C Workshops, Saturday 1:30-2:30 PM

Denotes a CONNECTIONS workshop.

C-1 Having Fun While Learning Advanced Math — Adria Cannon — Ways to learn math beyond arithmetic — algebra, geometry, calculus, and statistics. Workshop will combine some hands-on activities and example problems with a resource list and ideas about how teens and parents have fun learning math together.

C-2 History Travelers — Lori Guilliams and Janet Ozsvath — Have fun bringing history to life by spending a day with friends "visiting" famous people and places from the past. Develop a sense of chronology, sample new foods and have fun with games, storyboards, maps, timelines, travel notebooks, crafts, and more.

C-3 Music for Homeschoolers — Roy Underhill — Listening to, singing, playing, and creating different kinds of music. Advantages to different ways of learning, including Suzuki and improvisation. Ways parents can learn to sing and play. Finding time for practice and practicing so it is worth the time. Making music as a family and finding or creating larger groups.

C-4 Choosing and Using Purchased Curriculum — Tomi Fay Forbes and Maria Kuehmichel — Overwhelmed by all the homeschool curriculums available? Brief descriptions of basic facts and special features of at least 12 well-known, mostly Christian, textbook-based (not Internet-based) curriculums, including A Beka, Alpha Omega, Bob Jones, School of Tomorrow, and KONOS, to help you decide which might work well for your family, whether you purchase one complete curriculum or parts from different companies.

C-5 Continuing as an Unschooling Family — Erich Moraine — For established unschooling families with at least one year's experience. (For an introduction to unschooling, see B-4) How do parental guidance and direction continue to show themselves and allow for a peaceful coexistence with our kids? How might we as parents react when our children pursue topics we feel negatively about or did not expect? What can parents do to maintain a balance between the fear of external academic goals and the internal joy of unschooling? What about all that time the kids spend doing "nothing?"

C-6 Enrich Any Curriculum with Hands — On Learning — Cindy Duckert — Do several hands-on learning projects yourself (and share them with any kids who are with you, but it's fine to come without kids, too). Learn ways to bring any subject to life by adding valuable hands-on experiences to whatever approach to homeschooling you are following, from using a purchased curriculum to unschooling. Finding ideas and resources, involving kids in the planning and clean up, working with other families, recognizing the value of unplanned hands-on learning.

C-7 The Precocious, Sensitive, Intense, Creative (and Otherwise Gifted) Child — Lisa Rivero — Some children seem to be or feel "too much": too sensitive, too intense, too divergent, "too smart for their own good." This workshop helps parents understand giftedness and explores how to recognize and accept "too much" traits as strengths rather than liabilities. Learn to understand perfectionism, asynchronous or uneven development, and intensity. For more, see D-5

C-8 Living with Kids 24 Hours a Day — Susan Kaseman — How homeschooling makes parenting easier. Finding joy in parenting. Communicating effectively with kids. Solving recurring problems. Rescuing a day that's gone awry. Finding time for ourselves without compromising our children's needs.

C-9 Record Keeping Made Manageable and Meaningful — Sarah Gilbert — An overview of the purpose and benefits of documenting your homeschooling experiences and activities. Finding a method that suits you and meets your needs. Ideas for simple records that save time yet are meaningful and retrievable for portfolios, credentials, college applications, etc.

C-10 The Legislature and Private Education — Marv Munyon — A conservative Christian perspective on legislative bills and DPI efforts that may affect private schools in Wisconsin. Included will be bills that have passed and movements that are underway to change education in Wisconsin.

C-11 Virtual Schools Controlled by Public School Districts and Homeschooling Freedoms — Larry Kaseman — Ways virtual schools controlled by public school districts undermine homeschooling freedoms. Maintaining important distinctions between these schools and homeschools. How homeschoolers are working together through WPA to maintain freedoms. Factors families may want to consider in deciding whether to use virtual schools, especially for young children.

C-12 How Our Family Turned Our Unschooling Experience Into a Successful College Application — Alison McKee — After being unschooled his entire life, our son decided he wanted to go to college. How we turned his experiences of volunteer work, a four-year study of trout fishing and fly tying, and some foreign language study into a successful college application without adhering to traditional curriculum. Examples from the transcript and some useful pointers about homeschooling and college applications in general.

C-13 Looking to the Future: A Discussion for Teens — Kyler Burgi, Moderator — Approaching 18? College? Job? Marriage? As you think about the future, what do you feel confident about? What worries you? How do you handle the questions and pressure from people who keep asking, "What are you going to do when you grow up?" Moderator is a grown homeschooler.

C-14 Balloon — Tying Animals — Tracy and Rodger Menchaca — Wonder how a simple balloon becomes an animal or headwear? Learn balloon-tying techniques in this hands-on workshop. If desired, purchase pumps and balloons to take home. Limit 10 families.

C-15 Fascinating Cases in Veterinary Medicine — John Dally — Learn how a veterinarian assesses a pet's health using health histories, physical exams, and other tools. Review x-rays and test results in an interactive format. Suggested for ages 8 and up. Speaker is a homeschooling dad and a vet. Limit 40 participants.

C-16 Fun With Cooperative Games!-Karen Rittle and Family — Join the Rittles for nonstop FUN! Play exciting games like "Peanut Butter and Jelly," "Hi! My Name is Joe," "Cooperative Chair Exchange," and more. For all ages and everyone wins!

C-17 Geocaching: The Sport Where YOU are the Search Engine!-Hannah Craig with Polly and Elly Craig — Geocaching is a rapidly growing pastime that involves looking up cache (hidden treasures) sites on the Internet, then using a hand-held GPS to locate the cache. Anyone willing to hike around campus, help read a GPS, and learn to use the website will love this. Bring trinkets or coins to trade and a GPS, if you have one! Limit12 families.

C-18 Let's Go Fly a Kite — Tom and Barb Hafemann — Hear how kites fly, why they are important to different cultures, and what you can learn from kites. See and hear about kites the Hafemanns have made and flown. Learn how you can make and fly indoor kites at home Try sample kites. All kite enthusiasts welcome. Bring $1 per participant for supplies.

C-19 Rhythm in Motion — Dance for Ages 6-10-Ciara Burgi — This workshop takes kids through a warm-up and into a fantastic dancing adventure. Kids of any skill level will enjoy this lively workshop. Presenter is a grown homeschooler and a member of a pre-professional dance company. Limit 20 youth.

C-20 Science Court: Physics for Ages 5-10-Mark Lattery — Become a detective, learn about pendulums, and solve a case of cheating at the World Class Skiing Championship. (Based on Scholastic's Science Court Series.) Limit 24 participants, Repeated as D-16

C-21 Visit CONNECTIONS and/or the Curriculum Fair — See F-15

More Workshops

Friday, 7:15-8:30 PM: Friday Evening Workshops

Saturday, 8:30-9:30 AM: A Workshops

Saturday, 9:50 AM-10:50 PM B Workshops

Saturday, 2:50-3:50 PM: D Workshops