Christian Home Educators of Wisconsin

• Confirmed Keynotes
• Confirmed Workshop Speakers
• Exhibitors
• Schedule
• Workshop Descriptions
• Conference Hotel

Who: Speakers like Ben Carson, Zan Tyler, Brook Wayne, Kyle Justice, Pat Roy, Jay Seegert, Duke Pesta, Julaine Appling, Shannon Badger, Dave Bender, Faith Berens, Dan Degner, Lisa Dettinger, Dave Glander, Mark & Amy Herbster, Given Hoffman, Sierra John, Aaron Schneider, Dennis Siler, and more!

What: Christian Home Educators of Wisconsin 2023 Annual Conference

When: Thursday March 30th (12:30p – 6:30p) & Friday March 31st (8a – 6p), 2023

Where: Kalahari Resort & Convention Center, Wisconsin Dells

How: Register at https://homewischool.brushfire.com/2023/545506

Exhibitor Registration requires an access code – email info@homewi.school

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2023 Confirmed Keynotes

Friday Afternoon Keynote

Confirmed Workshop Speakers

Confirmed Exhibitors

CHEW 23 Schedule

Thursday, March 30th, 2023

• 8:00 AM – Registration Begins / Exhibit Hall Open
• 12:30 PM – Opening Keynote with Zan Tyler
• 2:00 PM – Workshop Hour 1
• 3:00 PM – Workshop Hour 2
• 4:00 PM – Workshop Hour 3
• 5:00 PM – Dinner with Ben Carson / Exhibit Hall Closed
• 9:00 PM – Waterpark Closes

Friday, March 31st, 2023

• 7:30 AM – Exhibit Hall Opens
• 8:00 AM – Keynote 2 – Wisconsin Supreme Court Panel (the winners of the February primary will be invited to speak)
• 9:00 AM – Workshop Hour 4
• 10:00 AM – Workshop Hour 5
• 11:00 AM – Workshop Hour 6
• Noon – Lunch Break / Exhibit Hall Open / Pastors Luncheon
• 2:00 PM – Workshop Hour 7
• 3:00 PM – Workshop Hour 8
• 4:30 PM – Keynote 3 – Creation Experience / Exhibit Hall Closed

Kids Track

Coming soon!

Teen Track

Hosted by Reasons for Hope featuring Dave Glander

Keynote & Workshop Topics

Art of “Dadding” with Aaron Schneider They’re your kids too.  Many men are unwilling to admit this is their circus; and these are, in fact, their monkeys.  Your kids are dying to do life with both parents.  This workshop would be aimed at helping dads recognize the importance of their role and strategies they can employ to best care for the hearts of their children.

BONDING WITH YOUR CHILDREN THROUGH WRITING TOGETHER with Zan Tyler

Do you feel at a loss when trying to teach your kids and teens to write? Do you ever dread working on writing assignments with them? Zan Tyler has served as an executive editor, development editor, and acquisitions editor for websites and traditional publishing companies, including B&H Publishing in Nashville, TN. Join Zan as she draws from her professional experience to give you down-to-earth advice on how to encourage the writing process in your children—while building stronger relationships with them and avoiding meltdowns. It is easier than you think to teach writing like a pro.

Creating intentional links from life on the farm to homeschooling with Aaron Schneider.  Our family has learned so much from being outdoors and farming.  The opportunity is there for so many lessons from everyday life that our kids could be learning from us.

Crisis in Contemporary Education: What Homeschoolers Need to Know by Duke Pesta

Critical Thinking in a Relativistic World with Holly Varnum

The world our children live in today is quite different from the one we grew up in. They are constantly bombarded with post-modernism, which says whatever you want to believe is your “truth.” Now more than ever, we need to provide them with the tools to discern and combat the lies being hurled at them on a daily basis, even if they are being educated in a home school or Christian School environment. In this session, we will identify some of these lies and learn what questions to ask to separate truth from deception.

