SPRING CONFERENCE
The board of HENB has been hard at work putting together an online conference to offer this year. We have re-booked Heidi St. John to speak at our 2022 Conference, when we can meet in person again.

While it's disappointing to not be able to meet in person, we hope that the speakers and sessions we have lined up will be a blessing and an encouragement as you wrap up this year of school and look forward to the next.

The conference will be available to watch live, or to stream until April 30. We encourage you to grab a few close friends from your "bubble" and take it in as a group!


For all the details, to read about the sessions and to see what vendors will be present, click through to our website here.


SPRING IS HERE!
Some of you may still be underneath several feet of snow, but spring is on the horizon. We hope that your year of homeschooling has been a blessing to you as you look ahead into the final stretch.
CANADIAN HISTORY CURRICULUM
Sometimes it can be difficult for Canadian homeschoolers to find good resources that are specific to our country. A homeschool mom from Ontario has put together a complete 36 week instructor's guide for teaching elementary age kids all about Canada, using books that are easily sourced from your local library. Here's what she says about it:

"This 1-year guide will help you cover Canadian history starting from early explorers all the way to recent history. The history of Aboriginal people in our land is intertwined throughout the year. The traditions and culture of many specific First Nations groups are discussed. Black Canadian history is also presented. The guide covers each Canadian province and territory, including the history, types of terrain, and industries of each. Government is discussed, including profiles on many Canadian Prime Ministers. The history of voting in Canada, and the current federal voting process is also covered. The works of several Canadian poets and artists are highlighted in a child-friendly way. It includes scripture memory verses for each week (in New Living Translation)."

For a more detailed description of this resource and to request a free sample, you can contact Amanda Landgraff.
Grade Levels
We found this Facebook post from Nicki Truesdell encouraging. See the original here.

"Here’s your friendly reminder that grade levels are an artificial construct. They didn’t exist until 100 years ago. They were designed specifically for mass education in public schools.

It doesn’t matter what grade level of math or grammar or science your kid is in. What matters is that they are always progressing. Checking off boxes like grade levels is a trap full of stress and guilt, yet for some reason, homeschoolers insist on copying the very system they claim to disdain.

When people ask me “what do you recommend for 3rd grade grammar” or “6th grade science” I don’t give them the answer they’re looking for. I don’t know what 3rd grade grammar even is. I just know that my kids start with phonics, then reading, and then learning to spell based on phonics rules, then move on to copy work, and by about middle school they take their first Easy Grammar course. It’s the same with all subjects.

Progression is the goal. Being well-educated is the goal. Not checking off a list. So if my kids take pre-Algebra at age 10 or age 16, it’s not a big deal. What’s important is they they grasp the content and are able to move on to the next level.

It’s like video games. Just keep going until you level up, and if the kids aren’t getting it, stay in that world a little longer. If they are, advance to the next level.

Have confidence in your ability to make decisions for your kids! A curriculum is only a tool; YOU are the one in charge of construction."
"The Lesson" by George Goodwin Kilburne
JA Canada

Junior Achievement has a great selection of free enrichment programming available for students in grades 3-12.
Click the link to see a list of their available self directed courses.
Once the students click into the program there will be an “Enroll Me” button that will take them to the course.
Students complete the course in approximately 2 hours and will receive a certificate of accomplishment to prove completion of the course.
Happy Easter
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1:3-5