Fun-School Mentoring

How to Transform Your Homeschool: Perfectionism to Joy

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / Leave a comment

Homeschool moms! Let’s throw our stress overboard! Let’s release the things that cause stress! Let’s set ourselves (and our kids) free from unreasonable and irrational expectations. Somehow we imagined that these unrealistic goals were the right way.
Untangle yourself and your kids from the things that choke out the joy in learning!
Here’s how:
One of the greatest gifts we can give our children is the ability to take their thoughts captive and release burdens that were never meant to be theirs to carry. As homeschooling parents, we often focus on academic achievement, but if we aren’t careful, we can unintentionally plant seeds of anxiety, perfectionism, and self-doubt in our children’s hearts.
God never intended for us to live weighed down by fear or the need to perform for approval. Matthew 11:28-30 reminds us to come to Jesus for rest, and 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us to take every thought captive in obedience to Christ. These truths are not just for us as parents—they are essential for our children as they grow into the people God created them to be.
So how do we weave these lessons into our homeschool days?

The Hidden Burden of Traditional Schooling
In many educational settings, children are trained to work for grades, external approval, and the fear of making mistakes. Every assignment is graded, every test has red marks, and progress is often measured by how few errors they make rather than how much they have learned.

When children are constantly evaluated this way, they internalize a dangerous belief: “I am only as good as my ability to get things right.”

This burden is heavy, and I’ve seen how it plays out in adulthood. It creates individuals who are afraid to take risks, explore new ideas, or step into their God-given creativity. Instead of growing into confident problem-solvers, they become people-pleasers, perfectionists, or those who avoid challenges altogether because they fear failure.
When I was young, I struggled with traditional academics. I saw myself as someone who wasn’t smart enough, always focusing on my weaknesses rather than my gifts. I even failed third grade!!!
But when I embraced learning on my own terms (at age 13) following my curiosity, using creativity, and celebrating progress instead of perfection—I discovered a love for learning that has lasted a lifetime. This is the heart of Fun-Schooling.

How Fun-Schooling Releases Burdens
Fun-Schooling is not about performance—it’s about passion, mastery, and lifelong learning. Instead of burdening our children with the fear of failure, we give them the tools to learn with confidence and joy.
In our home and in thousands of Fun-Schooling families, kids don’t study to earn grades or please a teacher. They study to pursue knowledge, build skills, and prepare for the future God has for them.

Traditional school teaches kids to focus on their mistakes.
Fun-Schooling teaches kids to focus on their gifts.

When kids are given the freedom to research, explore, and follow their interests, they become fearless learners. They know that making mistakes isn’t failure—it’s part of the process. Instead of becoming burdened by anxiety, they develop the mental strength, confidence, and peace that are uncommon in traditionally schooled children.

Teaching Kids to Take Thoughts Captive
So how do we practically help our children apply 2 Corinthians 10:5—taking every thought captive—and Matthew 11:28-30—laying down heavy burdens?
Here are a few ways to include character teaching in your homeschool day…

Click here to keep reading!

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Fun-Schooling For Every Grade

/ Amanda Osenga / 1 Comment

Today I’m excited to announce our “Fun-Schooling For Every Grade” blog series. This is something y’all have asked for time and time again. We are delighted to be bringing this series to you this school year.  

This will include what to expect regarding academic ability and developmental level every year. We’ll also look at common challenges in each phase and share tips. For each grade, we’ll discuss how to build a curriculum including what to expect for workload and schedule. Tips from other Fun-Schooling moms will help give you the POV of several people. The most popular journals for each grade and tips for using them will round out each post. 

A big focus for us at Thinking Tree is letting kids be kids. You’ll see a lot of room for play, nature, and wonder in these plans. We want kids to have plenty of time to explore the things they love and soak up their childhood. 

Remember– This blog series will be based on the average level for the grade/age. The bell curve is extremely important to remember throughout this series. Some children will fall outside of this average. We’ve chosen to homeschool for a reason- so we can customize our children’s education to their unique academic level and needs.

Students can go up or down several grade levels from these suggestions as needed. Virtually all our materials can be used by kids from reading age to teens (and adults!) For non-readers and early readers, we have level A-1 materials. Each student’s education is customized by choosing academically appropriate materials. 

How do I know what grade my homeschooler is in?

The general guideline is- age in the fall minus 5 = grade. For example, my son is 12 this fall. 12-5=7
If he were in the school system, he’d be in 7th grade. 

Sounds great, what’s the plan?

By far the top age we’re asked about it High School so we’re starting at High School and working our way down from there. Here’s the schedule for this series-

October ‘23- High School- College/ Advanced Academics Path
November ‘23- High School– Career/ Calling Path for those who will not need college
December ‘23-  Middle School– emphasizing choosing a major (and why it’s ok if they change it!)
January ‘24- 6th grade 
February ‘24- 5th grade
March ‘24- 4th grade– with an emphasis on the fact it’s often a step-up academically and in terms of independence 
April ‘24- 3rd grade
May ‘24- 2nd grade– with a focus on fostering more independence 
June ‘24- 1st grade
July ‘24-  Kindergarten
August ‘24-  Preschool

Eager to learn about a specific grade now?
Check out the grade-by-grade video series we did in 2022 in our Facebook group-

Concerned about gaps in your child’s education? Check out this post.

