Welcome to the Fun-Schooling Blog!

Featured / Sarah Janisse Brown / Leave a comment

Hi, I’m Sarah.  When my kids were little, I designed a new style of homeschooling called Fun-Schooling.​ Fun-Schooling is fun for kids, effective at helping them learn, and EASY for moms!​

Fun-Schooling is using kids’ natural talents and passions to ignite a love for learning.  Then, no more nagging and prodding is needed and homeschooling becomes fun!  Many thousands of families have Flipped to Fun-Schooling and aren’t looking back.

At the core of Fun-Schooling is the Fun-Schooling Core Journal.  We have over 50 different Core Journals based on a myriad of interests.  These journals organize the learning of all the core subjects revolving around their passions.​

Along with the Core Journals, we use books from the library or bookstores, card and board games, art supplies, internet and video games, like Minecraft and Prodigy.​

I have kids that love horses, so we do Fun-Schooling with the Horses Journals.  I have kids who love Minecraft, so we Fun-School with Minecraft Journals.  And the same with kids who love musical instruments, making money, baking, dinosaurs, and pets, etc, etc.​

We have many other add-on books in all the subjects to supplement the core journal.​ So if you want to make homeschooling fun for the kids while making sure they are learning, and you want it to be easy for moms, try Fun-Schooling!​

To get started, click over to the bookstore and watch the video about “How to choose the right books”.  You can also visit the active Facebook Group or Forum to connect with thousands of other Fun-Schooling moms.​

Blessings,

Sarah Janisse Brown

Mom of 15

Let’s Talk Hard Things

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / Leave a comment

Hi friends! Let’s talk hard things.

I just celebrated my 49th birthday, and looking back, I realize I did so many things right—and now I’m enjoying the rewards of a life lived beautifully, though at times sacrificial and hard—because this is motherhood! I’ve grown my own passions, talents, and hobbies alongside my children and never lost myself—and I never lost sight of my calling, and I never strayed long from the way.

I knew my North Star, I had my eye on a mountain top, I knew I had to choose the right direction, and just keep climbing. I couldn’t always see a trail under my feet, but with compass in hand, and a vision of my destination – the chaos, the darkness and the obstacles could be overcome – by faith and perseverance.

There were hard choices to be made along the way, and my husband and I decided, over and over again, not to be driven by our fears and worries.

Now, as I enter my 50th year, I want to consider how I can help, teach, and light the way for younger women who don’t want to lose the light of life along the journey. Maybe you feel like you have lost sight of that North Star, and havent figured out how to read a compass, and even if you could – you have not decided where you are going because your vision and calling is a blur.

The path looks different for each of us, but there’s one very important thing—its the path.

Where do you want to be at 30? 40? 50? 60? 90?

You need to be on the path that takes you there—and I know you are a pioneer.

I know you are brave. I know you are fighting for your child, your home, your family, your sisters, your marriage, and your calling as a woman. I know you are a visionary because you are here. Only the brave explore the world of Fun-Schooling!!!

So I have a question for you: What do you want to learn from me?

I’ve arrived at 49, and my life is everything—and more—than I could have hoped and dreamed because I stayed on the path, even when I had to blaze it.

But I blazed it, so maybe you don’t have to. Many women and families, mothers and marriages, have gone before us—blazing trails, clearing the way by faith in the face of fear.

I once heard a very wise African man share a bit of wisdom in my living room:

“If you thought you were moving in the right direction—you heard the call, you are moving toward your vision—but the journey is much harder than you ever imagined and there are endless obstacles in your way… it’s not because you’re on the wrong path. It’s because you’re the pioneer, blazing that trail.”

You are a pioneer woman. Not because you have chickens, bake sourdough, or have a garden. You are pioneering a future for yourself and your family through the chaos and disconnection of modern society.

You are overcoming obstacle after obstacle—facing challenges humanity has never experienced before 2025. You are battling a Terminator, taming AI, training the next generation, obliterating GMOs in your home, questioning traditional medicine and conventional education, maybe challenging the values of modern feminism, healing trauma, finding faith, experimenting with scary alternatives, and pulling monstrous weeds from the garden of your child’s heart and mind.

