ll walk through setting up a personal philosophy that will keep you sane when all threatens to go awry. What do rubber bands and homeschool moms have in common? What is the magic word that should be in every homeschool mom’s arsenal?  Kelly has mentored many moms throughout the years. As a military wife, Kelly  homeschooled her children through high school while living all over this continent and the globe. After receiving masters degrees from Oxford and McMaster, her oldest son is currently working on his doctorate at Yale. The other two are pursuing undergrad degrees while planning further studies in their different fields of interest. The Smiths are proud grandparents of one beautiful little girl.

Room 104   From School To Home: Making The Transition  

Cyndy Regeling

The change from school to homeschool can be a huge adjustment for every member of the family. Learn ways to prepare for this step in order to facilitate a smooth transition,  which creates a positive environment to build on through the year. What materials do I need to start homeschooling? How do I establish reasonable schedules? Can we homeschool in our kitchen? Ideas to these and other questions will be presented and shared. Cyndy homeschooled her three sons for 13 years and is now back teaching Grade 3 at a Christian school. She is the co-author of The Lap Book Handbook.

Room 105   Essay Writing Made Easy  

Bev Rempel

The thought of writing essays strikes fear into the hearts of many otherwise brilliant students. This step-by-step approach, presented in this workshop,  will simplify this daunting task, easily moving students from basic essays through to the super-essay models. From the introductory thesis to a clincher conclusion, your students will clearly, convincingly, and coherently present essays designed to earn top marks every time. Bev is a Certified Master Teacher of the Excellence in Writing program, as well as a former homeschooler. Bev will inspire, instruct and motivate you to use these practical principles in your teaching at home.

Room 106   Digging For Treasure  

Diane Geerlinks & Betty Panza

As homeschool parents, we have the privilege of digging deep into the Word of God for treasures to teach our children. This is our opportunity to unearth treasures that will excite our children and inspire them to dig deep themselves. Betty and Diane invite you to come and discover for yourself the richness of the ancient customs described in the Old Testament, celebrated and fulfilled in the New Testament. As we focus on treasures found in the Tabernacle, The Passover and the Feasts of Israel, we will be reminded of God’s faithfulness in the past, in the present and for the future. Diane and Betty, co-authors for Digging Deep Ministries, have just completed the publishing of their third children’s ministry curriculum, Taste and See That God is Good -- The Feasts.

Room 108   Jumpin' Geography   

Donna Ward

Geography is the study of people and places. It is exciting, like going on an exotic trip! Use living resources and creative ideas to spice up your study of Geography. Donna’s love of history and living books was the foundation of her literature-based Canadian history and geography guides for home educators. Donna and her husband, Douglas, began homeschooling in 1988 and schooled their four children for 14 years.

Room 110   Open Creation Q & A   

Richard Fangrad

Bring your questions or choose from a list of popular questions about the Creation/evolution issue. This year is Darwin's 200th birthday. Atheist groups are working hard to promote evolution this year. This session will provide parents with an opportunity to get information about how to refute evolution. Richard's exposure to Creation seminars and its personal impact  led him to begin speaking on Creation/evolution issues in 1994, and to open the Canadian division of Creation Ministries International in 1998.  Richard's professional specialty is in advanced communication satellite systems. Richard is a homeschooling father of 4 girls.

Dining Room A  The Instruction Routine  

Chris Pacholczak

Do your children have trouble doing what you asked them to do? Or do a half-way, half-hearted job?  Are you tired of nagging? Check out this practical and energetic workshop.  Parents will be equipped with a five step plan of communication for both the parent and the child, in order to increase cooperation in day-to-day life, and eliminate some frustration along the way! DO try this at home, and you'll see immediate results in the child and yourself!  This session is one segment of the NCBP seminar entitled, 'Cooperation, Consequences, and Keeping Your Sanity.'  Chris understands the pressure today's parents experience in raising and educating each of their own unique children.  Why?  He's one of them. Chris, a homeschooling dad of 5, is the lead pastor of Grassroots Church in Thunder Bay, (grassrootschurch.com). Chris operates a public speaking initiative under the brand enthuse (enthuse.ca).  Adults of all ages have enjoyed Chris' down-to-earth and enthusiastic communication style.

Dining Room B  Postcards From The Trenches   

Karen Pasqualucci

This workshop will cover suggestions on how to get a handle on your home from someone who fights this war every day! Organizing your home when you have everyone home all day can be a huge challenge. Karen will offer a sympathetic shoulder and her secrets for how to find your keys, a pen that works and still keep your sense of humour. There are some simple solutions that really do make a difference!  Karen, a homeschooling mother of 3, is passionate about learning - learning anything! Karen apprenticed as a silversmith, earned her pilot's license, is a second degree black belt, has swum with dolphins and been kissed by an elephant! She has also written several books and spoken internationally. Karen looks forward to learning with you!

Portable A   Logic: An Introduction To Logic And Its Usefulness In Everyday Life

Kirk Durston

Your children need to know how to present logical arguments for their beliefs, as well as being able to identify the weaknesses in the many bad arguments being promoted by the other side. Kirk will explain the basic principles of logic, how logic can be used to arrive at conclusions, and examples of faulty logic. He will teach  how everyone can apply these principles to statements in the media, legal arguments, politicians’ responses, and just plain arguing and reasoning in general. Kirk, a homeschooling father of 6, and National Director of New Scholar's Society, regularly speaks on college and university campuses across Canada, on topics related to God, philosophy, and science.

Portable B   Techniques For The Hard To Teach In Reading, Spelling And Writing

David Day

David will illustrate some of the remedial tasks that he is using in his reading therapy, as well as some of the unusual situations that come up with his students. Many people have difficulty with reading and spelling, because they are unable to judge the number, the order, or the identity of sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. This pre-phonics problem interferes with the learning of phonics: therefore, the process of decoding (sounding out words) never develops the way it should. Consequently, the person is unable to determine if what he says matches what he sees. David will also answer some of your questions. Currently, David manages Wise Choice Educational Services and works as a reading therapist teaching remedial reading and math skills.

Round Room What Everybody Ought To Know To Have A Happy Homeschool         

Ann Voskamp

Who else wants to care for hearts in the midst of homeschooling? Do you long for a homeschooling experience that is happy, holy and God-honouring? Do you know how to cultivate grace, beauty and joy in your home when you aren't perfect and the laundry basket is overflowing? Ann Voskamp, author of the award-winning geography curriculum series, A Child's Geography, and homeschooling mother of six is right in the homeschooling trenches with you. As a writer for DaySpring and the recipient of the 2009 Homeschool Blog Awards for Best Encourager, Ann shares her failures, hopes, and what she's learned in the practical nurturing of hearts, and invites you to explore with her the secrets of a happy homeschool. Ann is currently writing a book for Zondervan and daily writes about homeschooling and the pursuit of joy at www.aholyexperience.com.