I find this thread amusing. I know that what I like (MCT, LoF, etc.) is only ok for a few people...and the majority of curriculum out there is not my cup of tea. My brain does not work in a way that the typical writer of curriculum caters to. Therefore, my list would be long, have a lot of things that people like on it...so why bother? I throw books out for formatting and font. :tongue_smilie:

I hate when my husband locks the doors when we're driving.

There is also this weird place.... http://www.wigwamvillage.com/ When we finally go down sometime, I want to stay here one night just to experience it. I suspect it is pretty odd. Perfect for my brood.:D

Do you have a specific name? There are like a million types/flavors of toothpaste. ;)

:bigear: I asked a question like this before, and I got only answers saying, Tom's... but Tom's was vetoed long ago. It can be too strongly flavored also, and my son considers it too gritty. Ok, how about a "normal" toothpaste, that is mildly flavored? and NOT obnoxiously textured? :D

Also.... don't be afraid to leave if you don't care for the speaker... I have been totally bored by some I thought would be great, and adored others that I never really considered before walking past and stopping in.

The titles are on the schedule, and the descriptions are a separate document. They are listed by time, so everything that is from say... 2-3 pm will be listed with its room location and room capacity (that's the number next to the room name). Many times there will be nothing you want to see in one time slot, and several in another...it's just the way it goes. ;) Yes, they are all scheduled for an hour. Some workshops are just product explanations, so I wouldn't worry about those unless you need to see exactly how to implement something or want to know more about it. Most of the lectures will be recorded and be available for sale somewhere upstairs. I am pretty sure that if you aren't going to be there you can pay and give them a list and they will mail lectures you want to you. Ask them. However, some lectures are not recorded, like MCT as he has such visually involved presentations, so you should check the list in your packet when you get there to see if ones you might like to see are NOT on the list. That can help you decide on what to see. ;) Wow, so weird that I know all this info. I usually order a few lectures as I would prefer to listen to some things on my own time, than all jammed up in the convention. This year i have no choice as I'm helping at a booth and missing most of Saturday.

:smilielol5:

Also, if anyone goes to the Tower place "mall" food court, take the time to venture up through the hotel. It is an amazing art deco gem. At least go through the lobby and look at the palm court ceiling, OMG, it is gorgeous! Then, if you go one more block to fountain square, there is a nice fountain...and a Graeter's ice cream. AWESOME ice cream. If you like dark chocolate... get anything with "chip" in the name. I love the black raspberry chip. ;)

I thought that Dance with Dragons was the last book. I was so happy to start reading a series that was finished. :001_huh: Whoops. And ARGGG!!!!

It is a bit of a walk, but you should go to Arnold's. It is a very historical place. http://www.arnoldsbarandgrill.com/ Ask to sit in the courtyard.

They will have 5$ parking vouchers for the nearby lots.

Me too! And I have free parking at my husband's DT lot. :D

RFWP is secular, and although I have still not seen Dr. Dave's stuff in person (although I asked Dr. Tom to bring some to Cincinnati) I have no problem assuming it to be secular as well. I don't quite know what you mean by "agenda & rhetoric" at the GHC. I think they are pretty clear about their stance, that they are specifically Christian (and YE creationist) but that they want to offer things for as many hsers as possible, and are therefore NOT excluding secular, non-YE, vendors and speakers. I don't think I am going out on a limb to say that they would welcome any good vendor/speaker as long as they were not ANTI-Christian (and as most secular materials are just non-religious) they are open to it. I hope that you guys get enough interest together for a RFWP mini conference, and again... I am jealous! You should post this on secular hmeschooling, FB and other sites.... :D GOOD LUCK!

:smilielol5: My kids have ZERO interest. I mean Z E R O.