You are armed with wisdom and a questioning mind. You take every thought captive. And at times, you feel like a living sacrifice—poured out for love, hope, and a future you can’t even see.

You are making moves. You are navigating good and evil. You are trying to hold a marriage and family together. And you are looking around and seeing your sisters, your friends, struggling and feeling so alone. And you wonder—Am I enough? Am I doing enough? Why am I so tired?

Do you realize how powerful, wise, wonderful, and full of grace you are?
I didn’t think so.
But you are all that—and more.
You are an overcomer.
And it’s so hard.

Friend, sister—
I’ve walked through fire, floods, loss, pain, death, and chaos. And I’ve built my house, my life, my future on the Rock. I have loved.

And I’ve arrived at 49—empowered, wiser, freer, and touched by grace. I still have a ways to go.
Every step of faith has brought me to this beautiful place, I’m seeing everything from a hilltop.

So how can I help you blaze your trail?
How can I help you find your way?
How can I say, You are not alone?
How can I stand on this Rock, on the hilltop, and call out to all the sisters and say:

“If this is the Rock you want to stand on, the path has already been paved.”

Yes, the path is still hard—but sister, I have rolled many boulders off this trail. Now you need to push through the weeds and mud that relentlessly try to take over the terrain—until enough of us walk this way, packing down the path with our footsteps, working together to raise up the low spots and clear out the brambles.

I’m here to help you.
I’ve created so many tools and resources to support you along the way, and I’ve suffered many struggles pioneering this path.

So where are you on the path?
Where are you going?
Who is guiding you?
What’s your map?
What is your North Star?

How can I empower you, encourage you, and equip you—to take one more step?

Fun-Schooling + Wild & Free = a perfect match!

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / Leave a comment

Years ago, I took the kids on a walk after breakfast. We didn’t have a plan—we just needed fresh air and sunlight on our faces. We sat under a tree and read poems, sketched in our journals, and shared apples from a basket. By the time we got home, it had been hours—and I realized something:

That was our whole school day.
And it was good.

Not good because it ticked off a list of academic boxes. Not good because it was planned or polished or even quiet. It was good because it was true. True to the way children learn best—through wonder, through movement, through meaningful moments that speak to the heart and engage the senses. It reminded me of my own homeschooling years, spending hours outside letting nature be my guide.

That’s the same kind of goodness I see in the Wild + Free community.

Fun-Schooling and Wild + Free were seemingly made for each other. Both are built on the belief education isn’t something that happens to a child—it’s something that flows from the child. It flows from their interests. Education is their environment. It is their questions. Their exploration. Following their own paths.

Wild + Free is about gathering in nature, embracing simplicity, and letting go of the pressure to perform. It’s about letting kids be kids—muddy, curious, barefoot, imaginative. It’s about motherhood that values connection over perfection.

And that’s exactly what Fun-Schooling was created to support.

Fun-Schooling is interest-led and delight-driven. It says yes to creativity and no to comparison. It turns the world into a classroom and the family into a learning ecosystem. When you combine that with the Wild + Free philosophy? You get something even richer. You get shared meals outside. Art inspired by the sunset. Science with a pond. Geography in your beautiful backyard.

You get memories.

You get a childhood worth remembering.

You get the freedom to let your homeschool life reflect your family’s values instead of someone else’s curriculum guide.

I’ve met so many Wild + Free moms over the years, and what I love about them is this: they are present. They are brave. They are willing to do things differently because they know what’s at stake. They’re not chasing test scores—they’re cultivating souls.

And if you’ve ever looked around at your family and thought, “We were made to do this differently”—you’re not alone.

You’re not wrong.

So let the kids get dirty. Let them spend whole afternoons building fairy houses and drawing maps and studying bugs. Read poetry under a tree. Pack a basket with books and snacks and take your lessons to the park. Say yes to beauty. Say yes to learning that feels like life.

Dive into nature study all you want. Let kids be kids. Don’t force away childhood one moment too soon.

Companion Journals for the Wild + Free Family

Back to Basics Homesteading & Farm Bundle– Nature study. Essential homestead and farm skills. Handicrafts. Economics. Writing. And more! Some of the journals are available individually as PDFs and all are available individually as Paperbacks as well.