DEMYSTIFYING DYSLEXIA with Robyn Jeffords
Dyslexia Specialist, Robyn Jeffords, will separate fact from fiction as she provides parents with a deeper understanding of dyslexia. Learn what dyslexia can look like in the preschool, elementary and teen years. If your child is showing symptoms, this workshop can help put you on the right track to providing the kind of instruction a dyslexic learner will need to overcome challenges with reading, spelling and written expression.

Dinosaurs & the Bible with Jay Seegert

Dinosaurs are both extremely fascinating and also the source of much confusion when it comes to trying to comprehend their place in God’s creation and the Bible.  The media often paints a picture that is difficult to reconcile with our understanding of Scripture, so many have concluded the Bible doesn’t mention dinosaurs or have even gone as far as to say that they never really existed! This presentation takes a look at the true history of dinosaurs, expels the myths and shows that the Bible explains the actual scientific evidence much better than any secular evolutionary stories.  Both youth and adults alike will find this talk especially intriguing and extremely informative.

Dyslexia Demystified—Definitions and Hope for Homeschoolers with Faith Berens

Encouragement for Young Moms with Brook Wayne

Training a child is a lot easier sounding on paper than lived out in real life. Brook Wayne encourages moms with little ones in practical ways to train children, inspire listening skills, initiate meaningful conversations, and gently guide a child’s heart when correction is needed. This session also explores the need for young moms to take time to nurture their own souls as they seek to disciple and lead their children.

Essays for the Middle-Schooler: Easy as 1-2-3! With Lisa Dettinger

Description: Got a reluctant or rambling writer? Learn the simple numerical formula for writing essays that will transform your middle schooler’s attitude about writing from “No way!” to “Hooray!” Organized thinking translates into an organized essay. No purchase, program, or commitment necessary! Sound too good to be true? See it to believe it. Invite your 4th-8th graders to this session as well!

EZ+1: Making Sense of Writing from Institute for Excellence in Writing

Faith is Not a Four-Letter Word With Jay Seegert

It is a common misconception that skeptics base all their beliefs on “facts”, while Christians simply have “faith” which amounts to nothing more than wishful thinking and belief in fairytales… or as Mark Twain stated, “Faith is believing in what you know ain’t so!”  This presentation shows just how incorrect this view truly is and powerfully equips Christians to share and defend their faith without having to memorize lots of facts or have degrees in science, or Greek & Hebrew. It is very encouraging, eye-opening and easy for all to understand.

Fast and Easy College-Prep Essays with Lisa Dettinger

The long, drawn-out “writing process” is obsolete. Learn how your high schooler can write essays with three-step efficiency: 1.) Decide which essay-specific graphic organizer to use, 2.) Jot down a few notes, and 3.) Type it while incorporating evidence. Voila! Invite your high schooler to this session too!

Fostering your Children’s Gifts with Kyle Justice

Kyle shares how God has designed our children with gifts for the Kingdom and how parents can identify those gifts and help grow them.  He shares from his own life as a teenager getting into video and how his parents fostered his gifts and desire to serve the Lord.  Kyle then encourages the audience about how he’s doing the same with his children and gives advice on how parents can do that today.

FreedomProject with Dave Harper

Founded in 2011, FreedomProject Academy offers a first-rate, Classical education for Kindergarten through High School. FPA is a fully accredited school, recognized for authenticity and excellence, without compromising core values or academic standards. FPA is grounded in Judeo-Christian beliefs as promoted in the Constitution by our Founding Fathers, who strove to guarantee the preservation of our God-given liberties. FreedomProject Academy’s curriculum is designed to teach students HOW to think, not WHAT to think. Parents who consider enrolling their children in FPA must understand that our school seeks to build the broad and solid intellectual foundation that only Classical education provides. FPA offers LIVE and ANYTIME classes for students residing within the United States and beyond. The primary difference between LIVE and ANYTIME simply comes to scheduled classes and due dates. Our Constitution guarantees freedom for an educated and moral people. FPA’s rigorous and wide-ranged curriculum prepares students for adult life that may include college but is not exclusively for those who plan to attend college. Our Classical approach ensures a well-rounded education in myriad disciplines with an emphasis on achieving one’s personal best.

