Canadian Online Homeschool Conference Goodie Bag 2024

2024

FEBRUARY 5-9

GOODIE BAG

FROM THE HOST

Welcome to the 8th annual Canadian Online Homeschool Conference.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 8 years!

I’m so thankful to everyone who has helped me be able to create a great event to support the homeschooling community here in Canada and to those of you who come and participate every year. It’s always so much fun to see familiar faces and meet new friends.

This year, we continue the theme of the Homeschool Journey - making each day based on a moment along the path from preschool to high school. Everyone is welcome to join us every day, or just pop in on the days that will help them the most.

Please make sure to visit the vendor hall and the companies that have sponsored the event this year. It’s because of their support that I’ve been able to keep this going for 8 years - and, hopefully beyond.

This booklet is a collection of special offers and freebies for many different companies. Please check them all out! Pay attention to the end dates of any offers so that you don’t miss out on anything that you were hoping to take advantage of.

Have a great week! May you find it refreshing, encouraging, and just a lot of fun.

Lisa Marie Fletcher

disclosure: some links in this goodie bag are affiliate links.

! s r o s n o p s r u o o t u o y Thank Our passion is to help you do education well.

Whether you are a homeschool parent, a parent of children in school, an educator, or a school looking for curriculum we are here to help you find the perfect resource to meet the educational needs of your students. With thousands of resources and over 25 years of experience, we can help you succeed.

VISIT WWW.LEARNINGHOUSE.CA

Whether you’re a dedicated homeschooler or a family of digital nomads, Schoolio is here to fulfill the foundational educational needs of every child.

Our core curriculum covers essential subjects like math, language, science, and social studies. Beyond the basics, our electives are designed to spark curiosity, while our global citizenship units aim to cultivate critical thinking and broaden perspectives on world challenges.

VISIT SCHOOLIO.COM

Have you grabbed your 2024 All-Access Pass yet?

Only $27 until February 9th! #CANHSCON24

Feb20245

DAY ONE

The Outfitters’ Shop - Getting Started Homeschooling for Newbies - Cori Dean Just starting out or considering taking a homeschooling adventure?

This workshop will address some of the top questions that new homeschoolers ask: Do I need to contact my local school board?

What resources and supports are available to me? How do I choose curriculum? What should a typical school day look like? What about socialization!?! Let's talk about it.

Find Your Groove: Choosing How to Structure YOUR Homeschool Year - Amber Hebert If you’re feeling overwhelmed with fitting in all the subjects for all the kids … if you’re finding yourself out of brain space to do the next lesson, or feeling like you’re just checking boxes and missing the magic… you’ve likely wondered if there’s another way. I’m here to help!

There are actually many ways you can break down your homeschool year to feel more JOY and accomplishment for everyone involved.

Let’s chat about it!

Getting Started: Helping Novice and New Homeschoolers Achieve a High Quality Education - Patty Marler This session is for novice and new homeschoolers who have questions about homeschooling, want to explore new approaches to homeschooling or want ideas on how to achieve a high quality education for their children. Frequently asked questions about homeschooling will be addressed. You will leave with practical information on how to develop a quality education program that works for your child and your family.

Systems to Simplify Your Homeschool Day - Amber Enns Finding a good groove to your homeschool day can be challenging. A family full of different personalities, children reaching different developmental leaps, seasonal changes, and the day to day tasks that need to be done can leave us feeling a little frazzled and overwhelmed. Learn about 5 different systems you can implement into your days so that your home and homeschool not only survive but thrive. Let’s simplify our homeschool days with tried and true systems for all ages and stages of life and make them work uniquely for you.

*KIDS* Spring Holidays and Traditions From Around the World - Darya Yatskova We will explore some spring festivals and holidays celebrated around the world. In particular, we’ll focus on St. Patrick's Day and make a shamrock craft, and on Spring Day celebrated in Egypt and make a plant stick in a shape of an egg as it’s one of the holiday symbols.

*KIDS* Learn to Draw and Paint a Whale - Wendy Meades *LIVE* 1 PM EASTERN / 10 AM PACIFIC In this fun art class, artist Wendy Meades will teach you how to draw and paint a whale. Learn to draw a whale with easy step by step directed drawing and learn watercolour art techniques such as wet on wet and adding salt. This lesson comes with a BONUS online art lesson on how to draw and paint a whale tail or a mermaid tail. We can’t wait to create with you. Join the fun.

