The most profound part of homeschooling is the handcrafted journey that happens when an education is tailored for the individual. Doesn’t that sound like something worth providing for your child? But… How do you do it? How do you provide something that honors your learner and provides the important academic skills and knowledge they need?

In this practical Homeschooling 101 workshop, Blair Lee will cover the basics of crafting a personalized education that ignites your child’s learning and empowers YOU. She will guide you through curriculum navigation, insights into who your child is as a learner, and essential startup tips to help you develop a clear roadmap for creating a thriving homeschool journey for your unique child. She will give you practical advice about what you REALLY need to get started.

Elementary school years are often considered the “wonder years” for cognitive development. The brain is “highly plastic, making elementary education important as it shapes the brain’s architecture. This is the time when children are rapidly acquiring new knowledge and skills, and their thinking is becoming more complex. During these early years, children’s brains undergo significant growth and change, laying the foundation for their future learning abilities.

Brain science tells us that elementary students learn best when they are actively engaged in the learning process. They learn by doing, by exploring, and by making mistakes. They also learn by interacting with others and being challenged. Homeschoolers can use learning theory to create a stimulating and supportive learning environment for their children. This might involve providing opportunities for hands-on learning, using inquiry-based activities, and encouraging children to ask questions.
***Updated to include new information, tips, and advice.***

You might know that the human brain develops more rapidly between the ages of 0 and 3 than at any other time in life. But did you know that the second fastest period of growth happens from 11 to 14? According to Jay Giedd, director of child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, and a leading expert in the teen brain, during these years the brain grows and changes. There is pruning and structuring of brain cells that develop pathways and connections that become patterns. It is also a critical time for social and emotional development. Educators understand middle school to be a transformative time for young people.

If you are wondering what this means for those of you who are homeschooling middle school, a lot. While neurologists, psychologists, and traditional educators are struggling to reform traditional middle school classrooms, you can start the revolution in your home school!

If you are homeschooling middle school, join Blair Lee as she discusses:

• The science behind the middle school brain
• Using a diagnostic test to help figure out academics
• Important skills to work on in middle school
• Skills to take to high school
• Using academics to help kids be more successful and make more connected pathways in the brain.
• Puberty: the brain is doing a lot of growing and what that means for learning.
• The parenting-teacher dilemma: They have a desire to be independent before they have the skills they need to be successful negotiating more independence, what do you do?

***Updated to include new information, tips, and advice***

You might think that brain development in high school is a continuation of what was going on in middle school. That is not the case, however. The brain development of 14- to 19-year-olds is not simply a continuation of middle school processes. While there are some continuities, significant shifts also occur, making high school a distinct stage in brain development. Join Blair Lee for this talk focused on the implications for learning as a result of this brain development. I will also discuss the specific learning skills students will want to work on in high school.
***Updated to include new information, tips, and advice***

Join Blair Lee and Kat Hutcheson as we close our June conference with  our fan-favorite Ask Me Anything session.