2025 Louisiana Homeschool Conference
Friday, March 28th, 2025 &
Saturday, March 29th, 2025

First Baptist Church
401 W Morris Ave
Hammond, LA 70403

Friday – Evening session and Vendor Hall are FREE
Saturday – Sessions, Vendor Hall and lunch require registration

Registration required for Saturday

If you are homeschooling or considering homeschooling, our conference offers:

  • Encouragement in your homeschooling journey.
  • Vision for your children and your homeschool.
  • Vendor Hall with educational resources and conference-only deals.
  • Youth program while the parents are in sessions.
  • Fellowship with homeschoolers from across the state. Meet and make connections.
  • Catered, hot, lunch (included in registration.)

This is the homeschooling event of the year!

Keynote Speaker:

Andrew Pudewa is the founder and director of the Institute for Excellence in Writing and a father of seven. Traveling and speaking around the world, he addresses issues related to teaching, writing, thinking, spelling, and music with clarity, insight, practical experience, and humor.

Location:

First Baptist Church
401 W Morris Ave
Hammond, LA 70403

Registration for Saturday:

Parent Registration Fee:
Paid Before March 14th – $55 ($45 for members and affiliated groups)
After March 14th -$65

No refunds after March 14th.

Spouses and grandparents attend for free! Registration includes a hot, catered lunch for mom, dad and children under 5.

Homeschool Louisiana Affiliated Groups:

CCHSA
CHEF of Baton Rouge
CHEF of GNO
CHEF of Lafayette
Homeschool Southwest Louisiana
Homeschool St. Charles
Homeschool Tangipahoa
NELCHA

Lunch:

Lunch is included for husband, wife, children under 5 and children in the Youth Program. Additional lunches can be purchased: $8 for grandparents and $5 for children 5 and older.

Vendor Hall

The Vendor Hall will be open on Friday from 5:00pm until 7:30pm and during the Conference on Saturday. There will be Vendor times between sessions and workshops.

Classical Conversations (Gold Level Sponsor)
United States Army Recruiting (Gold Level Sponsor)
Demme Learning (Bronze Level Sponsor)
Big Branch Marsh
BJU Press – Bob Jones University
CHEF of GNO
Creation Science Books
Distinctive Music Studios
Homeschool Tangipahoa
Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW)
LA Right to Life
LA Youth Challenge
Lamplighter Books
Manners of the Heart
Teaching Textbooks
The Tuttle Twins Books
Trey Williams Books

Hotels in Hammond

  • Red Roof Inn Plus
  • Courtyard
  • Home2Home
  • Holiday Inn

Conference Schedule

Friday, March 28th

5:00 pm – Doors open to Vendor Hall
6:00-7:00 pm – “The Heart of Homeschooling” with Dr. and Mrs Jan Smith in the Meeting Room
7:30 pm – Doors Close

Saturday, March 29th

8:15 am – Registration
8:45 am – Announcements and Opening Session with Andrew Pudewa in the Sanctuary
“However Imperfectly: Lessons Learned from Thirty Years of Teaching”
10:00 am – Vendor Time
11:00-11:45 am – Workshops

  1. Andrew Pudewa in the Sanctuary
    “Four Deadly Errors of Teaching Writing”
  2. Getting Started homeschooling with Karla Curtis in the Vendor Hall
  3. Creation Science with Joseph McDonald in the Meeting Room
    “Understanding Apologetics”

12:00-12:30 pm – Lunch
12:30-1:00 pm – Vendor Time
1:00-1:45 pm – Workshops

  1. Andrew Pudewa in the Sanctuary
    “Principles of Motivation”
  2. “Being a Strong and Loving Parent: the Foundation of Success” with Dr. Roger and Mrs. Jan Smith in the Vendor Hall
  3. Nature Study with Ranger Becky in the Meeting Room

1:45-2:45 pm – Vendor Time
2:45-3:30 pm – Keynote Session with Andrew Pudewa
“Nurturing Competent Communications”
3:30 pm – Pick up youth from the Youth Program
3:45-4:00 pm – Closing Session and Door Prizes

Conference titles and descriptions for Andrew Pudewa:

The Heart of Homeschooling

What does homeschooling look like in real life? We will share with you some of the basic principles to keep you on track in teaching your children and major issues that often cause discouragement for moms in the trenches.
There are major areas that you as a family can prioritize to protect your heart and mind as you press towards your mission as a family.

