NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–Summertime means playtime for most families, but for homeschooling families, it’s not always that simple. Parents and children involved in homeschooling may need a break from each other at the end of a long school year. That doesn’t mean you can’t have fun together, though.
The Homeschool Family Adventure week offered by LifeWay Conference Centers, for example, offers a balance of family fun and learning.
“The week is designed to refresh and enhance the vision of homeschooling parents through offering a great variety of speakers and workshops,” said Zan Tyler, homeschool resource and media consultant for Broadman & Holman Publishers and homeschool editor for lifeway.com’s Web network. She’s also a homeschooling mom for more than 20 years who is considered a homeschool trailblazer in the state of South Carolina.
The annual Homeschool Family Adventure will be offered Aug. 1-5 at the LifeWay Glorieta Conference Center in New Mexico and Aug. 26-29 at the LifeWay Ridgecrest Conference Center in North Carolina. The 2004 program fee is $149 for the entire family.
The week includes workshops and keynote addresses about the ins and outs of homeschool education, spiritual renewal and physical rest at a mountaintop retreat, activities such as kayaking, paintball and ropes courses, along with day camps, a drive-in movie night and ice cream socials.
“Times of daily worship renew the soul,” Tyler said. “The free time and planned recreational activities provide lots of opportunities for fun and family bonding. The Homeschool Family Adventure provides a wonderful forum for homeschool families to fellowship together.”
Jeff Myers, a homeschooling father of four, is the keynote speaker for this year’s sessions.
“Jeff has been a significant voice for many years in teaching students and adults the importance of developing a biblical worldview,” Tyler said. “His series, ‘The Secret of Great Communicators,’ teaches adults and students how to communicate effectively. Jeff is a captivating speaker — adults and teens alike will be inspired and equipped by Jeff to pursue their God-given missions in life.”
Homeschool Family Adventure began at LifeWay Glorieta Conference Center only in the last decade with the goal of helping educate and energize the growing number of families interested in homeschooling.
“The homeschooling movement has experienced significant growth during the past 10 years,” Tyler said. “I’ve seen many people view homeschooling simply as a market — another way to make money. However, LifeWay continues to demonstrate a genuine commitment to support and encourage homeschooling families through its conferences, publications, personnel and Web network.”
Hal Hill, national events planner for LifeWay Conference Centers, described the Homeschool Family Adventure as “not only an opportunity for education, but also for inspiration, and a wonderful recreation time for the family. There are wonderful aspects for each member of the family and the family as a unit.”
The Homeschool Family Adventure is not only a time for homeschool education and continuous activity, but also a personal sanctuary for renewal in a setting that is “God-ordained and blessed,” Hill said of the conference center locations. “It’s a place of retreat. We feel like we are the perfect place for homeschoolers to come and be their home away from home.”
Parents also will find much-needed reaffirmation during the week. For someone new, he noted, the event provides a connection — a network with existing homeschool families. They’ll learn the “nuts and bolts” of homeschooling and identify support groups for their task.
“The homeschooling journey is rewarding, but it is very demanding,” Tyler said. “This conference is a time for parents to be encouraged by other parents and by first-rate speakers. They can honestly share their struggles and ask for advice in a supportive, empathetic environment.
“Being in such a beautiful setting with the time to enjoy God’s creation renews the soul and energizes families as they kick off a new school year.”
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For more information, go to www.lifeway.com/homeschool, keyword “Homeschool Family Adventure.”
