Homeschool Convention Fun

I spent a blissful Thursday evening, Friday, and Saturday at the state homeschool convention. The main speaker this year was Andrew Pudewa, who was great! I learned so much and to help myself remember it all, I decided to rehearse it in a post.

These are the points I want to remember:

• The most important things I can do to nurture excellent writers and speakers it to read aloud and have the children memorize material. I already read aloud to the younger children, but I need to read aloud to all the children, choosing books that will stretch them. It has always been a priority for me to read to them, so it should be pretty easy to add a bit more and include the olders. We used to memorize poems when we used ABeka years ago and we have memorized a lot of scripture in the past, but we've let that drop in the last couple of years or so. I need to resurrect it. Hmmm, I'll have to think about how to fit that into our school day.
  
  
• Learning to spell words in a sequential manner is very important. It's also very important to have the child spell each word aloud, as well as write it. Since Thomas is such an inventive speller, I was particularly interested in the workshop entitled "Spelling and the Brain". Mr. Pudewa recommended the spelling program I'm already using, Sequential Spelling, so I'm on the right track. I just need to have him spell aloud, too, which I've not been doing.

• Four errors of teaching writing are: over correction of the child's work, not making assignments clear, withholding help, and over expectation. Whoops! Guilty as charged on several counts. I think I'm doing OK about not over correcting, I try to make assignments clear (but I know I fail sometimes), and I don't think I'm expecting too much, but I am guilty of withholding help sometimes because I feel like I'm doing the work for them. Not so, says Mr. Pudewa. He says you cannot help too much and the child will tell you when he wants you to let him do it alone.

Going to the homeschool convention always inspires me to begin another school year. I love talking to people with whom I have so much in common, I like to look at and buy new books, and I like to learn new things and be encouraged that I'm doing a pretty good job after all. This year's convention met all those needs!