Opening Keynote: On to the Victory in So Great a Cause (Thomas Blackwell)
Are our words and actions congruent to achieve the mortal and eternal victories we desire? We will explore together the power we all posses to bring about what we talk about.
Thomas Blackwell
God's Help From the Wild: Edible and Medicinal Plants and Herbs (Ginny Ferguson and Lara Miller)
How confident would you be if you were lost in the woods, hungry, injured, and/or very far from medical help? How would you feel if you discovered that help was all around you, given to you by God, yet you did not bother to pick it up and use it? This class for beginners will spark an appreciation for the gifts given to us by the Creator of this world. Plants and herbs that grow spontaneously are often overlooked, called ""weeds"", and killed with chemicals and weed whackers. But what if you discovered that you were killing a cure for your chronic cough, an invaluable source of iron, or an effective treatment for diabetes? Would you pause and consider learning about and using the gifts God gave you instead of throwing them away? This class will focus on ten types of beginner plants that can be foraged and eaten, and five that are used primarily medicinally. We will clear up many misconceptions about foraging in the wild, and give you tools to continue your learning safely. You will walk away with a greater appreciation for the natural world and the tender mercies of the Lord. This class will be a jumping off point you can use to begin your own study of the natural world.
Lara Miller
Ginny Ferguson
Approaching Personal Finance in the Modern Economy (Nephi Zufelt)
Traditional personal finance methods are based on the assumption that the economy will remain the same as it has in the past. As we all know, that is not true now and will not be true in the future. Come and learn a little more about how we can teach our kids to be prepared for a new and exciting economy and what they can be doing right now to succeed.
Nephi Zufelt
Dad and Kids/Mentor Mom Chat
Use this space to gather with other parents and younger children. Plan activities, discuss ideas, or just play and relax.
From Surviving to Thriving: Life Hacks for Managing Everything Else Without Losing Your Mind (Diana Housley)
Do you feel like you are drowning? Do you feel frazzled with what feels like a million things to do but you don't have the energy or the mental bandwidth to address them all? Do you turn into the Mommy Monster towards the end of the day? Are you continually dropping the ball with one thing or another because you just can't keep all the plates spinning at the same time? Does it feel like you cannot possibly homeschool AND keep people fed AND keep up with emails and papers AND hold a church calling AND be a supportive wife AND deal with temper tantrums…AND keep your sanity? Come learn some strategies that will help you build a foundation to get yourself out of survival mode and then transform your beautiful chaos into something that feels manageable and sustainable. Learn how to homeschool AND thrive! You CAN do this!
Diana Housley
Why Dads Matter and What We're Good At
Russ Rector
Derek Bohon
Spencer Marsden
Tim Hester
Mentor Mom Chat/Kids Room
Use this space to gather with other parents and younger children. Plan activities, discuss ideas, or just play and relax.
Lunch
The Language of Love (Thomas Blackwell)
It's all about leaving people better than we found them, and the words we choose and how we express them make all the difference. Younger children are welcome. Moms and Dads, bring your little ones and come learn together.
Thomas Blackwell
Ascending the Hill of the Lord (Tim Hester)
During this class, we will explore different aspects of the ancient Tabernacle and how it can help us to prepare our children to understand their Temple experience and the Covenant Path more fully.
Tim Hester
Simulations: Interactive Parables (Sonja Brooksby)
Simulations can be thought of as interactive parables, offering valuable insights and lessons in a modern context. Just as parables in religious texts convey profound truths through relatable stories, simulations allow us to engage directly with scenarios and make decisions that mirror real-life situations as well as challenge ourselves and our children to make mistakes that teach us. Mistakes are the key to learning and processing choices and consequences This connection between simulations and parables highlights their potential to teach empathy, decision-making skills, and ethical considerations. By immersing ourselves in these digital and live experiences, we have the opportunity to learn and grow in ways that align with our values and beliefs. Come explore how to make this important tool a part of your home school.
Sonja Brooksby
Dads and Kids/Mentor Mom Chat
Use this space to gather with other parents and younger children. Plan activities, discuss ideas, or just play and relax.
Afternoon Activities
Join us for lawn games, scavenger hunts, hikes, and other fun. Take advantage of the park's available activities. Or spend the afternoon with your friends and family doing whatever it is you like to do. We'll be running optional loosely organized games and activities until 5:00PM.
Dinner Break
Family Dance
A treasured feature of LDSHE events, join us for some boot-stomping and partner-twirling at the Fall Family Dance
Emotional Resilience (Shannon Bohon)
We all need the skill of emotional regulation for healthy relationships with ourselves, God, parents, siblings and friends. We will learn about the tools that will help us build greater connections, enhance our emotional awareness, and strengthen our confidence in our ability to have personal revelation and bring peace into our lives every day.