Introducing Learning House - *LIVE* 2 PM EASTERN / 11 AM PACIFIC Come for a walk-through of the Learning House homeschool store located in Bradford Ontario. Ask Cori and team your questions about what they offer and see what's new on the shelves!

“Getting Started” Q&A with Alternative Education Consultant Stephanie Sewell - *LIVE* 3 PM EASTERN / 12 PM PACIFIC Stepping into the world of “life without conventional school” brings up a wide range of emotions for parents and kids embarking on their homeschooling journey. There are all the logistical details about how to homeschool, which approach to take, how to order your days, how long to ‘deschool’ for, and more. But there is also the new fact of living and learning in a way that is different to most. How does each parent feel about this? Will the primary homeschool parent ever have “time off”? How do extended family members and close friends feel about and support (or not support) this choice? Do the parents feel confident about the plan? Are the kids excited or reluctant?

Bring your questions, concerns, excitement and fear about starting your homeschooling or unschooling journey to this interactive Q&A session. This is a safe space to dig into some of these feelings with Stephanie’s professional and personal experience to guide us. Please note that questions can be sent to Stephanie in advance (stephaniejsewell@gmail.com) so that your situation can be addressed during the session anonymously if that is your preference.

Open Chat- *LIVE* 4 PM EASTERN / 1 PM PACIFIC Are you new to homeschooling and could use some encouragement?

Have questions yearning for answers? Want to "talk shop" with some homeschool parents who have been there / done that? Join in this chat and we'll help you however you need - even if it's just to connect and know you are not alone. There is no set agenda for this session, it's simply just an open free chat time. Everyone welcome, no matter where you are at in the homeschool journey. *NOT RECORDED*

Open Chat- *LIVE* 8 PM EASTERN / 5 PM PACIFIC

Feb20246

DAY TWO

Preschool Meadow

Balancing Play and Learning: Setting a StressFree Daily Rhythm for Preschool and Kindergarten Homeschooling on a Budget - Paula Haick This session focuses on creating a balanced, play-based learning environment for preschool and kindergarten homeschooling. It offers practical strategies for setting a daily rhythm that is engaging, educational, and easy on the budget. Participants will receive resources including an "Everything Preschool" book, daily templates, and a long-range plan to implement these strategies effectively. This session aims to empower homeschooling parents with the knowledge and tools to create a nurturing, fun, and effective learning environment for their preschool and kindergarten children, emphasizing the importance of play and creativity in early education.

Lovers of Math & Science - Crystal Joy Campbell Take a short voyage with veteran homeschool mama, Crystal Joy Campbell, as we explore ways to understand and grow a mathematical and scientific vision in our children. The world awaits our discovery of math and science all around us, we just need to see it and reveal it. Learn how to be a guide for your children so they become lovers of Math and Science.

Reading Foundations: Setting Your Preschooler Up For Success - Rosemary Gin & Shari Jensen Passionate reading teachers Rosemary Gin and Shari Jensen present the science of read-alouds and the three clue systems all good readers use. This foundational knowledge will enable parents to better support their children's reading development from the start.

We couple this with fun, easy ideas on what you can do now to set your little one up for reading success.

Embrace the Mess: Sensory Fun for Your Preschooler (And You!)- Lisa Marie Fletcher Join me as we dive into the world of sensory play - covering the what, who, why, and how to include this fun learning experience into your preschool days at home. Discover DIY activities that stimulate your preschooler's senses, fostering fine and gross motor skills, language development, and emotional growth. This session will give you practical, take-and-do ideas to use today with your little one (and the big ones too!)

*KIDS* STEM Storytime: Create a Super Spinner! Emmanuelle Carty & Dominique Rabideau Join the Let’s Talk Science STEM Storytime team to read Michael Bond's book “Paddington at the Circus” and complete a hands-on science activity about kinetic energy! During this session, youth will learn all about forces, spinning motion, and kinetic energy. First, the Storytime team will read an action-filled book where a little bear becomes the star attraction during his first visit to the circus. After reading the book, and a short discussion, children will use everyday household items to create their own spinning tops. This session is ideal for Early Years to Grade 3.

