Workshops

CDs of these workshops may be purchased on the CD page.

* Raising Real Men (Hal and Melanie or Either)

In a culture that is intent on bending the definitions of male and female, it is crucial that Christian fathers and mothers make an intentional and counter-cultural move to raise real men to serve God, family, and country in the challenging years ahead.  Hal and Melanie explain both the threat to our boys’ masculine identity and the Biblical way out — and the opportunity that gives us to train real leaders for the next generation.

Raising Real Men Weekends (Hal and Melanie)

Hal and Melanie are available for weekend seminars or retreats focused on parents of boys. Workshops include:

Someone to Look Up To — Finding and becoming real heroes for your sons.

Love and War — Making it through the battle for purity to courting his bride.

Your Own School for Boys — How to not only live through homeschooling boys, but to love it and succeed at it.

Becoming a Good Steward — Setting your sons on the path to financial freedom.

Who’s in Charge Here? — Disciplining, discipling, and preparing sons for leadership.

First Things — Because none of it will matter if they don’t follow Christ.

* Strengthening the Seawall (Hal and Melanie or either one)

In many cases the decision to homeschool our children is a protective move — we want to defend our children from the crashing waves of secularism, materialism, and other human philosophies that would swamp their developing faith.  We try to prevent shipwreck by making sure their boat is sound before they launching out to sea.  There’s a critical part of this, though — is our home, especially our marriage, strong enough to withstand the buffeting we will face even as we protect our children?  Hal and Melanie speak candidly about the special challenges and temptations of a homeschooling marriage and offer hope and guidance for strengthening the seawall that secures our children’s harbor.

Homeschooling High School and Transcripts: Getting It Done and Getting It Down (Melanie)

Thoughts of high school tend to make even veteran homeschoolers shake in their boots. Scary memories about confusion in algebra class and dissecting frogs make you wonder if you can really do this. Come learn how to plan it, how to do it and even how to tell the rest of the world with a top notch transcript.  Melanie Young will help you figure out what they need to take, how to do the classes you are not so sure about (or are sure you can’t) and what records you need to keep.  High school can be the most important formative years for your child. Don’t give up now! This workshop will leave you prepared for and excited about high school at home!

Aiming for College (Melanie)

We’ve all been asked, “But can they get into college?”  The answer is a resounding yes! Homeschoolers not only get in, but they are often highly recruited and are offered scholarships as well!  Come find out how to : choose colleges, make a college visit count, apply for admission and scholarships, demonstrate your record, get financial aid, and decide on a college. Get filled in on all those mystifying things: ECs, FAFSA, PROFILE, ACT, SAT, AP, CC, and CommonApp.  Melanie Young has served for many years on scholarship committees and has spent the last few years helping her son and others through the admissions process.  Now she’d like to help you!

Ballistic Homeschooling: Teaching and Appreciating Boys (Melanie)

Have you ever had a war break out in the midde of history or had a math lesson last three hours? Homeschooling boys can be a huge challenge for those of us raised in our feminized schools. Come hear from a mother that has taught six boys at one time from Kindergarten to 12th grade share how to turn wiggle worms into scholars and boys into real men!

Is That a Pony or a Trojan Horse? (Hal)

This workshop will help you understand educational alternatives and how they relate to homeschooling. Once there were three educational options–public, private or homeschools. In recent years, though, the number of alternatives has exploded. Virtual high schools, online academies, Early College, and other programs are now available and they are actively recruiting homeschoolers, whether or not they can meet their needs. Is one of these right for your family, or would it prove a costly mistake? This session by an educational policy journalist takes an honest, objective look at these new educational alternatives.

Homeschooled from the Beginning–How to Start Homeschooling the Very Young (Melanie)

You’ve made the decision–your child will be homeschooled from Day One. Good for you! But should you start at a young age? Is it wise to even try? How do you know when to get started and what to do first? Melanie Young has raised precocious readers and late bloomers, but every one of them has benefited from being homeschooled from the beginning. This session can give you a new perspective on how to introduce your little ones to the joy of learning in a gentle and realistic way–and without undermining your older students.

Diapers, Playdough, and Microscopes: Homeschooling with Babies and Toddlers (Melanie)

Sometimes homeschooling feels like one of those plate-spinning acts and you wonder how in the world you are going to meet everyone’s needs.  The baby needs to be changed, the toddler is playing in the toilet, your high schooler is impatiently waiting for you to help with his biology experiment, and two other children say, “I can’t do anything else without you, Mom.”  Melanie Young, mother of eight (ages 19 to infant), shares encouragement and ideas for how to keep all of those plates spinning at once without your life spinning out of control.  Learn how to raise independent learners, how to keep the household moving, and how to make sure the little ones get enough attention.  You can’t get all of high school done while your baby takes a 90 minute nap.   Come hear how Melanie manages it all.