Nature Study & Outdoor Science– A Charlotte Mason-inspired nature study journal used by Wild + Free families around the world!

Core Journals– Seasonal core journals to cover all the major school subjects- and nature study in one place. Each has a fun seasonal and nature-inspired theme. Summer. Spring Girls. Spring Boys. Winter Girls. Winter Boys. Autumn.

Wilderness Adventure Handbook– Essential wilderness survival skills presented in a fun way. Teaches outdoor safety, survival, wildlife skills, and more. A fun group study.

The Backyard Science Bundle-Our most popular nature study journals all in one bundle. The journals are available individually as PDFs and Paperbacks as well.

Read More-

Budget-Friendly Tips from Real Fun-Schooling Moms!
The Princess of Montgomery Woods
Fun-Schooling Lifestyle, Practical Tips & Reality 

Grading, transcripts, & college prep for my 9th-grade Fun-Schooler

/ Amanda Osenga / Leave a comment

📊 Grading
After lots of research, here’s what we landed on:
Subjects with clear right/wrong answers—like Life of Fred and Keep Going with Latin—get traditional grades. We’ll track lesson points, effort, and focus to calculate a final score.

Everything else? ✅ He earns an automatic A as long as he’s staying focused and completing assignments.

🎓 College Prep
We have mixed feelings about college —there are strong pros and cons. But since he’s set on automotive design, which is tough to break into without a degree, we’re planning like he’s college-bound unless that changes.

💸 College is expensive, so we’re focusing on earning free college credit during high school:

✅ Modern States + CLEP Testing + Petersons for test prep
Modern States offers free CLEP prep courses and reimburses test fees. CLEP lets you test out of general ed classes = 💰 saved!

He picked two CLEPs to start with and will self-study first (we can access Peterson’s Test Prep free through the library—check yours!). Then he’ll review with the Modern States course and take the CLEP. His goal: two CLEPs per semester.

📚 Dual Enrollment
We’re lucky to live in a state with generous dual enrollment. He’ll start next year while continuing CLEP prep.

🏫 Residential Dual Enrollment (Possibly Senior Year)
He’s thinking about a residental program at a private school, where high school seniors live on campus and take a full college load. He’s older for his grade, so he’d be 18 most of the year anyway. If he goes this route, he could graduate high school with at least two years of college credit—basically getting all gen eds done for free and transferring to finish his degree later.

We’ve got time to sort out details, but I’ll keep y’all posted as it unfolds!

💬 Drop questions if you have any! Happy to share what’s working for us.

Part 1 here– How we select materials
Part 2 here– In depth info on our daily and yearly schedule
Part 3 here– What journals & books he will be using

Journals & books we will use for my son’s 9th grade year as a college-bound Fun-Schooler

/ Amanda Osenga / 2 Comments

📚 Here’s a peek at all the materials my son will be using for his first year of high school!

We school in 3 terms, so not all of these are year-round.

✉️ Want the full subject-by-subject list + info on what’s not pictured?
🗓️ Or our free reads schedule?
Reach out via DM on our Facebook page I’m happy to send it!

1️⃣ These are Daily/weekly books he uses 4–5 days a week or at his own pace:


2️⃣ Monday – These will be done 100% independently while I work. We will do an audiobook and nature drawing together-


3️⃣ Tuesday – Half the day is independent work, half with me.

4️⃣ Wednesday – Done with my husband while I work. Half independently, and half with my husband.


5️⃣ Free reads we’ll do together – Mostly audiobooks in the car. These tie into our studies, but he’s not required to narrate — just enjoy.

6️⃣ Independent free reads – Scheduled this year to help with balance. He mixes reading + audiobooks.

So what about the rest of the week?

🔹 Thursday – Screen-free + field trip day. We listen to free reads in the car. He does his daily stack before/after.
🔹 Friday – He helps at a homeschool gym, then spends the afternoon with my in-laws. He finishes any leftover schoolwork there.
🔹 Saturday – Catch-up day for free reads, papers, handicrafts, and special study (TBD).
🔹 Sunday – Screen-free rest day. All schoolwork is due Saturday night.

