Minecraft Month is Here | Save on All of Your Favorite Journals!

“Homeschooling with Minecraft seems too good to be true.” – We hear this from kids time and time again. It is our delight to offer Fun-Schooling journals tapping into kids love of Minecraft while covering all the major school subjects!

This month, we’ve put our most popular Minecraft paperbacks and all Minecraft PDFs on sale!!

You’ll find journals for beginners all the way through teens with this sale. Even a couple journals Moms love!

30% off– Paperbacks

50% off- PDFs

Our monthly theme sales last all month long. Take a peek at our upcoming themes for info on what’s coming soon. And make sure to vote for what you want to see on sale on the Facebook group.

Back to School Shopping–$10, $15, $20 Sale!

This great sale has been extended until August 15th! Something for littles all the way through teens…and some beautiful journals for Mom School, too!

$10 Sale Journals

$15 Sale Journals

$20 Sale Journals

Please note that we request for Amazon to mark down journals to a specific price for a certain length of time but they don’t always get marked down/ stay marked down the whole time. If there’s something you really want, make sure to grab it soon!

Celebrating Science & Technology

The Fun-Schooling theme for July is Science & Technology! Keep an eye out for sales on your favorite Fun-Schooling science journals!

Our 7 Subject Science Portfolio – Minecraft & The Real World is one of our best sellers, and covers Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Meteorology, Physics, Technology and Zoology! Here is a review from Amazon:

“This is one of our favorite fun schooling journals! This is an all in one science portfolio which means your student will study various topics in science and compile a portfolio of all of their best work. This includes a section on botany, chemistry, geology, meteorology, physics, technology, and zoology. Once you’ve chosen your books that you’re going to read there are pages for summarizing your reading time, copy work, designing your science topic in Minecraft world, notetaking and illustration prompts, documentary reviews, diagrams, science experiments and observations, comic strip pages, vocabulary building prompts, Real world versus Minecraft world, coloring, geography and history, biography studies, audiobook time, nature study and drawing, biography studies, audio book summaries, AND occupation studies! What more can I ask for in a Science Funschooling Journal! I’m getting one for every child! Over 250 pages to show your research.”

Shop for physical Fun-Schooling science journals on Amazon here. Find a list of all of our themes for 2023 here. Some science PDFs that are discounted right now:

What is a Core Journal?

(Guest post by Amanda Osenga)

What is a core journal?

A core journal covers multiple subjects (4-10+ depending on the journal) in one. It is a convenient way to ensure your Fun-Schoolers cover all the basic subjects without needing a million notebooks! Each page has a prompt for a different subject, such as “Math Time, Nature Study, or Copywork.” We also add in creative pages like “Create a Comic” and practical pages such as “Draw Your To-Do List.”

Most families use core journals daily, twice a week, or once weekly. Some families like to rotate a few core journals, while others like to finish one at a time. They are extremely versatile in how you use them- there’s no wrong way.

We suggest kids complete the same number of pages/day as their age across all their Fun-Schooling journals. For example, if a 10-year-old is only using a core journal, they would do 10 pages/day in their core. If they are using a core + a single-subject journal, they might do five in one + five in another, 8 in one and 2 in another, or any other combination to get to their ten total pages. A page is one side of the sheet of paper, not both.

Students combine books, podcasts, documentaries, and/or curricula with core journals. If a student has a core they love, they can repeat the same one again and again since they’ll use different materials each time! They’re a great way to document learning alongside a curriculum and for students to research their chosen majors.

We have core journals themed around seasons, interests, careers and generic journals without a theme.

A core journal is a perfect tool for when a student wants to study something we don’t have a journal designed for. They can print photos, add drawings, and dive deep into learning about anything they want!

Core journals for our youngest Fun-Schoolers teach letters, numbers, shapes, and other early skills. Once students can read, most of our cores can be used by any age and customized with age-appropriate learning materials. College students even like to use core journals to help them stay organized in school (especially the 10 Subject and 12 Subject Portfolio).

