May Sonlight Blog Party

May’s Sonlight blog party prompt is: Share your best homeschool convention tips and experiences.

I have only been to one convention so this is just my perception from that experience and reading the list of speakers on other conventions through the years.

There are two main reasons why I think people go to conventions:
1) Research
Either you are just starting out and need to research everything or you are having difficulties in an area or need new ideas. The vendor halls are awesome. It is great to be able to see and feel the materials you are thinking about using. Also, if you are first time the intro to homeschooling session are great especially if there are legal requirements in your state.
2) Burn out
A lot of the speaker topics seem to be aimed at this category. The conventions have a very pep-rally feel. Lots of parents/teachers have a hard time balancing homeschool with all the other responsibilities of being a parent. And lots of people get tired and need a pick me up before starting the next school year.

Since I haven’t been falling into either category in the last few years, I haven’t really been that interested in attending a convention. I’m happy with how Sonlight and my other curriculum choices have been working for my family and I’m always impressed by what they are picking up. I also don’t have that burn out feel yet, I’m sure it will come. I think it definitely helps to have the Sonlight forums (and Google). I feel comfortable asking for help or opinions year round and don’t need to wait until a convention to get a little help.

That’s all I have. Hopefully, I will learn some other reasons to attend a convention from this month’s entries!