Before Sherri Seligson was promoted to the position of “mother,” she worked as a marine biologist at Walt Disney World’s Living Seas pavilion in EPCOT Center, where she was involved in collecting and maintaining coral reef animals, especially focusing on fish nutrition and marine predator care. During this time, she completed research on shark behavior and was the first individual representing Walt Disney World to publish scientific research. With an M.Ed., Sherri is an accomplished author of several science
curricula for Apologia Educational Ministries, including full-course instructional videos where she takes students all over the world to explore science concepts in an engaging way. Other books include Internships for High School Credit, a devotional called Nature Truths, and Wonders of the Ocean Realm, her newest book.
She is a regular contributor to homeschool publications and newsletters and has written for marine-related magazines such as Tropical Fish Hobbyist and Aquarium Honnyist. Residing in Orlando, Florida, Sherri and her husband, David, homeschooled their four children from kindergarten through high school for 21 years. All four have graduated and entered college with scholarships. One child has a doctorate in pharmacogenomics (cancer research), one is director in research and development for a nationwide plant nursery, another is an Air Force flight surgeon with an additional master’s degree in biomechanical engineering, and the fourth has a master’s in counseling. As she has seen with her own children, Sherri realizes that even within the same family, every child’s educational needs are different, and it is a new adventure tailoring their educational and career pathways. An international conference and retreat speaker, Sherri has a motivated heart for teaching families the importance of studying God’s creation and equipping them to give an answer for their faith, along with a desire to encourage moms on their homeschool journey.
Navigating the High School Years—You Can Do It!
Most of us are a bit apprehensive about the high school years. After all, now things COUNT! Courses, documentation, career prep, and college are a big step from unit studies and field trips. Will our children be prepared? It’s absolutely okay! This session addresses your biggest questions: how to choose courses to meet your child’s needs, electives and internships, assessing strengths and giftedness, standardized tests, and even transcripts. You will leave this workshop with some practical direction and ideas to implement into your homeschool immediately!
Preparing Your Middle Schooler for High School
As our children begin to mature, they are experiencing drastic changes: physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual. It’s a natural (and good!) adjustment to adulthood. As homeschoolers, we have the blessed position to tailor schedules, educational methods, and availability to help them along the way. They’ll need more sleep, more time to adjust to abstract thinking, more understanding…and more showers! Join Sherri as she shares how to homeschool and parent during this fun and exciting time. Her research studies in middle school brain development shed much light on these newly formed “nocturnal humans” in your home.
Ten Principles of Planning
Homeschooling certainly can fill our days. Do we really have to take extra time to plan, too? After all, with toddlers, sports, sick children, car repairs, and intermittent unplanned events, we rarely actually follow our plans anyway. So, should we just do the bare minimum that is required for our records, or is there a genuine benefit to planning? It turns out that our God is a God of planning. He has had plans for us since the beginning of time! And as we implement His principles of planning, we will begin to see that there are great blessings in planning our homeschool endeavors. We will see that our hearts will be drawn to our children, and their hearts will be drawn to us and to the Lord.
Nature Is the Best Classroom
Have you ever taken a walk outside with a three-year-old? It can take forever as each leaf is examined, acorns are gathered, and flowers are smelled. This is not just because your child is stalling before naptime. The outdoors is one of the best environments to teach science, focusing on God’s amazing creation and its complex design. Research has also demonstrated that being outside improves attention, memory, and learning. Join Sherri as she explores the how and why of taking your science (and other subjects) outside and how to document what you are learning together. It is easy and FUN!
