If you are a homeschool family living in Virginia and need some inspiration, look no further than the annual convention held by the Home Educators Association of Virginia, better known as HEAV.
This was our second year attending the convention, which is held the first full weekend of June each year at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. While first-time visitors may feel a bit overwhelmed, we have found that nothing boosts both the children's and the teachers/parents' spirits more than this event.
You can hear a wide array of of informational and inspirational speakers who give talks ranging from the topics of preschool to high school, marriage to money saving ideas. The Exhibit Hall is packed with vendors who happily answer questions as well as booths that provide hands-on activities for the children. There is also a fabulous Used Curriculum Sale, enabling families to save quite a bit on their school costs.
The HEAV Convention is a three day event, with Thursday having seminars dedicated to first-time homeschoolers. The cost is extremely reasonable, and a discount is available to HEAV members. Parents of preschoolers may attend for free, and there is no charge for grandparents to attend with families. HEAV also provides (for an extra charge) an area with bounce houses, games, and Christian activities that children may attend while parents attend seminars and shop.
I found myself especially excited to attend this year because all the grandparents agreed to go on Saturday (only my mother-in-law went last year.) Our immediate family made the trip from Charlottesville to Richmond on Friday with the main goal of perusing the Used Curriculum Sale. We did look around the Exhibit Hall, but we wanted to save most things for when the grandparents could see them, too. What is that they say about the "best laid plans?"
We were up bright and early the next morning, preparing to trek back to Richmond, when the two-year-old starting throwing up. I cleaned her up, and my mother-in-law offered to stay at home with her, but the little one was adamant about not being left behind. I found myself in quite the quandary as a mother. Should I leave her at home, screaming and miserable, or take her with us, just miserable?
I quickly put multiple changes of clothes into a bag for everyone (because who knew who would be holding the toddler if she got sick again), and off we went. The good news is that the two older children, the two grandmothers, and one grandfather had a fabulous time. My mother, who has a successful career in science, enjoyed investigating all of the wonderful options Apologia has to offer. She wanted to purchase both the Botany and Zoology I packages, but I finally convinced her that would make science overwhelming and no longer fun. (Incidentally, we decided on Botany and it is amazing!) My mother-in-law enjoyed treating the kids to games, puppets, and just-for-fun reading books. As for my father . . . I think he enjoyed the hands-on things such as the farm exhibit, robots, and lassoing as much as the kids.
My husband and I, on the other hand, definitely did not get to experience all that we wanted. We were so worried about our youngest. She would only let one of the two of us hold her, so we spent the convention taking turns carrying her as she slept off and on. I did get to visit a few of my favorite vendors, such as Rainbow Resource and Memoria Press. The only other booths I insisted on making time to see were those manned by young homeschool business owners.
I absolutely love this idea that HEAV introduced two years ago. Homeschool children that have their own business (not merely working for their parents) are able to get their own booths for a seriously reduced rate. This year we saw items such as clothing, drawstring bags, jewelry, and marshmallow guns. Our favorite by far, though, for the second year running, is
This young woman creates beautiful doll clothes from different time periods. Her stitching is exquisite and the materials are amazing. What I love most is that she gives historical context to each of her creations, enabling your child to have a gift that sparks their imagination while teaching them at the same time. You can find these beauties at either the link above or on her facebook page called Doll Clothes of Yore.
I am happy to say that our daughter apparently had a twenty-four hour virus and no one else became ill. Even with the stress, I am so glad we once again attended the convention. I love seeing my children's eyes light up when they witness how large the homeschool community is in our state. As my father commented several times - where else can you go with that large of a crowd of families where almost all the children are behaving, and the few who are not have parents attending to them rather than ignoring them or cursing? It truly is a phenomenal group of which to be part, and I can not wait for our visit next June!
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