Homeschool Conference May 2019

In early May we flew to the States to attend a homeschool conference put on by the IMB for our missionary families who serve in the Americas.  We have them every two years.  It was my third one to attend and they get better every time.  What I love most is getting to meet the other mothers and learn from them how they do school and balance it with missionary life.  It is a struggle that we all face so it is good to get together to encourage each other. 

Our family at the Guatemala City airport ready for a trip to the States

A photo I always take of the boys on each trip we make.

They were excited when they got invited inside the cockpit to meet the pilot.  They also got another set of wings.  They have quite the collection from all of our travels over the years.

Goodbye Guatemala!

Hello Atlanta!  We enjoyed Chick-fil-A for lunch in the airport.

Atlanta to Richmond

A few early observations- Ben could not get over seeing all the green and trees.  He said it was so pretty there.  Cruz said "Everybody speaks English here! I am not used to that." He also asked "Can I REALLY drink the water from the faucet?"  It is always fun to see their reactions to things.

And what did we eat for supper?  Chick-fil-A again in Virginia.

After arriving and getting settled in we got to enjoy one of our favorite treats- Raisinets.

Our conference was called "Oh! The Places You'll Go!" and was a geography theme. 

We had two game nights.  I was on a team that helped plan them.  One featured games from around the world.  We had tables set up with from different regions of the world and on each of those tables were games from that area.  The kids (and adults) got to spend the evening playing with each other.  It was a great way to get to know the other families.  Another night we played a geography trivia game and a game we called "Name That Monument".  We showed pictures of monuments from around the world and each team had to write the name and location of each one.  Both nights were a lot of fun. 

We had a popcorn machine set up for both game nights that everyone got to enjoy.  A surprise treat was having several flavors of this popcorn seasoning to sprinkle over it.  I did not even know this existed but loved it.  My favorite was the Cheesy Caramel Corn.  There were more flavors than what is shown.  A popular one not pictured was dill pickle. 

Another surprise treat that the adults got to enjoy each day during our sessions were these amazing creamer flavors.  I tried most all of them but my favorite of all was Snickers.  If you like flavored coffee you need to try it.  It is so good!

The adults spent most of our days in large group training sessions and small group workshops.  I was asked to lead a workshop titled "Celebrations!  At Home and at School".  It focused on ways to make homeschool and special occasions fun.  I had a great assistant who helped me plan and pull it off. 


We had a former missionary come and lead us in devotion each morning.  She blessed our hearts.  We had a panel discussion that featured moms who have been doing homeschool for many years and we got to ask them questions and advice.  We had a curriculum fair where several vendors came to show us their products and answer our questions about them.  They also all gave door prizes which were great!  We had a session led by our IMB counselors on dealing with anxiety both for ourselves and how to identify it in our kids.  We had a wonderful session called "Trends for Successful TCKs" that helped us better know how to prepare our kids for the future.  There was also a college fair for those with older kids where reps from different universities came to talk about their schools.  It all sounds like fun, huh?  It was a wonderful conference!!!  I cannot praise the IMB enough for all they do to support us in educating our children on the mission field.

Another fun event we had was a geography fair.  Each child had to choose a place to learn about and present it at the conference.  It could not be the U.S.A. or the country where they serve.  My boys chose China and Spain.  They set up their displays and then all the adults and volunteers came by to see them and ask questions.  It was a great opportunity to have them practice public speaking.

Ben with his display.

He made this diorama that featured a panda and the Great Wall.  He used modeling clay to make the bear and bricks.  We used green straws and construction paper to make the bamboo and Easter grass for filling. 

Cruz's display on Spain.

He had a word search puzzle, some stickers, and some olives to give away.  He also made some castanets to show and give away.

Talking about his presentation with one of the volunteers.

We had a graduation service one evening for those graduating this year and next year.  Since our conferences are every two years we include both juniors and seniors in the program.  It was a sweet time to honor them and their families.  Afterwards we had cake for everyone to enjoy. 

The kids spent several of their mornings taking the Iowa State Test.  We had a volunteer team come from a Baptist church in Michigan to proctor the tests for us.  We met with our advisor on the last day to get their results.  I was pleased to know that we are on target and ready to enter the next grades.  (insert a HUGE sigh of relief! ha)  When not testing they spent their time in small groups participating in several fun-filled activities led by the volunteer team. 

These were some of the options they got to choose from.  They had a blast!!!

On the last afternoon they had an outdoor activity that featured bubbles.  The team set up several stations for the kids to explore.  It was a lot of fun.  They even had snow cones which all the kids loved.

We ended the week tired but excited about our next adventure.  We left Virginia and flew home to Mississippi for a few weeks of vacation with family and friends. I will share about that in my next few posts but first here are a few pics from our travel day.

They loved seeing this race car in the Richmond airport.

Another Chick-fil-A meal in the Atlanta airport.

Riding the train in the Atlanta airport.   As a way to pass time during layovers we just get on the train and keep riding it.  They like to sit in the front car and look out the window.  They have always loved it and look forward to it. 

Arriving in Jackson, Mississippi.  It was good to be back home!

We had several boxes of homeschool resources for the upcoming school year waiting for us when we arrived.  I had pre-ordered them before we left Guatemala to make sure they would arrive in time for us to take back with us.  I was so excited to see them! 

I am enjoying my summer break but I am looking forward to starting the new school year.  It is a lot of hard work and stressful at times but I really love homeschooling my boys.  The conference just reconfirmed that for me and has me eager to get back in it.  Second grade and fourth grade here we come!