Lots of Moms like to use Core Journals for Mom School. We even have some we’ve designed just for moms!

See a page that isn’t relevant for your Fun-Schooling needs? You can easily repurpose it by putting a white address label, white tape, or whiteout over the prompt and write your own.

All PDF core journals are 50% off this month and many print core journals are on sale!

See a Flip-Through of the core journals here:

Celebrating with Mom-School Bundles!

A BIG “Thank You!” to Amanda Osenga for putting together these Mom School bundles!!

These bundles are on a launch special for 20% off to celebrate all of our moms! Happy Mother’s Day! We hope these are a blessing for you on your Mom School journey.

Here are the new bundles-

🌸PDF Mom School Bundle- Code pdfMomBundle

🌹 Mom School- Paperback- Secular- Code SecularMomBundle

🌺 Mom School- Paperback- Christian- Code FaithMomBundle

Apply 20% off if you’d like to purchase multiple Mom-Schooling Bundles with the promo code “MomSchool2023”.

Click the images below for details on what is included in each bundle. Click here to see all of our Mom-School products and Sarah’s Teas!

Fun-Schooling Math for All Levels

Let’s talk Fun-Schooling Math.

First of all, we do not have a math “curriculum.” Our math journals work best as a supplement or warm-up to your chosen curriculum. Lots of families like Life of Fred, but dozens of choices exist! Some families choose to exclusively use real-life math and no curriculum at all, along with our journals. At the bottom is a suggested order for working through our math journals.

In the early years, Math looks like learning numbers and shapes, lots of counting (count anything you can with your little ones!), hands-on materials/manipulatives, and practicing writing numbers.

Young elementary school is mainly about addition and subtraction. Kids also begin work such as skip counting, patterns, place value, and measurement. There are lots of good math games for this age! Math Craft Level A can be introduced at this age. It is excellent for helping students develop early math skills regardless of if they have Dyscalculia.

Upper elementary introduces multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, and percents. Continuing with games is a great idea too. Lots of families like to work on cooking as a way to teach math at this age too. Math Craft Level B is excellent for helping cement multiplication, regardless of if a child has Dyscalculia.

Middle and high schoolers focus on the math skills they will need to succeed in life. They also work on developing skills for their future careers and callings. For example, a student who desires to own a business will focus heavily on business math skills while a student who desires a career in science will need to study a wider range of math.

As adults, we can continue to develop our math skills and keep our brains fresh! Scientific study after study has shown how good it is for our brains to keep challenging ourselves with pencil-to-paper math as we age.

A suggested order of journals is as follows. Remember, this is a suggestion- your student(s) may or may not go in this order! Early-level learners may not need to complete all of these journals.

What are your favorite books, documentaries, podcasts, tips, and resources for Fun-Schooling Math? Leave them and any questions you may have in the comments.

This post is contributed by Amanda Osenga.

Fun-Schooling Super Sale Extended through Sunday! New Books Added to the List!

Here are all the books currently on sale that are available (the books that never got discounted by Amazon have been swapped out for new sales), with Sarah’s affiliate links hyperlinked so she’ll get the most profit from each sale. Please be patient if you do not yet see the price change. We can request, but have to wait for Amazon to update. The entire sale will be live until midnight on Sunday, February 19th!

Our Littlest Fun-Schoolers

Who has a PRESCHOOLER or Kindergartner?

Let’s rethink early childhood education…

If you are home schooling a little one, ages 3 to 6, it should be all about the fun!

It’s time to play. It’s time to build. It’s time to imagine. It’s time to learn how to work together on projects that both parent and child love.

If your child is not enjoying their preschool and kindergarten experience, something is wrong. Don’t be afraid to step back relax and just enjoy your child.

They won’t be a little forever. Why push them into academics that they’re not ready for?

Here at the Thinking Tree we believe that little children are created to play. They learn almost everything they need to know through playing. They learn everything else by watching you.

So should you even use workbooks? Maybe! If they see the older people in the family enjoying books they will be excited to get some of their own!

