Welcome to AWAKEN
Traverse City, Michigan
July 17th-18th 2026
Join other like-minded parents in beautiful Traverse City for a time of fellowship, hands on immersion lessons, and inspiring workshops. You will leave feeling full of encouragement and practical tips and be reinvigorated in dedicating yourself to ALL aspects of a living education. Below you’ll find information about Awaken Traverse City
Are you Visiting the area? You’re in for a real treat, Traverse City and the surrounding area play host to gorgeous expansive beaches, incredible food, beautiful hiking areas and so much more! Click below for a printable pdf of local activities and restaurants we love!
Featuring Guest Speakers:
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Emily Kiser
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Liz Cottrill
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Nicole Williams
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Michelle Howard
Awaken Traverse City Vendor Shopping
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Nicole Williams (one of our speakers and a part of the A Delectable Education Podcast) has developed a Living Science Curriculum based on Charlotte Mason’s ideas which will allow you to implement her science method with ease, including special nature studies and rotations to take the guesswork out for you!
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The ladies of ADE have developed many Teacher Helps; tools to save you time as you either plan for or implement lessons. In their own words “Each item is something that would have been helpful to us, had it been available. As they were not, most of them were developed as we prepared lessons for our own children. Now we share them with you in the hope that our planning and prep work will save you from having to repeat this work for your own family.”
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Michelle Howard is a veteran home-educator, columnist, speaker, consultant, founder/operator of multiple living books libraries and award winning author of TruthQuest History Guides.
From the TQH website:
1. TruthQuest History’s lively commentaries introduce each topic chronologically - providing colorful, connected, and convincing proof of God (and His superior truths) in history.
2. Thus primed, students dig into our vast “living books” recommendations.
3. Strategically-placed ThinkWrite™ exercises help your students internalize and express the deepest lessons of history.
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Children’s Preservation Library (CPL) will be having a used book sale (living books of course)!
100% of proceeds go towards CPL
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS: FRIDAY 7/17
Early Bird Price $75 March 1st-March 2nd Regular Price $85
*Please note that Friday tickets are sold separately from Saturday’s Conference tickets, if you would like to attend both days please be sure to add both to your cart!
We are pleased to be offering FULL DAY Immersions! Immerse yourself in a specific topic with one of our speakers to develop a fuller understanding of the subject. For Traverse City’s day of immersions this year we are very excited to be able to offer a “Morning of Lessons” including each form. See below for details of what these Morning of Lessons will entail.
8:30-9:00AM:
Registration begins
UNLIMITED GOURMET COFFEE & TEA FOR THE DAY
9:00AM-3:00PM:
Full day immersions (see immersion descriptions below)
Lunch break between 12-1 *lunch is not included*, you are welcome to pack your own or explore lunch options around Traverse City, more information to follow.
3:30PM-5:00PM:
Small group discussion and consultation at the Children’s Preservation Library in Traverse City with founder Michelle Howard. Whether you’re interested in starting a living books library of your own, or increasing your number of patrons, discuss the Dewey decimal system, or using Five in a Row totes, you will enjoy this time with the Living Books Lady. Tickets linked below.
Immersion Descriptions
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Michelle has long offered deep and unique consultations of two types...
For home-educators:
*relieving the deep concerns of home-educating parents, instead offering a freeing, relational, and successful view of education.
*forging profound vision for their children's maximal development, in academic/ideological/spiritual spheres, targeting each child's calling.
*generating practical solutions to everyday struggles & tense dynamics.
For budding librarians:
* saving much money, time, and effort for "living books" collectors/lenders via her 25+ years of experience.
* addressing membership-building, space needs, costs, book purchasing and organization, shelving, patron policies, circulation, databasing, repairs, bookkeeping, and much more.
We can dig in quickly, problem-solve effectively, and deepen the impact of your endeavors!
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS: SATURDAY 7/18
Early Bird Pricing: March 1st-March 2nd $135 - Regular Pricing: $150
Saturday’s Conference ticket includes: Workshops, lunch, snacks, gourmet coffee and tea, access to vendor shopping, and encouraging talks from our speakers. Friday’s Immersion tickets are sold separately.
8:30-9:00 AM:
Registration
UNLIMITED GOURMET COFFEE AND TEA
9:00-9:30 AM:
Opening Plenary by Michelle Howard: READ DESCRIPTION HERE
9:45AM - 12:00PM:
Workshops A and B (see descriptions/options below) there are 15 minute breaks between workshops to allow for questions, self-narration, making notes or simply sitting quietly to reflect.
12:00-1:00 PM:
Lunch - Join us for a fresh catered lunch (price included in registration) created for allergy-conscious diets in mind. This time may also be used for vendor shopping, mingling with people or finding a quiet moment.
1:00-3:15PM
Workshops C and D (see descriptions/options below) there are 15 minute breaks between workshops to allow for questions, self-narration, making notes or simply sitting quietly to reflect.
3:30-3:45 PM:
Closing devotional time with Michelle Howard. Don’t miss this! The purpose of this closing time is to ensure we leave feeling refreshed and encourage as parents. This time is for YOU. To quiet our busy minds and refocus on our divine helper and the big picture.
3:45-5:00 PM:
This time is to be used for vendor shopping and fellowship, to reflect together on everything we’ve learned!
Workshop Descriptions
Attendees may choose one workshop from each A, B, C and D and will select their choices upon checkout. If you’d like a printable page to see all immersion and workshop options for Traverse City, click here.
“The question is not,—how much does the youth know? when he has finished his education—but how much does he care? and about how many orders of things does he care? In fact, how large is the room in which he finds his feet set? and, therefore, how full is the life he has before him?”
- Charlotte Mason, School Education