Illinois Christian Home Educators to Hold Annual State Homeschool Conference

Illinois Christian Home Educators (ICHE) will hold its Annual State Convention Thursday, June 5 through Saturday, June 7, 2008, at Calvary Church in Naperville, Illinois.

The theme of this year's convention is Anchored in Christ, the Hope of Glory. Convention planners hope this event will equip families with the information and encouragement needed to anchor their homeschools firmly in Christ, and train up their children with faith and confidence in the Lord.

A exciting panel of keynote and workshop speakers has been assembled. Among those scheduled to present at the convention are Elijah Ministries founder Norm Wakefield, author and founder of Math-U-See Steve Demme, high-school-at-home expert Inge Cannon, US Air Force Special Agent Keith Anglin, homeschooling expert and author Diana Waring, and Dr. John Morris, President of The Institute for Creation Research.

The convention advertises over eighty workshops to choose from, covering topics of both timely and timeless interest to the homeschooling family. Scheduled presentations will cover such subjects as protecting your children on the Internet, entrepreneurship, Illinois homeschooling laws, homemaking, finances, and parenting, as well as workshops of support and encouragement for mothers and fathers. A host of academic subject workshops are available as well, covering a wide range of history, geology, science, writing, math, and reading topics.

Of special note are the workshops that will be presented by Dr. John Morris. In addition to being President of The Institute for Creation Research and a doctor of geological engineering, Dr. Morris is well known for his part in expeditions to Mt. Ararat in search of Noah's Ark. Sure to be of interest to many, his workshops include "The Flood in Scripture," "Mt. St. Helens," "The Search for Noah's Ark," "What Really Happened to the Dinosaurs?" and others.

The convention also offers a variety of workshops geared toward the parents of struggling and special needs learners. Presenter Linda Kane is the mother of a child with Down's Syndrome and founder of Hope and a Future, Inc., through which she aids families of children with neurodevelopment inefficiencies. Her workshops will cover such issues as dyslexia, ADD, ADHD, Autism, and processing challenges.

Special Fellowship Gatherings will be held over the lunch hour on Friday and Saturday. Intended to be a time of encouragement, networking, and sharing, there is a gathering scheduled specifically for leaders of support groups, minorities, and single mothers.

Five keynote speeches are planned, including "Home-Based Discipleship" by Norm Wakefield, "Reasons Why Christians Shouldn't Believe In Evolution" by Dr. John Morris, and "Schooling or Educating?" by Inge Cannon.

Also presented by Inge Cannon will be a "Transcript Boot Camp." This day-long seminar, held Thursday, June 5, is suggested for anyone with a child of junior or senior high school age. "Transcript Boot Camp" promises to deliver extensive information necessary to prepare a homeschooled child for high school graduation. Topics covered in this seminar include diplomas, grades, Carnegie Units, unit studies, Grade Point Averages, time logs, portfolios, resumes, and much more. It is recommended that those planning to attend purchase the seminar's syllabus online prior to the convention. The syllabus can be found at www.edplus.com. Type "ICHE BOOT CAMP" in the "Special Instructions" section of the online order form for a $4 discount, plus free shipping.

The list of vendors attending the convention is huge. Exhibiting a variety of homeschool and educational products and services for examination and purchase, these vendors also offer a wealth of information about their products and are happy to speak with parents at length. A small sampling of these vendors include A Beka, Math-U-See, Sonlight Curriculum, KONOS, Rainbow Resource Center, Video Text Interactive, Tapestry of Grace, Rod and Staff, Usborne Books, Miller Pads and Paper, Landmark's Freedom Baptist Curriculum, Rosetta Stone, GeoDeo, and Bob Jones University Press. The vendor hall will be open to paid conference attendees only. Vendor hall hours are Thursday from 4:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Friday from 11:10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and Saturday from 10:50 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

A unique feature of the convention will be the Oasis. The Oasis is a place set aside for parents to sit and talk with veteran homeschoolers one-on-one and discuss any specific problems or challengesthey are having. It is ICHE's goal to offer support, answer questions, and direct parents toward the help they need. The Oasis will be open during the same hours as the vendor hall.

The cost to attend the convention is $60 for Thursday only, $85 for two days, and $115 for three days. That price is good for registrations received by April 26, after which the cost goes up by $5. ICHE offers a Group Rate discount for members of partnering support groups when 15 or more members register together. Spouses attend for free, as do grandparents and/or pastors (who are not homeschooling) when they attend with a homeschooling parent. Convention hours are Thursday from noon to 5:45 p.m., Friday from 7:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For those not already registered, on-site registration will be available each day for the first half-hour the convention is open.

ICHE does not encourage parents to bring children under the age of 13 to the convention. ICHE's goal is to educate parents, and believe the convention will be a greater blessing to children if their parents are able to fully focus on the convention. That said, there are guidelines for bringing children. Infants 15 months and under attend for free. Children 16 months through 12 years old may attend at a cost of $55 per child and must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Young adults 13 years and older may attend for a fee of $20 each, with a maximum of $40 per family, and must attend workshops with a parent. Again, these prices go up after April 26. Workshop and keynote sessions will be recorded, so parents of children causing disturbances will be asked to remove them.

ICHE is always looking for volunteers to help run the convention in such areas as set-up crew, registration, workshop hosts, and general assistance. Volunteers are compensated for their service at a rate of $10 per hour (up to four hours) returned from their registration fee. Young adults 13 and over may help alongside their parent for compensation of $5 per hour (up to four hours).

Calvary Church is located at 9S200 State Route 59 in Naperville, Illinois. The church had been under construction, and ICHE convention planners are excited and thankful to be at Calvary again, now in new, roomier facilities. Calvary Church offers a coffee shop and a café, though attendees are also welcome to bring their own food, or find a local restaurant. Plenty of parking is available at the church.

For those in need of lodging for the weekend, there are several hotels in Naperville. Some of the most convenient to Calvary Church are Courtyard by Marriott, (630) 505-0550, Hampton Inn, (630) 505-1400, and Fairfield Inn, (630) 548-0966.

For detailed information, including available workshops, the convention schedule, and to register online, visit www.iche.org and click on Conventions and Events.