Bianca Azzoparde

Room 101

Handcrafting: Foundational Life Skills

In this seminar, we will explore the benefits of purposeful handcrafting and how alongside an appreciation for beauty and creativity, children can develop important skills that will serve them for a lifetime. (Fine motor dexterity,  problem-solving abilities and much more!) We’ll walk through practical examples of how to teach children of different ages and stages the peaceful art of working with their hands to build these foundational life skills.

Bianca has been home learning with her three children for the past 16 years. She also teaches handcrafting classes and workshops, focusing on the importance of being meaningful with our creativity and the materials that we use.

Elizabeth Millar

Room 102

Intrigued By Charlotte Mason?  Let’s Get Started

If you’re looking for some practical first steps or you’ve been dabbling in the CM philosophy,  this seminar will get you started.  Reading Susan Schaeffer MacCauley or Karen Andreola or the pink CM set will familiarize you with the philosophy itself,  but sometimes it’s hard to know what to do next.  (And if you haven’t read those books, no worries!) We'll talk about what to buy for a CM education, how to spend our days, what to expect from our children and how to to enjoy this gentle, yet rigorous philosophy of education.  Of course, there will be book suggestions (for both parents and children) for a variety of subjects!

Elizabeth (happily married to Paul for 20+ years) has been homeschooling their five children for the past 15+ years.  She's also had the wonderful opportunity of teaching at several homeschool co-ops, as well as coordinating a book club for children.  She has always enjoyed history, because it is all about people and stories - two of her favourite things.  She believes that recognizing God's thread of redemption and beauty and grace throughout history is one of the ways to turn learning into worship.

Joanne Schreuders

Room 103

Bringing Learning To Life With Unit Studies

Do you want to save money on curriculum, but not short change your kids education? It CAN be done!  Joanne,  homeschooling mom of ten,  has been using Unit Studies for 26+ years and will be sharing the pros and cons of teaching this way.  She will be showing you what Unit Studies look like and will be showing many samples to give you ideas of your own. But you will not leave empty handed as Joanne will SHOW you how Unit Studies work with a hands-on-approach as you make your own!

Joanne is also a conference speaker and the author of a delightfully humorous book Family at Large.

Cori Dean

Room 104

Homeschooling For Newbies

Just starting out or considering taking a homeschooling adventure?  This workshop will address some of the top questions that new homeschoolers ask: Do I need to contact my local school board?  What resources and supports are available to me?  How do I choose curriculum?  What should a typical school day look like?  What about socialization!?!   With lots of time built in for questions and answers, you will have the chance to get specific answers to specific questions.

Cori is an author and speaker and the owner of Maple Tree Publications.  The Deans have homeschooled their 4 daughters for over 17 years. Cori loves cycling, camping, and boating and as well as a good book, some dark chocolate and a cup of tea.

Melanie Glassford

Room 105

Planning Your Year: Using Various Techniques As Your Kids Grow

Planning a new year of homeschooling is daunting and can be challenging. As the kids grow, your planning needs change. Everyone goes through the same questions. Am I doing enough? How much should I plan? I'm so different/similar to my kids learning styles, how do I actually attain the goals we want? Using various techniques through the grades to organize can improve the harmony in your home greatly. Melanie will show you different planning styles and goal setting to help you year after year.

Melanie has been homeschooling for the past 8 years,  married 22 years and has taught various classes of all ages. She runs robotics and science programs. She's passionate about helping new homeschoolers find their own path in the homeschool journey.

Sonya Sommerville

Room 106

Different Patterns of Thinking: The Impact on Literacy Skills

There are many different ways of processing information, each way with its strengths and challenges.  For approximately 20% of the population, these differences make learning to read and reading effectively a noticeable challenge. This seminar will focus on what research has learned about the ways these processing differences affect reading skills  and how to work with the brain to both use its strengths and build weak areas to develop successful readers.  Both theory and practical will be covered.

Sonya has been homeschooling her 3 girls for over 17 years.  Two of her children have dyslexia and struggled with reading, math, and literacy skills over the years. They are now succeeding academically in their post-secondary years and love reading.   

Matthew Turton

Room 108

Brain To Body Connections - The Root Of All Learning

We learn 20% of what we hear and 80% of what we experience. (William Glasser). Come and discover the importance of incorporating movement and allowing the body, not just the brain, to be involved in the learning process. Together, we will explore how Balance and Spatial Awareness activities can powerfully influence your learners.  Matthew will share some ideas that are fun and easy to implement that Breakthroughs in Learning has been using for more than 20 years with learners of all ages.