About the Author- Amanda Osenga is a Fun-Schooling mom in Columbus Ohio. She is also the social media manager and Virtual Assistant for Thinking Tree. Her family combines Thinking Tree books with the Charlotte Mason method using books from Ambleside Online and Wildwood Curriculum. In her free time, Amanda is an avid reader and loves to be outdoors.

Dear Inquisitive Unschooling Mom…

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / Leave a comment
Photo credit: https://www.joylilyphoto.com/

I’m the creator of the Fun-Schooling books. We are Unschoolers most of the time, but I am always introducing my kids to all sorts of content and we do projects and adventures together a lot. We also enjoy casual Charlotte Mason style learning in seasons where we need more structure. So I have been setting up a buffet of learning through the environment I create for my children to grow up in.

I created these books so the children could create portfolios of research, art, thoughts and discoveries about their passions, while incorporating some academic skill building at the same time. In my books I always focus on the spark of curiosity, the quest for knowledge, the joy of discovery, the adventure of going deeper, and the delight of sharing and using the knowledge and skills we have embraced. I also focus on collaboration and the natural process of nurturing the child’s drive to learn by example.

My role is mostly fulfilled by my example of being a curious, creative, peaceful presence as I pursue my own interests and create a wonderful family environment. We use our Thinking Tree Books after breakfast, chores and family devotions. Our daily time with Fun-Schooling books being open and used as a resource and guide for a learning journey is usually less than two hours, and most of the time the child is following learning prompts related to their passions and then coming back to the journal to document the learning in a way that feels more like journaling and scrapbooking.

Some of my books focus on specific academic skill building in areas of math, language arts and geography, for example. But I always reframe academics as an adventure in discovery or creativity. My math books are all therapeutic, (and fun), and are designed to give children joy and confidence with numbers, while healing some of the trauma. What trauma? All the trauma inflicted by the soul-destroying experiences in early childhood related to typical math problems that 90% of kids probably hate and dread. Most kids grow up thinking they are bad at math and writing. They feel ashamed, bored, and have this cloud of irrelevance surrounding all the monotony of standardized learning.

Typical learning focused almost completely on highlighting what the children missed, messed up, and failed in. They are always judged by the seven mistakes rather than the 1000 things they did well. Standardization in education creates a world of failing perfectionists who feel they will never be enough, never achieve their goals, never satisfy the people they love and respect. This is a sad cycle and our society pays the price, because “perfect” is an impossible illusion that we began striving for at such a young age. Women cry into their pillows every night all over the USA cause they can never be good enough… and it started with their first C- in first grade. They tried so hard and were so excited and curious about learning until they began to experience all the shame of small failures.

I failed 3rd grade, with a report card and little heart stained by Ds and Fs. At age 8 I felt doomed to failure and humiliation forever. I began to dream of a different world where kids like me could just play with animals, do school in the woods, build forts, bake cookies, make fairy villages, create museums, sell art, earn money, publish a newspaper and live in a giant cardboard box painted with daisies in the corner of the living room… and of course go to work with dad at the Space Center or help mom in her art studio. I dreamed a lot about a better way to learn and enjoy every moment of my childhood and my life. I decided I wanted to be a mom, and artist and run maybe a space camp where kids can pretty much go to space at the end of the experience.

The Thinking Tree books are a small part of my vision for creating an incredible life around my kids. But they help us dig deeper and document our learning journey while studying what we love, and a few things that we need. Thinking Tree Books also help a lot of people who live in restrictive states to build an impressive portfolio in an easy and joyful way to satisfy requirements. All our bundles are designed around the needs for grade level learning in charter schools in the state of California, so that even kids in that environment can Fun-School. I hope this gives you a little vision and understanding of what Fun-Schooling is and how it came to be. I wanted to give my 15 kids what I dreamed of when I was stuck in a desk doing third grade…again, imagining a different world. The good news is that I got to homeschool at age 13 and basically enjoyed a path of self directed learning based on my passions, projects and career goals! My parents let me do unit studies about ANYTHING I was interested in, and that was school!

One Year Of Fun-Schooling Completed (Testimonial + THE PLAN)

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / Leave a comment

(submitted in the Fun-Schooling Moms group in 2017 by M.L.)

Sarah,

I was the mother who reached out to you about my sons.

I followed your plan for the last year. (See the THE PLAN posted at the end of this story).

We have occasionally had some things change a bit, but this plan was (and is) the core of our homeschooling. We left our traditional pathways behind, and we pursued education the fun-schooling way. A year in the life, I am now ready to report.

Last January I had my 4th child. I would like to say that the reason my homeschooling method stopped working was just due to the new baby, but that would be a lie. The truth was that I had two young men who were hating school. I tried to bribe them, I tried motivational speeches, I tried buying new books. Nothing worked. They hated school, and if I was being completely honest, I hated homeschooling. It was not leading to the peaceful family life I had pictured. I cried often. They cried often. It was so hard.

