Well it occurs to me that I’ve been so busy between weddings, house renovations, babies to be and sons leaving for the Army not to mention preparing for the AGM this coming Tuesday ,that it’s been a while since I filled you in on what’s happening here at conference central.  We're kind of in the thick of things here too, speakers are organised, delegate packs are being made up and trade fair delegates are contacted, could explain why my children have taken to emailing me to make an appointment.

For weeks now the committee has been ringing numbers, sending emails, and posting letters as we head into the half way mark for our July conference. Next step will be to post the program on line on our soon to be new look website which we plan to launch shortly.  Our new web man Neil has been busy constructing a site which will not only be more user friendly, but will enable us to bring you a host of new services in the near future so keep an eye out for it.  

 However back to the conference, the theme of which is “learning for Life” for all the family has seen as put together a conference this year that focuses on providing parents with information and skills in a range of areas, sort of PD for home based parents.       With workshops on everything from the world of cyberspace to indigenous affairs, and for something new there will be a range of workshops where parents and teenagers can learn alongside each other.   We have sourced speakers from all walks of life, from familiar faces like Beverley Paine, to professionals in specific fields such as Julia Ferguson from Scitech on through to parents like my hubby Tom who’s agreed to talk about his journey as a home based dad.  The Department of Education will also be presenting up-to-date information on the national curriculum which can be viewed on line at www.acara.edu.au.

If you’re a fan of the ABC’s Q&A, which I am, then you’ll enjoy our opening program, while our Trade Fair coordinators are going all out to bring you a diverse range of companies to examine.

Well the sun is up and we’re meeting soon to work on more of the conference, so it’s time to put the Danish in the oven, perk the coffee, and feed the ducks and hens before the troops arrive.
See you in July

                       We have secured a further two wonderful speakers for the conference in July from ECU. 

Nardia Bordas from the Faculty of Computing, Health and Science and Barbara Combes from the School of Computer & Security Science.  We hope to  have a list of people, lectures and workshops up on the web by the end of March.

However for the present we are working on Barbara presenting a workshop on cyber safety and ethics in the modern world of social networking and modern technologies, which will bring parents and young people alike up-to-date with the issues they need to be thinking about in our age of on line computing and networking.  While Nadia’s area of passion is the world of  natural sciences, Chemistry, Biology and environmental sciences.

We are also in contact with people from Scitech at present and are hoping to have some exciting news on this front shortly too.  In the mean time we would like to  source people who might be able to equip parents with new info and ideas for  LOTE,  if you know of someone who fits the bill drop me a line.

I am not sure what is exciting me more the way the conference is shaping up or my sons wedding this weekend…..I know only a home based mum could make such  a statement …..  

I am pretty sure its my sons wedding

Well here we are in 2010 our 20th year of Home Based Learning in Western Australian  as an organisation, and while you might have thought we had all disappeared here at HBLN central,  the ladies on committee and our  team of volunteers have all been hard at work since the middle of the month continuing preparations  for our July Conference and Trade Fair.

After much hunting our wonderful Librarian Frith found a fantastic venue for the event, Penrhos College in Como, while behind the scenes our sub- committees are hard at work securing guest speakers for the conference, and booking companies for the trade fair.  In the coming days we will post the workshops on line for parents to take a sneak peak at what lies ahead.

Exciting news on the Trade front, this year will see three of Perth’s Universities present information to parents,  as well as groups that provide on line support for home based parents. Do you know of a company you would like to see at the trade fair? Then drop us a line and we will see what we can do.

Or if you would like to volunteer to join a group or volunteer on the day then send an email to the events co-ordinator with your details and preferences and we will welcome you with open arms and  a small  list of jobs that need doing ...no really it won’t take you long.

Currently I am in the midst of another countdown... only five sleeps to go until I have a married son and a second daughter.  I am not sure what is keeping me awake more at nights planning how to be a great mother in law or helping create a successful conference  along with the other ladies on the committee........ I’ll let you know once both are over.... in the interim .....

Happy  Birthday to all our HBLN’ers, may this be your best year of home based learning yet. 

Well it’s the day after the getting started night and after getting home about 1.30am and then waking up at 4.30am I am a little bleary eyed, however the mind is buzzing with the events of today.  One of my esteemed fellow committee members came to visit me to fill  me in on her recent experience at a weekend workshop and to catch up on all the current HBLN stuff.

Well a couple of hours later and a few too many coffees for me, and a few tea’s for her, we were ready to conquer the world, in my case however I blame it on the  coffee.  

Where and when? Well how about the first weekend in July?  What about formats and programs, child care options and how do we include everyone at some point ??????

At the end of our confab there were pages and pages of diagrams, flow charts, sketches and a few less trees on the planet to show for our days work ……….Oh and a small flood that extended from the en-suite bathroom though our bedroom into the lounge with two rivers, one snaking its way towards the train set at the base of our Christmas tree and the other around the corner into what we call the education room….(don’t ask).

Now if your wondering why I decided to try out for the part of Noah's wife in this years Christmas pantomime it all started with a pool that we discovered had turned green (someone apparently unplugged the pump) when small children wanted to swim….. “Mum can we fill up the spa and turn it on?” “Sure honey go for it”… famous last words.

Delighted giggles and shrieks could be heard from our place on the couch in the lounge as we let our ideas scale the heights, that was until we spied the water then it was every towel on deck …..

So while we stemmed the tide and  the ones responsible skated on the bathroom floor still giggling and laughing,  it dawned on me that we might need to have the next meeting when small and large bundles of mischief are fast asleep.

While this blog is not strictly to do with the conference, but more to do with the events of the past 24 hours I am putting fingers to the keyboard as a testimony to the power of home based learning.

The past twenty-four hours have seen our home swell as two families and their assorted beloved pets, 6 canines at last count I think, four cats and a mother duck and her new babies have taken shelter in our home from the ravages of the fire at present assaulting our little community here in Toodyay.

Before yesterday evening we had not met these members of our community, but today I am watching as Pam teaches our 11 year old son to knit, while she waits to hear whether or not her house has survived, marvelling at her calm exterior and the patience she expends with our son, as he learns how to pearl then plain.

While in the background our other children who have vacated their bedrooms to give these families at least a small place to call home until they know more, are doing their best to make our guests feel comfortable.  Our son who has always hated change is adapting before my eyes, not only to strangers in his home, but a complete disruption to his routine , proving that all the years of effort have been well worth the while. At the same time our gentle fun loving Beth is making cups of tea and answering questions such as “what’s it like to be home educated?”

I am so proud of our three youngest, their ability to put others needs before their own, to be able to consider the feelings and thoughts of another, are due in large part to the training we have been able to provide them, simply because we have had the time to spend with them and develop these qualities within them.

For those who hadn’t realised by now, I am a passionate supporter of home based learning for many reasons, but mostly because it has allowed us to get to know our children and at the same time build young people of substance, resilience, caring and intelligence.

It is my sincere hope that the conference this July will provide the parents of Perth with extra tools for their tool boxes, that they too can use as they build young people of substance and character.

We have now learnt that one of our families have lost their home and all they own, our hearts go out to them, and we sincerley wish there was more we could do for them.

There are a number of home based learners in our area and I would encourage our community as a whole, if your able,  to make a donation at any  Bendigo Bank which will be used to support the many families who have lost everything.  I would also like to say thank you to the many people who have sent emails in the past 48 hours it made us feel very cared for.