Homeschool Conference and Books

We went to the Homeschool Conference this morning. I managed to last for the morning (with my cold), which meant we went to the main session and did some shopping. As homeschoolers, you often feel a bit isolated. It's one thing to know that tens of thousands of families across Canada school their children at home, but it's another thing to do it yourself. Karen attends a weekly coop, and spends time with other Moms, but other than a few folks at church, it sometimes feels lonely. At the conference you are with several hundred other folks who are all committed to schooling their own children. It's really nice. The only thing I can liken it to is the Annual Easter Conference at our church. The Easter Conference is a more explicitly Christian gathering (although this homeschool conference is put on by a Christian homeschooling support group) and the Easter Conference includes meals, but the Easter Conference lacks the book tables the homeschool conference has.

Anyway, it was nice to spend some time with friends at the conference. I spent some time talking in the hall with a friend from a little town south of Ottawa, which was nice. We completed our curriculum purchases for next year. Our primary curriculum material is from "Sonlight" but today we purchased a Canadian History program, a French language program and some other books. I got the next Mindbenders book for Bethany, a G.A. Henty novel to read to Joel and the Chronicles of Narnia for me to read to both the children. Karen bought the "M.O.T.H." handbook (Managers Of Their Homes). I was tempted to buy "The Well Educated Mind", but I suspect my reading tastes are already eclectic enough.

Speaking of the Chronicles of Narnia, some of the language consists of British coloquialisms from half a century ago. Does anyone know what a "coiner" is? Most of the other ones I understood and was able to explain to the children.