Surviving Homeschool Conventions

It’s convention season! I love a good homeschool convention. The curriculum…the classes…the people….the curriculum 🙂 As an official curriculum junkie I cannot get enough of these things. I absolutely LOVE the exhibit hall.

I’ve written about previous conventions in my post Convention Time. And my official Convention debrief here.

I do have some additional tips you might be able to use:

• If possible, print out a map of the exhibit hall ahead of time. Highlight the vendors you absolutely want to see and head there first. If you don’t, trust me, you will get distracted.
• Bring a notepad, some sticky notes, and some pens. Use these to make notes about curriculum you like and websites you want to visit when you get home.
• Ask questions, tons of questions. The chance to talk to the publishers is a unique opportunity to really find out about the ins and outs of the curriculum itself.
• Keep your eyes open for things you haven’t heard of before, we have found some really cool things at conventions that we would never even had thought of.
• Unless there is a really great deal on something, or a product that costs a lot to ship, don’t feel pressured to buy. You do not want to make an impulse purchase that you may regret later. Instead, use your notepad to remind yourself of which products you want to check out later. Often, you can still find deals on the curriculum online if you really want it.
• Attend the lectures that you most want to see, and then see if it is possible to purchase recordings of the others. There is only so much that you can cram into one weekend. Often, MP3 or CD recordings are available. Maybe you and a friend could pick some of your favorites and split the cost.
• Finally, have fun soaking up the atmosphere. There is just something incredible about seeing so many homeschoolers in one place. Especially if you live somewhere that there are not a lot of other homeschoolers, it helps you realize that you are truly not alone in this journey.

If you have your own convention tips or stories, feel free to share them in the comments. Check out what other TOS Crew members have to say about conventions here (goes live 3/19/14):