Classes

I have been presenting classes at homeschool conferences around the country for over a dozen years.  I love the energy, support, connections, and renewal a homeschool conference provides. This page is a list of class offerings, both those that have been presented (+) and those I have newly developed (*) that are awaiting an audience. Several of these classes have been recorded and at some point I hope to make available the opportunity to download them from here.

Check back for future updates.

Classes for Adults

+The Sizzle, Spice, and Specifics of Unit Studies

When you homeschool with unit studies, the sky is the limit! Learn about anything you want in any way you want. Units work well for homeschools with several children of varying ages, and lend themselves to accommodating even the littlest of learners. It's easy to incorporate all of the different homeschooling methods and philosophies into unit studies, and to account for different learning styles as well. You may purchase pre-packaged units, but putting your own together is easy, fun, and rewarding.

*Pedagogical Parties - Twists on Unit Studies

Perhaps a large unit study is intimidating to you, or you really like the curriculum and/or programs you are already doing, but you're still missing that spoonful of sugar that would sweeten things up. This class can help you add something tasty to your school year without having to bite off too much.

+For the Learning and Profit of My Children:  Using the Scriptures in Every Subject

In our search for the best math program, the greatest grasp of grammar, the most appropriate social situations, effective methods and curriculum, we often fail to search where the searching matters. As conscientious parents, our educational goals for our children call for learning as much as possible to give them an advantage. The scriptures are the advantage! There were no miracles or martyrs in the publishing of a textbook! Neither are there any wholly secular subjects. The scriptures aren't just for use int he compartmentalized boxes of Sunday School and Family Home Evening. Everything is one eternal round and all knowledge belongs to and originates with the gospel of Jesus Christ. This practical and hands-on class will show you how God's plan, His work, and His spirit can be included, applied, and realized no matter what subject(s) your children are studying.

+Terrible or Terrific?  Homeschooling with Toddlers in the Midst

This was an actual journal entry written by me, a few years ago, about my now seven-year-old middle child: "He ripped up the other kids' papers, and broke all the new crayons (by scribbling on and then jamming them into the underside of the dining room table). He purposely scribbled on and poked holes in their assignments while they were "thinking" just to get a scream out of them. He nearly cut his tongue off with the scissors. He ripped pages out of the scriptures, climbed on the table and walked all over everything, slammed the French doors over and over, and threw anything he could get his hands on at the boys while they were working. He took two bites out of each apple in the kitchen (three boxes waiting to be canned). This was all in just 45 minutes today!!!" Having toddlers in the house wasn't a "problem" until my third child came along and my older children began more formal studies. I didn't want to consider any of my children to be a problem, especially at such tender ages. Homeschooling was supposed to bring us together, not tear us apart! There had to be a way to homeschool the older children without it being at the expense of the younger ones. And there had to be a way to include the younger ones, without it being at the expense of the older ones. Now, a few more children later (still in the toddler stage), we've come a long way and figured some things out. I'm here to share my experience and ideas with you, to make those terrible twos terrific.

+Come, Follow Me:  Homeschooling in the Footsteps of the Savior

"...what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am" (3 Nephi 27:27). Jesus Christ: second to his atoning sacrifice and resurrection was His mission to teach. Though the world doesn't always agree on the divinity of Jesus Christ, there's been no disputing His effectiveness as a teacher. Because we are to follow His example, we have been given many tools and patterns to help us. As we study not just Christ's teachings, but also the way in which He taught them, we will become better at teaching our own children everything they need to know. The ministry of Jesus Christ was inviting, not demanding. Love, understanding, and eternal perspective underlined everything He did. The Savior has invited us to follow His path, even and especially in our own ministry as homeschooling parents. Taking His example, we'll learn how to extend a similar invitation to our children as we walk the path together.

+Parenting in the Classics—Dos and Don’ts in Great Literature

Observational learning is an important contributor to cognitive development, even in parents. We observe parenting skills, styles, and attitudes from our own parents first, from our friends’ parents, and then from friends who are parents. In addition to learning from live examples, we can observe the parenting, good and bad, of literary characters in thousands of year’s worth of classics, letting their examples teach, change, and shape us into better parents and teachers.  

+Needful Things—Planning Your Year with the Lord

Imagine your life is a see-saw.  Do you have balance?  Does homeschooling have you always up or always down; frequently and painfully dropped and jolted, or maybe catapulted clean off your seat?  Do you long for more equality or at least something better to hold on to?  Come learn the 5 P’s for mapping and living a successful homeschool year by design.

+First Aid for Moms--Homeschool Burnout and Blowout

Sometimes we can't face another week because we've been burning the candle at both ends and we've nothing left to give; sometimes we've simply had our flame extinguished and we're looking for a light.  If you feel you've got the homeschooling blues, come for some first aid in both prescriptions and tips for prevention.

*Kick Start Creative Writing

Whether you have reluctant writers who need a kick start, or prolific writers who need some direction, this class will give you lists of examples, one tried and true idea after another, for creative writing with your kids.  

*The Hike that We Call Life and the Trail that We Call Homeschooling

Class description coming soon.

*"I Did Build it After the Manner Which the Lord Had Shown Unto Me"

Class description coming soon.

Classes for Youth

+Poetry Rocks! 

Poetry is cool, and I can prove it! Learn the meaning and mechanics of poetry from an unexpected source—rock ‘n’ roll music!

+The Miracle of Language:  Finding and Using Your Voice

What is the point of language? We don't want merely to hear, write, or talk, but to listen, communicate, and to actually say something. Words hold inside themselves magic, power, and freedom; you hold inside of you a voice meant to wield those words. Everyone has something to say, even if they don't know it yet. Come learn from the masters and discover the path to finding and using your voice to change the world.

+Ethos, Pathos, Logos, and PIE - The Miracle of Language, Part 2

Hands on workshop exploring and analyzing through small group activities the uses and abuses of language in all its forms. 

*Pathways, Trails, and Crossroads

Description coming soon.