From Homeschool to University: Surviving College with Faith in God, Country, and Self Intact with Duke Pesta

Getting to the Heart of the Matter with Amy Herbster: Using Scripture in your parenting and homeschooling.

Getting your family into ministry with Aaron Schneider: We’re losing young people from our churches, and many families are satisfied with being ministered to, but not being active in ministry themselves.  This workshop would encourage families to have a ministry they do together weather full time, part time, lay ministry or an informal family ministry.

Genesis Flood: This Changes Everything! With Jay Seegert

Certain things, if true, are real “game-changers”.  The Genesis flood is just one of those events.  This talk covers the reality of this event both biblically and scientifically, showing how this truly changes everything. If the vast majority of Earth’s geologic features, including the geologic column, are the result of a catastrophic, worldwide flood and not slow, gradual forces acting over eons of time, then what we’ve been taught all our lives is in gross error, including the theory of evolution!  More than just an interesting story from the Old Testament, the Genesis flood is an amazing testimony of God’s judgment and the accuracy and trustworthiness of His inspired Word.

God and Government with Dan Degner

Growing Your Child’s Communication Skills with Given Hoffman

Looking for ways to teach communication in the midst of a busy life? In this talk, Given Hoffman shares practical steps for training your child in communication no matter what age they are. Be empowered to enjoy your children while in the process growing their ability to communicate.

“HLEP!” My Kid Can’t Spell! With Faith Berens

HELP FOR STRUGGLING READERS with Robyn Jeffords
Is reading a struggle for your child? Are you unsure what to try next? You are not alone. There are many reasons children struggle to read, and there are plenty of strategies to overcome those challenges. Come and learn fun and engaging teaching techniques specific to reading. Yes, I did say FUN!
Your kids will love school as you implement multisensory games and fun activities to address letter reversals, fluency, comprehension, phonemic awareness, spelling and more.

HOMESCHOOLING: A GOD-CENTERED REVIVAL THAT BEGINS IN YOUR LIVING ROOM Keynote with Zan Tyler

Answering God’s call to teach your children at home can be exciting at first, but it’s easy to lose sight of the vision when you find yourself overwhelmed by the demands of the homeschooling life: teaching phonics, preparing transcripts, refereeing fights, and—oh, by the way—making dinner too. But in the midst of the madness, we must constantly remind ourselves: Our work matters because we’re building God’s kingdom! Come hear Zan Tyler share from history and God’s Word. And catch a glimpse of how God is using your family—and the homeschool movement—to usher in spiritual, educational, and family revival in our nation.

HOMESCHOOLING: BUILDING YOUR FAMILY ARK TO WITHSTAND THE CULTURAL TSNUAMI with Zan Tyler

As a young mom, Zan Tyler’s encounter with Noah’s ark (Hebrews 11) defined and empowered her twenty-one year homeschool journey. The lessons she learned kept her afloat through times of fatigue, self-doubt, loneliness, and prosecution, and taught her to trust God with her family’s welfare. Noah’s ark has amazing implications for us as homeschoolers today, even down to the materials used in its construction. And, like Noah, we live in an age that is often hostile towards God. In this workshop, Zan will share seven principles that can give you vision, energy, and staying power for your own homeschool voyage in these perilous times.

How and Why We Must Teach Christian Worldview Across Homeschool Curriculum by Duke Pesta

How and Why We Must Teach C. S. Lewis in Homeschool by Duke Pesta

How and Why We Must Teach Shakespeare in Homeschool by Duke Pesta

How and Why We Must Teach Greek and Roman Classics in Homeschool by Duke Pesta

How the Boy Brain Works with Holly Varnum

How the Girl Brain Works with Holly Varnum

How to Make Writing Fun Using Flash Fiction with Given Hoffman

Looking for solutions to get your reluctant writers writing? In this talk about flash fiction, Given Hoffman presents a fun, creative, and easy way to get your child past “I don’t know what to write” and into writing short stories that will teach them not just how to put together sentences but also how to craft clear and concise messages for all areas of life.

