These are the session descriptions for the 2025 APHEA Convention. This page will be updated as we continue to finalize everything! When we have the final schedule, we will post it here on the website too.
Israel Wayne – Director of Family Renewal
The Do’s and Don’ts of Teaching Your Children Theology
Most Christian parents want to teach their children theology and Bible doctrine, but aren’t sure how to go about it. Learn the difference between primary and secondary doctrines and how to help your children protect themselves against cults and false religions that would seek to woo them away from true Christian faith.
Helping the ADD / ADHD Child
If you have a hyperactive or easily distractible child, you won’t want to miss this informative and sometimes humorous message that shares stories from his experience as an ADHD child himself. You will receive practical and Biblical insights into ADD/ADHD and will be encouraged that there is hope for your child!
Education From A Biblical Worldview
Are your children prepared to face the “Real World”? Learn how to equip your children to stand against the flood of secularism that threatens to drown them. What is your worldview? How are you going to transfer it to your children? Will you be more effective than the media and popular culture? Discover how to teach your children to view the core subjects (and all of life) through the lenses of scripture.
Christians and Pop Culture (Evaluating The Arts)
This workshop endeavors to establish a Biblical framework for viewing The Arts and multimedia. How can you tell what is good art, literature or music and what isn’t? What is a Biblical view of entertainment? Are there some forms of art that are more Christian than others? Learn how art reflects culture and culture reflects religious presuppositions. These issues and more will be explored in this engaging workshop.
What is the Father’s Role in the Home?
What does the Bible say about the duties and responsibilities of a Christian husband / father? Israel will look at what the Scriptures teach on this important topic.
School Choice – A Trojan Horse?
Many conservatives support and promote school choice initiatives believing it is a way to offer more options to struggling families and give them a way to use some of their hard-earned tax dollars for private schooling or homeschooling. Israel Wayne gives reasons why true conservatives should sincerely question these initiatives.
Eryn Lynum – Featured Speaker
Learning to Teach Like Jesus Did: Through Nature
More often than in the synagogue or city gates, Jesus was teaching out in nature—in olive groves, beside the sea, and in the wilderness. He used materials He and His Father fashioned at creation, things like sparrows, wildflowers, grains of sand, soil, and seeds, to anchor biblical truth in the hearts of His listeners. We can teach using this same method! As we familiarize ourselves with Scripture and nature, and how God uses both to reveal Himself to us and our kids, we can nurture the faith of our families and our homeschool education through God’s creation.
Explore God’s Underwater World
How old is an immortal jellyfish? What is a shark’s 6th sense? And how is a garden snail related to an octopus? The ocean is the most mysterious place on earth. It covers most of our planet, yet only around 5% has been explored. New creatures that God made are being discovered all the time! Learn from Master Naturalist Eryn Lynum and be filled with awe at the fascinating creatures God filled the oceans with.
Embrace God’s Gift of Rest for Your Family (or Homeschool)
The roots of rest run deep in Scripture. Rest was hinted at during creation, initiated in the wilderness, and fulfilled at calvary. If rest is so prominent in God’s Word, then it is important for our families and homeschooling—perhaps even vital. Discover how realistic and attainable a life led from rest is, and how to practically use rest as a life- giving strategy in your home and homeschooling.
How Can an Axolotl Regrow Part of its Brain?
How does a chameleon change colors? How can an axolotl regrow parts of its heart and brain? What is the difference between a turtle and a tortoise? Dive into the study of herpetology with Master Naturalist Eryn Lynum and discover God’s amazing designs in reptiles and amphibians.
Things in Nature that are Not What They Seem
What exactly is a roly-poly? Is a ladybug a bug? And if flying bats aren’t birds, what are they? Discover unique creatures God made and their “hidden” identities. Learn how things in nature are not always what they seem and how you can study God’s creation to learn what things are and are not. As you practice this important skill, you’ll be better able to identify truth from falsehood in nature and in culture and society.
Dinosaur Tracks!
We live in a post-truth culture. Every day our kids hear messages that teach them things like “share your truth”, “feelings are more important than truth”, “you can decide what’s true”, and “it’s truth for you, but not true for me.” In this workshop, kids will learn what truth is, how to recognize and discover truth, and tactics for combating a post-truth culture. Sadly, dinosaurs are used extensively as evidence or even “proof” that God’s Word is unreliable and outdated. But dinosaurs are remarkable evidence that God knows everything and we can trust His Word!
Do Mushrooms Know How to Code?
Is a mushroom a plant or animal? Learn how scientists discovered mushrooms and fungi and how these amazing creations “know” how to code even without brains! Discover God’s unique designs in the fungus world and how He created an entire network of living organisms to help other creatures and plants live. Also discover how God’s designs in nature, like coding fungus, inspire human technology and design.
Other Workshops
5 Tools to Help your Children Think Well and Develop Understanding – Come hear about the tools that teach your children how to think well and develop understanding of any subject, topic, or trade.
Calling all future drone pilots! –Come fly a drone and learn some of the laws for flying your drone in Alaska. (flying for ages 12+)
How to Homeschool Free from Regulation –Have you ever asked whether you could graduate your child independently? What about teach a younger child or a child with special needs? Perhaps you’ve wondered whether you could write your transcript? Can I really issue a diploma to my child? Will they still have opportunities when they graduate? Join us as we explore the practical and legal sides of independent homeschooling in Alaska without government oversight, portfolio reviews and teacher meetings. Bring your questions as we explore these topics together.
