Best Homeschool Conference Tips

What questions do you want answered at the conference? In which areas do you feel the most need for help? Are there specific speakers you want to listen to?

We provide lots of information before the conference to help you with this task.

Check our website's Speakers & Workshops page for speaker listings, workshop schedule, and workshop descriptions. These are usually published a couple of months before the conference each year. 

We even provide a digital version of our conference program on the conference landing page on our website a few weeks before the annual conference date.

Go through the speaker list and schedule to mark the ones you most want to hear. Identify your top workshop destinations in each of the conference schedule sessions. 

In what subject areas do you need homeschool instructional materials and curriculum? Not sure about this? Find help on our Choose Curriculum webpage. Make a list of what you'd like to search for. 

If you're already homeschooling, do an inventory of what you have on hand to help you identify gaps. 

Use our website's Exhibit Hall page to learn what vendors will be at our conference. An exhibit hall map is published on this page several weeks before each conference. You can highlight the exhibits on the map you want to visit. 

This exhibit hall map will also be published in the program you'll receive when you check in at the conference. As you visit various booths and displays in the hall, you can mark on your program exhibit hall map the ones you want to revisit. Make notes in the margins to help you remember what you saw that interested you. 

Before you go to the conference, determine a targeted budget for purchases. How much are you able to spend? 

We encourage you to purchase from our exhibitors if you've visited their displays, handled their wares, and/or chatted with their representatives. While it might be tempting to find what you want in the exhibit hall and then try to buy it online for a couple of bucks less, please understand that our exhibitors are only able to participate in our conference exhibit hall if our attendees support them with their purchases. 

The Homeschool Iowa Conference is a great opportunity to get away and plan for the coming homeschool year. If you have never attended before, it might seem a bit intimidating or overwhelming.

Invite a friend to come along with you. You can help each other navigate and you'll have twice the fun! 

If you plan to attend with your spouse, make it a special time to focus on your family's homeschool plans and goals. 

Conference registrants can add a grandparent to their registrations at a discounted price, if the grandparent is not currently homeschooling his or her own children.  

You'll start making connections the minute you arrive at the conference. Our conference volunteers and staff will help you get registered on-site or checked in if you registered online before the event. 

If you have questions about the conference, stop by the Homeschool Iowa Booth in the main entry foyer. 

Our Homeschool Iowa Regional Representatives are available in a booth adjacent to the HI Booth. Feel free to chat with them about homeschooling questions or concerns. They're all experienced homeschooling moms who are happy to help. 

Make sure to chat with our conference speakers, too. Most of them will have booths in the conference exhibit hall. 

You'll find our conference exhibitors are also excellent "people" resources with helpful advice and suggestions. 

Anytime you're disoriented or need assistance, look for one of our conference volunteers with the special identifying t-shirts. They're happy to help! 

Bring along your favorite pen and notebook so you can keep a written record of what you're learning. (To keep costs down, the conference program does not include blank pages for notes.) 

You might also consider using a app like Microsoft OneNote, Apple Notes, or Google Keep for note-taking.

If speakers offer handouts, we provide links to them before the conference on our Speakers & Workshops webpage. 

Grab catalogs, flyers, and business cards offered at the conference that interest you. And make sure you check out all of the great stuff in your attendee swag bag, too. 

Unless you've discovered how to clone yourself, you won't be able to attend every workshop at the conference. 

If there are workshops you missed or ones you'd like to listen to again, purchase MP3s from our conference recordings provider, Alliance Recordings. 

Has Homeschool Iowa made a positive impact on your homeschooling experience? Please consider becoming a Homeschool Iowa Mission Partner Member to share this vision with other homeschooling families across the state. Our Mission Partner Members receive free MP3 downloads of the keynote and regular speaker workshops as our way of saying "thank you" for their support.  

If you live beyond a comfortable distance to drive to the conference each day, we invite you to reserve a hotel room through our conference block. Find more information on our Location & Lodging webpage. 

Box lunches are available to pre-purchase on the conference pre-registration form. The facility also has a concessions area where you can buy food and beverages. You're also welcome to bring your own food and drinks to the conference or to go to a nearby restaurant for a quick meal. 

One of our most practical homeschool conference tips is to wear comfortable shoes and clothing. Try wearing layers, like a sweater over a shirt, to respond to different room temperatures in the facility. 

We will provide you with a swag bag when you check in, but you can supplement with a tote bag, a backpack, or even a rolling cart. Keep in mind that our conference facility has ample free parking, so you can stash stuff in your car, as needed. 

You have several options if you choose to bring your children along with you to the conference. 

Our amazing KIDS TREK program is a two-day VSB-like option for kids ages 5-12. Advance signup is required on the conference registration.

You're welcome to bring your dependent children of any age with you to attend the conference. Keep in mind that most of the sessions are adult-oriented, although we do offer some Teen Track sessions within the conference schedule. 

We have a Mother's Room for diaper changing and nursing. 

If you're bringing little ones with you, please pack snacks and quiet,  entertaining activities for them. A stroller or wagon can be of help, too. Out of respect for other attendees, we ask that you leave workshop rooms if your baby or child becomes noisy or fussy. 

Our conference is packed with incredible opportunities to explore, learn, connect, and be encouraged. 

You'll receive transformative guidance and instruction from our outstanding speakers. You'll view displays and shop in our expansive exhibit hall. And you'll tap into our custom-designed programming for homeschooling families.

Equipped with our best homeschool conference tips, you'll be able to traverse this amazing weekend event to gain new ideas, strategies, vision, and perspective for your homeschooling journey!