A FUNny FUN-Schooling Problem!

photo of boy wearing headphone

Back in 2020, we had this humorous incident…

This week someone reported that they were fraudulently charged for several orders of Fun-Schooling Journals. We took a look the flagged orders and it was obviously that someone had placed several different orders for PDFs and then reported the purchases as fraud. It looked very suspicious.

My husband called the woman on the account, to look into it.

She confessed that her daughter did it. The little girl got on the website, and ordered all the Fun-Schooling Journals she could dream of with her mom’s one click PayPal account.

We thought that was quite funny!!!

You know your you are a Fun-Schooler when your kid hijacks your PayPal account to buy Thinking Tree Books!

Kids LOVE Fun-Schooling, and they LOVE our journals! Come to the main Fun-Schooling group on Facebook to learn just how much passion children and parents alike can have about this approach to homeschooling!

What journal has been your child’s favorite so far? Do you have a favorite Mom-School Journal? Tell us about it (them)!

Top Ten Letters to New Homeschooling Moms

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!

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!

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!

UPDATE 2/13/23: All the Sales and Discounts (with SEVEN MORE books added)!

NOTE: SOME OF THE BOOKS BELOW WERE NEVER MADE AVAILABLE OR NEVER DISCOUNTED BY AMAZON. THERE IS AN UPDATED LIST THAT CAN BE FOUND IN THIS POST: https://funschoolingwithsarah.com/2023/02/17/fun-schooling-super-sale-extended-through-sunday-new-books-added-to-the-list/

There is an awful lot going on with sales and discounts on all things Fun-Schooling this week! You’ll want to be sure and join the Fun-Schooling with Thinking Tree Books Mom’s Homeschooling Support Group on Facebook so you don’t miss any of these posts, as well as TONS of announcements, giveaways, drawings, and contests. It’s a very busy time!

Here are all the books currently on sale that are available (some may not have been marked down by Amazon yet), with Sarah’s affiliate links hyperlinked so she’ll get the most profit from each sale. The entire sale will be live until midnight on February 14th.

BeYOUtiful

My goal for our main Fun-Schooling Mom Support Group is to equip mothers to guide and teach their children according to their own values, world view, religious beliefs and political perspectives while empowering the children to think for themselves and ask hard questions.

This is why most Thinking Tree Books are so open-ended and research based.

I often recommend resources that we enjoy in our family. I often share pictures and stories of our unique experiences and celebrations, But I don’t do this because I think every other family should look like mine.

So, perhaps we are a Christian family with Jewish roots and love our Jewish foods and holidays. And maybe we celebrate Christmas and Easter traditions just as I learned to in my childhood. And maybe we embrace some Libertarian values, and drive Teslas…We believe in adoption, and even adopted some struggling older kids! I love herbal tea, but like coffee too. We have chickens in the back yard, and a hungry fox living in the front. There are a million dreams we haven’t even started living here on Earth, yet our treasures are best kept in Heaven. It’s a beautiful life and your life is beautiful too!

I don’t think you should be just like me. I don’t think your unique family should be anything like mine. Love what you love. Dream your dreams. Live out your vision. Follow your calling. Be you! Yet be willing to grow.

I’m investing in the homeschooling community in order to empower moms to create a FUN learning environment in their homes, and I have lots of tips and ideas!

Some of my older writings are geared towards the community I used to be most involved in – Conservative homeschoolers- but I never fit in. I was often encouraging those moms to quit “acting” and be real, and be realistic.

Our community has THANKFULLY grown to embrace a far greater homeschooling movement! And I’m loving it!!! If you want a homeschooling Facebook group that is clique-ish there are many. That’s not us, though many of us are outliers, eclectic, and neuro-divergent thinkers who don’t fit into any mold!!!

I’m growing a lot because of the diversity of thought in our group! I’m changing. I’m making friends who are opening my eyes to a bigger story, while staying true to my core values. I love the learning that happens in our community! I love the uniqueness and the vast diversity of homeschooling moms who make themselves at home!!! We are all welcome here. Come join us!

Update: Where Have All the Journals Gone (and how you can help!)

UPDATE 2/3/23:

So, yes. The books are back. They have unpublished all our books, but they are selling everything they currently have in stock.

They contacted us and said “upon further review we are reinstating your account.”

But now we have to figure out the process of republishing the books. We are also going to work towards printing and shipping through a smaller publishing house because we could loose access to Amazon at any moment upon the whims of their bots and inept employees.

I found out that I can publish books with a color interior for a very affordable price with Barnes & Noble so in the future we will have a color version of many of our books for almost the same price as Amazon’s B&W!!!


You may have noticed that our journals are no longer available on Amazon. There is a lot involved.

Basically, Amazon seriously deleted 400 of my books, and it’s as if the books were never there. Thousands of reviews, mostly 5 stars, gone. They are even keeping all the royalties that we earned over the past 60 to 90 days. Lots of you bought my books on Amazon in November, December and January and Amazon is stealing all those royalties (about $60,000 in royalties that is owed to the Thinking Tree and 20+ authors around the world who contributed to the books)!

What did we do wrong?

First they said it was copyright violation, so we provided documentation to prove our integrity, we had permission to print Minecraft books.

So they came back and said they reviewed our case and will close it for “Misleading Content” so we provided more documentation to prove our integrity.

So they came back and said they will close it because our account is associated with a previously banned account!

We had no other active or banned account.

The only account that was banned, that I can imagine, was someone who was using KDP to sell our books, with different covers. Lots of you contacted Amazon to get that person shut down.

I hope to sort things out and get our royalties. Much of what we earn is paid out to our authors who really count on the income! Some are missionaries in Ukraine, India & Guatemala.