I came across the Library Homeschool Journal in a Facebook ad, and the ad specifically mentioned the book being good for families with a new baby. I knew I would need to step back from our current (and 5+ year old) homeschooling routine and materials for a time- new babies are hard work! But my love of the library and the idea of a library-based journal that incorporated library-learning made me give it a go. It was a 60 day journal, and I thought I would be “all better” by the end of it, and we could resume our same old homeschooling routine.

I quickly realized that the Library journal would not work the way I intended. I reached out to you for ideas, and you – in a way I never expected – changed our lives. You responded with with an earnest desire to help my family. You changed our curriculum completely- not just the materials but the time as well. In our email correspondence you addressed some issues regarding where I had placed our chores during the school day (I had them at the beginning, you suggested putting them at the end), rotating subjects between days (giving the kids a chance to look forward to their favorite ones), and using *time* as the measure instead of number of pages- in a desire to enhance the quality of their work and cut down on rushing. You created an entire curriculum plan, and you provided the means for us to try it.

It has now been a year.

We used your method. I incorporated the changes and materials and we just did it. I am going to admit something- I didn’t really expect much to happen. I mean, the materials are SO adorable, surely they wouldn’t be as effective as my much-more-expensive textbooks. I also didn’t expect much by making the curriculum changes you suggested. How could moving chores to the end of the day help? I mean, in theory it may help, but won’t the quality of the cores suffer, or wont it throw off the entire day? If they are doing something for a set time instead of a set number of pages, surely that would just make them do less and get more sloppy, right? But because you had been so generous, you worked with me on such a personal level, and you have so many children of your own, (and maybe because I had a new baby and the recovery was the most difficult of any of my 4 children…) I decided to completely go with your suggestions. I figured I would give it a few months while I recovered.

I can say, without ANY exaggeration- this has been the BEST year of homeschooling EVER. My spouse and all of my children would agree- hands down!!! In fact, homeschooling and the atmosphere of learning changed so greatly that my then-3-year-old begged to start homeschool kindergarten so she could spend more time doing homeschool activities too! We allowed her to start and included her in our plan (modified to fit her level, of course) but now, a year later- she is STILL going strong in her education, and it is fueled with HER desire. Last year if you had told me I would have happily agreed to homeschool *3* eager little learners, I would have laughed!

I not only use your materials, I use the plan you outline on this post. The two are a PERFECT homeschooling match. This curriculum guide saved our school and our sanity. It brought peace back into our homes and our hearts! School is now something that is not feared, tolerated, or despised. No, school is seen as being FUN! The kids adapted to the change beautifully, and so did I. These “adorable” books have helped my children’s handwriting, reading, math, logic, critical thinking, note-taking, planning, science, and other skills SO greatly- an educator wouldn’t recognize them as being the same students. Moving chores to the end of the day made them stop rushing through school, as instead of looking ahead to play they only saw chores, so they saw the school as being more fun and focused more joyfully on their learning. That still baffles me- the chores are only 10-15 minutes, HOW can that make such a difference??! I don’t know- but it was a game changer in their attitudes!

Rotating the subjects instead of doing the same set daily was brilliant! The children no longer fear their least favorite subjects… in fact, they HAVE NO least favorite subjects!!! What!?! I know, right! HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?! I have no idea!!!! They voluntarily do math, reading, research, spelling- I mean, they actually CHOOSE it. Mind blowing! The final structural change was to use time blocks instead of pages. I seriously do not know how this works- but it does. I now have beautiful, brilliantly, carefully done schoolwork that makes my heart leap for joy, and makes them rush to me to show with pride. Pages that were once pencil only are now leaping with color- even from my eldest, who *never* liked to color or do any type of art. Miracle, I tell you.

I love the books. The books in this plan were SO perfect for this age!!! There are also SO many pages, and the workbooks are totally treasures we will keep to show the grandchildren! The Dyslexia games is fantastic. I love that we were able to easily print another set for my daughter to do- so she has her own “schoolbooks” too! What a totally perfect item for EVERY family!! I found myself asking if I could do a page here and there- there is something stimulating yet relaxing about them. They are truly a family favorite! None of us have Dyslexia, but we all benefit from your Dyslexia games!

Math Genius is brilliant- what a unique approach to math! The book passively teaches in such a fundamentally different way- at first I was not sure about replacing their old math program, but now see they have made HUGE leaps with this book!!! The book has had them voluntarily doing addition, subtraction, multiplication, division- but because they see it as building inventions, and they aren’t being drilled- they see this as FUN! This is truly a genius of a book!

Making Money. HOW PERFECT! Kids in the US are surrounded by materialism. One of the things on so many minds (of adults) in the US is money. This book is FANTASTIC. The book goes through various professions, and we researched (kids learning HOW to research without realizing it!) each job and wrote about them. The kids learned SO much about so many different professions, and I love that you incorporated such a diverse range of options- from laboratory research scientists to vloggers and dog walkers! BRILLIANT! There are sections that discuss amounts of education necessary as well- which passively gave the kids motivation to work harder in school. Seriously, this is a brilliant idea!

