learning languages

21 Thoughts About Core Journals

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / 1 Comment

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:

Is Fun-Schooling for You?

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / Leave a comment

Fun-Schooling wasn’t designed to work for every family.

So, who does it work for?

Who does it NOT work well for?

Instead of having to give it a try and discover it was a waste of time and money, let’s first get a few things out of the way.

1. Fun-Schooling is not for parents who love testing, grading and correcting their child’s schoolwork in order to make sure their child is standardized.

2. Fun-Schooling is not for parents who believe that education is all about discipline and perfection, all work and no play.

3. Fun-Schooling is not for parents who feel that children should not be allowed to follow their own interests but must study a formal curriculum designed by professionals. If you believe that your child will never be able to teach himself and needs to be taught through rigorous memorization of facts, maybe Fun-Schooling will be a disappointment to you.

4. Fun-Schooling is not for parents who want to play the roles of “teacher and student” rather than “parent and child”. If you want to teach your child every lesson and recreate school at home, maybe Fun-Schooling will not be a good match unless you and your child are both “friend learners or followers”.

5. Fun-Schooling is not usually a good match for parents who plan out every minute of every day to make sure the child stays on task. If giving your child freedom (balanced with responsibility) scares you, don’t Fun-School. You won’t be comfortable.

6. Fun-Schooling doesn’t work well for parents who love teacher’s keys and multiple choice workbooks with answers in the back. Our journals are very open ended and there are no answers keys or teacher’s guides. Why? Because the books are based on research and curiosity so one page in a Fun-Schooling Journal will be one-of-a-kind when a child completes the activities. For example the Journal may prompt them to choose their favorite extinct animal and write down four interesting things about it. Trust me. An answer key would not be helpful because your child’s answer is completely unpredictable.

7. Fun-Schooling is not for parents who do not appreciate creativity, imagination and fun. Seriously there are zillions of parents and teachers who work hard to keep schooling serious. If you are this kind of parent/teacher don’t waste your hard earned money and precious time on Thinking Tree books.

Was this helpful? Is Fun-Schooling for you? Click here to learn more about How to Flip to Fun-Schooling!

Everything You Always Wanted to Ask About Fun-Schooling!

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / 2 Comments

 

What do I need to Fun-School besides journals?
Some- especially math and spelling- are open and go with nothing other than writing and coloring utensils needed. Others need library books, podcasts/documentaries, music, and other research materials. You can include games, craft projects, and other activities on the subject(s) your child is studying if you’d like but they’re not required to Fun-School.

 How many pages per day should students complete?
We suggest the same number of pages per day as your child’s age. For example, a 10-year-old would complete 10 pages per day in a core journal. Or they might complete 2 pages in a math journal, 2 pages of spelling, 2 pages of nature study, 2 pages history, and 2 pages Bible. A page is one single side of paper, not both sides. 


What should I do if there isn’t a journal for what my student wants to study?
While many of our journals are themed, we have dozens of journals that can be used to study anything. The seasonal core journals are especially popular, any core journal can be used along with books and documentaries/podcasts on the subject your child wants to study. Master Class- 30 Day Portfolio is another option to study anything your child wants. 

What are Learning Languages?

Learning Languages are five unique learning styles.  Think of these as like The Five Love Languages. The Languages are Creator, Detective, Explorer, Friend, and Follower. You’ll find more info here.  These can be helpful in selecting journals and troubleshooting issues in your homeschool. 

 What are Dyslexia Games?

Dyslexia Games is our one-of-a-kind Language Arts curriculum.  It’s excellent for all students as it helps build problem-solving, creative thinking, right/left brain integration and more.  Children with Dyslexia, Aspergers, ADHD/ADD and Autism especially benefit.  

You can find more information in this document. 

 Can you help me with record keeping and compliance?

Laws vary by state/country as to what records and subjects are required.  We are happy to offer suggestions, you need to verify they are compliant with your local laws. Many families choose to use the 10 Subject Portfolio or the 12 Subject Portfolio for record-keeping.  The HSLDA is a great source for homeschool compliance information by state.

What about High School Credits?
We have a comprehensive guide to Fun-Schooling High School here. 

