Today we’re delighted to announce the release of our newest Brain Games, Comfort & Joy.
It’s one of my favorite books so far and I created it with Christmas and Winter in mind. This one is specifically designed to help uplift your spirits during the long days of winter, when a lot of people struggle with motivation, loneliness, and need a boost to accomplish those New Year’s Goals.
This will be a perfect gift for people on your Christmas list who are hard to shop for, give the book along with some good quality colored pencils and a fine point black pen or marker.
For a really special gift – get the full set for someone you love – older ladies are crazy about these books – grandmothers and aunties!!! Teens and tweens really like them too!
What Moms have said about our previous Brain Games
-“I just love these books so much. I originally bought them for me and my mom who were both experiencing brain fog (me due to pregnancy and motherhood and the unavoidable isolation/exhaustion of having a baby during a pandemic, my mom due to long COVID) and we both adore them.
Two weeks ago my newest baby tried being born two months early, and the first thing I did when throwing together my emergency hospital bag was grab a Brain Games book and my bag of pens and pencil crayons, to help keep myself calm and peaceful despite being in an anxiety-inducing situation. Luckily she has agreed to stay inside a little bit longer (I’m 32 weeks today, hoping to at least keep her cooking until the new year ) but I’ve kept my bag together with Brain Games and some devotionals and books, just in case I need to grab it last minute ago. Thank you for sharing these wonderful books with us. ” S.A.
– “Thank you so much for making another beautiful book. I am dyslexic and have always aspired to draw. These games really launched me into a wonderful new hobby. As an added bonus, the change in my thought patterns has also helped with anxiety.” D.K.
-“I LOVE these!!! I recently gifted one to my dad who was just diagnosed with parkinsons. He is enjoying it. I love sitting with my family at night and while my kids color or do a puzzle, I sit and do a brain game. Never fails, one of them always comes over and asks to help me. Its created some beautiful moments with my girls.” S.R.
-“Comfort & Joy” sounds so much fun for wintertime! My 6 yr old daughter & I love to sit down together with our Brain Games Books & enjoy calm peaceful music, coloring, learning & solving the logic puzzles. We love the art & activities they include.. her current favorite is, “Candlelight Brain Games,” while I use my Mommy workbook, “Handbook For Moms.” These books have played an instrumental part in helping my daughter with pattern recognition & training the dyslexic thought process through games & creativity! They are so enriching & true trailblazers” S.S.
-“My 10.5yr old daughter just did a few pages (of the book with the fire on it) and she said she feels as calm as when she leaves an OT appointment where she has been getting CST/myofascial work. “There’s not so much talking in my head, I feel calmer. I actually *want* to do Beast Academy (math work) now!” This is amazing for her with ADHD type of mind and anxiety.” L.B.
Find this delightful new journal here and check out a peek inside on our Instagram page. Paperback coming soon
Paperback sales, Amazon sales, Core journals, Dyslexia Games singles, Bible study resources, PDFs, and single-subject journals on SALE now!!
ON SALE
Amazon sales
Remember- we never know what Amazon will put on sale or how long an Amazon sale will last. They can be a matter of hours or weeks. Order right away if you want one of these journals!!
Holiday School has been gaining traction in the homeschool world the last few years. This is the practice of pausing your normal homeschool rhythm, or slowing down, to enjoy more holiday-based activities together. It’s become something many Fun-School families look forward to year after year. If this is a new idea for you, we hope this blog will give you what you need to get started. If you’re an experienced Holiday School family, hopefully you’ll gain some new ideas.
What is Holiday School?
Holiday School is a break from the “normal” rhythm of school to enjoy the holiday season
How long do you do Holiday School? Holiday School Can be all of December, Thanksgiving-the new year, a couple weeks before the holiday, or the 12 days of Christmas (Dec 25- Jan 6)
Holiday hidden pictures, word searches, crossword puzzles, and coloring
Learn holiday words in the foreign language you’re studying
Or learn a carol or hymn in another language!
