2020 Session 2  10:45 - 11:55

Judith Dayaram

Room 101

This Isn’t What I Expected

This Isn't What I Expected is a seminar focusing on how our expectations affect the way we evaluate and enjoy our homeschool experience. We'll explore some Biblical principles related to our expectations and  how to trust God when our plans don't work as we hoped they would.  Finally, we'll look at some practical ways to create realistic expectations for ourselves and our students.

Judith has homeschooled her 3 daughters and 1 son for 21 years. As the  children move on to post-secondary education, Judith continues to  treasure the homeschool experience and hopes to encourage others  in their homeschooling journey.

Anne White

Room 102

Charlotte Mason's Treasure Cave

Charlotte Mason said that the task of an educator is to open the doorway to the Aladdin's Cave of beauty and ideas. Join us for a tour of those treasures and in a discussion of the ways in which we can open the door to learning.

Anne White homeschooled her children for two decades. She is an advisory member of the Ambleside Online Curriculum  and the author of Minds More Awake: The Vision of Charlotte Mason.

Helen Helmers

Room 103

Balancing Family Life and Care of the Home

Homeschooling has many challenges and none more so when just starting out, especially with babies and toddlers in the mix.  Join Helen in finding practical ways to educate at home with young children  and so find your way with peace.

Helen is married with 11 children and homeschooled for 20 years. During this period, she revised the curriculum to suit her needs with young and older children, so to have time for her husband and her home.

Cori Dean

Room 104

Early Education: An Invitation To Delight Together

This seminar is an invitation to take delight in learning together with your 4 to 7 year old.  Little ones need a rich experiential education. Rather than long formal days of learning, this is a stage of discovering and doing, a time of asking and answering many questions, a time of building worthy habits and routines,  a time of great spiritual growth.  Living with teaching and nurturing little ones is intense, but can be a rewarding and enriching experience for parents and kids alike.

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

Sonya Sommerville

Room 105

Classical, Charlotte Mason, And Traditional Methods - Making Sense Of The Choices

What is the difference between classical and traditional? Is Charlotte Mason a method or a person? Melanie and Sonya will walk-through the underlying ideas behind these 3 philosophies, itemize specific curriculum for each style, and discuss how to incorporate the method or even blend different styles together to find a fit for your family. There is no wrong way to teach, but understanding the options can help navigate the ever changing homeschool journey. Session compliments other methods explored in session 3.

Over the past 8 years,  Melanie has adapted her teaching style for her 2 very different children's learning styles and challenges. She's passionate about encouraging others to enjoy the journey and teaching the joy of art & sciences to all.

Sonya has been homeschooling her 3 girls, 2 with dyslexia, for over 17 years.  In that time, she has used a wide variety of curricula and experimented with a number of different homeschooling philosophies in order to find the best fit for her family.

Sabrina Adair

Room 106

Setting The Stage For Learning Success: Modifying The Environment

Children all have different learning abilities. As parents, it is important for us to know how to set the stage for each child and their sensory needs.  Then it is important to take the end goal,  the big pictures and learn how to break it down into smaller more manageable tasks,  like a scene from the play. Through this talk, parents will walk away with a clear understanding of how to evaluate their own learning environment and learning needs to promote a successful outcome for their children.    

Sabrina is a mother, Occupational Therapist and CEO/Founder of Enabling Adaptations. Enabling Adaptations is designed to put access to therapists and resources directly in the hands of parents to empower parents to help their children now.

Matthew Turton

Room 108

If You Don't Get It, You Can Forget It! Listening/Reading Comprehension

Does your child need instructions repeated, but you know their hearing is fine? Are they good readers, but can't tell you what they just read? Our ability to understand what goes on around us is a critical skill for academics and life. Discover how the brain responds to visual and auditory input and how you can help your student improve in these areas.  Matthew will share some of the most effective strategies he has used for more than 20 years with children & adults at Breakthroughs in Learning.

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.

Micah van Dijk

Room 110

Engaging Popular Music: Teaching Cultural Discernment Skills

Home educators struggle to understand what popular songs their students are consuming. Without personal discernment skills, these students will be unaware of how this music impacts their faith and identity. Home educators can teach students discernment skills and empower them to make healthy listening choices.  In this workshop, participants will learn how to teach the three steps of music discernment, encourage critical-thinking and use popular music to help students develop empathy.

Micah received a Masters of Popular Music Studies from the University of Glasgow and has worked several years in the music industries as a musician, promoter, critic, and band manager.  He has a passion for helping young audiences find better music.

Tara Ross

Olivia Smit

Room 203

The Power Of Story and Why Writing Yours Matters

What makes a great story? And what is it about these stories that keeps us coming back for more? How can we, as young adults, find ourselves within the stories of today's culture - or are we looking in the wrong places? In this seminar, we’ll discuss why YOUR story is of vital importance and how by sharing it,  you can bring hope to others lost within the darkness of their own narratives.

Tara is a youth leader, podcaster, and author of the young adult novel Fade to White. When she's not adulting, she climbs the Ontario escarpment and blogs about the interplay of faith and mental health at www.hopeprose.com.

Olivia loves baking, visiting coffee shops,  and writing young dult fiction that faces hard truth with hope and encouragement. Her debut novel, Seeing Voices releases with WhiteSpark Publishing on April, 2020. Seminar designed for teens

Rowan Atkinson

Room 204

The Joy Of Teaching History

Of all the subjects,  history provides opportunities for golden moments of learning and there are many ways to experience it with your children.  Join Rowan Atkinson for some practical ideas on ways to teach history in your busy homeschool. Despite the current emphasis on STEM subjects,  the humanities are still valuable in giving us a sense of understanding who we are as humans and our place in this world.

Rowan studied history at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo  and is the author of Headphone History: A Canadian Audio History Curriculum.  She has recently graduated from two decades of home educating her four children.

Ronald Morrish

Dining Room

Raising Responsible Children (Part 2)

Building on the positive discipline approaches presented in the first part of this two-part seminar,  Ronald now presents a host of practical strategies for teaching your children to be respectful and responsible. Whether you are dealing with the foundation-setting of early childhood or the complexity of adolescence, you will go home with many great ideas that you can start using the very next day.

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.

Leno Emo

Round Room

Preparing For Adulthood: High School and Beyond

Transitioning into adulthood isn't as easy as it was in the past. Post high school plans need planning and advance preparation, both physically and spiritually. The world is a different place. We will be discussing these topics and more in this seminar.

Lena has been homeschooling for over 23 years, with 2 grown adults  and 3 children still in high school. Love, laughing, perseverance and a whole lot of coffee helps her endure to the end of her homeschooling journey.

Brett Ullman

P3

The Man Talk

Father. Husband. Everybody needs a good talk at some point. Everyone's welcome at the man talk. Real Men who aren’t afraid to talk about Man stuff and who are better for it. Looking at how we can be better fathers and husbands.

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.