I don’t think I want to associate with Amazon anymore. I am putting some books up on Barnes & Noble soon. I’ll probably be able to add five books a week until I publish the top 50% of my books.

How can you help right now?

–Come and visit our website, and grab your PDF journals there (a small handful are currently $7.50 right now, and many others have been discounted very nicely)! If you buy a PDF we earn every cent.

–Bring awareness to the homeschooling community concerning their unethical termination of our Homeschooling Books.

–Buy my new releases in paperback at Barnes & Noble and ask them to carry my new releases in their stores. Use your 20% off Homeschooling/Teachers discount at Barnes and Noble to buy my books, and be sure to leave reviews.

–Shop for Thinking Tree Paperbacks at Rainbow Resource.

–Get Sarah’s Biography for just $4 here: https://www.funschooling.com/bookstore-all-pdfs

–We have a new review feature on the website, so you can leave reviews for all of the journals you’ve bought. This is an amazing way to show some much-needed support! It costs nothing but a little time.

–Write these individuals, and explain that one of your favorite authors published through KDP and share your testimonial and a picture of your favorite books you have bought and share how unethical it is for Amazon to suddenly terminate The Thinking Tree. Maybe explain how you were so excited to purchase the new release and now it’s gone! Mission to Mars or Mythological Creatures, with all original artwork including artwork by teenagers. Kids could even write real letters to the addresses with pictures of their books.

Here are the Exec.’s emails:

Vincent Duong
Customer Success Manager
vduong@amazon.com
410 Terry Avenue North Seattle, WA 98109

Doug Herring
CEO
dherring@amazon.com
410 Terry Avenue North Seattle, WA 98109

Andrew Jassy
President and Chief Executive Officer
ajassy@amazon.com
410 Terry Avenue North Seattle, WA 98109

Camille Fabre
Head of Content and Marketing, Kindle Direct Publishing at Amazon
cfabre@amazon.com

Thank you ALL so much for your support!!!

A “Little” Survival Kit

Do you need a Mom School Survival Kit?

These little books help so much because they give you a realistic perspective on how to accomplish the most meaningful things. We grow to be intentional about how we spend our precious time. We learn to invest in the things that make a lasting difference and make everyday life sweet and memorable. These little books help you let go of the things that hold you back, while seeking what truly matters. You will learn to evaluate the demands upon your life, and take a simple, yet mighty step into your dreams, purpose and passion.

As women we feel like we can’t give in to the joys of life if the demands of life are screaming at us. We deny ourselves fun, joy, peace and harmony in life because we are focused on our failures… and the failures of the people around us.

We have to learn to give up on the things that steal our joy, those thoughts that tell us we are falling behind. We need to set aside that vision of what everyone else thinks we ought to be, and be who we were born to be. We need to find true joy in serving others, in caring for our homes, in bringing laughter and smiles to the table… even when things are far from perfect.

We need to learn to find joy in the mud puddles of life. Raising a child is hard. Homeschooling is demanding. Meeting the needs of a husband is challenging. Putting away leftovers and remembering to eat them… ugh who really cares, when what is really needed is more smiles and hugs and passion.

How do we focus on the important things without neglecting the rest? I made these little books to help you discover how. And it only takes 4 minutes a day. You can just keep this book, and a pen, by the toilet, if nothing else.

Need some specific encouragement from other moms? Aside from joining our Facebook support group (and there is also this group if you are new to homeschooling!), grab a copy of The Homeschool Letters! In this book over 35 homeschooling moms share their hearts, explaining what they wish they knew when they first started. The art and logic activities in this book are borrowed from the book “Lost & Found” it’s a brain fog therapy for women who need to sharpen their minds.

Or maybe you need a secret weapon for the “littles” in your life?

The Littlest Kindergarten Workbook is all about animals, and its 4.5″ x 6″ size is perfect for tiny hands.

It has over 100 pages of do-it-yourself beginner learning, covering everything from letters, numbers, weather, shapes, colors, poetry, animals, handwriting and more. Includes a poem that talks about God’s gifts to us.

Just a “little” encouragement to help you begin the new year well!

Fun-Schooling Themes for 2023!

Make sure you never miss out on special sales, coupons, and giveaways this year as we feature journals for these themes in the coming year! Join us in our Mom’s Homeschooling Support Group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/FunSchoolingwithThinkingTreeBooks/

January- Language Arts

February- Math

March- Animals

April- Social Studies

May- Mom School

June- Core Journals

July- Science/ Technology

August- Back-to-School

September- Minecraft

October- Fashion

November- Cooking & Food

December- Holiday School

The Fun-Schooling Story: A Homeschooling Shift

The COVID Homeschooling Shift

Before the outbreak of COVID-19, approximately 3% of American children were homeschooled. In 2020 amid lockdowns, limited and frustrating results of online learning, and ongoing mandates, parents began to bring their children home.  As of the time of this writing in 2022, roughly 20% of American children are homeschooled. 

The Thinking Tree saw massive growth between March 2020-March 2022. Our Facebook group grew by over 20,000 and our social media accounts gained tens of thousands of new followers. Sales jumped and we had several journals make it into the top 500 of all books on Amazon during this period. This is a feat that is difficult to achieve, especially for the homeschool market. One of our Brain Games journals even made it to the top 200. 

This journal made the Top 200 Amazon list!

Families continue to pull their children from school in record numbers. It is expected a substantial amount of kids will remain homeschooled throughout the majority of, if not the entirety, of their education. The Thinking Tree has continued to add in new journals to meet the interests and needs of students. We even worked to incorporate COVID-19 into a journal so children could begin to understand the impact it has had on the world in a familiar way.

Also during this time, our collection of Art & Logic Therapy journals grew! They have helped so many kids and moms deal with Covid brain fog and other mental clarity challenges. Something good that has come out of this season of challenges, and we are very grateful!