I Don’t Have Enough Patience! With Brook Wayne

Many moms feel like they don’t have enough patience to home educate their children. What do you do when your worst fears are confirmed and you realize you don’t have enough patience to continue homeschooling? Come learn about what patience is, what it isn’t, where it comes from, and how to grow and thrive in the pressure cooker of mothering.

Intentional Family Unity with Amy Herbster: Working diligently to have sweet relationships at home.

Journey to Novarupta with Pat Roy

The biggest eruption in modern times happened in the Alaskan Peninsula in 1912. It was 30 times larger than Mount Saint Helens. A couple of years later Dr. Robert Griggs led an expedition into the blast zone. His book would inspire another explorer almost a hundred years later to return to this amazing wilderness to documents the evidence for a worldwide flood, and a biblical ice-age!

Laws Matter: Legislating Morality with Julaine Appling

Laying a Foundation for Reading Comprehension in the Preschool Years With Faith Berens

LEAD Wisconsin with Sierra John

Made in God’s Image with Pat Roy

One of the biggest battles is the true value of humans. This presentation will show that our meaning and purpose comes from God himself!

Man Up: the construction of an upright man. By Mark Herbster

Psalm 18:25 “With an upright man thou wilt show thyself upright.”

MOTIVATED KIDS MOVE MOUNTAINS with Zan Tyler

Infusing our children’s lives with motivation instead of having to drag them from one lesson to the next—is that even possible? Most of us are just trying to keep them on task in the midst of math anxiety, sibling rivalry, mounds of laundry, and the daily demands of life. Now imagine this: As you lead your children intentionally through their day, they learn and grow exponentially as you work to cultivate their strengths and encourage their faith. This isn’t a dream—it IS possible! Zan Tyler shares four power-packed principles you can use right away to motivate your children and raise a family of mountain movers.

North Star Truth: The Believer’s Response to a Confusing World by Mark Herbster

Living in the world affords many moments of disorientation. Sometimes the world seems to be a stormy ocean, and the believer is a weary sailor struggling to keep his coordinates set.  For thousands of years sailors have used stars for navigation, particularly the North Star, because they are fixed, reliable points of light that guarantee a certain direction no matter what the sailor feels is right. Psalm 37 is one of those “North Star” fixed points that offers direction in a world of confusion.

Reading Difficulties: Remediation Strategies and Techniques With Faith Berens

Running Your Very Own Three-Ring Circus with Brook Wayne

Keeping up with the clutter, mess and chaos in the homeschooling years is a lot like running a three-ring circus! Given by a mother of 11, this session is for families of any size. Delve into ideas, routines and strategies to keep the stuff AND the people in some semblance of order. Also included are concepts for developing a happy homeschool day.

School at Home or Home Discipleship? With Brook Wayne

Giving our children a Biblical lens for the world around them isn’t just a high and lofty goal – it needs to be presented and taught in the most comprehensive way throughout each subject. This session also explores why character must come before academics, and outlines steps to help children tune in and listen.

Scientific Evidence for the Inspiration of the Bible with Jay Seegert

Everything we believe as Christians rests on the assumption that the Bible is actually the inspired, error-free Word of God… but how can we be certain? It’s not politically correct to claim the Bible alone is the inspired Word of God and most Christians cannot adequately defend this belief.  Are we to exercise blind faith, or is there a great body of evidence supporting this crucial point? This topic presents incredible scientific evidence showing beyond doubt that the Bible is truly the inspired Word of God!