Growing up with learning disabilities and overcoming them,  Matthew sees his work as Director of Breakthroughs in Learning as a chance to give back.  Matthew is a dynamic speaker who shares his experience from both sides of learning disabilities.

Chris Timm

Room 110

Follow Me! Being a Man Your Children (and Others Too) will Follow

Are you a man your children want to follow?  Do others?  What does it really mean to be a man that people will want to follow? It all comes down to the example that we are giving. Are we a doer of the word or a talker only?  A world with men of character is vitally important today.  How does one become a man of character and how does one build that into their children?  This seminar will focus on a man and homeschool dad's opportunity to be one of spiritual influence through the example of their character.

Chris has been a pastor for 15 years and is also the founder and head coach of the KWCHEA Eagles running club.  He’s a homeschooling father of 5 who has made lots of mistakes over the years, but has also experienced the patient grace of a loving Heavenly Father.

Martha Martens

Room 203

Frustrated By Phonics: A Journey Into Structured Word Inquiry

Most of us were taught that the English writing system, its orthography,  is crazy and chock-full of exceptions. But what if English orthography makes sense? How would that change the way we teach reading and spelling? The hypothesis that English orthography makes sense is the foundation of Structured Word Inquiry, developed by Dr. Pete Bowers. This seminar will delve into the morphology, etymology,  and orthographic phonology of words to uncover how their hidden stories help children learn.

Martha has been homeschooling her two children (ages 11 and 9) for the past five years. She has a Masters in Global Studies and Teaching English as a Second Language from Providence Seminary. She is happiest on an adventure.

Jim Ross

Room 204

Your Child's Brain And How to Teach it Science

Teenagers don’t think like scientists. No surprises there! So – How do they think? During this hour, you will do a science experiment, and see it through student eyes. You will experience fast and slow thinking, cognitive limits, and the natural thinking structures that kids use. It will help you organize what you teach, and how to teach it. Lots of examples, and plenty of room for your own questions.

Since 1976,  Jim has taught science to students from grades six to twelve. He has taught student teachers how-to-teach chemistry and physics at the University of Western Ontario. He has written over 20 books on science learning.

Ronald Morrish

Dining Room

Raising Responsible Children (Part 1)

Our children live in a complex world of social networking and time-consuming media. Their heroes are from the entertainment industry, not the space program. Given these issues and pressures, parents are searching for effective ways to help their children learn respect and responsibility. In part one of this two-part seminar, Ronald will challenge you to look at your approach to discipline. He will help you make the one decision that is crucial to your success and will provide many examples and strategies.

Ronald is an educational consultant from Fonthill, Ontario  and has provided over 2000 seminars for parent groups and teachers internationally. He has written three books on effective discipline for raising responsible children.

Louise House

Round Room

The Quest for the Best - Choosing Curriculum for Your Homeschool

Choosing curriculum can be a challenge at the best of times. The internet inundates us with information. Friends, acquaintances and the social media community all have suggestions for what you should do. While choice is wonderful,  it can be over whelming. What is best and how do I know if something can work for my family? How can I find something to help my struggling learner? Is expensive really better?  Come and join Louise as she shares how to make the best curriculum choices for your family.

Louise and her husband Harold reside in scenic Goderich, Ontario, where they operate The Learning House,  a homeschool supply company. They home educated their four children from preschool through high school. Three of their children had learning struggles.  She counts it a privilege to minister to homeschooling families through curriculum, counseling, speaking, blogging (From House to Home) and encouragement on a one-to-one basis.

Brett Ullman

P3

Dating For Life - The Questions

In this talk, Brett answers 8 basic foundational questions on dating:

1. What is dating?

2. When should I start dating?

3. Am I ready to start dating?

4. How do I start dating?

5. What are Red Flags in my dating relationships?

6. How do I find out if they are the “One”?

7. How do I break up?

8. What if they are the right person for me?

Simple and practical conversations on dating.

Husband to Dawn and father of Bennett and Zoe,  Brett and his family make their home in Ajax, Ontario where Brett leads and directs Worlds Apart, a charity focused on empowering individuals to re-align their lives with Biblical core values.