*KIDS* The Magic of Poetry - Kalli Dakos *LIVE* 1 PM EASTERN / 10 AM PACIFIC Join Kalli for a lively journey through children’s poetry. Kalli begins with excerpts from her latest book with DC Canada, My Lunchbox Is Hopping & Other School Poems. Then, Kalli guides her audience into the magical world of the Canadian North, where students have recess in the dark during the winter months. Finally, Kalli explores the wonders of a very special farm in the middle of the busy city of Ottawa, Canada’s capital.

Introducing Let's Talk Science- *LIVE* 2 PM EASTERN / 11 AM PACIFIC Come meet the Let's Talk Science team and learn more about the amazing programs they offer for all ages of learners, like STEM Storytimes for preschoolers, Science Workshops for school aged kids, the Let's Talk Science Challenge for grades 6-8, their high school programs, and more. (They might even share about sending tomato seeds to space!) Bring your questions.

Open Chat- *LIVE* 4 PM EASTERN / 1 PM PACIFIC Are you new to homeschooling and could use some encouragement?

Have questions yearning for answers? Want to "talk shop" with some homeschool parents who have been there / done that? Join in this chat and we'll help you however you need - even if it's just to connect and know you are not alone. There is no set agenda for this session, it's simply just an open free chat time. Everyone welcome, no matter where you are at in the homeschool journey. *NOT RECORDED*

Open Chat- *LIVE* 8 PM EASTERN / 5 PM PACIFIC Tonight, we are getting locked into the vendor hall, and we're going to play a game! Can you find your way out? After the game, we will just open the room up to some free chat and community hanging out time. *NOT RECORDED*

Feb20247

DAY THREE

Elementary Forest

One Story a Day: Fueling Elementary School Kids’ Love of Reading - Kara Cybanski & Leonard Judge Using the One Story a Day series and relevant research as an example, Leonard and Kara will discuss how to get kids excited about reading by building the habit bit by bit, day by day. This presentation will cover three main topics: a) reading for fun as a learning activity; b) building a lesson around reading material; and c) helping children overcome their reading-related fears or challenges. Includes a free handout of sample One Story a Day stories and activities.

What To Do When Your Learner Gives Up - Jen Wynands What do you do when your child refuses to go to a sports practice, learn a subject, or try a life skill? Join Jenny as she talks about 5 steps that you can take to help your child overcome any challenge: How to set your family up for success, Simple and effective strategies to overcome challenges as they happen. Handout full of resources and activities available after the talk.

Teaching with Math Card Games - Kathleen Cotter Clayton Put your kids on a winning team by playing math card games. Games are fun and exciting! They can teach as well as provide practice for the facts. Games become an application for the information and children of various abilities can play together. Join us for some FUN as we show you how to play some addition, multiplication, and fraction games.

Adapting Curriculum to meet your Unique Learner's Needs - Diane Geerlinks "I have piles of curriculum but none of this works for my child!" I remember walking through the curriculum hall at conferences desperately looking for something that would 'work' for my unique learner. You, too? In this workshop, we will discuss how to adapt the curriculum to work for your child. We will briefly discuss thow to identify the learning modalities (styles), how to create and consider an Individual Education Plan (IEP) and share practical tips for adapting curriculum to meet your unique learners needs!

*KIDS* Creature Feature!: The Weird Ones Are the Cutest - Daniel Allers (Ages 6-12) Let’s highlight some of the most incredible (and weirdest) creatures we have covered in our monthly program! The Aye aye, the Gar and the Lemming. Make sure you download the PDF worksheets and use them to follow along while you watch or test yourself at the end to see how much you remember. Happy learning!

*KIDS* Explore France with Touralingo! *LIVE* 1 PM EASTERN / 10 AM PACIFIC This interactive, livestream session is an immersive opportunity to enhance French language skills while exploring France! Enjoy a whirlwind tour of must-see locations, French cuisine, French history, fun facts, trivia, and interesting anecdotes from one of Touralingo’s experienced guides. This session is geared toward elementary kiddos learning French and all skill levels, including beginners, are welcomed!

Open Chat- *LIVE* 4 PM EASTERN / 1 PM PACIFIC Are you homeschooling in the forest and could use some encouragement? Have questions yearning for answers? Want to "talk shop" with some homeschool parents who have been there / done that? Join in this chat and we'll help you however you need - even if it's just to connect and know you are not alone. There is no set agenda for this session, it's simply just an open free chat time.