10 Subject Portfolio, oh how I love thee. Let me count the ways! 1) This thing is massive. GIANT. So many pages. What a super investment! 2) 10 subjects! This book is perfect for everything! 3) This book allows the kids space to journal, record, plan, and dream. This – in my opinion- should be a staple for all homeschooling families. It keeps everything all together in one beautiful book. 4) There is space where space is needed, and not when space is not. This book was designed perfectly for us. 5) In states where record keeping is necessary, here is ONE book that can do it perfectly- this makes record keeping easy and ideal!!!

Spelling- can kids learn spelling from a “Fun-School” book? Honestly I didn’t think so- but my kids loved your spelling books so much I wasn’t about to fight them on it. I figured we would finish out the spelling and go try the next thing (spelling was never one of our best subjects). A few weeks ago my son wrote a letter. In an ENTIRE page, he misspelled one word, and the word was phonetically written correctly (it was one of those strange English words that follows no rules whatsoever). I was shocked. Between his copywork, his find-words, his journals, notes, and your spelling books- his spelling had grown by leaps and bounds!!!! I no longer cringe when he has to write in front of other people, fearing I will be judged by his lack of spelling. Nope- he is a GOOD speller!!! How. Did. This. Happen? Answer: Your spelling books work. Shocked, but SO pleased. Spelling can be effective while being fun!!!

Thank you so much, Sarah. Thank you for taking the time to talk with me, and to troubleshoot my homeschooling. Thank you for creating these amazing homeschool tools, materials that allow young minds to flourish like I never thought possible. I am in tears of gratitude for your creative homeschooling approaches. I never thought such progress in my children was possible. I didn’t think such dedication and motivation was possible. I didn’t think “fun” schooling – for us- was possible. It IS!!!! THANK YOU!

*The Library journal is STILL one of my very favorites. When I say it wouldn’t work the way I intended, it was because I had serious flaws in my homeschooling approach. Flaws that your plan eliminated and which I had never been able to diagnose. Upon remedying the flaws, the Library Journal fit in perfectly and was used happily!!! (click here for THE PLAN)

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Best Homeschooling Hack!

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / 1 Comment

Mom’s Best Homeschooling Hack! Many moms wear their kids out by teaching too many subjects! “Seven a day keeps the sceptics away!” Oh no! Please stop!

It’s a good idea to combine many subjects into one learning time to save your sanity! Instead of segregating all the subjects into different courses, try this multi-subject learning trick.

For example, let’s talk about United States Geography. Sounds boring? Not at all! It’s a vast topic!

Were not just looking at maps! When you dig deep into each state you will unearth every subject in a fun and natural way! You will easily cover History and Social Studies at the same time, when you learn about each State! But wait! There is so much more.

Your children will remember more of what they learn with this method, and you will save a lot of time and energy.

You can use YouTube videos and library books to learn everything and create your own unit study! It’s free! Make it more interesting by talking to a travel agent!

Organize your own curriculum with a cute notebook, or use a Thinking Tree Geography Journal that covers multiple subjects. That’s the easy way!

You can even add science and math to the USA studies by learning about plants, animals and ecosystems in each state. Study a favorite animal or person from each state. Plan a trip!

Kids can look at all the statistics, records, timelines, and dig into a bit of local economics of each state and cover math.

They can add cooking to the mix too! Home economics!

Why not study the art and inventions of each state too?

What about careers? What about politics? Don’t forget local literature! While you are at it learn to spell words related to each location.

I think that geography is the best subject to focus on when you want to cover every subject with efficiency!

But at our house, we are Fun-Schoolers, so we don’t call it geography. We call it Travel Dreams! It’s so easy with Thinking Tree! We studied Hawaii together–all about sea turtles, surfing, arranging tropical flowers and planning torch-lit native parties!

It’s so fun.

The Thinking Tree offers four Geography Journals for you to enjoy! They also last a long time. Each book can last one to four years depending on how long you take to study each part of the world. Kids of all ages can use the same book!

How to do it:

We think that it works best to study the United States in Elementary School, the Seven Amazing Continents in Middle School, and 30 Fascinating Cities during Highschool.

🙂 Seven Amazing Continents – Travel Dreams Geography – The Thinking Tree: World Geography & Social Studies The Creative Research Handbook for Library & Internet Based Learning

🙂 United States – Geography, History and Social Studies Handbook: Do-It-Yourself Homeschooling

🙂 Travel Dreams Fun-Schooling Journal: 30 Fascinating Cities – An Adventurous Approach to Geography & Social Studies

If you are in Canada look for our Canada Geography Handbook on Amazon.

Canada – Geography, History and Social Studies Handbook: Do-It-Yourself Homeschooling Our Great Country The Thinking Tree

Mom-Schooling Encouragement!

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / Leave a comment

(Guest post by Amanda Osenga)

Let’s talk about Mom School.

We often hear moms saying they don’t have the time. Moms are busy. We get that! Which is why we think Mom School is especially important. It’s an opportunity for you to feed your mind, set an example for your kids, and unwind.

