Mrs. Melanie Hexter:  Homeschool Conference Speaker and Workshop Leader Details

• Family: Home Management
• Family: Large Families
• Homeschooling: Getting Started
• Homeschooling: Level – 6 Multi-level Teaching
• Homeschooling: Motivation / Inspiration

Ten Tips for Homeschool Travel: From Stay-cations to the National Parks
Learning on the road can be a great addition to your homeschool!  Melanie Hexter, mother of six, will present fresh ideas for learning while you travel with your family -- from local field trips to out-of-town travel, from making the car ride tolerable to visiting the majestic U.S. National Parks.

The Ladder of Learning: Teaching Children Across a Wide Age Range
As parents of multiple children, do you worry about how you can possibly teach different levels and different subjects to all your children simultaneously? Melanie Hexter will present a variety of practical ideas to help you competently add younger ones’ learning to an already crowded, daily academic schedule of the older children. Freedom for Mom is included!

Begin with the End in Mind: Homeschooling with Purpose
You may know tomorrow’s lesson plans, but do you know where you want your children to be when they graduate from your homeschool? How can you lead them toward the goal if the finish line is uncertain? Melanie’s husband, Matthew, formulated their family’s purpose statement: “Live Every Moment In Light Of Eternity.” Then they named their homeschool “LEMILOE Academy ” in its honor. In this workshop, Melanie will explain how they use their purpose to make intentional choices for their family and their homeschool. Fathers are especially encouraged to attend.

Finding Balance: Homeschooling in a Large Family
In a large homeschooling family, there’s often not enough “Mom” to go around. Melanie will present an honest peek into her daily life, homeschooling six children ages sixteen to one. She will discuss teaching and discipleship, meeting emotional needs, keeping up with running the household, and making time for the Lord, her husband, and herself.

Home School 101: So You Are Thinking About Home Schooling Next Year?
Learn how you can home school your children!  Melanie, the "Beginning Homeschooling" Columist for Home School Enrichment magazine and mother of six, will explain the basics, address many homeschooling "myths," give you a look at various curricula approaches, and introduce the many social support groups available to homeschoolers.  Melanie's own rural homeschool association has offered this workshop at a public library the past six years, averaging 12-18 families in attendance.  It's a great tool to grow your support group and get the homeschool message out to your community. 

Please Do NOT Do School at Home!
If you are like most parents, your educational background includes many years of public education.  Homeschoolers are therefore tempted to mimic what they saw and have their children "do school" at home.  Melanie Hexter, mother of six, will challenge your paradigm of what school can be.  Even for high schoolers, learn how you can provide an education that's unlike anything you knew.  You don't have to do it like the schools do!

Beating the Homeschool Slump: Help for Pulling Out 
Melanie Hexter, homeschooling mother of six, presents an honest, back-to-the-basics conversation about how to recover from the slumps that many homeschoolers face.  When the going is tough, try one of these eight practical ideas to redeem your children's learning (and hopefully recover some hope and joy for yourself).  One mom commented that this talk, "was used by the Holy Spirit to put the wind back in (her) sails." 

• Married to husband, Matthew, since 1990
• Homeschooling mother since 1998, six children
• Co-owner:  LEMILOEpublishing.com
• "Beginning Homeschooling" Columnist for Home School Enrichment magazine
• Webinar speaker, "Mid-Season Slump: Help for Pulling Out," thehomeschoolchannel.tv, February, 2012
• Webinar speaker, "Ten Tips for Homeschool Travel: From Stay-cations to the U.S. National Parks," thehomeschoolchannel.tv, Jan 2012
• Author:  Winning with Literature: The Chronicles of Narnia Unit Study
• Author:  Winning with Literature: U.S. National Parks Unit Study
• Author:  Bible Storyboard: A Bible Study Format for Students of All Ages
• President with husband, Matthew: Knox County Christian Home School Association, Ohio

Melanie Hexter hails from central Ohio, where she and her husband, Matthew, teach their six children.  She and her husband both became Christians late in their teen years and attended public schools.  Matthew's degree in Elementary Education and years of teaching launched their interest in homeschooling, but their Christian conviction that parents are ultimately responsible for the training of their children is what sealed the deal for them.  While academics are important, they believe that bookwork often surfaces heart issues and that discipleship best takes place at home.  Not all homeschool days are easy, but most are good in light of their long-term vision for their children.  Their family motto is "LEMILOE" (Live Every Moment In Light Of Eternity).

Active in their local community, they serve as President of their county-wide homeschool support group and offer an annual “Home School 101” workshop for parents considering home education for their children.  Melanie writes curricula for multi-age teaching of her own children, then makes it available to others as e-books at LEMILOEpublishing.com.  Her current titles include Bible Storyboard and two comprehensive unit studies in the Winning with Literature series: U.S. National Parks and The Chronicles of Narnia.  She is currently developing another unit study, Winning with Literature: The World Wars.  Melanie is also the "Beginning Homeschooling" columnist for Home School Enrichment magazine and a regular webinar leader on thehomeschoolchannel.tv.

In addition to writing, Melanie enjoys vegetable and flower gardening, many outdoor pursuits, meeting and event planning, their family's outdoor Summer Movie Nights, reading, and helping her husband with various entrepreneurial ventures.  Melanie speaks French, enjoyed living in France two summers, and as a result, their family has hosted several international exchange students over the years.  Melanie holds a B.S. in Business from Miami University (Ohio).  Matthew works from home using his PMP certification to specialize in web-based business development, SEO, and website design.  The Hexters have one dog and two cats.