I don't have time to read through all of these, I know you have gotten some really good advice.... here are my piddly two cents. First of all, :grouphug:. We all feel this way sometimes, if not all the time. The thing I think you need to think about it is the big picture. Pull back from the 15 min. increments and which child gets which bit of your time....this is where the idea of unschooling/relaxed schooling makes some sense. You need a break. It is ok to take a break. You have from grades K-8 to get XXXXX completed, right? You are HSing which means that in theory, all that time that they spend in a school wasting time and endlessly repeating things, should be cut down a bit. You also get to choose what, when and how they are taught whatever subjects you choose. If you think Latin is more important than science, that's fine. It is ok to make those types of decisions. You can always get to things later. You need to work on you for a bit. I think you all need a vacation, where you say... let's not worry aboutthis for a bit.... you must read, play, and maybe watch some interesting videos. Maybe you ned to farm out some subjects ... Try to be creative. IF you send them to school, you will have a different set of issues, but you will always have those. You are a parent. You will always question your ability to do anything right. You are also human, you cannot be perfect. ;) CHill out, you'll be ok. And whatver choice you make is right for oyu.:grouphug:

I wasn't referring to your post (I quoted another post), as you had a reason for your dislike. The other poster said they had no idea why they didn't like (and threw in Pitt as well) as they had never seen anything they were in. If you have never seen an actor act, how can you have an opinion about them? Looking at pictures of them or seeing them interviewed? It just seemed odd and superficial to me, that's all.

OOOH! I need this! I will PM you, and list my own stuff shortly. :D

Once again, no perfect answer for me. Usually within a few hours, I check my email at least 2X a day. HOWEVER, I don't necessarily respond to everything in a timely manner. I have board related emails, family emails, weird other emails etc. It totally depends on who is writing. or how involved the mail needs to be.

:confused: I'm sorry, but I just don't get this. Both Leo & Brad are extremely good actors. I can understand not liking someone, but they are actors and you haven't judged them by what they do but something totally different. I'm sorry that you've missed out on a few excellent movies. However, you can do and like whatever you want for whatever reasons you choose. I still think it is weird. ;)

I just found out that Jon Stewart will be in town on that Friday doing a show at the Arnoff Center a few blocks away. I wonder if they will go to the convention, or think that the people downtown are "normal" Cincinnatians, lol. :D I didn't even list the things that I consider to be educationally valid and decent that are Christian. (I did include a couple on that list above, just 'cause I forgot I was doing my secular/gifted only list). I would say there are at least 15-20 more that would fall under this category... IEW, The Classical Historian, Queen Homeschool (they usually have ALL the Life of Fred books), RAinbow Resource, One Year Adventure Novel (I think that one can overlook his one thing that bugs me), several random e-schools, product booths, and others that I can't remember off the top of my head. I am not quite up to this list right now. All in all, I just want people who would normally dismiss these conventions, as being not their HS cup o' tea, to look beneath the surface. Knowledge is power!

Some people take their kids, some leave them home, some have them go on field trips like the above poster. In Cincinnati, as the convention is right downtown, there is a lot to do or relatively close... Museum Center, Aquarium, Zoo, parks etc. There is a children's program, but it is keeping in line with the majority of the convention and is very Christian. I don't mean to make you feel like bad. I just want to give people information that is hard to see unless you know to look for it. Then everyone can make their own, personal decision whether to attend or not. ;) FWIW, glancing at the California list...it has half as many vendors, etc. So, maybe you shouldn't feel like you are missing AS much.

Also, I will be mostly sitting at a booth (at least on Thursday & Friday) and I don't mind holding people's things there.