Sanity’s In The Freezer: Bulk-cooking to Save Time and Money (Melanie)

In this eminently practical workshop, you will learn how to have real meals on the days your science experiment eats the kitchen.  Don’t worry if you have tried once-a-month cooking and didn’t like spending a whole day in the kitchen. Melanie didn’t like that either! Find out how to feed your family well on less money and how to serve great dinners with minimal time in the kitchen.  You will learn how to convert your favorite recipes to bulk cooking, how to take shortcuts in meal preparation, and how to bulk cook even if you have a house full of little ones or can’t spare a single day out of your schedule. There is something in this workshop for everyone – those who love to cook and those who are clueless in the kitchen. Anyone can make their life easier.

Homeschooling and the Pursuit of Happiness (Hal)

Homeschooling is a task that demands dedication, discipline, self-sacrifice and time. According to several research studies, though, homeschooling parents and their students are finding significant happiness and satisfaction in the experience. What gives? Find out in this unusual session.

A House NOT Divided: Practical Ways to Build Family Unity (Melanie and Hal or Either)

You’ve heard the verses and caught the vision, but what can you do to get your children on your team? Stop the bickering and rivalry and begin making memories! In this idea-packed workshop, Hal and Melanie share how to tear down obstacles and build up family unity in fun, memorable ways.

Strengthening The Homeschooling Marriage (Hal & Melanie)

How can homeschooling be such a blessing and so stressful at the same time? Where do you find hope for frustrations that only a homeschooler would understand? Learn about the special stresses that homeschooling places on your marriage, and how to use them to grow a stronger family from the top down. In this touching and funny workshop, Hal and Melanie will show you yourself and help you turn your homeschooling marriage into a happier and more Christ-centered one. (This is a practical, workshop version of the keynote above, “Strengthening the Seawall”)

Just as I am: Homeschooling Through Challenges (Hal and Melanie or Either)

Homeschooling is a challenge at any time. Sickness, job loss, learning disabilities, business travel, and relocation are just a few of the extra stresses that can derail our best efforts to teach at home. Hal and Melanie Young have seen God’s grace in all of these situations and more. The good news is that God can enable you to teach and learn more through the hard times than you ever thought possible. Come for a frank and encouraging look at what God can do through difficulties, and why it’s so important to keep homeschooling in spite of the challenges.

The World, The Flesh, and The Young’uns (Hal)

Studies show that nearly all of the active homeschooling task is done by the mother – which makes sense, because most fathers spend the majority of their days earning the family’s living.  While the teaching may be delegated to Mom, Dad needs to be aware of her critical need for more than financial and moral support.   She needs protection from things that may not have occurred to either one of them.  Hal Young points out where some of the hidden land mines lie, and offers suggestions for how husbands can protect their wives.

Yes, We Know What Causes That: Being Open to the Blessing of Children (Hal & Melanie)

Why in the world do so many homeschoolers have huge families? What’s up with that? Hal and Melanie both came from typical one boy and one girl families. Hear their testimony of how and why they’ve chosen a bigger adventure.

*A Homeschool Heritage (Hal) — Passing on the stories of courage and sacrifice from the pioneers of homeschooling and challenging homeschoolers to maintain those freedoms

What The Military Taught Me About Homeschooling (Hal) — expanded version of Hal’s part of “Strengthening”, above

Homeschool Demographics: The Breadth and Depth of the Movement (Hal) — overview of a number of published studies

Public Policy Implications of Homeschooling (Hal) — presented at the John Locke Foundation

Entangling Alliances: Understanding Alternative Education (Hal) — Is government support worth it? —Charter schools, vouchers, hybridized programs, and tax credits

Homeschoolers & Citizenship (Hal) — answering the question, “But is it good for society?”

Homeschool Leadership (Hal) — encouragement and admonition for support group leaders

Dealing with The New Breed of Homeschoolers (Melanie) — for support group leaders — understanding their increasing diversity of belief and practice and ministering to them

Getting Started Right (Melanie) — really basic and practical, aimed at the brand new or considering homeschooling

Three Simple Goals for Your First Year (Melanie) — encouragement and advice for the new homeschooler

Horizontal Homeschooling: Homeschooling Through Health Challenges (Melanie) — Practical help from a veteran of eight bedrest pregnancies

You Can Rest When You Get Home: Incorporating Travel into Your Homeschool (Hal & Melanie) — A fun and practical workshop with great ideas for enlivening your school on any budget.

* Good keynotes

If you are a homeschool leader that would like to order one of our CDs for previewing purposes, please email us from the Contact Us page.