Read one holiday book/day
Create a holiday play
Learn about different winter religions and traditions than your own
Memorize a different version of the Christmas story in the Bible each year
-Remember- kids, especially Teens are often really tired by the end of the year and may need extra time to just REST
Holiday School IRL- Ideas from other Fun-School families
“Neurodivergent families, your holidays doesn’t have to look like what you see in social media. You can have a low-demand Christmas that meets your families needs and it’s okay if it looks different, not as hyped, relaxed. You can say no to traditions that drain your mental health and start new ones if it suits. Make the food the kids will eat, stay at home if big get-togethers are too much. It’s okay, it okay, we don’t have to wear matching pjs, the gifts don’t have to be a surprise if it causes too much anxiety, skip the advent calendar, put up the tree a little later instead of Dec 1st — if it makes it easier, accomodate yourself and remove this expectation that Dec must be magical and picture perfect all month. A little retrospective blues is part of the experience too, it’s been a long year! It took me a while to understand this and accept it. That’s more like a mum-school holiday tip ” ~Bern
“We take a break from our normal schedule and do lots of Christmas baking and crafts. We had a neat advent book with a daily craft that we do, plus this year we’re doing a Christmas around the world unit study.” ~Beth
“Cooking: science, math, and reading Crafts: art, possibly STEM, math, reading, and more Gift shopping: math and reading Gift list: reading and writing Christmas stories: reading, listening comprehension, possibly social studies and more So many things you do around holidays can count for school! Don’t be afraid to drop the normal stuff and enjoy a break that can still count as school days!” ~Debbie
“Tip: Do whatever works for you! Could be business as usual for most of December,a month + “off”, focus on life learning or what we do is a focus on winter holidays around the world and the warm weather Fun-Schooling Christmas book although may have to get the regular one since we don’t live on an island anymore lol.” ~ Elizabeth
“We put our books away for the month of December and we start our projects and volunteering…. we have a huge list of people to make our gifts for (vanilla, balms and salves, ornaments, hand drawn pictures), we do a lot of baking and we try to do something new each year, we serve food to the less fortunate and we volunteer at our local pet shelter (usually we handmake pet toys or pet treats). I teach them how to wrap gifts, we sing carols, we decorate, we serve And all of what we do is counted daily as school! They don’t even realize the life skills they’ve learned and all the handwriting of letters/cards that they do!!” Erika
“When my oldest was in her first year of school she asked me if everyone celebrates Christmas the same. That sparked our holiday school tradition. Every year we pick a few different counties and we spend time watching videos and reading books to learn about how they celebrate Christmas. They love discovering the differences that other places have to our own celebrations. This year we are expanding it a bit more to include some other cultural aspects so they can include their world wide fashion book and adventures around the world in our learning about the other countries. We usually extend it into also learned about new years celebrations after Christmas. They loved learning about Chinese new year last year.” ~Heather
“One of my favorite traditions we have developed in our homeschooling is picking some different countries each year at this time to learn about how they celebrate Christmas. We have learned some really cool Christmas traditions over the years. This year we are incorporating the World Wide Fashion book, the Adventures Around the World, and the Praying for the World books to round it out into more of a full culture learning experience instead of just learning about their Christmas traditions and we are loving it. We plan on focusing more on that for the next several weeks and less on some of our other stuff so I guess that’s our holiday school this year ” ~Heather
” We reserve December for instruction we don’t usually do in other months. Online classes, Christmas/winter holiday school, family projects. This year my cub is doing online classes to work on his Cub Scout Nova Awards and eventually his Super Nova medal. We are also doing a Project Based Learning (PBL) unit by Shelley Gray.” ~ Homeschooling Cubs
“Every December we pause school for “Christmas School”. We all look forward to the rest and family time. We learn through baking and volunteering. We read Christmas novels and watch the movie. We spend the time together and not feeling rushed. I’ll print off activities and worksheets that are fun and encourage learning but nothing from a strict curriculum!” ~Jenessa
” Last year we did a month long of learning about how other countries celebrate Christmas. My kids loved it!! This year we plan to visit the Flint Institute of Music to see “Little Scrooge.” I like finding different ways of including the arts during Christmas time. And, of course, following and making new traditions!” ~Jillian
“There’s more baking during the holidays usually, so don’t stress if you can’t get to all the Math and Reading. Just try to slow down and let the kids help…they’re learning plenty that way measuring and practicing fractions. If it does stress you out to let them handle ingredients, keep it simple. They can… -Read the recipes out loud to you -Learn how to preheat the oven -Pronounce and find the ingredients in the cabinet For Spelling, the holidays have a lot of different new words to learn. Make it fun by choosing the seasonal words: Mistletoe, Emmanuel, Orient, Advent, etc. Have them decorate a Christmas tree on paper, and make “lights” across it with their spelling words. If you need something to keep your kids busy, have them make a long festive paper chain with construction paper or leftover scrapbook paper! Then you can hang it up somewhere around the house after for a Christmas decoration! There seems to be a lot of internet pressure to do a fancy Christmas advent curriculum. You don’t have to! If you’re tired and overwhelmed already, free yourself from that expectation. Just read books. Read the Bible. Play Christmas Worship music. Breathe. Don’t stress!” ~Katie
” We live in New Zealand so we spend alot of time outdoors in nature at this time if year. Doing things together as a family that don’t cost anything. Nature is free We don’t tend to do any bookwork but the learning doesn’t stop.” ~Leeanne
“I like to plan baking, board games, and a fun Christmas read aloud! It’s also nice to find ways to give to others or help others. We are a Christian family so reading through Luke is nice. Also looking at the historical story of the real Saint Nick.” ~Morgan
“Plan a definitive stopping point. We do our regular work until the week before Christmas, when we stop for baking, games, and Christmas stories.