We have a few workbooks that were created especially for ages 3 to 6. We have a few favorites on sale now for $5 to $10 each.
When you use a Fun-Schooling journal with your little child be sure to be willing to collaborate with the child on each page. Ask questions. Help answer the questions that they come up with. Color together. Write together.

Speaking of writing… If you want your little child to learn to write well they must watch an adult write, so write down their stories on the creative writing pages in the Fun-Schooling books, as they watch.

If one of the pages has a lesson that’s too hard for your child then show them how it’s done. If your child seems resistant to doing the schoolwork, you could either set it aside for a later time or say: “That looks like fun can I do that page?”

Homeschooling should never make your child cry. Learning should be fun. Early childhood education should be driven by curiosity and wonder. As children grow, you can add more difficult lessons to the curriculum, but learning should always bring joy.
If the curriculum that you’re using with your child is making them miserable, change it! If a curriculum is too much work for mom, there’s no shame in tossing it out. Throw away the curriculum that isn’t working. There are so many wonderful options available to you!

It’s OK to experiment with different learning styles.

It’s great to try out different curriculum.

But don’t homeschool through guilt! Just because you spent a lot of money on it that doesn’t mean you should stick with it.
Your child is worth the effort that it takes to fight for an education that’s going to bring the joy. The goal is to provide an education that will be relevant and delightful.

An excellent education is one they look forward to experiencing every morning when they wake up.

And remember just because you are a homeschooler your life does not need to revolve around schooling.

Don’t forget to just be mom!

Take time to play with your kids, read to your kids, have fun with your kids! Go on adventures and let learning happen in the midst of life.

Kids grow up fast so don’t miss this opportunity to treasure each moment with your little ones and enjoy life to the fullest.

To get your family started with Fun-Schooling we have marked down dozens of books to $5 – $10 each! We want you to get your Fun-Schooling curriculum at such a low price that you won’t feel guilty setting it aside if it doesn’t work. Though we have seen the results. Kids love Fun-Schooling. Moms and dads love the peace it brings into the home, because the fight to get kids to focus on learning is over.

Here’s the list of deals: https://funschoolingwithsarah.com/2023/02/07/updated-sales-and-discounts-with-a-dozen-new-books-added/

What If Middle School Looked Like This?

Middle school is often associated with misery, drama, bullying, confusion and stress. It’s not a lot of fun. What if we were to rethink middle school?

Instead of pushing our kids into an educational mold that feels boring and irrelevant to them we could give them each a custom learning plan! What if we were to let our middle schoolers choose what they want to learn about?

Thinking Tree Books give your children the freedom, tools and opportunity to explore different career goals, dreams, hobbies, and business ideas!

If you have a child between the ages of 10 and 14, you might want to consider rethinking your goals for their education try giving them a customized education based on their personality and their passions. Middle school doesn’t have to be miserable. When we choose to homeschool our middle school kids, we help them to avoid a lot of the problems faced by kids at this sensitive age but take it one step farther don’t just homeschool… Fun-School!

To make it easier for your family to make the transition to Fun-Schooling we’re having a giant sale! All the books in this picture gonna be hot on sale for over 50% off. Imagine an entire year of homeschooling curriculum for less than $100 today were offering most of these books for $5, $10 or $15 each.

Check out all the books that are on sale right now for sale in February 14 here at this blog post.

On the Fence About Fun-Schooling?

People are curious about this refreshing way to educate their children–a way that nurtures a love of learning, accommodates learning differences, and gives children the freedom to learn about what they love while developing their researching skills, independence, and critical thinking.

So many learning styles are addressed as students write, scrapbook, color, complete Art & Logic exercises, draw, research, do puzzles, try experiments…the entire approach is very creative!

This blog and and our online presence has exploded with activity just in the past week or so:

We’ve had numerous great giveaways recently (don’t miss this one right here at the blog!) and LOTS of journals are currently marked down significantly.

If you’ve been waiting to try Fun-Schooling, there has never been a better time to dip a toe in…or just JUMP IN feet first!

If you’ve already fully immersed your family, share this post with a curious friend!