If you’ve never been to a Homeschool convention, it can be overwhelming. From the minute you purchase your ticket to the time you walk through the doors, you have no idea what to expect. You may enlist the help of several ‘veterans’ who can give you advice, but there is still a level of unknown.

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I don’t know about you, but the unknown scares me. I want to be prepared and know all the facts before I go in to a situation, especially one with thousands of homeschool moms on a mission. I attended my very first homeschool convention a couple weekends ago and was very glad to have received advice from some very experienced homeschoolers. It really helped me not be so overwhelmed and enjoy the experience of the entire conference that much more.

The best advice I can give you is to work through the workshop list and pick out subjects and/or speakers that draw your attention. Don’t worry if you pick out several in one time frame, you can go back and edit later. I recommend printing out the schedule first, then you can better see your choices. This also allows you to circle or highlight your choices. Once you’ve gone through the schedule and made your choices, now you can go back and mark out duplicates, schedule your lunch break and make the schedule work for you. Keep in mind that some workshops may only be offered once and some multiple times, so you may have options if there is a conflict.

This is a great way to map out your schedule, plan time to visit and tour the exhibit hall and give yourself a little down-time should you need it. If your spouse is attending the conference with you, this is a great way to cover more ground. You can split the classes between you and cover twice as much information in the same amount of time! It worked out so nicely for my husband and I at the last conference we went to. He chose several classes he thought sounded intriguing and I was able to attend the classes that I felt led to attend. We were able to share our information and gleaned so much for our first conference experience. We can’t wait to attend the IAHE in just a few weeks!

This month our IAHE Bloggers have shared some of their favorite tips and convention prep ideas! Check them out!

Making the Most of Your First Homeschool Convention by Annette at In All You Do

Convention Preparation by Shaylynne @ Wonderfully Chaotic