Also, say no. You don’t have to do every Christmas-related event or party or whatever. It’s okay to have quiet evenings and weekends at home or impromptu drives to look at lights.” ~Sara
Ann- Take it easy! Don’t plan too much, don’t be afraid to say no
Brenda- Make the kids go close to you at baking/cooking time, also they can learn how to wrap presents (you can use empty boxes and use it as decoration if you don’t want to ruin the fun )
Heather- Don’t stress need a break? TAKE IT!
J.H. We do lots of reading, crafts and hot chocolate. Some days we throw in xtramath and copywork but maybe only 2 times a week.
Jenna- Don’t plan packed school days. But do plan the fun things you want to make sure you get to.
Kristi- To slow down and enjoy this month! Plan family schooling instead of individual work.
Laura- Relax!! That’s my plan at least the season is just so stressful!
Laura- We do our yearly Family Fun Christmas bucket list. Each year we pick what we really want to do from the big list and sprinkle them all over the calendar.
Enjoy this little video of our family Christmas caroling in Italy, a decade ago! Merry Christmas!
I would love to encourage those of you who are feeling stressed as parents to get down to the root of the problem. What is keeping you from enjoying a peaceful home, heart and homeschooling experience? What are some simple changes you can make to reset and relax?
Please share steps you are taking or have taken in your life to reduce stress, media and clutter, to be more intentional in your life. Here are my discoveries:
1. I feel like a lot of families are stressed because too much media has crept into our lives. We need more time in face to face conversations, more time enjoying nature, reading and play.
2. When it comes to social media for example- I’ve learned to skip the newsfeed, and stop mindless scrolling and go directly to the groups I enjoy connecting with – to have meaningful conversations like this one.
3. When it comes to TV and movies, there’s a password, none of the kids can access the TV without permission and help. And there is only one TV in the house that is off almost all the time. For 18 years of our marriage we had no TV at all. Now we use it for family movie nights and educational group learning.
4. When it comes to activities that require driving kids around – it’s usually not happening. We are choosing a home centered life, and if I’m driving kids somewhere it’s with purpose and is usually an activity for the whole family or multiple siblings. We make our home the destination of fun for all the kids friends and leave it up to them to find transportation if they need it. Where there’s a will there’s a way.
5. When it comes to food, it’s not fast – it’s slow. We slow down and treat cooking and baking like a hobby, and we eat meals together, sitting down, at a table and we talk. Our bodies need nutrition and connection- meal time should include both.
6. We simply school by letting go of standardization and focus on learning about the things our kids are passionate about, we go deep into their career goals, hobbies, and interests- they learn to research!
7. Homeschooling looks a lot like living life to the fullest, it’s immersion into the real world to learn how to interact with the real world. Kids in a classroom learn to be kids in a classroom, they learn to be students, and perhaps they can successfully apply that learning to becoming an employee, but children are not designed to sit still and be quiet. Kids are designed to explore and ask questions! Typical classroom learning ignores the very basic design of how children are wired to learn through discovery and play.
8. Scrapbooking, Journaling and Researching with Fun-Schooling Books helps my kids to dig deep into their passions while learning about many other related and relevant subjects. Fun-Schooling is a method of learning that is more like the way adults would choose to learn in real life, where there are no multiple choice quizzes or answer keys. In real life we learn things because we need to know something, or we desire to know something. That’s all.
9. When things seem out of control and life feels stressful we have some go-to methods to help reset. When we need a brain reset I often get out Dyslexia Games or Brain Games. Taking a walk or sending the kids outside to play is also an excellent way to reset the atmosphere in the home. Turning off media is a big first step, and turning to a cup of tea and a fun-schooling basket full of books about our current passions is also a great way you can focus on peace and embrace joy in life and learning.