Everyone welcome! *NOT RECORDED*

Open Chat- *LIVE* 8 PM EASTERN / 5 PM PACIFIC Tonight - let's talk about curriculum. Bring your questions and Bring your favourite curriculum to show and tell. Afterwards, the room is open for free chat and hang out time! *NOT RECORDED* *this will run late for west coast participants*

Visit Anna’s Teachers Pay Teachers Store - Feb 6-9, 2024 - for 20% discount on select items! >>>

8 Feb 2024

DAY FOUR

Middle / High School Mountain Five Tweaks to Actually Like Homeschooling Middle School - Jennifer Dean

*YOUTH * Your Road to Success for High School and Beyond: Kimberly Muhtar

Homeschool mom and Family Coach Jenn Dean shares how to love homeschooling in the middle school years. What do you need to change and what needs to stay the same? Learn from her mistakes and realign your homeschool today!

Are you being asked what you want to be when you grow up? In this video, uncover your strengths and weaknesses, your likes and dislikes, because your career could come from these. The marketplace pays big money for diligence, great communication and people skills, taking responsibility, and following through. Do you have these skills?

If not, learn how to develop them now so that you get chosen for the job of your choice or a pay raise. Use this video as a complement to or a launch pad for your homeschool careers credit.

Basic Fact Mastery for Junior High Without a Calculator - Carly Abraham Are your junior high students still struggling with basic facts? This session will show you a simple yet effective approach to help your students develop fluency including “chunking” facts into groups for ease of learning, developing efficient thinking strategies for each chunk, and the importance of practice. You will leave this session with a tried-and-true approach for achieving basic fact mastery.

Why Your Gr 6-12 Student Hates Composition and What to Do About It - Theresa Peters Have you been surprised about the big emotions that explode (or seep) out of your preteen and teen when it's time to write paragraphs and essays? Writing is so much more than writing! There is hope!

Discover what is really going on inside their hearts and minds and how overcoming these battles will allow them to be skilled writers and confident and self-motivated in every area of their lives.

Remember? Writing is so much more than writing!

Unlocking the Brain’s Potential: Responding to Learning Difficulties Through a Cognitive Approach - Shelley Woon If learning difficulties are getting in the way of your child’s success, it’s time to understand and explore solutions through a cognitive lens.

When learning challenges exist, well-being can become compromised, impacting the ability to navigate life, relationally, emotionally and physically, now and into the future. In this session you will gain insights into how the performance of your child’s cognitive functions, reflected in their cognitive profile, provides an understanding of the origin of the difficulties and how Arrowsmith can provide support through a neuroplastic approach. The Brain Can Change and so can your child’s ability to navigate the world.

*YOUTH * Great Achievements in History (Ages 1218) - Daniel Allers History is full of monumental events. Let’s explore the stories and history of the Manhattan Project, the Bell X1 plane and the Trans Canadian Railway! Make sure you download the PDF worksheets and use them to follow along while you watch or test yourself at the end to see how much you remember. Happy learning!

*YOUTH* Fan your Fiction into Flame! An Interactive Student Class for Gr 6-10 (ish) Theresa Peters *LIVE* 1 PM EASTERN / 10 AM PACIFIC Fiction is so much more than fluff. Join this live, interactive and engaging class to learn the "show don't tell" process and how it fill writing with action and suspense! Your middle school or high school student will leave with new tools and excitement to work through writing as a process!

Introducing GeerLINKS Educational Therapy *LIVE* 2 PM EASTERN / 11 AM PACIFIC Come meet Diane from GeerLINKS Educational Therapy and find out more about the programs and services she offers to support you and your unique child - especially with their homeschooling adventures.

Open Chat- *LIVE* 4 PM EASTERN / 1 PM PACIFIC Are you homeschooling teens and could use some encouragement?

