Future-Ed: The Education Expo ? Tonoli Homeschooling

Yesterday I visited the Future-Ed expo at Northgate Coca Cola Dome. I had no idea what to expect really, and was not sure if it would be something worth my while to attend. But some of my homeschool mommies mentioned that they wanted to go, so I registered earlier in the week and saw ?I homeschool? as an option on the registration form where it asked you what your interest in the show was, so I thought ?Okay, might be worth a look.?

I loved it.

There were many little inedependant vendors selling educational toys and ?goodies? that I can employ in my homeschooling (unschooling) lifestyle. There were two book publishers which I?ll look at in more detail on their websites and there were a couple of really awesome technological tools to make teaching simpler for the teacher (or mother) and more engaging for the student. There were a few workbook programmes and some NGO stuff (e.g. Teach2Read and CHOC etc) and some other stalls (which I skipped) which were too curriculum-based and structured and frankly, classroomy; or very blatantly geared toward schools themselves.

I got the girls some Melissa&Doug toys as well as new bean bags (been meaning to make some, but ?) and some chenille stems (which I found out was the appropriate name for coloured pipe cleaners!) which always come in handy for all sorts of things. Oh, and a ?free play? kit of ?Make-Do? connectors (what a great idea!).

I?ve also got a whole bag of brochures and information and website details and such which I can slowly go through on my own time.

What was also lovely, and something I?m very sad I missed, was the ongoing mini seminars that happened all through the show on pertinent education and parenting issues.

All in all, was the show worth it? Yes, definitely. To me (unschooling and creating our own curriculi and worksheets and such) much more rewarding than any of the homeschooling expos I?ve been to? but then again, they were really just curriculum-selling shows rather than homeschooling shows? if you?know?what I mean

What I would have loved to see more of was books. I think books was the number one reason I went there and only having two publishers was a bit disappointing and they didn?t sell off stand either. I would recommend the show organisers get in touch with a bookshop group such as Bargain Books to display some of their educational and reference books and worksheet books etc at the show (I *LOVE* Bargain Books in Northgate ? their selection of books that can be used for educational purposes are phenomenal).

Also, even though there were quite a few, more?independent vendors selling educational toys and craft products and such. Even having someone like Experilabs exhibiting would?ve been nice?

But of course, that depends where the focus is and where the show is going ? definitely much more geared toward schools I think, but that said, I believe homeschoolers could find a lot too. Expanding on that market could be beneficial to the show organisers. From chatting to the exhibitors, I was definitely not the only homeschooler that went through the show.

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Source: http://homeschool.tonoli.co.za/2012/07/21/future-ed-the-education-expo/

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