Come and be encouraged.

However Imperfectly: Lessons Learned from Thirty Years of Teaching

In this talk Andrew Pudewa shares many humorous experiences (and painful lessons) he has learned over thirty years of teaching and homeschooling. You will be challenged, reassured, and sure to leave with an expanded vision of your calling as a home educator.

Four Deadly Errors of Teaching Writing

After years of teaching Andrew Pudewa realized that students’ frustrations were often caused by teaching mistakes. Have you committed one of these errors in your teaching? Overcorrecting, holding back help, unclear assignments, and over-expectation can frustrate your students and hamper your best efforts. Join Andrew Pudewa to learn how to overcome and avoid these four deadly errors of teaching writing.

Understanding Apologetics
 
Understanding apologetics doesn’t have to be complicated. Just remember what it’s really about: defending the faith and proclaiming the truth. Apologetics also helps us make sense of Bible passages that are hard to understand and provide some serious answers for Bible critics while we stand on the authority of the Word of God.

Principles of Motivation

A life-long student of motivation, Andrew Pudewa has organized fundamental ideas of motivation into categories: four forms of relevancy, three laws of motivation, and two secret weapons. This expansion of Andrew’s previous talk Teaching Boys & Other Children Who Would Rather Be Making Forts All Day includes new and updated stories, tips, and information.

Being a Strong and Loving Parent: the Foundation of Success
Learn principles of building quality relationships with your children from veteran home educators who have strong relationships with their grown children. Transitioning from authority to influence as your child grows is key to maintaining a relationship. We will overview this transition from 0-18 and give insights into different age groups.

Relationship with your child is the key to academic and life success.

Nurturing Competent Communicators
Many teachers and parents assume that good readers will naturally become good writers. Others think that writing talent is a natural ability. Some have it. Others don’t. Both are myths. History and modern research demonstrate how good writers develop the two most critical skills needed for a high level of aptitude in writing. With humor and insight, Andrew Pudewa explains these two easy but powerful skills, which build language patterns and nurture competent communicators.

Part of the youth program
By Joseph McDonald

Understanding Creation Evangelism
 
Creation evangelism is not just another debate about science and religion. It’s about having answers to the skeptical questions of the age while standing on the authority of God’s Word. When people ask so many questions about the days of creation, the age of the earth, dinosaurs, the Flood of Noah’s Day, or why there is so much death and suffering in the world, we can explain what we believe, why we believe it, and why it really matters as we proclaim the hope of the gospel.
 
Youth program 9:30
 
Creating Your Own Board or Card game with Kelly Washington, program Specialist, Tangipahoa Parish Library. Students will work in groups to create new games.

Youth Program (Ages 10 & up)

Students ages 10-18 can participate in fun activities and programs while their parents attend the conference. Fee is $25 per student, Lunch is included. Students can be dropped off at 8:30am and will be picked up at 3:30pm.

Schedule:
8:30 am – Minute-to-Win-It Games
9:30 am – Program by Tangipahoa Library Teen Program Coordinator
10:30 am – Cookie Decorating and games
11:30 am – Art Project with the Free-Range Hippie
12:30 pm – Lunch (included)
1:00 pm – Creation Science with Joseph McDonald
2:00-3:30 pm – Ranger Becky from Big Branch Marsh
3:30 pm – Parents pick up their youth.

Children at the Conference

Your children may attend the conference with you. They must stay with a parent at all times unless they are enrolled in the Youth Program. Please bring quiet toys (art supplies, books etc.) to entertain them during the sessions. Lunch for children ages 5 and up is $5 per child.

Gold Level Sponsor ($1000 or more):

Bronze Level Sponsor: