LIFE Fest 2008 Home and Alternative Learners Conference - September update

Our annual LIFE Fest Celebration of Learning will be held Saturday, September 20th at the Eckerd College Conference Center and Lodge at 4200 54th Avenue South in St. Petersburg, FL from 10 a.m. – 4p.m. Admission is just $10 per family, with carpool discounts available the day of the event!

It's a great location that lends itself well to a family friendly event, with Ft. Desoto Park camping and world-class beaches just down the road,and St. Pete museums and other attractions nearby.

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Vendor registration and prepaid admission discounts are officially closed, but we've extended the deadline for registering to have a table at the LIFE Fest Bazaar, and advertising is still available in our program guide. You can visit the LIFE website at www.learningis4everyone.org for info on both of those. Additionally, if you have a support group and would like a table, you can let us know through September 5th.

The current conference line-up includes:

• MOSI (Museum of Science & Industry) programs for youth;
• Florida Virtual School;
• Home Education Foundation’s Brenda Dickinson;
• Transitions and You speaker, Annette Reiter, co-author of Blast Off, Launching Your Child to College and Beyond
  
• Great Explorations Children’s Art Activity Area;
• Hands On Planet Earth critters and insights with Doug Scull;
• Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center ;
  
• Pinellas County Department of Environmental Management Water Atlas Website
• Tek 4 Tykes computer learning activities for kids;
• Academy of Science for Kids ;
• Language Playhouse
  
• Super Awesome Cool Pottery Studios , Orlando
  
• Demonstrations and information about FIRST robotics;
• Camp Fire USA
• Kids Voting
  
• Brooker Creek Preserve & Weedon Island;
• Boyd Hill Nature Preserve;
• Homeschool Ballroom Dance team performances;
• Stephen Scariff School of Irish Dance performances;
• Giving World Percussion drumming circle experience;
• Secular Home Educators of Florida
  
• Tampa Homeschoolers Instructing & Nurturing Kids(THINK)
  
• St. Pete Cooperative Homeschoolers
• Round table discussions on running support groups, organizing cooperatives, getting ready for college, boosting homeschool self-esteem, and more;
• State college representatives;
  
• A burgeoning Information Buffet of free take home resources and materials;
• Door prizes from Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Barnes & Noble, Ringling Museum of Art, Lowry Park Zoo and vendors

And much, much more!

Round tables and workshops scheduled include:

*Homeschool 101 - Getting Started and Keeping On

*Learning Cooperatively Round Table - Organizing,managing and participating in learning co-operatives

*Homeschool Support Group Round Table - Managing a group, playing nice within one

*College Prep - Tips, tricks and tools

*Homeschooled and Proud - Creating a sense of Alma mater with mater and pater

*Out of Your Element - Teaching higher level high school subjects like chemistry, physics, and algebra

Transitions and You - Adapting to grown up homeschoolers

Civic Education - Use it or Loose it!

Speakers will include:

Brenda Dickinson, home and private school lobbyist, of the Home Education Foundation;

Mary McCool, of the Florida Virtual School;

Jamie Moorehead of Super Awesome Cool Pottery Studios;

Annette Reiter, co-author of Blast Off, Launching Your Child to College and Beyond

Erica Petramala, of Kids Voting Tampa Bay

Programs:

• Great Explorations Children's Art will be ongoing throughout the day, providing secure, supervised child care;
• Doug Scull with Hands on Planet Earth will provide a session or two of up close and personal animal encounters;
• FIRST Robotics teams will be demonstrating and providing information about all levels of FIRST robotics programs for children, from Jr. LEGO League through high school robotics;
• Tek4Tykes will be providing computer learning activities for children;
• Homeschool Ballroom Dance team and Irish Step Dance performances