10. A child’s life should revolve around free play in an environment that offers a safe place for unlimited creativity and imagination. The outdoors can’t be beat! A Lego table or designated art space is a wonderful indoor option. As kids get older play begins to involve specific hobbies, and leads to mastery of skills. Kids who become addicted to screens and gaming might miss out on the beauty of childhood. They end up just wanting to be entertained and may loose their natural creativity and curiosity.
11. Get lost in a book or in a forest, I promise you will find your way out. Wander! Explore! Let yourself just enjoy the simple things of life.
12. Take time to reboot your relationship with your family members and your devices:
Put everyone’s devices on a countertop, and focus on your family instead. Try to remember who you are and what you really wanted in life. A couple days ago we did this. Everyone put their devices on a table in the hallway for the day. They were free to use them, but not go out of the hallway. Going to a central location to be on our phones makes us more intentional. Our devices separate us from everyone else in the house because each device is designed for one person only, is this what we really wanted?
What are some ideas that you have incorporated into your life to be more intentional and peaceful?
I have a really fun and peaceful relationship with my adult kids and my teens. They love spending time with our family and come to me for advice and ideas. I believe a lot of this success is attributed to the fact that our parenting style was not stagnant- it grew and changed with our kids.
When your children are little babies and toddlers the role of the parent is a lot like a “Lifeguard”. Your job is to keep them alive because they can’t survive without your constant care and intervention. They have not developed their own logic or understanding of danger. Of course you are so much more then a lifeguard in this season- but if you are not fulfilling the role of lifeguard the consequences can be devastating.
When your children are growing beyond preschool stage, and before they hit the tweens the role of parents is no longer lifeguard but often you find it necessary to play the part of “Law Enforcement” and “public safety”. You are teaching them about boundaries, behavior, rules, and providing consequences when they test the limits. You are making sure they don’t get caught up into habits of lying, stealing, sneaking, and going into dangerous situations that they are unaware of. You are choosing friend groups for them and keeping them out of trouble. You are so much more than police-mom, but if you don’t informed healthy boundaries at this point the consequences can be devastating.
Once they reach the tweens they usually know the rules, they are developing character, they have tested the basic boundaries and are ready to get in the game! They are really for responsibilities, and new freedoms! They have built relational skills, learning skills, life skills under the supervision and guidance of the parents and now they no longer need mom and dad to be the police.
At this age they need a “Coach”. This is when life with your growing kids gets fun! It’s about empowering them to become who they were meant to be, while you give them encouragement, support, and fair discipline- taking them out of the game and having meaningful talks on the bench when they abuse their freedom or display immaturity – losing privileges until they prove they are ready to play fair.
Thanks to your coaching, your young teens now begin to understand who they are, where they are going and what they want in life! Once again the parent and child relationship changes. If you stay in the lifeguard stage or police-mom mode when your preteen needs a coach, and you don’t listen and given them the attention they need as they navigate these transitional stages the consequences can be devastating. It’s tempting to try at this point to be a bigger tougher police-mom – but that’s not going to benefit anyone.
You now become an “Mentor” helping them to evaluate their options, and giving them wise advice to help them grow into adults. You model for them what life looks like in the real world and teach them how to operate in it by your side.
You intentionally create time and space for open communication and take time to listen and speak into their lives. You are proactive and available, and your kids know that you will hold them accountable, and be there supporting and encouraging them as they prepare to launch. You intentionally give them more and more freedom, space, responsibility and ownership of their own path.
You are no longer the lifeguard, the police-mom, or even the coach – your relationship with your child is becoming one built on mutual respect, as they get older – though the parent still has the authority to pull the plug or take away the keys if the child abuses their freedom or engages in stupid and dangerous behaviors. Mom is still the boss, but your goal is to teach them to be their own boss. In general they should have a peaceful growing happy relationship with the parents who no longer treat them like babies or little kids. If they are constantly resisting and avoiding you- it’s probably cause you are stuck in a parenting style better suited to little kids. Grow up, and they will too. When they feel trusted and respected they will shine. But that doesn’t mean to throw them to the wolves, allow them to hang out with gangs, or give them unlimited time with an unlocked phone.
