Curriculum Presenters

Jennilyn started homeschooling 11 years ago with a box curriculum, but through the years she discovered that each of her 3 children learned very differently, including a child with learning challenges like ADHD and SPD. She has transformed into an eclectic homeschooler that is considered a “fun homeschooler” by friends. Her oldest graduated last year and is continuing his education at Calhoun Community College. Jennilyn has found what her kids enjoy doing and created their education around that. She has enjoyed teaching upper elementary children in her History and USA Geography classes at Endeavor Learning Lab this year.

• Fun-Schooling Journals
• Dyslexia Games
• Dash into Learning
• Dash Into Happy
• Learning Math Fast
• Notgrass High School
• The Good and the Beautiful
• Mystery of History
• Learning Board Games
• Educational Subscription Letters

Johanna started homeschooling in 2020 when her eldest started kindergarten and has continued ever since.  She has gradually made a change to a full Charlotte Mason approach and continues to deepen her understanding of Charlotte Mason's philosophy and methods.  She has experience with both secular and religious curricula as well as prepackaged and more self-guided curricula.  Johanna also has a lot of personal experience trying to balance school with medical appointments as well as working around her co-op, Rocket City Homeschool, which she loves.

• Charlotte Mason's books
• Ambleside Online books
• Mater Amabilis books
• Blossom and Root Preschool, K, and 1st Grade
• Math With Confidence 1st and 2nd Grade
• Beast Academy
• All About Spelling
• Green Kids Crafts
• Charlotte Mason Simple Languages (Spanish)

Angela is a mom to five kids, ranging from a thriving college freshman to an energetic preschooler. The Vasquez family has been homeschooling for 14 years using an eclectic, common sense approach to choosing curriculum. She loves to share about good books, high school planning, transcripts and finding a curriculum to meet each child’s special needs. The Vasquez family is looking forward to many more years of read-alouds and algebra.

• Math U See
• IEW
• Apologia Science (elementary science)
• Berean Builders (High school science)
• First Language Lessons (elementary)
• Veritas History self paced course (elementary and high school)
• Old Western Culture (high school)
• Visual Latin (middle school and high school)

I’m Darra (like Sara with a D), mother to a wild 4yo, and a gifted 7yo, all while being a small business owner! We’ve just finished our 3rd year of secular homeschooling and continue onwards, not taking a summer break. We began at K and intend to continue through 8th at minimum. We enjoy alternative schooling locations such as the botanical gardens, or while on vacations during non-peak seasons but stick closely to our curriculums schedules as we all thrive on organization. I often say homeschool curriculums are a ‘If you have more time or money’ type of option” and I prefer to spend our money on complete curriculums rather than piecing it together myself.

• Book Shark History (year1)
• All About Reading
• All About Spelling
• TpT Not So Wimpy Teacher 4th grade Spelling
• Singapore Math Dimensions
• Handwriting Without Tears
• Moffatt Girls (TpT) Writing
• History Quest
• REAL Science Odyssey (earth science)

Jennifer is the mom of 2 boys who have been exclusively homeschooled. Her oldest (who has ADHD and dyslexia) is a sophomore in college, and the youngest is finishing up 3rd grade. She enjoys using curriculum that is hands-on, engaging, and allows for the use of lots of “living books” from the local libraries and other sources. She also enjoys incorporating board and card games, audio-visual elements, technology, and field trips to enhance learning.

• My Father’s World Kindergarten Teacher’s manual
• My Father’s World 2nd through 12th grade teacher’s manuals and associated/supporting material
• Bible Study Guide for All Ages (Elementary)
• 1st through 3rd Grade McRuffy Press Math, Language Arts and Science
• Easy Grammar several grades
• First Language Lessons 2nd Grade
• Various books we have found very useful for Art, Music etc.
• Positive Action for Christ 1st Grade Bible
• Galloping the Globe (World Geography and Culture)
• Cantering the Country (USA State Study)
• Life of Fred Elementary Math
• Real Science Odyssey Elementary Life Science
• Considering God’s Creation- Science

Christal Gamble Banks was raised in a quiet, rural town in North Alabama with dreams of going to college and then starting an art career in the big city. She did just that but after spending 15 years in fast-paced Atlanta as an Art Gallery Director, Christal decided that she missed her Sweet Home Alabama and came back to reside in the very place she grew up. She’s now a full time wife, homeschool mom and blogger. You can find Christal and her 7 year old, Cash, encouraging and helping other parents with Learning at Home through their Multi-platform online presence, @Mamasweetbaby.

