Packing Up The HEAV Office…

It’s really happening! A trusty team of volunteers (l. to r., Jason Cooper, Seth Fisher, Susannah Miller, Jacob Musick, Nathanael Miller, Ruth Miller, and Joshua Fisher) pack up supplies, books, magazines, easels, equipment, and more.

Photo by Seth Fisher, Through My Lens Photography

annemiller @ June 6, 2007   |   Uncategorized  |   Comments (0)

“Ideas that Work” from the Virginia Gazette

I woke up this morning to the smiling faces of my two oldest sons, Sam (24) and Nathanael (22), on the front page of the Virginia Gazette. The headline reads “Home-school has graduated/Success speaks volumes for pacing, innovation, creativity.”

Sam is an engineer and works at NASA, Nathanael is finishing his master’s in electrical engineering and is a co-op at NASA, and John (20, who is pictured later in the article) is finishing his master’s in aeronautical engineering and is a second-year NASA intern.

Besides my family, Sharon Schiff, the Virginia Gazette reporter, interviewed Gwen Sturdy and her daughter Lauren. Lauren, who graduates this year, earned a perfect score of 2400 the first time she took the SAT and received a National Merit Scholarship. She will be attending Washington & Lee University and said, “One thing that I really value was being able to take charge of my education.”

Congratulations to Lauren!

And kudos to Sharon for writing this great article on homeschooling!

Read the Virgina Gazette article, “Home-school has graduated.”
Read the NASA article “A Family Affair.”

annemiller @ June 6, 2007   |   Uncategorized  |   Comments (0)

53,528 Resource Items at the Used Curriculum Sale

Can you believe it? Our dedicated volunteers will process more than 53,500 books and resources in just two and a half days! Last year, we had around 33,000. This year’s sale is going to be our largest one yet.

HEAVBlogger @ June 6, 2007   |   Uncategorized  |   Comments (0)

A Child’s Perspective

Homeschool Convention—those two words bring back so many memories! I remember the eagerness with which I looked forward to convention time as a homeschool child. The convention meant new books to read and maybe a few other goodies . As I grew older, I began enjoying the convention more and more, and would help my mom develop our “plan of attack,” pouring with her over the convention brochure and making a list of booths to visit.

No matter how much I had prepared, the number of materials at the convention always amazed me (and still does). Books, books, and more books—what a feast! I enjoyed browsing the book tables and helping my mom select the next year’s curriculum. I made it a goal to find the materials we needed for the best price possible.

Then came the workshops. Who cares if the speakers were addressing moms and dads? There was always plenty for me to learn too. It was just encouraging to sit and listen to truths from God’s Word and see that there were others out there treading the same road we had chosen.

But enough of memories. Time to move forward and get ready for the HEAV convention…I hope to see you there!

Katherine Loop

Katherine Loop @ June 6, 2007   |   Uncategorized  |   Comments (0)

Welcome to the HEAV Blog!

Resources, Events, and Ideas for Virginia Homeschoolers
Thank you for stopping by the HEAV blog! Keep checking back for the latest info on homeschooling events and resources in Virginia, as well as our thoughts and ideas on a variety of topics.

HEAVBlogger @ June 4, 2007   |   Uncategorized  |   Comments (1)

Welcome!

Let me be the first to welcome you to the new HEAV blog. After talking about it for more than a year, the blog has finally become a reality — and just in time for the convention!

With only three days to the start of the 24th Annual HEAV State Convention & Educational Fair (make that two days, 16 hours, and 27 minutes!), our year of planning, preparation, and prayer is about to come to fruition.

Exhibitors and speakers from all over the nation will arrive on Wednesday and Thursday, followed by thousands of homeschool families from all parts of Virginia and beyond. Even after almost 18 years with HEAV, the grand choreography of this event leaves me in awe.

When I think of the scores of exhibitors and speakers preparing, packing, and traveling to come and encourage and support homeschool families; the thousands of moms and dads organizing their families, driving plans, and budgets to attend; the hundreds of Used Curriculum Sale sellers labeling their more than 42,000 items; and the 185 graduates and their families and 2600 guests preparing to celebrate this once-in-a-lifetime milestone together, I can hardly get my mind around the energy, determination, focus, and commitment of the homeschool community, and the awesomeness of the Lord as He prepares us all to meet together.

I hope I will see you there!

Now…to put our new blog to good use:

During the next five days, guest bloggers — homeschool moms and dads, speakers, and exhibitors — will all report live from the convention. They will be writing about their experiences and thoughts, uploading photos, and sharing with you the joy and excitement of this year’s event. I hope you enjoy their musings.

Anne Miller, HEAV president

annemiller @ June 4, 2007   |   Uncategorized  |   Comments (2)

Countdown to the Convention

In less than four days, the Home Educators Association of Virginia’s annual homeschool convention and bookfair will open. I have avidly checked the schedule on their website at www.heav.org, and I am quite impressed with the slate of speakers this year. I am also going to be a vendor for the first time at this convention, and I have heard rave reviews about the way this convention is organized.

If you are considering whether to come to the convention, let me encourage you to go ahead and join us. I always leave homeschool conventions feeling blessed and refreshed, and I have attended many more conferences as a homeschool mom than I have as a vendor. And I like being on both sides of the table.

Have you seen the FREE Virginia History CD you will get with your registration? I have never seen such a great gift for participants. And there is no better way to learn about homeschool curriculum than from the authors themselves or homeschool moms like me who have used the curriculum.

Hop on over to the HEAV website and read more. Hope to see you in a few days!

Tami Fox
Homeschool Mom to 6 blessings since 2000, and owner of Discount Home School Supplies

HEAVBlogger @ June 4, 2007   |   Uncategorized  |   Comments (1)