Riley and I are off to the Great Homeschool Convention. For the past couple of weeks, I've been making my lists and checking them twice. I now have ten years of home educating under my belt. Over those years, I have come to know what I like and what I don't. More recently, the art of simplification has been on my heart.
Due to my new less is more thinking, I aim to be intentional upon our arrival. I have mapped my course. After all, the vendor hall is my favorite place to be. I'm like a kid in a candy store. However, it can quickly turn into a bellyache if one is unprepared and overindulges.
After making my lists, I checked our book shelves. I actually found two books on my list that I forgot I had. I'm on a very limited budget and therefore, can't afford unnecessary purchases. I then priced my list on a variety of sites including Rainbow Resource, Christian Book, Amazon, as well as other various curriculum vendors. I know there will be conference discounts, free shipping, and other incentives, by knowing my prices ahead of time, I'm able to take these factors into consideration and get the most bang for my buck.
I have also printed a list of speakers and the workshop schedule. Since we have about a nine hour drive, I will have time to choose my sessions while enroute. In addition, I plan to buy the conference audio. That way, I don't have to feel stressed about choosing just the right workshops ahead of time because it's inevitable that more than one person on my list will be speaking at the same time. I also like owning the conference audio so I can find added encouragement throughout the year.
Back when I was only five years in, I wrote Prepping for a Homeschool Convention. Much is the same today. I will be wearing comfortable clothing and shoes, as well as bringing plenty of water along to stay hydrated. I look forward to one on one time with Riley as well as what the Great Homeschool Convention has to offer!
Hey, if you see me at the conference, please say hello. I love to meet fellow home educating Charlotte Mason, Classical Education thinkers :)
Hahaha, you sound like me! I just made a list for our next history unit, then crosschecked it against the library, Amazon, Ebay, and what seems like a zillion other places. Here's to being a good steward of homeschool funds! Have fun at the conference!
ReplyDeleteI'm getting ready too! I'll be there and I'm bringing a friend who has never been.
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