❌ A few books aren’t pictured!
🧬 Science this year is Biology, with a focus on comparing germ theory vs. terrain theory, natural immunity, and arguments from both sides.

Questions or feedback? Leave them below!

Part 1 here- Info on how we selected materials
Part 2 here– In-depth info on how we schedule our days and school year

Our 9th Grade School Year Schedule

/ Amanda Osenga / Leave a comment

My son is a mix of Creator and Friend Learner. My husband or I will do about half of his school work with him to meet his need for connection as a Friend Learner. My husband works a non-traditional schedule, and we have an only child, so it makes it a bit easier. If you have a Friend learner or a student who could benefit from another adult’s attention, consider asking a relative, neighbor, or friend.

Here is our weekly rhythm. We are also part of a teen homeschool group that meets randomly throughout the month, so we adjust as needed.

I will share the journals + books we’re using on each day in an upcoming post.

Monday – He does school mostly independently in his core journal. We’ll listen to a literature book together as an audiobook, and do the nature study drawing page together. Mondays are my busiest work days, so I’m not as available to do school with him.

Tuesday – He’ll do about half of his school day independently and the other half with me.

Wednesday – He’ll do about half of his school day independently, and the other half with my husband.

Thursday – Field trip day- every week! He’ll do about an hour of schoolwork before or after, and we’ll listen to one of our “free read” or “extra” books in the car.

Friday– He helps teach a homeschool gym program for little kids & participates in one for teens. Then he will spend the rest of the day with my in-laws and bring any schoolwork he didn’t finish earlier in the week. This gives me an entire day to work without interruption.

Saturday & Sunday- He needs to finish 4-5 days/week of Life of Fred Math and 4-5 lessons/week of Latin. If he didn’t get to them during the week, he will do those on Saturday. He will also read for an hour/ day on Saturday & Sunday from his “free read”/”extra” books.

Yearly schedule–
We homeschool year-round—
4-6 weeks on, 1-4 weeks off.
We have three terms, each lasting 10 weeks, with two weeks of exams and flex time at the end of each term. This gives us a total of 36 weeks of school.

Holy Week is always spring break. We take the entire month of August off and all of Christmastide (December 25th-January 6th). School starts back on the Monday after Labor Day and the Monday after January 6th.

This school year we have a family wedding in October so we’re going to have 4 weeks on, two weeks off, 6 weeks on, exams/flex, four weeks off, 6 weeks on, one week off, 4 weeks on, exams/flex, one week off, 6 weeks on, one week off, 4 weeks on, exams/ flex- summer break. Next summer will be the longest break we’ve ever taken. He wanted to try having a more “normal” summer this year, so we’ll have all of July and August off.

I create a schedule with weekly readings for each journal + book. Previously, I wrote the schedule on a piece of paper cut to the size of a bookmark, which I left in the book or journal. This year, I plan to create a syllabus that includes the schedule. Partly for nostalgia, because I used to love getting my syllabus in high school, and partly to familiarize him with them before he starts dual enrollment courses. Then he can make bookmarks from the syllabus if he wants them.

Please let me know if you have any questions about our regular school schedule or rhythm!!

The next post will be about the exact materials we are using.

Part 1 here

Raising Kids to Cherish—and Steward—Their Freedom

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / Leave a comment

One of our greatest callings as parents is to raise children who can thrive in freedom—not just obey when watched, but walk in wisdom when no one’s looking. It isn’t about raising kids who can put on a perfect performance, turn on good behavior when grandparents are around, avoid punishment, or ace a test. It’s about building character and capacity to steward freedom.

Lots of freedom! In our home, we don’t just teach kids what to think and to blindly obey and comply — we guide them how to think, how to choose, to ask questions and we show them how to recover when choices lead to mistakes. We give them space to try, fail, try again. And we give them freedom to experiment and learn with grace.

When you give a child freedom, you also give them responsibility—and that’s where real learning begins. If a child abuses the freedom, I sometimes have to say “since you are being irresponsible you are obviously not ready for this kind of freedom and responsibility.” And we often have to teach them a lesson by taking away a privilege. Like screen time, or give them the opportunity to fix what they messed up before allowing them to have that level of freedom again. Basically – “Act like a baby and I’ll treat you like one!”