Have questions yearning for answers? Want to "talk shop" with some homeschool parents who have been there / done that? Join in this chat and we'll help you however you need - even if it's just to connect and know you are not alone. There is no set agenda for this session, it's simply just an open free chat time. Everyone welcome! *NOT RECORDED*

Open Chat- *LIVE* 8 PM EASTERN / 5 PM PACIFIC *this will run late for west coast participants*

Feb20249

DAY FIVE

The Summit - Words of Wisdom Nurturing You, Beyond Homeschool Mom: Exploring Creativity, Self-Awareness, & Boundary Building - Teresa Wiedrick Teresa Wiedrick, a Certified Life Coach, Homeschool Mentor & Graduated Homeschool Mom of 4, explores nurturing personal identity beyond the homeschool mom identity. Teresa emphasizes creativity, self-awareness, and boundaries, touching on limits, effective communication, and self-care prioritization. Advocating guilt-free "no's" and boundary consistency, she shares reflective exercises for growth. Balancing personal development and homeschool duties involves time blocking, task batching, and flexibility. Teresa's journey, from a closet studio to a confident podcaster, embodies her teachings. Encouraging self-commitment, she offers resources on Capturing the Charmed Life site and Homeschool Mama Self Care podcast, empowering moms to find authenticity, confidence, and purpose in their homeschooling journey.

For Moms Who Feel Like They are Failing Kimberly Muhtar Feel like you are failing as a homeschool mom because you didn’t get it all done today? Is everyone tired, unmotivated, and easily distracted? Are you trying to teach a lot of ages at the same time?

Are you and the kids bored? In this video, you’ll gain a strong mom mindset in each of these areas so that you stop feeling like a failure and enjoy being the mom you want to be.

Nurturing Your Child's Learning Style for Homeschool Success - Susie Lubbers Have you ever wondered why your child is not learning and thriving as well as you think they should? It could be that they learn completely differently then you expect. In Unleashing Potential: Nurturing your Child’s Learning Style for Homeschool Success we will delve into the different types of learning styles that you could encounter in your child.

We will discuss the 3 different types and find real life solutions to help your child unleash their learning potential.

Tech Tools for Your Homeschool - Kimberly Charron Learn about apps and tech tools to use in your homeschool. From interactive learning to make homeschool easier and fun for all ages, to help with homeschool records and transcripts to earn postsecondary admission and scholarships.

*KIDS* Lovely Little Landscapes With Plasticine Sarah Uren Join me and three lovely little artists to learn how to create mini landscapes with plasticine for ages 2‐ 100! Plasticine or modeling clay serves as a moldable medium for creating clever pieces of art.

It’s such a versatile medium that you can work on a flat surface or design three dimensional pieces too. During our session, we will demonstrate a two dimensional landscape; how to smooth and layer plasticine to develop a backdrop and mold pieces into details so your final piece is a plasti‐scene! Grab your aprons and jump in!

*KIDS* Plant Connections with Royal Botanical Gardens *LIVE* 2 PM EASTERN / 11 AM PACIFIC After a quick introduction to Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG), Canada’s largest botanical garden and one of Canada’s biodiversity hotspots, we’ll explore how you can take advantage of our interactive virtual programs to support and enhance your K- Gr12 learners. Every breath you take is thanks to a plant. Our clean water is partially thanks to plants. Our food, fibre, shelter and medicine are thanks to plants. We’ll demonstrate a couple of interactive programs (Good Things come in Trees and Insects in Winter) related to the use of plants by both humans and animals. Have your pencils ready. (Gr 3 – 8)

Introducing Schoolio - *LIVE* 3 PM EASTERN / 12 PM PACIFIC Come meet the team behind Schoolio - an all-in-one Canadian curriculum. Ask your questions and see what they offer!

Open Chat- *LIVE* 4 PM EASTERN / 1 PM PACIFIC One last free chat time together. Bring any questions you have, any comments about the sessions/ conference this year, or anything else!

It's just an open time to spend with each other before we wrap up another conference. Everyone welcome! *NOT RECORDED*

WRAP UP PARTY! - *LIVE* 8 PM EASTERN / 5 PM PACIFIC Join me for a fun hangout in this final live event of the 2024 Canadian Online Homeschool Conference. Please note that this party will be held in our Facebook group. In order to participate, you need a Facebook account. (If you aren't on Facebook, you can make an account just for this event and then never use it again until next year.)

It's always fun to participate live, but if you can't, giveaways will remain up until 6am Eastern time the next morning to allow all time zones to participate fairly.

! s u g n i n i o j T hank s for ! r a e y t x e n u S ee y o