Off to the HEAV conference

I'm off to Richmond for three days for the HEAV conference. I always suffer from great angst before I go to these conference as I am a hard core secular homeschooler and this is a Christian conference. I feel overwhelmed by the Christian greetings that abound, and always have to remind myself that I am the visitor and should respect the attendees beliefs.

However, the sheer number of lectures on offer makes this very attractive. Even when you factor out the lectures like, "Obedience from the Heart", "Teaching students to defend Christianity" or ""Building World-Changing Leaders for Christ", there is still an almost over abundance of lectures from which to choose. My problem is always narrowing down my choices.

Right now I am thinking of attending the following lectures:

• More than a game: Chess and its impact on learning


• Evaluating student writing: You don't have to be an English Major, OR, Introducing Analytical Grammar


• Gateway to the Classics: The right literature at the right time, OR, Asking the right questions - Teaching literature with Socratic Discussion


• Homeschooling your gifted child.


• It's Much More than Maps from Geography matters. OR, The biology of behavior I. OR, Lapbooks across the curriculum, OR, Reaching the Reluctant writer.


• The biology of behavior 2, OR, The 4 C's of Lego Learning

Tough, tough decisions. I have wanted to meet Dianne Craft for ages as I think her information on the biology of learning can really help my kids, however, the Lego learning is something I dearly want to do. I can see how I am going to have to attend one lecture and buy the CD of the other.

Probably the best part of the entire conference is the curriculum fair (both new and used). While I am a big user of the net to buy curricula, I have a few products that I really want to be able to look at in detail to help me make decisions.

i'll blog about the lectures I choose.