We raise our children with the end in mind: not just graduation, but life. And life begins now! That means letting them practice freedom while we’re still here to catch them, guide them, and love them through the process. Not controlling them—but connecting with them so they learn to govern themselves.

Fun-Schooling isn’t just about flexible academics. It’s about nurturing hearts, creativity, and ownership of learning—so our kids grow up prepared to lead, love, and live well.

The goal isn’t a perfect child. The goal is a thriving, free-thinking human who knows how to learn, choose wisely, and love deeply.

Freedom is a very precious gift, many people around the world do not enjoy the freedom, opportunity, and the justice that is available to those of us celebrating the birth of the United States 🇺🇸– we often forget what freedom cost and we forget how to steward and value this treasure.

In my home, in the way I educate my children and as a citizen of this great country – I feel deeply grateful for freedom, and with it I feel both a deep sense of gratitude and responsibility.

I want to raise children with the same values, and so I teach them by example – the love of liberty and the wise stewardship of it – in every facet of life.

Let’s raise kids who don’t need to escape our rules to find themselves—because they were trusted, respected, and trained in freedom all along.

What to do if there isn’t a journal about what your child wants to study

/ Amanda Osenga / Leave a comment

This comes up frequently in our Facebook group. Someone’s child wants to study X subject, but we do not have a themed journal based on that subject.

Here are a few thoughts and options-

  • Students do not need a themed journal. When we first started making journals, they were all generic. All they need is the books, podcasts, internet, documentaries, etc. and a journal to document their learning.
  • Core journals are specifically designed for students to study any subject in the world. Yes, some are themed. Most are not.
    AND just because a student has a themed core journal, it doesn’t mean they have to only study the topic of that journal- or even study anything based on that journal at all! We have had a student use a horse core journal to study technology. Another student used the Songwriters journal to study theater.
    Browse core journals here
  • Many single-subject journals can be adapted to study a wide range of topics.
    For example, use white out tape to cover the headlines in Past Times History and your student can write news articles on any topic they want- or use it for written narration and/or general documentation of their learning.
    Alternatively, use the blank side of the Brain Games page for notes – some students find this approach particularly effective, alternating brain breaks with a Brain Games page and writing their school notes on the other side. We’ve ever had students create their own journal pages on these blank pages!
  • Our Reading Time journal and Master Class are set up to be used for studying any topic without as many subjects as a Core Journal
  • Use one of our blank journals- we have several that are completely blank inside. I will post their cover images and links below. Your student can decorate the cover to make it be about their topic of study!

What other outside-the-box ideas have you found for helping your student follow their passions and study their interests?

Blank inside journals

We have several more of the “Make Your Own Book of…” here. They are all the same inside, other than the Math journal.

How we selected materials for my son’s 9th grade year as a college-bound Fun-Schooler- Pt 1 of 4

/ Amanda Osenga / 3 Comments

In a few weeks, I’ll share our school schedule and rhythm. A few weeks after that, I’ll share what materials he selected. Then, I’ll share a few considerations for him as a college-bound student.
Today – the how behind selecting materials this year and how it differs from when he was younger.

Three things to know about our homeschool –

One– We love Charlotte Mason/ living books & primarily pull books from CM lists.
Two– My son thrives on variety.
Three – We almost exclusively borrow books from the library to use with our journals.

Our Planning Process-

  • First, he selected his core journals & elective journals. I selected Language Arts and a couple of other journals.
  • Next, I printed the booklists from Ambleside Online (AO) & Wildwood (WW) for his “grade” & eliminated books I didn’t want to do. I put all the books our library had + a few books I wanted to add in on hold. He researched books for his special study (more on that in a future post) and put those on hold.
  • Then, I researched Biology materials since science is not included on AO and WW for high school. I pulled books from the Sabbath Mood homeschool book lists, looked at the biology section in our library, and asked Grok for suggestions based on some specifics we wanted to cover. (more on that in a future post) And I put these on hold.
  • Last, I sorted the books into piles by subject. On top of each pile, I placed a note indicating the number of books from that pile he needed to select for the year. He spent a good amount of time looking over them and choosing what he wanted to use. There was also a pile of “these are books I think are important and want you to read this year” for him to review. We matched books to journals & set the books he didn’t want to use aside to return.
Sorting books into piles!

