This summer we went to the HSC Adventures in Homeschooling Conference. The conference happens the first weekend in August every year in Sacramento, California.
It was our second year to attend. Both years it was spectacular beyond words.
In this post, I’ll share with you some of my thoughts and feelings about the Adventures in Homeschooling, and lots of photos and videos.
Tomorrow’s Our First Day of Homeschooling
Before I get into writing about the conference, I wanted to share that tomorrow my 5-year-old daughter Kate and I officially start our first year of homeschooling. I can’t tell you how happy this makes me.
My whole life, I was looking forward to having babies and raising children. I yearned for those days of having a baby in a playpen and a toddler running around the house. Those years only last a short time, though — just five years.
The next thing you know, your house is empty all day long. I didn’t want to miss all of those special moments from kindergarten through college. I wanted to be able to spend that time with Kate.
I started my business, Real Food Media, 4 years ago, in part to create the possibility so I could stay home and educate my daughter.
Prior to my daughter’s birth, I worked for 15 years in the digital advertising industry. If I had not taken the risk of starting my own business, I would have gone back to being gone, away from home, for 50-70 hours per week.
And now, because I took the risk (which was not easy) and worked very, very hard for four years, working longer hours than I ever worked in my corporate jobs, I get to spend my time enjoying Kate’s childhood.
Oh sure, I’ll still be working full-time, but we’ll also be spending every morning reading together and exploring what she is interested in. And there will be lots and lots of playing Barbies, cooking, gardening, making art, and lots of park days.
I’m just feeling very grateful today.
Think You Can’t Homeschool?
If you are wondering how you can find the time to homeschool, there are creative ways you can find a way to pull it off. For example, I have friends who work nights so they can stay at home with their kids during the day.
I had a chat with my friend Kelly the Kitchen Kop earlier this year. She was saying how her kids weren’t doing well in school and they were so unhappy. And she was frustrated by the 3-4 hours they were spending every single night on homework. I said to her on the phone, “You know, Kel, homeschooling only takes a few hours a day. In the hours you’re spending doing homework, you could be homeschooling!”
Then Kelly talked to another friend who’s a mom who works full-time AND homeschools. She realized that there are lots of us doing it, and started to think maybe she could do it, too.
If you’re pondering the idea of homeschooling, but not sure if it’s for you or how you could make it work, you might want to head over to Kelly’s blog — she is starting her homeschooling journey with her kids tomorrow, too.
What amazing synchronicity, seeing how she and I started our blogs within a few months of each other, and we’ve been good friends all along the way. I’m so grateful for Kelly!
Here’s Kelly’s most recent post on their homeschooling adventure.
OK, so now, onto the conference…
HSC Adventures in Homeschooling Conference
Here are some of the things that were great about the HSC Adventures in Homeschooling Conference:
Fabulous Weather
It’s in the summertime in California so the weather’s perfect for hanging outside, having picnics and swimming in the pool.
There’s also a lake with a fountain and ducks. So pretty, eh?
Great People
The people are amazing. You meet the most awesome parents and kids. It’s meeting the people that convinced me last year to homeschool Kate.
The photo above is of our friends Shauna and her family. Although they don’t live in LA where we do, we get to spend time with them at the conference every year.
We also got to meet Sandra Dodd, author of Sandra Dodd’s Big Book of Unschooling. (I can’t get through more than a couple pages of this book without tearing up and thinking to myself, “THIS is the way parenting and school SHOULD be!”)
Sandra Dodd is fantastic. If you ever get the chance to see her speak, do not miss her! And of course, you can order her book and/or check out her website, which is chock-full of great information.
Lots of Stuff To Do
There are tons of things to do at the conference. Never a dull moment!
The kids (and parents and grandparents) build things.
And play with things.
And make things.
Lots of Great Stuff to Buy
There’s also a huge exhibition hall with lots of cool stuff, from books to software to crafts.
We got a lot of graphic novels and comics, since Kate loves them.