• Royal Fireworks Press – MCT Island, Caesar, Awesome Alex
• Beast Academy
• Math Mammoth
• Curiosity Chronicles
• Know Yourself Academy
• HWT – English and Spanish
• Lightning Literature
• Beautiful Feet
• Bookshark

Lauren has been homeschooling for 5 years. She has 2 children, 4th and 2nd grade. One is on the Autism spectrum the other is Dyslexic. She homeschools using structure, grace, and Jesus. Everyday has its own challenges, and everyday God shows himself faithful. Lauren uses Abeka as well as The Good and The Beautiful, and In the Beginning.

• Educational Games,
• Abeka Math,
• The Good and the Beautiful Language Arts & History,
• In the Beginning Science

Nicole is a recent transplant to Alabama from Colorado.  She has been married to her husband, Chris, for 21 years.  Nicole has a degree in music education but left the schools in 2008 when their first child was born.  She has homeschooled her 3 children, ages 16, 9, and the tag-along 2-year-old, for the past 11+ years, mostly using the Charlotte Mason method and philosophy.  Nicole uses the free online Mater Amabilis Charlotte Mason curriculum to educate her children.

• Mater Amabilis – samples of elementary and high school years
• Right Start Math
• Memoria Press Latin
• Charlotte Mason resources for Picture Study, Composer Study, and Science
• General Charlotte Mason resources for parents

Erin Bohn loves homeschooling, literature, music, and teaching. Mother of twins, Erin has been a follower of Ambleside Online and all things Charlotte Mason and the Literary Life for many years. As a voracious reader, she enjoys sharing the feast and discussing ideas. In addition to AO and CM topics, Erin has experience with Robotics Lego League, music ensembles and non-profit organizations, serving as a leadership member and teacher for a CM co-op, and homeschooling with dyslexia and ADHD.

• Lit Life/HHL Building Blocks of Stories samples
• Robotic Lego League Explorer materials
• Math U See
• Handwriting Without Tears
• AO samples
• Simply Charlotte Mason, spelling, grammar, handwriting
• Piano Safari and other piano selections
• Brush Drawing books for learning at home
• Drawing books for learning at home
• Materials we use to lead, teach, and coordinate a CM co-op

Eliza, mother of two, has been homeschooling and researching Charlotte Mason using Ambleside Online since 2015. She fell in love with Ambleside Online at first sight when she started researching homeschool options. The things that won her heart so that she never looked elsewhere:

• Real books
• Nature study and nature walks
• Hands on science
• Shakespeare
• Poetry
• Hymns and folk songs
• Artist and composer study
• Handicrafts
• And all of this incorporated from year 1.
• (free math curriculum)
• Mathematics Enhancement Program (taught  reception- year 7)

I was homeschooled myself growing up in California, and I always knew I wanted to homeschool my own children. For a decade I worked with homeschool families as a tutor, co-op instructor, and later a credentialed teacher for a homeschool charter school. Once my children were born, I became a stay-at-home mother and now get to homeschool my own children: twin 6 year olds, a 5 year old, and a 3 year old. Although I have worked with students following a variety of homeschool philosophies, I am an eclectic homeschooler with my own children. I have cultivated a large collection of curriculum over my many years working with homeschoolers, most of what I have now is pre-k through 2nd grade for my own children.

• The Good and the Beautiful Language Arts Kinder and Math Kinder & 1^st Grade
• Mathe With Confidence Kinder & 1^st Grade
• Life of Fred
• Teach  Your Children to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
• Angel Readers
• All about Reading Levels 1 & 2
• All About Spelling Levels 1 & 2
• Moving Beyond the Page Ages 45 & 6-8
• Mother Goose Time
• 5 in a Row
• Saxon Kinder
• Explode the Code
• Draw Write Now
• 4 Square Writing
• Story of the World
• Handwriting Without Tears
• Art Masterpieces

Julie Hedrick is mom to three precocious daughters and is a second generation Charlotte Mason homeschooler. She is in her seventh year of homeschooling her own children and has used AmblesideOnline since her first child was in 1st grade. Neurodiversity and dyslexia run strongly in the family. She is still teaching her children how to read...and how to sit still for lessons...and how to remember their basic math facts...but she is delighted to report that dyslexia, ADHD and autism do NOT prevent a child from receiving a full education! In her free time Julie enjoys reading, drinking tea, baking bread, and backpacking with her family.