How did this year differ from previous years?

In previous years, our process began the same way, with me putting all the books from Ambleside and Wildwood that our library had on hold. I also incorporate a lot of books I have found on my own & we sometimes use those instead of the books from the list.

  • Every year, he chooses an area of special study, either based on a Fun-Schooling journal or two he wants to use, or something he wants to learn about. I joke with my husband that the people who plan for AO and WW have him pegged because almost every year, he’s chosen something already part of the curriculum. This is essentially the same idea as a “major” Sarah talks about.
  • We often match journals to books instead of starting with the journal and finding the books to use with it. This works well for me because I know the journals SO well. I’m happy to help you do so if this is something you’d like to try!
  • In his younger years, he wanted to select his Fun-Schooling journals but was not interested in choosing books other than those related to his special study/ major area. Even then, he did best if I presented him with a few options to choose from.
  • Starting in 6th grade, I gradually had him select more books yearly.
  • This year, he selected about half of the books for his core studies and all of the books for his special study.

Do you have any questions about this process, either for this year or in previous years? I’m happy to help! And I’d love to hear your feedback!

Why I created Mom School

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / Leave a comment

We all know the saying, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”
Well, that might be true for dogs—but not for moms!

Honestly, I feel like I’m learning something new every single day.
How to be a better mom.
How to plant and tend a vineyard.
How to ride a horse without falling off (still working on that one).
How to nurse a sick chicken back to health.
How to make sourdough that actually rises and kombucha that tastes like something you’d want to drink.
How to explore villages in Europe without getting insanely lost.
How to take better care of myself—body, mind, and spirit.
How to love God more deeply and live each day with intention and joy.

Moms don’t stop learning when we get married or have kids. In fact, motherhood is one of the biggest learning curves of our lives! And somewhere along the way, I realized…
I make all these incredible books for kids—books that help them explore, grow, and fall in love with learning.

So why couldn’t I make something like that… for moms?

That’s when the idea for Mom School was born.
Mom School is a series of creative journals and guided notebooks designed to help moms keep learning, growing, and thriving—right in the middle of everyday life.
It’s for the mom who wants to go deeper in her faith.
The mom who wants to remember what she loves—her interests, her dreams, her goals.
The mom who’s rediscovering what it means to be healthy, creative, and whole again—not just a caretaker, but a woman on a journey.

It’s a space for self-reflection, gratitude, personal growth, and soul care.

Whether you’re in the thick of diaper changes or homeschooling teens… running a farm or running a business… there’s something powerful about opening a book that says, “Hey, you matter too.”

I made this for you.
Because learning doesn’t stop when motherhood starts.
Welcome to Mom School.
Let’s do this together.

PDF Mom School journals here
Paperback Mom School journals here
Mom School bundles here– 20% off with code 20%BundlesJune through June 29, 2025

Bundle Buying Guide- All bundles 20% off!!!!!

/ Amanda Osenga / Leave a comment

In case you haven’t heard, all of our bundles are 20% off this month. Use code 20%BundlesJune Yes, even our brand-new High School bundles. With over 3 dozen to choose from, I know it can be a little bit overwhelming to decide. I’ve created this handy bundle buying guide to help you reduce decision fatigue.

Still need help? Don’t hesitate to e-mail us or reach out via Facebook or Instagram. We’re happy to help!

Need to substitute a journal or two?
You can make one or two subs. The journals should be comparably priced based on Amazon’s regular prices. Place your order and then immediately e-mail us with your order number and the journal(s) you want subbed, and we’ll take care of it from there!

Did you say High School bundles?
YES! After lots of requests, we’ve created three High School bundles- core subjects, Dyslexia/ADHD, and electives. Now you can Fun-School K-12 with bundles every year!

Happy Fun-Schooling & please, reach out if we can help!