Homeschool Connections with PODS (Stephanie Morgan)
Come and learn how you can build and maintain meaningful, wholesome, and rewarding homeschool connections for the support of your family, both socially and academically. Stephanie will share her experience from years of organizing and directing homeschool cooperatives and associations and how rewarding it has been to return to the homeschool roots of small in-home cooperatives as the best way to find homeschool support, sociality, and educational enrichment for the whole family. She calls these old-fashioned small group cooperatives PODS. But no matter what you call this type of group, the goal is to form a more intimate group of homeschool friendship and support in a more flexible, less formal, and less expensive way. This class will give you practical tools and ideas for how you can organize your own POD and maintain it so that it can be a blessing and not a burden to you and your family.
Stephanie Morgan
Dads and Kids/Mentor Mom Chat
Use this space to gather with other parents and younger children. Plan activities, discuss ideas, or just play and relax.
Finding Truth Amid an Artificial World (Nephi Zufelt)
We live in a world where information and knowledge have never been more readily available while truth and wisdom has never been harder to find. Come and learn how we can sift through the "information" to find truth.
Nephi Zufelt
The Sound of Music
Join this interactive class focusing on obtaining a love of music and the arts that will inspire your children. It begins with a desire to learn and understand what will spark the flame. Tips and tricks that will serve as kindling to get you started. Culture and creativity to fan the flame into a roaring fire. Come, warm yourself next to this Fine Arts Fire.
Nicole Freeman
Dads and Kids/Mentor Mom Chat
Use this space to gather with other parents and younger children. Plan activities, discuss ideas, or just play and relax.
Enriching Family Life with Writing (Stephanie Morgan)
Come and be inspired to use writing as a tool to bring the family together in the pursuits that build our character and enrich our earthly experiences. The best way to ensure your children learn to love writing is to make writing fun and relevant to their lives. In this workshop we are going to brainstorm fun ways you can add writing to your family homeschool as family projects everyone can contribute to. These projects will be meaningful to your kids at all ages and leave behind a legacy that will be meaningful to your family story forever.
Stephanie Morgan
The Power Struggle: Are You Shoulder to Shoulder or Face to Face? (Sonja Brooksby)
Exploring the power struggle between parents and children is an important topic that resonates with many families. In the journey of parenthood, understanding how to navigate this dynamic and foster cooperation is key. We will delve into the challenges both parties face, the reasons behind the power struggle, and how communication and empathy play crucial roles in resolving conflicts. By discussing real-life examples and strategies for effective communication, families can learn to build stronger relationships and create a more harmonious home environment where parents and children work together to achieve mutual understanding and growth.
Sonja Brooksby
Dads and Kids/Mentor Mom Chat
Use this space to gather with other parents and younger children. Plan activities, discuss ideas, or just play and relax.
Lunch
TBD
The Joy Philosophy: Finding Joy in the Chaos of Everyday Life (Shari Melton)
Do you know what brought you joy today? When dealing with the chaos and stress of everyday life it can be hard to take care of ourselves first or to focus on the positive and appreciate the things that bring us joy. Using the Joy Philosophy, you will learn three truths about human nature plus six practices that when used will help you discover your passions, encourage healthier relationships, and enhance your ability to stay in the moment and feel more joy.
Shari Melton
Dads and Kids/Mentor Mom Chat
Use this space to gather with other parents and younger children. Plan activities, discuss ideas, or just play and relax.
Closing Keynote: So, You Want to Be an Influencer? (Sonja Brooksby)
Do you dream of becoming a voice to the people, someone who can create fun and inspiring content for the world to enjoy? Do you love the idea of being able to change the course of someone's life for the better? Perhaps we can answer the call to action given in 1844 “Shall we not go on in so great a cause?” If you are willing, you can and will become an Influencer in the world. How can you make that happen? What are the characteristics, motivation or goals of an influencer? What is an Influencer today, yesterday and anciently? Let’s explore these questions together, and “Go forward not backward. Courage, and on, on to the Victory!”
Sonja Brooksby
Afternoon Activities
Join us for lawn games, scavenger hunts, hikes, and other fun. Take advantage of the park's available activities. Or spend the afternoon with your friends and family doing whatever it is you like to do. We'll be running optional loosely organized games and activities until 5:00PM.
Dinner Break
Campfire Evening
Unwind by the campfire with your LDSHE family and wrap-up the Fall Retreat with skits, music, and dancing...oh, and fire.