Once your kids are declared “adults” you no longer have a place of legal authority or obligation. If your kids grew up feeling like mom and dad were just playing police year after year, they are going to get out and avoid contact, because they finally have freedom, and that means freedom from your aggressive parenting style. If you were a good coach and a kind advisor in the tween and teen years you will have a new role in your relationship with your adult kids… they will seek you out as a trusted “Consultant” they will come back to you on their own terms, when they need advice, help, guidance and support. The relationship becomes one that looks friendship between two adults who care deeply about eachother, where the younger respects and honors the older, and values their advice and support.
If you think back on your relationship with your own parents, if your relationship with them was struggle and still is, there is a good chance they never outgrew one parenting style or another as you grew up, and you always felt like you were being controlled, policed or not trusted… and maybe you wanted out. Maybe they were helicopter parenting who constantly swooped into rescue mode, when you needed to learn how to handle your own problems. Maybe they didn’t take on a role of protector or guide at all, maybe they were so focused on their busy lives that they expected you to make it on your own, maybe they were too permissive and failed to provide boundaries from a young age, leaving you to fend for yourself.
Whatever the issues might be, you are a parent who cares deeply enough to homeschool and you were willing to sacrifice so much to do this! You want to create a safe and vibrant environment for them to grow, and as you do- don’t forget to grow too.
Are your kids struggling with their relationship with you? Maybe it’s time to quit the police role and start parenting more like a coach. Maybe they need a mentor, not a lifeguards.
What parenting phase are you stuck in?
(Just a quick note, as I wrote this post I was mostly thinking about my relationship with the children born into my home, and the stages of parenting that began in the early days of childhood. I also am parenting five kids who came to our family five years ago after experiencing unspeakable abuse and abandonment, along with five years in a government run orphanage in Ukraine. Parenting kids with trauma is a whole different thing. I have shared a bit about that here and in a podcast with Durenda Wilson. )
One of our focuses is having teens choose a major from a young age. We do this so they can focus on building the skills needed for their future careers and callings. Fun-Schooled teens who choose a major can graduate High School having already started their own business- or with an impressive portfolio to jump right into the work world. Last month, we talked about homeschooling college-bound teens. Today we will focus on homeschooling High School when your teen plans to enter the workforce after graduation.
Top Tips for Homeschooling High School
We said this last month, and it’s worth repeating today. Ensure you know the legal High School requirements for where you live. The HSLDA is an irreplaceable resource for understanding your local laws. Also, check out our comprehensive guide on assigning credits to journals.
If your student is not already actively selecting their school materials, now is the time to start. Let them select some, or all, of their journals and the resources they’ll use alongside them. It works well to offer 5-10 choices for your students to select from if they get overwhelmed by too many options. You can do this with journals and book selections.
Get help from your community as needed. This track focuses on the skills kids need to step into their future careers and calling. You may not know exactly what they need to know and that’s ok! Give your child a chance to interview a few people in their desired field to get answers. Shadowing and internships can provide valuable information and build skills.
It’s okay to repeat a journal completed at a younger age. Because students combine journals with academically appropriate materials, they will get a different experience. High Schoolers can go more in-depth than they did when they were younger. Plus, we know there will never be 100% retention on any subject of study. Repeating a journal will allow your student to get closer to mastery and pick up things they missed last time.
FAQs for Homeschooling High School
What if my student has no idea what they want to study?
Parents often tell us asking the question, “What is your future career or calling,” elicits a lot of “I don’t know” answers. It’s a huge question and can feel heavy for a lot of teens. We suggest asking “What do you want to do?” and “What do you want to know?” This can apply to things they want to do and know right now at this stage in life if needed. As they hone their skills, they’ll think through what they’d like to do later in life. Here are a few more tips for using these magic questions to jumpstart learning.
How do you select materials that are High School level appropriate?
Many Fun-Schooling families like to pursue Charlotte Mason-based book lists to select materials. Ambleside Online, Wildwood, Simply Charlotte Mason, and Sabbath Mood Science are popular options. From 7th grade up, these programs use High School and College level materials. Simply Charlotte Mason also has a great book finder that allows you to narrow down books by grade and search for a specific subject or keyword. You can also search “living books + (subject)” to find more.
Other families head to the library and ask librarians for help. If you do not live near a library, most libraries have a free option to chat with a librarian online and get suggestions- or you can call. They’ll be able to help you choose age-appropriate materials and provide lots of great suggestions.
You may also get support from your local public high school. Some public schools are more supportive than others of homeschoolers. We’ve heard of teachers being willing to sit down with homeschool families and offer suggestions for materials.