Materials List:

• AmblesideOnline
• Charlotte Mason
• Dianne Craft
• Audiobook technology
• Cuisenaire rods/Gattegno math
• Shakespeare/Plutarch
• Charlotte Mason co-op
• Nature study

Rebecca is a former public-school teacher turned homeschool mama to her four incredible children (ages 2 to 7). After relocating to North Alabama, she longed to find community. With a few like-minded mamas, she founded a close-knit, nature-based co-op that follows the Swedish motto: “There’s no such thing as bad weather” and we use the principles of Charlotte Mason to guide our learning. Rain or shine, they embrace the outdoors, exploring God’s abundant creation alongside curious little learners with nature walks, focused lessons, and meaningful connections. Her hope is to inspire fellow moms to connect with other families, cultivate their own nature-loving communities, and get outside!

Materials List:

• Exploring Nature with Children
• Gentle + Classical Nature Level 1
• Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Comstock *The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling
• Books to inspire mamas (Rooted in Wonder, There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather, Pocketful of Pinecones)
• Books to guide children (Nature Anatomy; Roots, Shoots, Buckets, & Boots; local field guides) Examples of Nature Journals

Sierra has been homeschooling her 2 boys since they started Kindergarten. Now in 5th and 8th grade, their homeschool day looks much different than when they started. Sierra has been through Right Brain Learning and Barton dyslexia training to meet the needs of her children. Coming from a Classical homeschool style, she has blended many different curriculums to create the ideal school day for her family. After relocating from Southern California 2 years ago, Sierra decided to go back to work as a realtor and now balances homeschooling and work life.

Materials List:

• IEW Writing
• RightStart Math
• Saxon Math
• Story of the World
• Notgrass High School Economics
• Funschooling Journals
• Barton
• Dyslexia Games and Flashcards
• Apologia Science
• Risas Y Sonrisas (Spanish & ASL)
• Vocabulary from Classical Roots

Vivian Smith, now a homeschooling grandmother, is an eclectic Charlotte Mason Homeschooler She embarked on her homeschooling journey in 1998. Her two older kids transitioned to public school while continuing to passionately homeschool her three younger ones. As the administrator of both the Facebook groups "Homeschool Moms of North Alabama" and "Homeschool Adventures," Vivian fosters a supportive community for homeschooling families. She actively teaches Wilderness Survival in her local co-op and runs a thriving homeschool book club and is hosting the third annual Homeschool Adventures Field Day to take place in May of 2024 in Athens, Alabama.

Materials List:

• Life of Fred Elementary series
• Master books math (I think I have the first 3 levels)
• Prima Latina introduction to Christian Latin
• Math Facts that Stick series - addition, subtraction, multiplication, and Division
• Thematic Copy work; Lessons in Manners and Lessons from Leaders
• Answers in Genesis- Beginnings and the Seven C's of History
• A Child's Geography volume 1 - Explore His Earth
• Shakespeare Can Be Fun for Kids - 7 book series
•  American Girl Books
•  A few sets for history
• American Girl Discover Science
• American Girl History
• Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
• Grade 4 Abeka Reading Books - 5 book set
• Abeka Science Order and Design 7th grade
• Charlotte Mason Simply Grammar 4th grade and up
• Fun-Schooling - Fashion Dreams Time Travel History

Beth Novoa, originally from New Orleans, moved to North Alabama in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina. She's been married for thirty-two years and is the mother of four adult sons, all homeschool graduates. She has over twenty-four years of homeschool experience and enjoys mentoring new homeschool families. This will be her 7th year participating in the Homeschool Show and Share helping families navigate through high school planning, transcripts, dual enrollment, and college admissions.

Materials List:

• Beth will be providing assistance with high school planning, transcripts, dual enrollment, and college admissions. If you would like to meet with Beth, please bring a list of classes that your child has taken & write down any questions you may have. She will be happy to meet with you.

Joy Newman is a homeschooling grandmother of 2. She began homeschooling in 2020 & attended Master’s Hand Christian Academy Co-Op located in Decatur, AL. She has an Associate’s Degree in Occupational Technology and an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science. She has a heart to teach, loves Jesus, and wants to disciple the little hearts she has been entrusted with. She knows the importance of “raising them up in the way they should go”, Prov 22:6 in order to have a right relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ. For this reason, she decided to leave her office job to homeschool and trust God. She teaches solely with the Master Books curriculum because it has some of the Charlotte Mason approach incorporated and it is an open & go curriculum. But…most importantly, it is geared toward discipleship!

• More than Words Living Faith Bible Curriculum level 1
• Where Faith Grows level 2
• Language Lessons for a Living Education 1 & 3
• God’s Design Life for Beginners K-2nd grade
• Let’s talk science Adventures on Planet Earth Level 3
• Math Lessons for a Living Education Levels 1 & 3
• America’s Story 1
• My Story and the WORLD around ME 1
• Catch on to Cursive