AFHE Annual Home Educator's Convention

Tony and I went again this year.  It was very inspiring and motivating last time, and who can't use a boost of those on a regular basis?  This year was just as good.  Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis was the keynote speaker and had workshops throughout the day.  Tony went to most of his workshops, and I attended other great ones. 

My schedule on Friday looked like this:

• Keynote:  Raising Godly Children in an Ungodly World by Ken Ham
• Mother, More Than Just the Heart of Her Home by Rachael Carman
• Smart Kids Who Hate to Write by Dianne Craft
• The Angry Child-What Ticks Johnny Off by Mike Smith
• Education is Discipleship:  A Vision for Homeschooling by Brad Melton

On Saturday I attended:

• Keynote:  How Do We Measure Success in Homeschooling?  by Mike Smith
• Learning to Think Biblically by Ken Ham
• Incorporating the Charlotte Mason Method in Your Homeschool by Carol Shippy
• Missional Homeschooling by Heather Haupt and Colene Lewis
• Creating Your Family's Best Learning Environment by Carol Gary

Tony was able to attend these workshops on Friday:

• Keynote: Raising Godly Children in an Ungodly World by Ken Ham
• Genesis:  Key to Rebuilding the Foundation in Family Culture by Ken Ham
• The Power of Praise with our Children by Mike Smith
• The Origin of the Races by Ken Ham

Saturday looked like this:

• Keynote: How Do We Measure Success in Homeschooling? by Mike Smith
• Learning to Think Biblically by Ken Ham
• How to Reach Today's World with the Christian Message by Ken Ham
• I'm Not Ashamed of Natural Selection:  Do Animals Change?  by Ken Ham
• Strengthening Your Marriage by Hal & Melanie Young

During the breaks we strolled the aisles in the Exhibitor Hall exploring the gazillion options available to Home Educators these days.  There are so many that I would thoroughly enjoy, but Goober Gus wouldn't even want to sit down with me to work on them, so they'd be a waste since I've already completed kindergarten!  We did buy a few things and learned about a mission that saves you money on cell phone services and then asks that you use the difference to support orphans in Tijuana.  After we verify motives and legitimacy, we'll be joining that.

We learned of a free movie that can be watched online called Divided.  It appears to be a discussion on the merits of separating youth from their family during church service.  It's something we're exploring, as the Bible does not mention age segregation.  Is it Biblical?

We bought 2 DVD's produced by home educating families, but haven't been able to watch either one yet.  One is the first of a series that uses the Indiana Jones adventurer style to teach character traits with Scriptural reference.

One thing I noticed and wondered how common it is at other state homeschool conferences is that our governor, a US congressman and state senator all showed up to address the audience of approximately 5000.  Does this happen at your homeschool convention? 

Time for Action

Regardless of your position on milk (raw vs pasteurized) I think all agree with the freedom to choose what's best for each individual.  There are those that want to take that freedom away under the guise of food safety, namely S510.  I've already contacted my senators to express opposition to this bill, but there's more to do. (If you haven't done so, please consider contacting your senators-the language in S510 is so broad that your backyard garden could be illegal.)  A fellow blogger posted about an "inspection" going on at a dairy in Missouri.  Their blog has the details.  One reader has suggested an "un-cheese" party to help support them.  She says:
************CYBER-SPACE UN-CHEESE PARTY!*************
Here's how to SPONSOR A CHEESE:


The average price per pound is $5. You can send your sponsorship checks or money orders directly to the dairy. Just let them know what the money is for, and a note of encouragement would certainly be appreciated.

Morningland Dairy
6248 County Road 2980
Mountain View, MO
65548
Or PayPal:  You can paypal your cheese sponsorship to morningland@centurytel.net
Now, folks, this is a PARTY, so INVITE YOUR FRIENDS, your neighbors, your mere acquaintances to join us!
Plaster the message on other boards you frequent, put it on your Facebook Status, make a YouTube video and hey! maybe it'll go viral!
We have to stand together as raw milk consumers and producers, or we WILL see the day where we can't even grow food for our own consumption!

Let's get Morningland back on its feet -


SAVE THE CHEESE!!!

A related story about this is found here:


MILK IS A TOXIC SUBSTANCE?

I've read several stories of raw dairy farms being "inspected" simply because their milk is raw, yet far fewer people get sick from consuming raw milk than pasteurized.  If you're not familiar with the benefits of raw milk and would like to know more, I suggest starting at the Weston A Price Foundation's website.  Still, regardless of your thoughts about raw milk, contact your senator to oppose S510 and consider sending $5 to the people at Morningland Dairy.

Budget Cuts

Interesting visual aid:
http://www.wimp.com/budgetcuts