Our Trip to the {INCH} Homeschooling Conference

Julia and I were very excited to attend our Michigan INCH homeschooling conference this year as the exclusive advertising bloggers! I remember going to INCH as a kid. I loved the vendor shopping, getting to thumb through the pages of all that curriculum... yea, for real. Fast forward to the present, that is still my favorite part! For anyone, on any stage of their homeschooling journey, this conference makes a great homeschooling mom's getaway, family enrichment time, or couple's retreat.

A huge thank you to Kim Winters for working with us this year and allowing us to attend.

We arrived early on Thursday and checked into our room at the Radisson hotel. We have stayed outside of Lansing at other hotels that were less expensive, but staying at the Radisson was so nice! The INCH conference offered a special package rate that included breakfast for 4. Parking each day was an additional $10, but it was convenient being connected to the hotel and conference center (especially when hulling heavy books to and from your car). It rained one of the days we were there, but we never even had to step outside due to the wonderful skywalk connecting the hotel and convention. The hotel is very nice and the rooms were clean. The hotel's restaurant was a little pricey  but the food was good.  

Thursday at three, the doors opened for the used book sale! We were there with our wagon and our lists of curriculum to hunt for.

This was the line going into the used book sale. Quite intense.

The goods! Everyone in our little group walked away triumphantly with many items checked off our lists.

The free "Taste of Homeschooling" session, offered on Thursday night was very informative and inspirational! I have attended now for the past couple years, and each time, walk away feeling like I''ve just sat through a homeschooling pep rally! Even if you don't attend the entire conference, it is well worth going for Thursday to the used book sale and "Taste of Homeschooling" Bonus: cookies and coffee are provided :)

The vendor shopping opened at 10AM on Friday morning. We grabbed a yummy breakfast to fuel our shopping energy, then hit the books! If you're new to homeschooling, this massive collection of curriculum vendors could be really, really overwhelming or really, really exciting! Go with an open mind and sense of adventure. Talk to reps and glean knowledge. Many companies offer conference specials like a percentage off or free shipping. Check the items on your list and go prepared with prices in mind that you've looked up on-line.

Check out www.sarahlovesbooks.com for some great Usborn resources! Sarah Asiala was the independent Usborn representative there at the conference when we stopped by, and she hooked us up with some adorable books that our kids are really enjoying! More about that later :) 

There is even a special children's program provided for specific age groups. We got a little sneaky and were checking out their venue. None of us brought kids with us, but it was nice to know the kid's program was right there at the hotel. We noticed a cool stage area and bounce house ready to go.

We made a lot of new friends while perusing the aisles of book vendors. We even complemented a few "hip homeschool" moms on their trendy attire! 

What is the INCH Convention?

Julia attended several workshops on Friday afternoon that she found informative. The list of workshops that were available over the course of the conference was quite impressive. Topics ranged from "homeschooling 101" to working with children who have special needs and learning disabilities. Julia and I both took interest in the sessions geared towards equipping parents with hyper boys that have trouble focusing.

Training Your Child's Photographic Memory:

Dianne Craft detailed differences between right brained learners and left brained learners.  We primarily teach toward left brained learners with lists and memorization oriented studying. If you find that your child is struggling, it is most likely because they are right brained. As teachers we can help them by providing humor, color, and pictures. Dianne used spelling words as an example. Try rewriting the words in color or creating a silly picture out of the letter with which they are struggling. She has several free resources on her website.

Adoption/Foster Care Forum:

Charlie Nunez led this forum with panel members ranging in age and experience. Charlie and his wife have a biological and adopted family size of 13 while another family had three. Many testimonials were given. No one directly said this, but the Lord impressed on my heart at the very end of the session: Why do we make such a big deal out of Adoption and Foster Care? Why do I focus so much on what is this going to do to "my" life? How will "I" be inconvenienced? What will "my" kids miss out on?  The reality is.. we have an opportunity to change a child's life. We have an opportunity to either provide a temporary shelter for a child or a life long home.  Yes there will be challenges, but if God has called you don't rationalize the feelings/thoughts away. Help.

If you want to help, you apply to a private agency in the same way that you would if you wanted to adopt. In Michigan they include, but are not limited to: 

Then you complete a bunch of paperwork that will start up to a six-month process. Each child in your home (including the ones that you would bring in) must have a 40 square foot space in a bedroom. They are allowed to share a bedroom with their same gender. They are able to share a bedroom with their biological sibling until either child reaches the age of 5.