As mentioned above, interviewing someone in the student’s desired field is a wealth of information. They likely have books and resources they’ll lend your student- or can provide plenty of titles and websites.
What about learning gaps?
Don’t fear “gaps.” All students come into life with gaps; learning everything we are taught is impossible! Once they’re in the workforce, they are so well equipped to know how to learn that they’ll be perfectly capable of filling in any gaps. Students can take courses at a community college if there’s something specific they have to know for their future career or calling that they can’t teach themselves. Check out this post for a few other thoughts on gaps.
How does Fun-Schooling help a student prepare for their future career or calling?
We have written several blogs about this which I will reference below. The short answer is that Fun-Schooling lets students dive deep into their field of study. It teaches them how to learn and gain skills. Students are set up for success for a lifetime no matter what career path or calling they choose- or how many times they change their path throughout their lives. The skills they will develop at home will help them find success no matter what they hope to do one day.
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.
Fun-Schooling journals provide students with the skills they’ll need to be successful in their future careers and callings. Students get to dive deep into their desired field of study and enter the workforce after graduation with 4+ years of mastery behind them.
High Schoolers can use any of our journals. These featured journals we’ve created specifically to help teens dive into their careers and callings. Just because a journal isn’t featured here, doesn’t mean they can’t use it! And teens can repeat journals they completed at a younger age alongside different age-appropriate materials. We often have students who continue using Fun-Schooling journals as young adults to continue learning.
The Artist Fun-Schooling Journal Art majors of all abilities will be challenged by various art prompts and encouraged to explore their creative interests. Students will approach learning as a whole and cover math, reading, language arts, and more while studying art.
The Animal Lover’s Fun-Schooling Journal Designed for students majoring in animals. Great for students who are going into zoology, veterinary medicine, or another animal-based field.
The Athlete’s Fun-Schooling Journal Document learning in multiple school subjects while also exploring different sports. Covers traditional sports such as basketball and baseball and unique sports like breakdancing and kayaking. Students will even learn about chess as a sport!
Camera Quest offers students the chance to do a deep dive into the world of photography. Students will learn techniques and get lots of practice.
Design a Dress Students majoring in fashion will get to design dozens of different dresses. Also popular for teens who are exploring modesty and their own sense of style.
Guide to Birthwork A research guide for aspiring mothers, midwives, doulas, lactation consultants, childbirth educators, nurse-midwives, and OB-GYNs.
Life Skills Provides 36 essential skills to know before launching into adulthood. Includes fun hands-on activities and lots of practice opportunities.
High School Homeschooling Handbook allows students to cover all the major subjects in one journal. Students can select materials that fit in with their passions and future goals while completing this journal.
The Singer and the Songwriter journal and creativity journal Step-by-step exercises to inspire and improve your songwriting skills. As well as easy-to-follow steps through exercises and workouts designed to enhance your vocal skills.
The Songwriter’s Fun-Schooling Journal For songwriting and theater majors of all abilities. While studying songwriting, students will approach learning as a whole and cover art, math, spelling, language arts, and more.
How to Make Money An interactive guide to uncovering passions, igniting ambition, and providing the practical tools needed to set and accomplish financial goals. Great for students to discover what they’d like to do in the future.
The Writer’s Fun-Schooling Journal Students majoring in writing or who will need writing for their future careers will love this journal. Includes writing prompts, character development, storyboards, oral practice, lyrics, tips, and more.
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.
Cooking, baking, and growing your own- we’re covering all things food journals this month.
Food Journals
We believe teaching children to cook is a crucial life skill. And in the Fun-Schooling community, we have lots of amazing chefs. It’s been our joy to create several food-based journals for your children to enjoy. The links below will take you to peek inside videos so you can see exactly what’s in these wonderful journals.
The Chef’s Fun-Schooling Journal– A core journal for Chef’s of all ages and stages. This has become a popular Mom School journal too.
Smoothie Time– Math, Home Economics, Nutrition, and Smoothies!! Students will make over a dozen smoothies and gain skills to be more comfortable in the kitchen at the same time.
Yum-School– Make 15 different dessert recipes with visual instructions. Perfect for introducing students to cooking and honing skills in experienced cooks. Includes guides for adapting recipes based on allergies and dietary needs.
Hi! My name is Amanda, and I am Mentor of the Month for October. It is fitting that I get October since “Spooky Season” is my family’s favorite time of year!