Check out all these classics we got — I love this Campfire series:
- Oliver Twist (Campfire Graphic Novels)
- Macbeth (Campfire Graphic Novels)
- Christmas Carol (Graphic Novel Adaptation)
- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Campfire Graphic Novels)
We also bought the whole series of the Story of the World on audio, read by Jim Weiss:
- Story of the World, Volume 1: Ancient Times Audiobook CD: From the Earliest Nomads to the Last Roman Emperor, Revised Edition (7 CDs) (v. 1)
- The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child, Volume 2 Audiobook: The Middle Ages: From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of the Renaissance, Revised Edition (9 CDs)
- The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child, Vol. 3: Early Modern Times, 2nd Edition (9 CDs)
- The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child: The Modern Age: Audiobook (Vol. 4) (Story of the World) (v. 4)
Grandparents Get in Free
If your grandparents want to attend, they can get in free. I highly recommend bringing them along. (My mom’s planning to come from Texas next year.)
Bubbe (pictured above) and Papa (pictured below) had such a wonderful time.
It’s a long weekend of play, talking, sharing, creating, and relaxing. We enjoyed every meal together, talking about what we learned and did during the last session.
And they were proud to wear their GRANDMA and GRANDPA badges.
We’ve had a lot of great family vacations with Bubbe and Papa over the years, but in my mind, this was far and away the very best.
Check Back Tomorrow for Part 2
Try as I might, I have too many great pictures and I can’t fit them all into one post.
Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow, with more activities, music and lots of dancing!
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Loved this post! We have homeschooled our almost-8 yr old daughter since birth and can’t imagine it any other way (and neither can she!). She is better socialized than most anyone we know – much more so than some of her public school friends – and is a very advanced reader (partly genetics I think since I was a very early reader as well and am a natural speed reader, and partly because our family loves to read so much). I could go on and on about the joys of homeschooling and how precious these few short years are we have with our kids, but I won’t (you said it well above).
I did want to let you know that there is a great homeschooling conference every summer in your neck of the woods that we attended twice when Rachel was younger – we haven’t made it back yet but would really like to. If you aren’t part of CHN (California Homeschool Network) I would strongly recommend signing up at http://www.californiahomeschool.net/ Even if you don’t join, you can still attend the conferences (called Family Expo) and they are soooo awesome and encouraging. You wouldn’t have to travel far either – they are in Ontario. You can see what this year’s (and previous years) Expo was like at http://chnfamilyexpo.com/ – check out the schedule of this year’s event. 
It sounds like the one you attended in Sac was similar. There used to be a Not Back To School Days homeschool conference in Disneyland too (we attended it twice too) which was a lot of fun – I’m not sure if that one is still going on each year or not. I just wanted to give you this info and also to say HAVE FUN on the wonderful adventure you are on with homeschooling Kate!!
Congrats! Tomorrow we start my daughter’s 5th grade year homeschooling and what we are calling my 2.5 yr old’s “preschool”. I felt the same way and still do – that I did not want to miss out on their childhoods. I would love to attend that conference next year!
Ann Marie, that’s so cool, I didn’t even think about that – how we began our blogs AND our homeschooling journeys both at the same times! I’m so thankful that you planted the first seeds for homeschooling in my head… Although sadly, when you first mentioned it that day I was still pretty closed to the idea. Funny how things can change & I’m so thankful.
Bubbe & Papa ROCK! You are so blessed that they’re so interested & involved.
You’ve gotten me excited to get to a homeschool conference soon. Tell me how you end up liking the Story of the World audio books – we have the print book to start today & may get the audio, too.
It’s 6:14 am here, I’m so excited to begin today that I woke up early. I’m sending hugs & prayers your way for a great first day!!!
Kel
It is worth it. Been doing it for 22 years.
What a fun adventure homeschooling is! You’ll do great!
Now, when you hit the hard days (and there are many), remember why you’re doing this and that IT GETS EASIER. I promise.
I wrote my book in large part to encourage others (in a fun way) that everyone feels like they can’t do it, that they’re going to screw their kids up (at some point), and that they’d be better off in school. That’s totally normal.
But when you get to the end of the year and see the fruit–the confidence they have, the close relationships with siblings and you, the creativity, the rich educational experiences, you’ll be so glad you stuck with it.
Have a wonderful year of learning together!
- Charity Hawkins
We have a number of Jim Weiss audio books and both my girls love them. We’ve had the pleasure of listening to a few of his sessions at the Midwest Home school convention.
On a side not…I am scheduled to speak to Matt Stone this evening and, after seeing your results with your temps, am hoping he can give me advice for healing my body.
Do you think it’s necessary to do GAPS and heal my issues with food sensitivities before doing the RRARF diet?
I think I’m finally at the point where health and strength is more important than keeping from gaining weight.
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