Consider this- even one page per day is enough for you to fill multiple Mom School journals in a year. Stop scrolling- you have time for one page a day. Even if you only get one page for 180 days- that’s a full Mom School journal.

There is also a big mental impact of “should-ing” yourself and feeling like you’re not accomplishing something. Think about how great you’ll feel at the end of the year when you’ve filled a journal or two with only one page per day! 15 minutes or so is all you need. You’ll have learned new things, helped your brain think in new ways, and balance your thoughts.

Our journals are designed to help decrease stress and bring more ease to your days. Give yourself permission to take time for yourself. Moms struggle with this.

We suggest 4-6 pages per day most days of the week for full Mom School. Working up incrementally is the easiest way to build a habit. Start with one page. In 6 weeks, start doing two; 6 weeks after that add a 3rd- no need to jump all in right away.

If you can get someone to hang with the kids or a program for them to go to a few hours once a week, give yourself a regular Mom School date! Pull out your secret stash of snacks, make your favorite drink, and spend time learning something new. It’s tempting to binge-watch your favorite shows when you get a moment alone- there’s nothing wrong with that- try starting with a bit of Mom School first.

🌸ALL Mom School PDFs are 50% off!
– INCLUDING Brain Games and the Bird Watching Journal 🐣
😍 Mom School Handbook Paperbacks are $15.75
🦆Bird Watching Paperback is $12.50 🦉
☕ Coffee Time Paperback is $17.50
🌺 Homeschooling Handbook Paperback is $17.50
🤩 All Brain Games Paperbacks are $10 or less
🌹 90-day Pocket Planners are all $5 or less
We hope this helps you on your Mom School journey!

Peek inside all of these and more next week- RSVP here https://www.facebook.com/events/641466461327932/

May is Mom School Month, and we are excited to share more tips, resources, and ideas with you. Make sure and join us at our main Fun-Schooling group for great content, giveaways and discounts, and encouraging discussions! And our Mom-specific Fun-Schooling group has a regular giveaway each week! Hope to see you there!

Using Fun-Schooling Books to Develop a Complete Curriculum

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / Leave a comment

Guest Post by Gina Phillips

I would like to share with you how I am using the Fun-Schooling books by Sarah Janisse Brown to create a complete curriculum for my 5th grade (working at a 3-5th grade level) son.

I first purchased the Do-It-Yourself Curriculum Fun-Schooling with Minecraft journal. Then I just took each section and figured out what I wanted to use to cover it. My son needs a little more structure with his learning so not everything is just him choosing what he wants to use. I let him choose topics and extra books but the core is chosen by me. Then, we added in items to cover Math and Language Arts.

Here is a list of what we do:

For the Geography pages we use: The Children’s Atlas of God’s World and The Not-For-Parents Travel Book

For the Design Your Own Animal pages we use: Nat Geo Wild Animal Atlas

For Reading Time and Core Subject Pages, he has decided to study Chemistry and Middle Ages: Amish Pathway readers, The Story of the World Vol. 2 (we also do the color pages associated with this book), Usborne Look Inside a Castle, Fizz, Bubble & Flash, God’s Design For Chemistry and Ecology: Properties of Atoms and Molecules, Usborne Medieval World. We are also reading Robin Hood and The Knights of the Round Table.

News, Movie Time and Nature Study are not planned out I just help him find good quality things to cover these areas that we find online or outside! Some we like are the Wordup! DVD, Drive Through History and Horrible History.

For the Math Time pages we will use the Bedtime Math App. because we have a separate Math program

For the Copywork pages, I decided to use Draw-Write-Now and let him choose which book he wanted to use.

For Listening Time we are going through the Usborne Famous Composers Reference Book. (It has QR links to listen to music from the composers!)

Then for the Vocabulary pages we are using English from the Roots Up Vol. 1. We write the word root at the top of the page and I let him select from the included words which ones he wants to write down and define.

For our remaining subjects we use the following:

Math: Comic Book Math and Learn Math Fast Books

Spelling/Phonics: Explode the Code and Teach Your Child 100 Words to Read, Write,Spell and Draw

Thinking Skills: Thinking Skills from plainandnotsoplain.com

Grammar: we are reading Simply Grammar, Usborne Illustrated Grammar and Punctuation and we use the Mad Libs Game.

I hope this helps give you an idea of what we are doing in our homeschool using the Fun-Schooling books. Click here to see how this looks on a daily schedule.

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21 Thoughts About Core Journals

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / 2 Comments

1. I originally created the Core Journal so I could take a break from customizing each child’s curriculum around their interest, while making sure we included copywork, nature study, logic, film study, math time… I wanted a way to document internet based learning, library based learning, and include the Charlotte Mason goodies into each day without searching for the individual notebooks.

(View the Core Journals Here: https://www.funschooling.com/homschooling-bookstore-core…)

2. I was about to have our tenth baby and wanted to take time off, but keep learning going, according to the daily structure that works for my kids.

3. They need to have a balanced plan that covers the basics, while allowing them to dig deep into the topics they love.

4. We were also about to move from Florida to Ukraine and I wanted a way for each child to have all their work in one portfolio.

