The 2009 conference seminars are listed below. 

8:30 Keynote Session
 

• Clarifying Your Home School Vision

• The commitment to home education requires a stout heart.  The process itself can be all encompassing, leaving little time to take in the bigger picture.  This session will examine that bigger picture with a view to the role home education plays in the end game of parental purpose.
  

10:30 Sessions

• A Father's Role
  

• Dads often feel left out in the process of home education, but their role is critical.  Be encouraged and informed as a prime contributor to the success of your home school and its precious patrons.
  

• Changes in Living Things - Evolution or God's Design? (for teens)

• These topics help us understand how the great variety of animals that we have today could have descended from those on Noah's Ark, adapting to different post-Flood climates, and that biological "molecules-to-man" evolution is an impossibility.
  
• 
  

• Homeschooling 101 - The Adventure of Home Education
  

• The decision is made...now what?  Where is the first stop on this Home Education Journey?  How do I cross the bridge from school to home?  Who will be your trail guide? Lessons will be shared about traveling on this journey...lessons about knowing your destination (goals), considering how you will travel down this road (method), and what you will need to pack for this journey (curriculum).  You will be inspired and encouraged to travel down this road with confidence!
• 
  

• Marking Your Student's Writing
  

• Many parents find themselves stumped when it comes to marking their young people's writing.  Writing is subjective enough to make even English majors insecure! Our speaker has coached over 300 teenagers in writing.  In this seminar, she will present parents with many of the secrets she has learned, from striking an effective balance between encouragement and criticism to a list of the top writing weaknesses to watch for.
  
• 
  

• Preparing For Post-Secondary

• This session directs us carefully to consider what the wisest option is for our graduates.  Careful consideration of Scripture, the college/university environment and the readiness of our students' hearts all combine to help families make wise decisions regarding post-secondary education.
  
• 
  

• How to Recognize if Your Child has a Learning Disability, ADD and/or Dyslexia
  

• The purpose of this seminar is to sensitize parents to the different characteristics of each of these labels and to help them in their search to understand their children better.  There will be time for questions.
  
• 
  

• A Personality God Can Use
  

• "...Fearfully and wonderfully made."  Each of you is made in God's image and is unique.  Why is it then that those very differences which make you unique and one-of-a-kind are the same things that drive some people up the wall?!  Understanding your personality styles and behaviour traits--and those of the people around you--can be one of your most important discoveries.  Your ability to teach your children in their style (according to their bent) or to interact with your spouse and co-workers as they prefer can be your key to "getting it done...while getting along."
  
• 
  

1:30 Session

• The Moral of the Story - Character Training & Educational Success
  

• The home educating environment is filled with programs and tools to maximize academic output for your children.  Amazingly, though, the most foundational and durative is often overlooked.  This session will explore the link between learning proficiency and moral training.
  

• Listening In Order to be Heard (for teens)
  

• "Hey!  Are you listening to me?!"  In order for communication to take place, you need information to be sent and received.  One person speaks and the other listens.  As simple as it seems, misunderstandings and disagreements often start with someone not listening to what is being said.  In this session, you will explore the different levels of listening and the fundamentals of "Co-operative Communication".  By moving beyond hearing to listening, others will take the time to return the favour and listen to you.  If you are interested in being heard, start by listening.
  

• Curriculum Choices for the One-room Schoolhouse
  

• Oh the choices!  Oh the limited budget!  It seems that each year there are more and more choices in the curriculum hall.  It all looks amazing, but how can I know what's best for our family?  How can I find curriculum that meets the needs of all my children, specific to each of their learning styles, let alone conducive to my teaching style?  The most common pitfall of homeschooling is teaching the curriculum rather than the child.  How can I avoid this stumbling block?  In this workshop, our speaker will give you practical advice on making these choices, while using an evaluation grid to take the guesswork out of choosing curriculum.

• Foundations & Fallacies - Understanding the Creation/Evolution Issue
  

• This is a general introduction to the origins issue and why it is important to Christian theology.  It deals with common misconceptions about science, "facts" and Genesis, and demonstrates that many moral and social problems are the result of the rejection of God as Creator.

• Homeschooling Through High School
  

• There are many programs and much support material available that make homeschooling through high school a viable option.  More and more Canadian colleges and universities are developing entrance policies to welcome homeschool graduates.  This workshop will explore some hands-on approaches to homeschooling through high school, from record keeping and choosing courses that nurture the strengths of our students, to testing and preparing for college and university.

• Techniques for the Hard to Teach in Reading, Spelling and Writing
  

• Our speaker will illustrate some remedial tasks that he is using in his reading therapy, and explain the Lindamood-Bell program.  Many people have difficulty with reading and spelling because they are unable to judge:  a. the number, b. the order, c. the identity of sounds (phonemes) in spoken words.  This pre-phonics problem interferes with the learning of phonics:  therefore, the process of decoding (sounding out words) never develops the way it should.  Consequently, the person is unable to determine if what he says matches what he sees.  There will be a time for questions.
  

• Bull's Eye - Setting & Achieving Goals in Your Home School
  

• "A goal properly set is halfway reached." - Abraham Lincoln.  This workshop will give direction for goal setting in several areas of homeschool and family life with the purpose of encouraging greater satisfaction and productivity in the day-to-day school life of participants.

2:45 Session

• 10 Reasons Why Homeschooling is a Sound Investment
  

• Home educating your children is a costly undertaking.  It consumes resources - fiscal, emotional and physical - and demands staying power.  Like any investment though, a clear view of the payoff can help you stay the course.  Discover the reasons why homeschooling makes good long-term sense.
  

  The Dynamics of Post-Secondary Life (for teens)

• Our speaker will discuss the dynamics of university life and what you can expect in the post-secondary environment.  He will also talk about how to design your last two years of high school to best prepare for the transition into university or college.
  

• Exploring the World of Work
  

• Career development programs can reduce drop-out rates, increase motivation and achievement, help students find careers that suit their talents and interests, help employers meet skill needs and generally improve the allocation of resources in the labour market.  Unfortunately, almost 30% of students who register for post-secondary programs have not done any kind of career exploration before doing so!  EXPLORE the World of Work is a kid-friendly, teacher-tested career education program for K-12.  Through a series of fun, interesting and relevant career exploration activities, students are able to make the links between school and work.  Learn how at this workshop!

• Helping Your Teen Get Published
  

• This workshop looks at various levels of publication and how to reach them, from publishing your own blog or Webzine to self-publishing books, to breaking into magazines, or to getting a book contract.  Parents (and their teens) will leave this workshop with a solid understanding of their options and the inspiration to go after their goals.
• 
  

• Hurried Meals for Harried Moms and Dads
  

• Have you ever had "one of those days?"  Everything's gone wrong and you've a meal to get!  Or after rushing here and there all day, you open the fridge and no ideas jump out!  Do you want to provide balanced, nutritious meals with a minimum of fuss/time?  Our speaker's practical ideas and simple recipes will bless you and make life just a little smoother.
  

•