Guilt-Free Homeschooling has been named one of 50 EdTech Blogs Every Homeschooler Should Bookmark. Back in our early days of homeschooling, I used to compile similar lists of worthy websites for our homeschool group’s newsletter, so having my website, GFHS, included in this online list is a true honor indeed! Join me in browsing through this list to greet some old friends and make some new ones — and don’t forget to add us to your BOOKMARKS and share the list with your friends!

Guilt-Free Homeschooling has been named a Top Homeschooling Blog for 2010! This is a special honor because this award is not based on a popularity vote, but instead is based on overall quality of content that extends a hand to new and prospective homeschooling families. In the words of the awarding committee, “Guilt-Free Homeschooling was determined to be one of the best blogs to exude overall brilliance.” We are extremely honored to receive this award. Thank you!

Yes, I know this doesn’t look quite the same, but you’ll have to join me in trusting our WebMeister, the Incomparable Andrea, that this change is a good thing. Please bear with me now as I learn to navigate my way around WordPress, as it’s bound to be a bit different from Blogger. I will immediately set about *categorizing* each article here, so that you can once again find your favorites. Welcome to the new site, and I will get your comments published as soon as I figure out how! LOL

Carolyn & Jen will be leading workshops at the Chicago Homeschool EXPO, August 6-7, at the Schaumburg Convention Center. Our revolutionary Learning Style workshops transform attendees from discouraged to energized and equip parents with ideas they can put into use immediately.

Our EXPO workshops:
Taking the Mystery Out of Learning Styles
Tactile: the Socially Unacceptable Learning Style
Teaching Science Using All Learning Styles
Using Learning Styles to Develop Excellent Study Skills

Also be sure to visit our booth in the exhibit hall for our books and a wide variety of our favorite manipulatives and learning/teaching aids. We hope to meet you there!

Coming up quickly — April 17^th — Carolyn and Jen will be speaking at another conference, this time in West Des Moines, Iowa, at the Home Learning Resources Conference. The conference theme is Home Learning Success, and we will be leading our very popular workshop, Taking the Mystery Out of Learning Styles. Click the link for registration and information — we want to see you there! (Yes, we will have our books and planner modules available for sale, along with a fantastic array of manipulatives, learning aids, and teaching aids! GREAT stuff!!)

We can’t get off the topic of conferences and workshops without extending our thanks to the Chicago-area homeschoolers who attended and/or hosted the InHome Conference last month. We had a fabulous time meeting new friends and greeting old friends! *waving HI*

Speaking of workshops, notice the new link on the right sidebar for our informative and interactive workshops. Please email us if you would like to host one in your area, and we will work out the details with you!

UPDATE: A big THANK YOU to Julia, Cathy, and everyone who attended the HLR Conference. We had a great time leading the workshops and answering your questions about learning styles. Special thanks go to everyone who purchased our books and teaching tools! Tell your friends about GFHS!!

Yes, I’ve been absent from posting here for a while but not from working behind-the-scenes on GFHS stuff (and tending to a couple of family members who underwent major surgery).

Development #1
Cue the drumroll… my long-awaited, next book is about to hit the presses! Taking the Mystery Out of Learning Styles is an exciting addition to our product line. If you have a child who daydreams, can’t sit still, speaks out of turn, or is “grabby” and can’t keep his hands to himself (or herself), he (or she) probably needs lessons presented in a learning style format that is more suited to their abilities. Taking the Mystery Out of Learning Styles (mind if I call it TTMOOLS to shorten the typing?) includes 5,843 tips and ideas (no, I didn’t really count them, but there are a LOT!) to help you tweak your current lesson plans to fit your students’ learning style needs and help your students get ahead on the road to learning. Keep watching this blog for an announcement of TTMOOLS’ availability for purchase! It won’t be long now!!!

Development #2
Jennifer and I will be speaking once again at the InHome Conference in St. Charles, IL, on March 18-20, 2010. Our workshops this year will include Using Your Homeschooling Style to Your Advantage, Taking the Mystery Out of Learning Styles, Learning Styles Question & Answer Session, and Using Learning Styles in High School. (Are you noticing a bit of a Learning Styles theme here? Me, too.) We will also be participating again this year in a panel discussion for college-bound homeschoolers. We have a great time at this conference, and we hope to see YOU there, too! (If all goes well, we may have the first copies of TTMOOLS with us! Yay!)

The Frugal Homeschooling Mom, Deana Hipwell, is tackling the daunting task of introducing homeschooling families to each other — lots of families. Her blog feature, A Common Bond: Meet a Homeschooling Family, offers a quick look into the motivations and methods of various homeschoolers. This is a great way to get to know a little bit about how and why others are homeschooling, and Deana invites all readers to share their own stories through her blog. C’mon and introduce yourself! The currently featured family is… mine!