Attending a homeschool convention can be a HUGE help and boost to your homeschool year. Workshops provide teaching and encouragement for families while vendor halls and tables provide an up close and personal look at resources you may need for your children’s education.
These tips are my personal suggestion to make any homeschool convention fun! I will be attending the Annual Virginia Homeschool Convention {HEAV} at no cost and share about my experience there.
Before you attend a homeschool convention, here are a few things you may want to think about to make your trip a little less stressful and a whole lot more FUN!
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Determine your budget before you go. This may seem simple, but it is very easy to get carried away when you come upon that ‘perfect’ curriculum. Trust me – I know! Before you head out to the convention, sit down and know what you have to spend. Leave a little wiggle room though, because there are always lots of fun little things you’ll want to pick up for the kids while you are there!
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Bring your spouse or a friend. Attending the homeschool convention is always more fun if you have someone to share things with and bounce ideas back and forth. It also gives you a chance to ‘divide and conquer’. My husband has attended our homeschool convention every other year and likes to go to different sessions than I do, but we both share what we’re learning with each other. It’s a win-win!
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Review the speaker and workshop schedule before you attend. Most conventions offer a downloadable version of the convention schedule that you can go over before convention starts. Print it off, make notes in the margins and think about what workshops and sessions you would like to attend. You can narrow it down more when you get there.
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Attend workshops and take notes. That vendor hall will be enticing and there will be plenty of opportunity to visit, but you will be so very encouraged with the speakers and workshops that your convention provides. What you learn in the few days you are attending will be encouragement to you in the upcoming months as you continue to homeschool your family. Don’t underestimate what you can learn in a 45 minute session!
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Ask lots of questions! Make a list of questions you have for various companies and vendors. No question is too silly – I can guarantee they have been asked a wide variety of questions over the years and they are more than happy to help you out. Be sure to grab catalogs as well from the vendors to review in your hotel room or at home.
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Make a list of what you are looking for and know the prices before heading out the door. There will be some great convention deals and some conventions have used curriculum sales {HEAV has a fabulous one!}. For example, that math curriculum you want may be $50 online {with free s/h} and the same price at the convention, but you have to lug it home. You may find it though for half the price. Because you also set up a budget, you may realize you have some extra wiggle room when all is said and done!
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Bring a rolling cart or something to haul around all of your goodies. Rolling suitcases also work great. Your arm will otherwise be a bit weary from the heavy books. Many vendors sell rolling carts at convention, but I’ve also seen them at Costco {and they collapse for easy storage}.
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Keep the kids happy. While we’ve never brought out children with us to convention, many offer a fabulous children’s program {HEAV offers a variety of programs for children and teens}. Some conventions allow children in the various sessions, so be sure to check to see if there are any age restrictions.
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Wear comfortable shoes. Think hard, cement floors and lots and lots of walking. And then add in another few hours of walking. Your feet will thank you for it {ask me how I know}.
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Take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy it! I hate to tell you, but you might not be able to conquer it all. That’s ok!! You have your list and your budget, so hopefully that will help you focus on what you need. Remember this: many conventions offer CDs or mp3 recordings of the various sessions from the weekend – take advantage of this. You can’t be in multiple places at once, but you can always listen to the recordings later {Note: the HEAV convention tells you in the schedule if a session will not be recorded, so you can be sure to attend those in person!}.
Last year I also shared my ten favorite things about the Home Educators of Virginia convention – not one of those reasons have changed!! Be sure to read that post here. You can also follow along this year with the #HEAVcon hashtag on Twitter. We’ll be sharing links and goodies leading up to the convention, and there will be a little something for everyone.
Attend the HEAV {Home Educators of Virginia} Convention!
One convention that I attend is the Home Educators of Virginia convention that is held annually in Richmond, VA. It has been a fabulous resource for encouragement, getting a peek at curriculum up close, and always has a collection of fabulous speakers.
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