My husband Christopher, our son Jacob, and I live with our two cats and three dogs in my hometown in beautiful NW Montana.
We are a neurodivergent and chronic illness family. Christopher has ADHD & Cystic Fibrosis. Jacob, who will be 14 this Winter, has ADHD and Dysgraphia. I have ADHD, Dyscalculia & an autoimmune disease that leaves me with chronic pain and fatigue.
Before we adopted Jacob, I had thought I would prefer to Unschool but my husband wasn’t 100% on board. Especially since he (and I to a certain extent) are products of the public school system. Then, when Jacob was school age, Christopher’s health took a sharp decline and the decision was made for us. We spent months on end living in the hospital (often in cities hundreds of miles away from our home) and I became my husband’s full time caregiver basically overnight. Unschooling fit our needs perfectly at the time and “schooling” happened naturally through life and play just as it had when Jacob was little. Leaving me able to focus on both of my guy’s needs.
But when Jacob was about 8 years old, Christopher started the process of being listed for a double lung transplant and was dealing with a hole in his heart and uncontrolled Cystic Fibrosis Related Diabetes, leaving him hospitalized more than he was home. That’s when we noticed that the constant uncertainty that comes along with a dying parent and never knowing where you might be from one day to the next had taken its toll on Jacob’s mental health. It quickly became evident that he needed some structure, routine, and normalcy somewhere in his life. The only solution I could come up with was that we needed to add a curriculum.
The problem was that I don’t believe in boxed curriculum. I had already seen with Jacob what I knew in my heart to be true since I was a child myself, and that is that we devour and retain what we are interested in. And that’s when a simple Google search, “is there an Unschooling curriculum”, led me to Fun-Schooling!
Our transition wasn’t as smooth as I wish it had been. We started with one Core Journal, Monkey Doodle because it was on sale on Amazon. Jacob could read well above grade level but writing was a huge struggle. I was overwhelmed with my husband’s failing health and while Jacob desired to be able to use the journal we purchased, I just couldn’t figure out how to make it work if he couldn’t write and didn’t like to draw or color. Thankfully, the mothers and Mentors in the Fun-Schooling with The Thinking Tree Facebook group came to the rescue and recommended having him tested for Dysgraphia and suggested I scribe for him and utilize technology such as speak-to-text to get him started, they also suggested using stickers, magazines and pictures for the art pages. And most importantly they suggested we add Dyslexia Games.
We took all of their suggestions to heart and it made all the difference. That first journal saved Jacob in the beginning when we were all on the verge of breaking and now we can’t imagine any other way except Fun-Schooling. Dyslexia Games gave him the ability to write. He is never going to hand write a book and will likely never have beautiful handwriting, but he can hand write a handful of paragraphs at one time when he needs to. He uses the Internet, podcasts, videos, audiobooks, and digital books as resources more than physical ones because we always have a mobile device with us. And the journals guide him and give him structure while still letting him be a Delight Directed Learner, and somewhere along the way he started enjoying drawing and coloring some too.
In November of 2019, Christopher received the life changing drug, Trikafta, and our lives completely changed again. He has almost 50% lung function (which is amazing since he was down to 20% before) and we haven’t spent even one night in the hospital since. He still gets depressed that he is unable to work, and has to be extra careful around people and germs, but he is so so grateful to be alive! Jacob is thriving thanks to Fun-Schooling and therapy. And I’m happy because I’m back to being a wife and provider for my family.
Jacob is old enough to work mostly independently now. He gets most of his “book work” done while I’m at work. In the evenings that he doesn’t have an extracurricular activity happening we look over his discoveries together, or we turn on a podcast and do chores or pull out our favorite journals and take notes. At night when I’m winding down or on my days off I take the time to do some Mom-School. I’m currently working on Brain Games: Morning Light, Animal Lovers Journal, & the All About Dogs Journal. And of course I purposefully practice self care and have a creative outlet. Because the one thing I have learned above all others over these past few years is that everyone suffers when I drain my cup completely dry.
My favorite part, our favorite part, of Fun-Schooling we have been able to utilize it to fit our families needs every step along the way! From the scariest moments of our lives to the thriving ones Fun-Schooling has been there.
Are overwhelmed about how to prepare a homeschooler for college? Do you wonder if your homeschooler can get into college? Concerned about ensuring your college-bound homeschoolers will be successful in their courses? Today we’d like to offer a few suggestions to help bring peace of mind and set your homeschooler up for success in their next stage of life.