5. My kids were already studying their interests, doing copywork, nature study, logic games, drawing, reading and watching documentaries… But nothing was being documented. Sometimes I would be busy or sick and they would watch YouTube and read all day and not remember to do the simple things like nature study.

6. I only planned to use the Core Journal for 6 weeks, but found it to be wonderful long-term for some of the kids.

7. My Detective and Explorer kids really thrive with them.

8. My Friend learners enjoy them when doing it with others, but like the smaller themed journals best.

9. Followers who are motivated to study a topic like the routine, but they find the journals to be too open-ended and they may try to just get by with whatever is the minimum to move on. With Followers, a strong example is needed, this we have Mom-School.

10. Creators like a lot of variety, and in some stages of life really need to learn to have more structure, for them the journals are not open-ended enough and they may feel limited… So they skip pages or repurpose them. Not all children have the drive, skills or personality to really embrace to potential of the core journals. They don’t work for everyone.

11. Many kids are okay with a system that doesn’t require them to use a lot of research, creativity or thought. These books are designed to be a launch pad for learning.

12. Kids who are in a rush to move on to play, chores, gaming, social media, or personal projects may feel that the core journals are just something that should be rushed through so they can do what they love.

13. It’s okay for a child to not use any system of learning that doesn’t work. For the many kids who have a Follower Learning Style they will actually do better with some classroom style learning, fill in the blank, memorize and test methods.

14. For the Super-Creators the core journals may feel boring and limiting. You need to know your child.

15. My Detectives and Explorers do especially well, but work in different ways.

16. The Detectives need quiet and focus, while the Explorers move from place to place all over the house and yard, and need to be told that chores come after they finish their work in the core journal, so they don’t rush. They really learn to look forward to the activities they love in the daily routine of the book.

17. For kids who thrive on structure they enjoy using a core journal daily, but really need to know what is expected. I suggest doing the first 20 pages together to teach the child how to do copywork, a nature study, or creative writing. It’s so important to be an example.

18. In most cases, don’t say “when you finish you can play Xbox” — they will rush. It works much better if the next activity is something they don’t mind putting off while they focus on their work, like cleaning a bathroom. For example say: “You can take as much time as you need to finish five pages, then show me your work and I’ll show you how to clean out the oven.”

You will be amazed at how much detail they pour into their work.

19. It’s also very important to be available to your child to help them find the right documentaries and books to study their topic. Most of the actual learning isn’t in the journal, it’s what the journal reminds them to do.

20. So know your child. If they don’t put their heart into learning with a core journal, what will they put their heart into? Starting a business? An online course? A textbook? A series of Documentaries? A boxed curriculum that tells them exactly what to memorize? A classical education? Dance school? An internship? Volunteer work? Building a fort? Sewing a dress? Baking? Full-on Unschooling?

21. Some kids are like, “I don’t care… Whatever!” Then they get on their phones and post 80 selfies, and play games until midnight, and complain about everything that requires any effort at all. In that case you just need to pull the plug and light a fire under the child.

I hope that helps someone out there! Let me know if there is a specific example of a child’s struggle that I can help with.

What is your child like? Of these 21 thoughts what stood out to you and why?

See a Flip-Through of the core journals here:

Let’s Talk Charlotte Mason

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / 1 Comment

We have many Fun-Schoolers who love the Charlotte Mason method in our Fun-Schooling Mom Support Group on Facebook! Visit these posts for some great info:

What is Charlotte Mason?
https://www.facebook.com/groups/FunSchoolingwithThinkingTreeBooks/posts/3028649974081902/
Charlotte Mason + Fun-Schooling
https://www.facebook.com/groups/FunSchoolingwithThinkingTreeBooks/posts/3038920996388133/
Peek Inside Charlotte Mason Inspired Journals-
https://www.facebook.com/groups/FunSchoolingwithThinkingTreeBooks/posts/3044048979208668/

Did you know we have a lovely Charlotte Mason Homeschool Journal? It’s ideal for ages 9-17, (3rd-12th grade).

This curriculum handbook is designed to be used along with library books, audio books, tutorials, documentaries, and classical music. Unlike our other core journals, we tap into the Charlotte Mason method by incorporating Picture Study daily and creative writing/ narration sections. Make homeschooling fun for your students, while tapping into their interests and covering all the basic subjects.

This plan is perfect for struggling readers and learners. We have included Art & Logic Games that help with dyslexia, reading confusion, and letter reversals.

“Great layout for Charlotte Mason beginners that need to transition. Still elements of fun-schooling but definitely an enjoyable resource and we love that it implements nature study, picture study, and copy work! Key elements in a Charlotte Mason atmosphere. We also love that Sarah has taken the time to look out for the struggles some of our children have with dyslexia and ADHD. Well done!” ~Amazon Customer

“This is truly a beautiful one of a kind book. It has art study in it which is different than the other journals. The book is just beautiful and my daughter is really enjoying it.” ~ An Amazon Customer

What aspects of the Charlotte Mason Method are addressed in Thinking Tree journals?