Yes to Charlotte Mason and Classical From a Former Checked-Out Student –Despite being an avid reader as a child and devouring hundreds of history-related books, Julia Nalle, co-author of BiblioPlan, dreaded history in school. To her, history classes were a barrage of boring lectures and endless dates. Come listen as Julia shares her personal journey and how God changed her heart concerning history. Those changes have influenced her to rethink the importance of not only how we teach history, but who and why? In this session, Julia will offer 10 reasons why she believes studying history in the Charlotte Mason and Classical style of history using living books and engaging textbooks is vital to your child’s education!
How to Write and Self-Publish a Children’s Book –I love books, especially children’s books! Like most moms, I have read hundreds of books to my own kids over the years. I realized that I have stories to share with children too. And last year I was able to self-publish my first picture book! I will share my experience from story idea to book reality with you. You’ll learn about different story formats for a variety of audiences as well as how to make a storyboard with illustrations and text placement. It’s a fun and creative process that I can’t wait to share with you!
How to Teach Ordinary Subjects in Extraordinary Ways Utilizing STEM Kits – We will teach parents how to enroll in the free STEM kit program, order kits and curriculum and use the kits to teach ordinary subjects in fun and exciting ways.
U.S. Flag Folding and Display –Learn how to appropriate display the United States flag and receive hands on instruction on how to properly fold it.
Ladies Only: Encouragement for Homeschooling Moms –Two veteran homeschool moms offer encouragement and wisdom from their experiences. Lori is still in the midst of homeschooling her seven children. Stephanie graduated her fifth child in 2022, completing her 26 year homeschool career. Light snacks provided.
Strong Families, Strong Homeschools – Values and Individualized Learning – Are you tired of trying to piece together your year based on FB posts? Are you worried that the curriculum YOU love won’t resonate with your child? After hours and hours of research is a caffeine headache all you have to show for it? This workshop is designed to help you navigate past the difficulties and frustrations of putting together the best homeschool program for your family. Leslee will take away all the guesswork with 5 steps that will provide you with the confidence and excitement you need to have a spectacular learning year! Whether you are new to homeschooling, or you are a veteran who needs a refresh, learn how you can strengthen the foundation of your homeschool and strengthen your family!
Homeschooling Gen Z: How they Think and Why it Matters – Young people continue to consent to and even affirm culturally acceptable sin. LGBTQ+, Social Justice Theory, and Critical Race Theory are not just movements, they are a unified way of thinking. In this talk, we discover the root of this thought process that has groomed Gen Z into doubting God, redefining Christianity, and ultimately walking away from the faith. We discuss three biblical principles to respond with as we educate, train, and prepare this generation for a world that hates God.
Build an Amazing Homeschool Transcript –Don’t fear the high school years but learn little-known information that can give your student an edge.There is only ONE secret ingredient to giving credibility to a homeschool transcript. If you don’t know it, author Jean Burk will share the answer in this incredible lecture. Discover the insider criteria that Harvard uses to judge applicants and why summer break needs to be more than just a vacation. Learn the differences between AP, Dual Enrollment, and CLEP courses and the pros and cons of adding them to your schedule. Find out about the 3-Tier credit plan, so you can correctly build a portfolio that will impress any admissions counselor. If your kids are planning to go to college, you cannot afford to miss this engagement.
Raising Self-Sufficient Kids –Learn how everyday useful food science and physics principles help your children become self-sufficient now and better prepared for living safe and effective lives with their own families. Strategies for encouraging them to take confidence generating first steps will be presented, along with course offerings Beakers & Bricks offers which are designed for this purpose.
Multi-Age, Multi-Grade? All Together without Mom Losing her Mind! –Are you longing to find ways in your day to bring all your children together around the table? Do you need refreshing tips that show you how to combine subjects in a way that meets the needs of all your children? Are you wondering which subjects you can do together? Spend some time with Julia Nalle as she shares numerous practical helps for teaching history, literature, writing, Bible, geography, art, science and more across multi‐age levels drawing from both a classical style and a Charlotte Mason approach.
Whole Grains 101 Made Simple –All you want to learn about whole grains
1. The incredible health benefits of whole grains rather than conventional commercially milled flour
2. How to bake with freshly milled whole grains
3. How to stretch your grocery dollars with real food, especially grains
4. The long-term benefits of eating from God’s great garden grains
The Secret of the Watermelon –A fun story of a boy who visits his grandfather’s farm and learns an eternal lesson about watermelons!
Bleeding Control and First Aid (11+) – We will be discussing some basic bleeding control skills such as direct pressure, tourniquets, and wound packing. Additionally we will be including some other basic first aid topics such as epi-pen use and then general patient assessment. We will include more advanced topics such as splinting as time allows.
Teaching Special Learners –Homeschooling can seem so simple. You did well in school, and usually behaved yourself well enough, so how hard can teaching be? Buy a whiteboard and dry-erase markers, hang a wall map and some posters in your dining room, and go to work. But then real life intervenes. Your wiggler and your giggler can’t seem to settle; books and worksheets send your struggling reader into orbit; your otherwise complacent children raise the flag of revolt; and you find yourself face-planted before the Lord. What happens when your children don’t fit the mold? Join Julia Nalle, mother to three adopted and two biological kids, co-writer of BiblioPlan and teacher for 35-plus years, as she facilitates an honest and heartfelt discussion for parents who are scratching their heads over their struggling or special needs learners. In this session she will discuss some of the reasons why your child may be struggling and share practical, fun strategies for helping your child.