Our 2025 convention is just around the corner and we are hard at work planning and preparing to make it our most fun filled, family oriented event, yet. Our location and weekend date come with some wonderful benefits for all who attend, including free, onsite parking and easy access from all over New England, in beautiful Sturbridge Massachusetts, at the junction of Rt 90 (the Mass Pike) and I-84. The grounds at the Sturbridge Host Hotel and Conference Center boast a lake front beach, acres of grassy yard, fire pit, picnic tables (Yes! You can bring your lunch and eat on property!), and many family friendly meal options within walking distance. Inside the hotel, you’ll find an indoor pool amid a tree-filled atrium surrounded by guest rooms, lounge areas, breakfast restaurant and fireplace, all just a short walk down the hall from our main meeting rooms and vendor hall.
Sturbridge, known throughout Massachusetts for its wide variety of chain and one-of-a-kind restaurants, bakeries and coffee shops, is also home to Old Sturbridge Village (kids are free the whole month of April with paid adult admission!) Along with chain restaurants, such as Uno’s, Applebee’s, Cracker Barrel, Panera and more, you’ll also find small cafes, such as the Sawmill Coffee Shop and Café, Sturbridge Coffee Roasters, Cedar Street Café, Cedar Street Grill, B.T.’s Smokehouse, and Gido’s Brick Oven Pizza, along with delicious one-of-a-kind bakeries, such as Whoop-Di-Doo and Cupcakes, Too, and The Public House Bake Shop. We are sure you will find something that will delight your family and meet your dining needs. Additional dining options are available on the Host property from concession carts to a breakfast buffet.
We hope you’ll consider extending your stay in Sturbridge at the Host or one of the other area hotels to make it an unforgettable getaway weekend for your family.
To celebrate our mothers, we are hosting a Friday evening, ladies only event featuring Linda Lacour Hobar, from The Mystery of History, for a time of fellowship, encouragement and dessert. Space is limited to pre-registrants only, so sign up early for this wonderful opportunity to relax among friends and enjoy our Strawberry Shortcake dessert bar, your choice of coffee or tea and a plethora of door prizes.
Children are welcome to join their parents during the morning sessions (all meetings will be held on the ground floor of the conference center) and in the vendor hall. As always, grandparents are free and encouraged to attend.
Additionally, we have put together “Busy Bag” activities, which will be available for sale at the MassHOPE booth. These backpacks contain four self-contained activities designed with educational enrichment in mind and include additional instructions for alternative uses and play. Each one encourages hand/eye coordination, color and pattern recognition, and number or letter reinforcement for use during sessions, or later at home, while mom is busy schooling other children.
Older children, teens and even parents will enjoy our “Teen Track” workshops with a special focus on encouraging our young people in their view of history and their personal walk with the Lord. We will also have hands-on science opportunities in the form of Owl Pellet and Frog Dissection workshops (pre-registration is required for these labs). Teenagers and adults might also want to consider our CPR certification course, which will also be held on site, taught by the head of Webster EMS. This course is certified by the American Heart Association. All of these opportunities require pre-registration and can be signed up for from our website.
With encouraging speakers ranging from Heidi St. John (Momstrong), Linda Lecour Hobar (The Mystery of History), Cindy Rollins (Charlotte Mason, Morning Time for Moms), Kathy Kuhl (special needs learners, Learn Differently), Kim Sorgius Jones (Not Consumed), Shellie Doub (Looking Ahead to Highschool and College ), Rick and Marilyn Boyer (Character Concepts), Adele Morales (Corto y Dulce Homeschool) and a host of others, your only difficulty will be choosing which workshop to attend. Once again, our vendor hall will be a place to find curriculum, inspiration, pleasure reading, and encouragement. Be sure to plan time to spend browsing the booths, asking questions, and curating the right homeschool for your family.
At MassHOPE our goal has always been to encourage and equip parents to fulfill their God-given desire and opportunity to educate their children at home. Towards that end, you’ll find that our sessions and speakers follow several distinct tracks. Each year we offer a full slate of sessions for getting started homeschooling, educating your teen through high school, helping the struggling learner, encouraging teens in a Biblical mindset and encouraging families to disciple their children while training them for their life’s calling. Choose to follow one “theme” all the way through your conference experience, or mix and match sessions to best suit the needs of your family. Either way, additional, individual sessions are available for download from our website throughout and following the conference.
As always, the best way to take advantage of all we have to offer is to sign up early, allowing you to benefit from the Early Bird savings discount and ensure your place at our many opportunities. You won’t want to miss our now highly anticipated MassHOPE Bucks, either—buy them for 10% off face value during preregistration and you can spend them in our vendor hall for additional savings on top of their advertised conference specials. Don’t forget—volunteers can work their choice of hours and earn vendor hall bucks or discounted admission! Get the whole family involved this year and make some memories for a lifetime!