  • Nature Study
  • Art
  • Poetry
  • Timelines
  • Copywork
  • Utilization of great books

Speaking of timelines…here’s a little peek at how we used them a few years ago…

Someone asked about how our family uses the Make Your Own Timeline Of World History.

1. I put the Timeline, 3 history books, pens and pencils, and a calculator on the table in the dining room.

2. I ask all the kids to come to the table.

3. I tell them that today everyone in the family will add something to the Timeline, including mom and dad.

4. I added the summer of 1950 when both my parents were born. Joe added pictures and dates to 5 pages, Esther added WW1, Rachel added January 1917. Some kids will work later.

5. I will clear the table once everyone has added something.

Top Ten Letters to New Homeschooling Moms

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / Leave a comment

Are you new to Homeschooling or Fun-Schooling? Be blessed! Read these letters…

#1 Dear Homeschooling Mama,

Welcome to Fun-Schooling! Keep it simple, do not over think, and make learning fun. Have fun yourself! Get a journal and learn along with your kids. Don’t overcomplicate things. Kids learn best by example and having fun. This curriculum will really change the way you think and learn, but in the best way possible!

You have so many fellow Fun-Schooling mamas to help and support you, and who are rooting for you to succeed. You are not in this alone. Welcome to homeschooling, the fun way!

Love,

Audria Perez

#2 Dear New Homeschooling Mama,

You are about to embark on a new journey. It can be scary, overwhelming, exciting, and every other emotion. You have got this, mama! There will be good and bad days, but this journey is so worth it.

Welcome to Fun-Schooling! It is such a fun way to get your children to learn and enjoy what they are learning. At first glance, it may seem like it’s not enough, but it is! It is enough and you are enough to be their teacher! They will love learning about the topics they are interested in. The Fun-Schooling Facebook groups are full of other Fun-Schooling mamas that understand and are always willing to help!

Enjoy this Fun-Schooling Journey!

Stephanie Schulte

#3 Hi Mama,

I am so excited that you have decided to join in on the journey of homeschooling! I know it is overwhelming, so stop and take a breath. You are not alone. When you doubt your choice, remember no one loves your child more than you! No one is more invested or wants your child to succeed more than you. If you love your child, then you can and will do this. You will be amazed at how your child will grow, not only academically, but also spiritually and emotionally. There is nothing more rewarding that teaching your own child and seeing the light bulb click on.

Now you choose your curriculum. Pray. Pray hard! Contemplate what your goals are…a specific subject, character, Bible, etc. Think about the ways your child learns best. Plan your budget. Ask fellow homeschool moms to see their curriculum and find out what did or did not work for them. After doing that, you will likely still be unsure, so just pick something and get started. If it does not work, you can always try something else next time. Remember, no child is ever behind. Go at your child’s pace and enjoy the new, closer bond you and your child are making. Teach to the whole child, not to the curriculum, and enjoy the wonderful blessing of homeschooling.

Love,

Kera Adams

Your Sister in Christ and Fellow Homeschooling Mama

#4 Dear New Homeschooling Mom,

There are some things that you NEED to know before you get started. You will not be able to teach your child(ren) EVERYTHING that you want them to know. Guess what? That is okay! There will be things that they do not retain or that you’re all bored to tears by. The most important thing is to make the most of things that you do enjoy. Enjoy spending time together. Read aloud, create art together, go on field trips, let them cook with you, and enjoy nature. Not all learning is done by sitting at a desk and reading from a textbook. In fact, the best learning does not happen that way!

Another thing you should realize is that there is NO perfect, one-size-fits-all curriculum. If there were, homeschooling would be SOOOO easy and many curriculum publishers would go out of business! With that said, take some time to get to know your child’s interests and learning styles. Doing this will make homeschooling much easier. Once you do pick a curriculum, give it a fair chance, but do not be afraid to ditch it if it’s not working for your family. It is not worth the hassle and headache to try to stick it out with a curriculum that makes you miserable. Hopefully, these thoughts help you as you begin your homeschool journey!

Best of Luck!

Jennifer Fischer

An Experienced Homeschool Mom

#5 To the New, Overwhelmed, Homeschooling Momma,

Take a breath when it is overwhelming, frustrating, or scary. You will go through lots or curriculum until you find what works (the journals are great testaments to your journey). Not all days will be productive, things will be forgotten, and houses will be disheveled. It is all ok! Remember your children are listening and learning even when you think they are not. When Plan A does not work, go for Plan B, then C, D, and E. Grab the little moments, those will be remembered.

If there is frustration, regroup, refocus, bake cookies, go outside, and try again. It does not mean it isn’t working, it means it is hard and requires a different approach or a break to look at it fresh. Ask the veterans…we are always willing to help, and I would not have made it through our homeschooling journey without them. Most importantly, have fun! Education should not be drills and cramming, it should be about genuine curiosity and the ability to fulfill it. Give children the tools and they will surprise you. The best thing about our journey has been to watch my kids develop a true love for learning. They love to discover new things. As teens, it has helped them immensely as they prep for and attend college (my 17-year-old is on his second semester). It’s okay to admit you don’t know and learn right alongside your children. My son was teaching me things I never learned in history. It was fun and showed him we never stop learning. It will get done, they will succeed, and you will have done an amazing job!

