Greater St. Louis Area
Home Educators Expo is April 8-10
Homeschooling
may now be the fastest growing form of education in the United States, according to the National Home Education Research Institute.
During 2009, there were an estimated 2 – 3 million homeschooled students, an 80 percent increase since 1999! The National
Center for Education Statistics reports that homeschooling is growing by 5 to 12 percent each year and shows no signs of slowing
down.
The Greater St. Louis
Area certainly reflects this trend, with the number of home-educated students increasing at a rapid rate throughout the region.
Homeschool organizations, networks and support groups are found in almost every neighborhood. For the fifth year in a row,
Christian homeschooling groups from St. Louis City and County, St. Charles County, Jefferson County and Metro East Illinois
have come together to host the Greater St. Louis Area Home Educators Expo. The annual convention brings speakers, homeschool
leaders and exhibitors to St. Louis from all over the country. The 2010 Expo will offer a wealth of information designed to
meet the needs of this expanding homeschool population.
The three-day event will be held on April 8th, 9th and
10th at the First Evangelical Free Church of St. Louis County, located at 1375 Carman Road in Manchester, Missouri. “First
E-Free” has proved to be the perfect conference host for the last two years. This year’s Expo once again
will be an exciting time of keynote speeches, workshops, seminars, panel discussions, curriculum exhibitors, and opportunities
to network and fellowship with like-minded families. Whether or not a family home educates, the Expo will provide help and
encouragement to anyone interested in taking a more active role in their children’s education.
2010 Expo Speakers & Topics
Some of the most
talented, knowledgeable and committed individuals in the homeschool movement will be participating in this year’s Expo.
The featured speakers will be: David Hazell - missionary, speaker, author, creator and
publisher of the popular My Father’s World curriculum, and homeschool dad of 6; Steve Demme - math professor,
speaker, founder and author of the award-winning Math-U-See curriculum, special needs advocate, and homeschool dad
of 4 boys; Jeannie Fulbright - writer, speaker, author of the bestselling Apologia elementary science curriculum,
and homeschool mom of 4; Dianne Craft – special education teacher, author, speaker, HSLDA Special Needs Coordinator,
and founder of Child Diagnostics, Inc.; Kerry Messer – author, speaker, founder and president of Missouri Family Network,
registered lobbyist with Families for Home Education, and homeschool dad of two sons with 7
homeschooled grandchildren.
Along with the featured auditorium speakers, there will be a
number of excellent seminar speakers including: Barry Stebbing – artist, teacher, and founder of
How Great Thou ART Publications; Susan Reilly - Missouri State Manager for Classical Conversations,
author of The Homeschool Director Planning series, and homeschool mom of 4; John Thrower – former pastor, speaker,
President of the Family Vision Library, and homeschool dad of 4; Dr. Carl Werner - ER
physician, movie producer, and Creation Science author and lecturer; Todd Aiken – U.S. Congressman,
businessman, speaker, author, and homeschool dad of 6; Carrie Salyer – occupational therapist, speaker,
author, and co-owner of Leaps and Bounds; Bill Federer – author, speaker, historian, president of
Amerisearch, Inc. and host of the American Minute radio broadcast; Katie Breneman – special education teacher,
speaker, Applied Behavior Analysis specialist, and former homeschooler; Steve Clark - author, co-founder of Video Text
Interactive math curriculum, President of the Homeschool Speakers & Vendors Association, homeschool dad of 5.
The 2010 speakers will present
a wide range of topics such as: Exposed – Isolated – Insulated: How Shall We Educate Our
Children?; Solving Your Science Struggles; Teaching the Right Brain Child; Defending Your Family – Homeschooling Under
Attack; Ten Deadly Myths About Math; Slaying Lions and Honoring Parents; Let’s Get Organized – But How?; Homeschooling
Methods that Win and Wipe Out; Smart Kids Who Hate to Write; Men and Marbles; The Value of Arts Education for This Generation;
Is the Theory of Evolution a Fairy Tale?; Ten Things to Consider When Going to the Library; The Many Benefits of a Classical
Education; Learning Lasting Lessons From the Rise and Fall of Great Civilizations; Algebra Alcatraz!; Reading Methods That
Work; Capturing a Teenager’s Spirit: Raising a Young Adult; Homeschooling Multiple Children Successfully; God and the
History of Art; The Biology of Learning & Behavior…and many more!