Tackling Tricky High School Issues: Practical Help and Guidance for Homeschooling High School Students with Special Needs with Faith Berens

Teaching Reading and Building Literacy Skills with Andrea Evans

(geared towards parents of K4-2nd grade students) 

• How to teach your young child through phonics
• Using your reading curriculum
• Resources for building literacy 

Teaching your child to read is a daunting task. Where do you start? Who do you listen to? Do you have to buy an expensive reading program? The reality is, you CAN teach your child to read, and I will help you find the starting line. Use your curriculum to build a simple, daily routine to jumpstart your little one’s reading for a lifetime of learning.

Teaching Several Grades at Once with Brook Wayne

Teaching several grade levels all together can seem daunting, however, what might at first appear to be overwhelming can be turned into a benefit in your homeschool. Let’s look together at planning ahead, group teaching, leading older children in sharing knowledge and ideas that bring the family together.

Teaching the Providential View of History with Tim Schmig

Three Secrets of Influential Parents (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) by Dave Bender

How to maximize your influence by understanding your child’s personhood

Ask yourself this hard question: How much lasting influence do I really have on my children?

Influence is the ability to affect the very course and direction of our children’s lives. And we can do this by touching their lives and connecting with them at their deepest parts.

Your children are created in God’s image, and so we know a little something about the basic “parts” of human make-up. By touching these parts, you can have strong and lasting influence in your children’s lives. (You can’t control outcomes, but you can influence them.)

Aside from God and His Word, there is nothing more influential in the life of a person than the life of another person.

In these three sessions we’ll walk through the basic parts of human personhood and show biblically how we can “touch” those parts in order to create strong bonds and generate lasting influence.

Three Things Every Kid (and Parent!) Should Know with Shannon Badger

Classical education has become very popular recently in the United States’ Homeschooling movement, but it is not new. God came up with it! No matter where you go in life, you will find the Three Things, whether it is in a child’s neurological development, how knowledge works, how children learn, how curriculum is written, how an adult career progresses, or how we grow spiritually. Shannon will explain how to be pro-active in completing the Three Things in every area of life.

Uniquely Designed with Kyle Justice

Kyle uses Ephesians 2:10 to share how each believer has been given a role by God in the Kingdom with unique works for us He prepared before the creation of the world. He shares about the lives of David, Joseph, and Peter as well as from his own life.  He points out that our path to being used by God isn’t always a straight path, but involves challenges which grow our character and faith.

Using Biography in the Lesson with Tim Schmig

What’s your bent? (Personality Matters when it comes to learning.) with Holly Varnum

If you have more than one child, you know first-hand that they come to us uniquely “crafted” by our Heavenly Father–no two are alike! This fact is especially challenging when giving instruction and trying to plan what to teach. This session will:

• Address the imperative given to us in Proverbs 22:6 to “Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent]” (Amplified Bible), 
• Include several “personality” test options to help you understand your students and how they learn best. (I will also present the cautions with personality tests and how we as believers should approach them.)
• Provide teaching/learning strategies to help you utilize this information to inform your educational efforts.

Who Am I? With Jay Seegert

Who we are determines what we do and who we are is 100% driven by where we think we came from… i.e., our origins.  The world’s answer to this question sits in stark contrast to what we find in Scripture. This presentation not only highlights who we are in God’s eyes, being created in His image, but also shares some fascinating details from science that powerfully confirm the accuracy of the biblical narrative… we are “fearfully and wonderfully made”!

Wife As Servant/Leader with Shannon Badger

Men have been encouraged to be servant/leaders; but every leader needs to serve under someone’s authority, and that includes Mom! This talk discusses the importance of supporting Dad’s vision for the family and how to organize your family under that vision, even if Dad doesn’t know that he has one! Using leadership techniques from great Christian businessmen and teachers, Shannon applies those techniques to organizing your home so that your family can become the family you always dreamed it would be.

2023 Conference Hotel

Christian Home Educators of Wisconsin has a block of rooms available – including admission to the indoor waterpark.

2023 Conference Location

Presenting Sponsor