I have totally cross-posted this all over the universe. :D Take the bits you need. Hello! It is that time of year again where I attempt to plug the Great Homeschool Conventions to the gifted/secular community. There are 5 conventions across the country. They all have a different set of people attending and their own different flavor. All my lists are from the Cincinnati event, as that is where I live and it is the original location. please feel free to use my list to help cross-reference one that might be in your area. http://www.greathomeschoolconventions.com/ As you may or may not know, GHC, while being a 'Christian/creationist first' convention, has been open to inviting many secular and gifted specific vendors and speakers. As one of the people who has been lobbying for this for years, I have been quite pleased with their positive response. These conventions are reasonably priced, and I feel are well worth my time and money. I also think it is extremely important to support these vendors who spend a lot of time, effort and money to attend these... when they are still a minority within these conventions. I have gone through the Cincinnati convention list of vendors and speaker/workshop titles, and assembled a rough "gifted/secular/educational" list. This list is not completely comprehensive, I am just going with my knowledge and opinions. There may be more, or some of these might be questionable to you. This is just to give you an idea. I have only listed the gifted specific workshop titles; if you care to see more you should download the whole list here: http://www.cincinnatihomeschoolconvention.com/2011/schedule ELITE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (SCOTT HOBSON) How to Help Your Child Be a Better Learner Logical and Creative Thinking for the Gifted MICHAEL CLAY THOMPSON (Royal Fireworks Press) RFWP.com (National Gifted speaker. Mostly about his LA program, but wonderful to listen and watch) Advanced Vocabulary: Direct Study through Latin and Greek Stems Introduction to 4-Level Analysis Grammar Instruction The Importance of Teaching Poetics Teaching Advanced Academic Writing FOUR-LEVEL LITERATURE ED ZACCARO (ChallengeMath.com) Nurturing a Mathematical Gift into a Passion 12 Math Problem-Solving Strategies That Will Help Students be More Successful on Tests. Challenging Children Through the Study of Real World Algebra Five Real-Life Math Investigations That Will Astound Teachers and Students Dr. SHELAGH GALLAGHER (RFWP.com) Experiencing History through Problem-Based Learning. Concept Development: From Facts to Generalizations in Five Easy Steps Homeschooling your Highly Gifted Child Both Gifted AND… LAURIE WESTPHAL (Prufrock.com) Ready-to-Use Differentiation Strategies for Grades 5 and Below Ready-to-Use Differentiation Strategies for Grades 6 and Up Differentiating Instruction With Menus for Grades 5 and Below Differentiating Instruction With Menus for Grades 6 and Up GERI/Purdue University (Angela Beddingfield) Introduction to Gifted Education Homeschooling the Gifted Learner: Helps, Ideas, and Resources How Will It Ever All Get Done?! MCT does not record his lectures as they are heavy on the visuals. I am not sure about anyone else. Zaccaro's lectures were recorded last year. You can purchase MP3 discs at the convention. Other Gifted/ of interest to gifted vendors/ secular / education heavy Exploration Education Science Logic of English (Pedia Learning, Inc.) Applied Inspirations, LLC Critical Thinking Co. Center for Talent Development at Northwestern University Prufrock Press, Inc. phil4 Professor Carol Royal Fireworks Press CollegePlus! CHAMPIONSHIP CHESS College Prep Genius Teaching Textbooks Homeschool Programming, Inc. Hickory Grove Press/Ed Zaccaro The College Board – CLEP Program Nancy Larson Science Everyday Education/Excellence in Literature/Janice Campbell Learn Differently – Kathy Kuhl School Choice Ohio – Expanding School Options for Families in Ohio Visual Latin WHOLEMOVEMENT GEOMETRY Mr. Science Teacher The Lukeion Project GERI/Purdue University Rosetta Stone, Ltd. Elite Educational Resources Greathall Productions Odyssey Games Brain in a Bag Butterfly Nature Nature's Workshop Plus Elemental Science Peace Hill Press These conventions have around 300 vendors and more workshops than that. it takes a lot to wade through them. My point is that I have personally lobbied for them to get more vendors/speakers like this, and the have listened. Now it is time to support them, and the vendors who are coming to these events. There are several online, e-schools, colleges with booths, I did not list them here, but they will be there. I do not work for the GHC, although I have helped at the RFWP booth and this year I will be helping at the Exploration Education booth as Mr. Grunder can't make it, and no one else could help him. Also, most of the seriously gifted/ classical ed. vendors in Cincinnati are lumped near each other in the vendor hall. That is awesome! So, for the most part you can just go to one area and see most of the stuff you want. However, there are some other booths that you might find interesting scattered all over the place. Don't be afraid to look around or mark these to find if you go. I hope this is helpful! I find that many people are not willing to look through the 64 pages of workshops, or even delve too far into any of the vendors and speakers, if they see too many similar things. But if you notice, this is like a convention within a convention...and if you read the "Convention Philosophy" in the 'about' section, I think the Deans deserve some credit. They get a lot of pressure from certain groups to exclude specific people, and they have firmly rejected this tactic. Thanks for reading this! Feel free to pass any of this info around.

The Zoo is REALLY, REALLY good. Especially in the spring, when all the bulbs are up. Also, if you have a bug kid, they have a great insect house.