Special
Needs Children
As always, the Expo
offers parents of special needs children many valuable topics to choose from. The Special Needs Workshops will focus on the
‘practical,’ helping parents to learn new strategies and techniques to implement with their children in the home
setting. Dianne Craft, HSLDA Special Needs Consultant, will present six of her popular seminars on how to help the ‘struggling
learner’ overcome learning blocks and achieve success. In addition, specialists will give advice about nutrition, speech
therapy, neurology, sensory integration methods, recognizing developmental problems and much more. Once again, occupational
therapist Carrie Salyer will offer a hands-on workshop where parents can make educational tools to try at home. The Special
Needs Workshops are designed to help parents of children with ADD/ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, dyslexia, bipolar disorder,
sensory integration problems, speech and language delays, and other learning and behavior challenges. There will also be topics
to assist the parents of gifted learners. New this year will be workshops offering support and advice to parents of adopted
children.
Expo Schedule
The Expo kicks off to a great start on Thursday, April 8th, with FREE admission to the Exhibitor Hall and other events
from 5 to 9 p.m. Exhibitors from across the country will be on hand to display the newest and best they have to offer in curriculum
and services. The growing list of curriculum exhibitors includes: A Beka Book, Rainbow Resource Center,
Inc., My Father’s World, Math-U-See, Sonlight, Rod & Staff, Saxon Homeschool, Apologia, Teaching Textbooks, Miller
Pad & Paper, Institute for Excellence in Writing, The Notgrass Company, and Edu-Track. A few of the exhibitors offering
services are: HSLDA (Homeschool Legal Defense Association), FHE (Families for Home Education), The Pillar
Foundation, The Family Vision Library, Classical Conversations, and a number of colleges and universities.
The annual Homeschool Variety Show, at 6:00 –7:00 p.m. and 7:30 – 8:30 p.m., will showcase the talents
of homeschool students from all over the region. Families can also attend one of the New Homeschoolers Seminars to obtain
helpful information and guidance from knowledgeable homeschool couples.
On Friday and Saturday, there will be a wide variety
of events to choose from, in addition to the Exhibition Hall and numerous speakers. The Homeschool Clinic will be
filled with the latest ‘how-to’ books and staffed by seasoned veterans, eager to answer questions and offer support.
Expo speakers will be scheduled in the clinic at different times throughout the day so they can be available to talk one-on-one
with parents.
The High School Helps Area will be returning as a valuable resource for families with jr.
high or high school students. Bob and Vicki Weller, leaders of the College Prep Home Education support group, will once again
be the coordinators of this informative area. The Wellers, along with other experienced parents of homeschool graduates, will
be discussing curriculum, testing, transcripts, dual enrollment, college applications, scholarships, job opportunities, post
secondary options, and more. College representatives will be participating in a dual enrollment panel, along with conducting
their own individual workshops. Homeschool learning centers, cooperatives, and other organizations that serve jr. high and
high school students will have display tables filled with helpful information.
This year,
the Children’s Program will be hosted by the Verity Institute Children's Ministry Team (www.verity.iblp.org) and will be in the same convenient location on the first floor of the Expo. The highly-recommended
Verity team is made up of experienced and fun-loving young adults that have worked with children across the United States
and abroad. Participants from age 6 to 12 will enjoy two exciting 'Bible Discovery' days filled with music, games, crafts,
and skits. The children will also be treated to a special one-hour Draw to Learn workshop presented by Barry Stebbing.
Prices are lower than in past years, and the program is expected to fill up quickly. Early registration is highly recommended,
with drawing prizes available to those that sign up before February 28th. Registration forms and more details
are available on the Expo website.
Register
to Attend
Despite the economy,
the Expo will continue to have the same low admission price as in past years - $10 per individual (or $20 at the door) and
$30 for families of three or more (or $40 at the door). On-site concessions will be available at a very reasonable cost. A
portion of the proceeds from the Expo concessions will be donated to the Casa Hogar Bethel Orphanage in Juarez, Mexico. For
more information about this life-changing ministry go to their website at www.casabethel.org
The Expo's user-friendly website, www.stlhomeschoolexpo.com, is packed with valuable information and updated frequently. Attendees can print off
a registration form to put in the mail, or register online using PayPal. Those registering before February 28th are automatically
placed in a drawing for one of six prizes consisting of three $100.00 “Expo Cash” certificates and three $50.00
“Expo Cash” certificates, redeemable from any 2010 Expo exhibitor. Families registering by March 15th will be
placed in a drawing for one of six $50.00 “Expo Cash” certificates. If for some reason you cannot access the website,
call 314-791-000 for more information.
Expo
Feedback
The Greater St. Louis Area Home Educators Expo has something for everyone – and
is always a wonderful time of encouragement, education and fellowship for the entire homeschool community. Homeschoolers
from Columbia, Mo. had this to say on their on their 2009 Expo evaluation form: “A large group
of families from our weekly homeschool co-op drove together to your Expo in the midst of heavy rain and tornado warnings.
We want you to know that it was well worth the effort! We are a very diverse group but the Expo was able to meet all of our
needs…and more. Your conference is one of the best we’ve been to in a long time. Thanks for all of your hard
work and for making us feel so welcome. Next year we might charter a bus!”