 Can I purchase materials with charter funds? 

Yes! Most charter schools allow you to use your charter school funds for Fun-Schooling materials.  Find more information here. We also put together the bundles with Charter Schools in mind. 

 How do I schedule a school day with these materials?
 We are happy to help you with a plan and offer suggestions.  Our bundles come with a suggested lesson plan for your schedule.  PM us here or email us here for help.  You’ll find lots of sample schedules by searching for “schedule” or “scheduling” here in the group.  

Some families use only a core journal while others use multiple journals per day. The beauty of Fun-Schooling is you can adapt to what works best for your family! There are thousands of Fun-Schoolers and no two families have the same schedule.

Here are a few popular options for scheduling but you can truly do whatever works best for your family-

(This mentions loop scheduling. In case you’re not familiar with a loop schedule- stack up all your “loop” journals up. Whatever is on the top is what you start with. No need to assign certain journals to certain days or worry about a specific schedule. When you’re done w/ the journal for the day, it goes on the bottom of the pile.)

Option 1-Pure loop- Stick everything in a pile- including the core journal. Let your child decide how many pages to complete in each journal as they work their way through the loop. Some days they may decide to do all pages in one journal. On other days they may decide to do a few pages from each journal. This is the most child-led and relaxed method.

Option 2-  Half pages per day from a core journal. Half pages per day from 2-4 loop journals. 

Option 3- Rotate core day/ single subject journals day. For example, Monday they would do all pages/day in her core. Tuesday would be 2+ single subject journals. Wednesday would be all pages in the core again. Etc.

Option 4- Half pages from a core journal, and the rest of the pages from only one single subject journal. Stick with this single subject journal until it is done and move on to a new one once it’s done. 

You can also look at our bundles – they all have suggested lesson plans in the bundle description. Look at the bundle that’s closest to your child’s grade level and you can plan in the same way as our lesson plan with the journals that you already have. https://www.funschooling.com/all-curriculum-bundles

Sarah’s Mom Tips: Strategies for Different Learning Styles

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / 4 Comments

Recently a mom asked this question:

How should I handle a child who doesn’t put forth much effort on the Fun-Schooling pages?

The truth is, he was just hacking his homeschooling and doing the minimum, which is what kids do when they want to move on to doing something they feel is more important. The problem is that kids all have a different learning style. We make Fun-Schooling journals for all the different styles. Let’s start off by talking about these, and what I call the Five Learning Languages.

There are some kids who are Creators. The kids who are Creators learn everything for one purpose: to create something. All their education has to revolve around creativity. That’s what they are motivated by. These kids will not do normal workbooks. They need things that are open-ended, that revolve around their passions and interests.

Then you have the kids who are Detectives, who get really deep into the one thing they are passionate about. They love research and are not interested in anything that you want to teach them. They are only interested in what they want to learn. They are very difficult to give a standard education to because they aren’t going to remember anything or make any effort to retain anything that doesn’t revolve around their interests.

Then we have the kids who are Explorers. These kids will not sit still. They can’t. They want to be going from place to place. They can give maybe 5-15 minutes of focused attention to some sort of lesson, or activity and then they need to switch. They won’t sit at a desk, doing workbooks, textbooks, or even online school that makes them sit for very long. I developed a lot of materials for this kind of kid. We call them the “active kids”.

Then, the next kind of learner is the Friend Learner. These are kids who are motivated to learn through social experiences. They do not want to sit by themselves and do anything. They want to be with somebody collaborating, bonding, talking, or doing a project or reading with someone. If you ask this kind of kid to do something alone, they are going to get bored and distracted and wander off to find somebody to play with. Sometimes pets help.

Finally, we have the classic students, the little scholars, and we call them the Followers because these kids just want to please the teacher, the boss, the authority, the leader, the parent. They will do everything you ask them to do really well, step by step. They don’t put their heart into it for the sake of learning, but more for the sake of making somebody proud. They really like grades and scores and tests and multiple choice and ways to just prove that they are good at something and worthy. They are really good at “in the box” type of schooling, but a lot of times they don’t tap into their own creativity and curiosity. (click Page 2 to continue reading)

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