College-bound homeschoolers can use any of our journals. However, a few have found a particular niche/ families say they’ve been especially helpful in preparing their students for college. We even have students who continue using Fun-Schooling journals in college for notes, research, and journaling!
All About Money– Economics & Business. This is especially important for college-bound homeschoolers pursuing a business or finance degree. Moms tell us it is usually enough to fulfill a High School economics credit. Use it alongside Whatever Happened to Penny Candy by Richard Maybury. Many families also like to use the Life of Fred Financial Choices book.
10/12 Subject Portfolio is an attractive and easy way to document learning in multiple subjects all in one place. Students have used this for college admissions meetings to show their work and edreading ucation. It’s also one of the most popular options for college students to be able to keep track of all their notes in one notebook.
How to Write Research Papers and Essays is an essential guide written by a college professor. It is a must for college-bound homeschoolers that they’ll reference again and again.
American History Timeline is a comprehensive journey through American history. This is one of our most in-depth journals. Students can use documentaries, podcasts, and books to meet the required hours for their high school credit. Many families like to pull books from Charlotte Mason-based booklists like Beautiful Feet Books and Ambleside Online to bring history to life.
Learn Any Foreign Language allows students to learn any language naturally and flexibly. Many Universities require a Foreign Language for admission. This is a journal students may want to bring with them to college as they continue their language learning.
Make Your Own Book of… we have about a dozen “make your own” journals. These are blank inside and the perfect place for students to take notes, make a portfolio, and document their learning. Students also like to bring these to college to take notes.
Master Class allows students to create their own portfolios as they work their way through online or in-person classes. We’ve had many Fun-Schoolers present these to college admissions counselors to display their work.
Picturing the Past is a Charlotte-Mason-based picture study journal of 75 historical paintings. Students use this as a guide for not only understanding art but also to gain a better foundation of history. It is especially great for college-bound homeschoolers looking to study history or the arts.
Pondering the Past exposes students to 30 works of Classical Literature. Some students use it as is for a general overview of the books. Others get more high school credits by reading some, or all, of the books. It’s also a popular journal to combine with Picturing the Past and the American History Timeline to build a more comprehensive picture of each historical era.
90-Day Homeschooling Planner allows your student to manage their school tasks, chores, appointments, and goals in one place. Help them build a habit of using this in High School, and they can continue using it in college.
Brain Games build skills in creative thinking, problem-solving, logic, reasoning, math, reading, spelling, and more. Plus, they’re a great way to relax and give your brain a break! College students also enjoy them as a nice reprieve after a busy day of classes.
Top 30 Grammar Mistakes dives into the most common Grammar mistakes and gives students plenty of practice using proper grammar rules. Even if your child completed this in a younger grade, repeating it to pick up rules that didn’t “stick” is a great idea. Many families like to combine the Life of Fred Grammar books to fulfill one (or more) credits- and they can often test out of intro-level college grammar with these books + this journal.
Spelling Time: Top 150 Misspelled Words helps students learn the most often misspelled words in a fun and engaging way. This is another journal worth repeating more than once to ensure each word is properly learned.
Viking Vocabulary is our most advanced Language Arts journal. We specifically wrote it as a college-prep journal. Students will learn tools invaluable to them in their college education. They’ll also build a stronger vocabulary and have fun learning about Vikings. Use alongside the Viking section in American History Timeline to do a deep-dive into all things Vikings!
Pocket Core Journals- These are 60-Day core journals that cover all the basic subjects in a smaller size. Students love these for on-the-go learning. Two cover options, boats and birds. They are also popular with students who have learning or physical disabilities or other learning challenges as they have much less writing space on each page.
What other journals are you having your college-bound homeschoolers use? Share in the comments to help other families!
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.
pen or marker.
) but I’ve kept my bag together with Brain Games and some devotionals and books, just in case I need to grab it last minute ago. Thank you for sharing these wonderful books with us. 
” S.A.
My 6 yr old daughter & I love to sit down together with our Brain Games Books & enjoy calm peaceful music, coloring, learning & solving the logic puzzles. We love the art & activities they include.. her current favorite is, “Candlelight Brain Games,” while I use my Mommy workbook, “Handbook For Moms.” These books have played an instrumental part in helping my daughter with pattern recognition & training the dyslexic thought process through games & creativity! They are so enriching & true trailblazers
” S.S.
” ~Bern
” ~Heather
” ~Katie
need a break? TAKE IT!
the season is just so stressful!