Love,

Jessica Chakey

A Veteran, Self-doubting, Procrastinating, Homeschooling Momma

#6 Dear New Homeschooling Mom,

Get a cup of coffee, tea, or water and take a breath. Look at the beautiful kid or kids in front of you and breathe. You are ok, they are ok, and everything else will be ok. You have made an extremely hard choice to be responsible for your children’s education and complete wellbeing. You are doing great!

There will be days when everything flows. Assignments get done, dishes get washed, and no one fights; but more often than not, the days will be filled with unscheduled breaks, impromptu field trips, third breakfasts, half-done worksheets, and even tears…from the kids and from you, and that is ok and normal. They will learn, in their own time and in their own way, and so will you. Enjoy this very fleeting time.

Sincerely,

Mary Ann

An Experienced (and sometimes lost) Homeschool Mom

#7 Dear Mom,

You say you are not equipped to teach your child and that you are not a remedial teacher, but who taught her to walk, talk, potty, get dressed, and have good manners? Did you employ a speech therapist, a pastor, or an occupational therapist to develop these skills in your child? You have unconditional love and passion, you know what keeps her awake at night, what her biggest joy in life is, and how to bring the best in her about. I wish someone had told me five years ago that I can teach my child how to read and spell in a FUN way, without the stress and anxiety of a cold therapy room, with a person she has never met. I wish someone could drown my fears of failure by handing me a Fun-Schooling journal and share the joy of accomplishment. I hope I can help you and your little one to skip all the heartache I have felt and all the tears my daughter shed.

I would like to share with you the most engaging, fun, and resourceful curriculum you will ever find! Fun-Schooling with The Thinking Tree is a lifesaver. With as few as perhaps three journals, a library card, nature, and some stationary, you can provide world-class education, tailor-made to your daughter’s (son’s/child’s) needs. You will be able to address all the concerns you have regarding her reading and math, as this curriculum builds on the child’s strengths and not their weaknesses, like is done in most traditional settings. Your child will learn in creative ways. They will learn to research and make their education their own. Every day might not look the same and some days you might feel dismayed. Just know it is normal to feel that way. Relax and lead by example. Get a Mom journal and let her see what you are doing. Don’t fall in the trap of ticking boxes. Let your child lead you on this learning journey. Kids are wired to learn, even when it looks like FUN!

From a Passionate Homeschool Mom,

Stephane Burger

# 8 Dear New Homeschool Mom,

After 13 years of homeschooling and trying tons of different curriculum and styles of learning…Fun-Schooling is the best! The one thing I wish I had known from the beginning is to let them follow their interests with their whole heart. Don’t let school get in the way of their education. We started out schooling this way in the early elementary years and then let the pressures of how education looks in public school pull us away from child-interest-led learning. Fun-Schooling has brought back the joy in our home. Learning is fun again!

Give yourself grace and keep things simple. If something is not working, throw is out. Most importantly, focus their education around their interests and they will develop a life-long love for learning.

Happy Homeschooling,

Kirsten Crawford Turner

#9 Hey Friend!

This may sound crazy, but I never thought I would homeschool either. Never! I thought it was “weird.” I thought I was “too dumb.” I thought my kids would be “ruined.” But guess what? We tried it and we are never going back to traditional school again! There are a million different styles of homeschooling, a billion types of curriculum, and about a trillion more options to choose from. Before you get overwhelmed, would you like to know what worked for us? Fun-Schooling!

Did you ever know that school could be fun? Yeah, I had forgotten, too. With Thinking Tree journals, your kiddos can grow and learn in ways they never thought possible and enjoy doing it! The best part is that you can grab a journal and get in on the fun. There are some pretty amazing resources and groups on social media and at funschooling.com to help with any and all questions that might come up. Let’s be real—some homeschool days are harder than others, and some days make me doubt my choices, but when I watch my kiddos actually pursue their passions, become independent, and look forward to the next Fun-Schooling day, it makes this journey completely worth it. Above all else, friend, know that you are loved, supported, and YOU CAN DO THIS! Your children will be so glad you did!

Big Hugs and Lots of Grace,

Jessica Stidham Bittner

10 Dear Mom,

Welcome to the world you dreamed of when you were a child! Do you remember sitting at school during a lesson wishing you were somewhere else? I wanted to be a princess who fought like a knight to defend the castle and tame the dragon, who would become my friend. I would bake mud cakes, build forts, read in trees with the wildlife, or on a yacht sailing to do “6 impossible things before breakfast” (C.S. Lewis).

Now I can do that with my children. We can be knights learning about the crusades and doing math. We can tame the dragon and bake real cakes, not just the mud kind! We get to read about animals who fascinate us and write our own stories about them. I get to live my dream childhood through their imaginations, while recording all of it in their journals. “You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so…get on your way!” (Dr. Seuss) Who could wish for a better way to learn?

Alene Candy

You are not alone! Join us at our Facebook Support Group for Fun-Schooling Moms here! Want to read more encouraging letters? Grab “The Homeschooling Letters” by clicking the image below!