Delight Directed Learning, the Fun-Schooling Way!

May 19, 2023May 19, 2023 / Sarah Janisse Brown / 1 Comment

What is Delight Directed Learning?

The name gives us a good hint
- Letting kids follow their interests and learn what they’re delighted/ interested in
Many call it the most natural way of learning
- As adults, we are free to pursue learning whatever sparks our interest
Is it the same as Unschooling?
- Not quite
- Delight Directed homeschools typically use more formal lessons
- Most Delight Directed homes teach core subjects with formal lessons and curriculum as well
- Still can use the unschooling concept of strewing to spark ideas and introduce new concepts
- Very relaxed and follows children’s interests, generally a bit more structured and may follow more of a schedule than Unschooling
What does Delight Directed learning look like?
- Working with the child’s unique learning needs, learning language, and style
- Children applying interests to real-life and learning real-life research skills
- Choosing a subject they want to learn about and doing a deep dive
- May include- books, documentaries, podcasts, field-trip, crafts, curriculum, visiting with experts on the subject, research, art, and more
- Often begins as a spark of interest from something else covered in school or discovered in life
  - Begins spontaneous and then may progress into something more structured
- May last only a day or may last months!
How does Delight Directed Learning work with Fun-Schooling?
Fun-Schooling is the perfect combination with the Delight Directed (DD) approach!
Students can easily study anything they want with our journals
- Single-subject journals give students a guided deep-dive into dozens of topics
- Or students can choose a core journal and library books, documentaries, podcasts, interviews with experts, hands-on projects, etc. to study anything they can.
Aligns with the idea Delight Directed learning teaches of following the natural learning process
- As adults, we decide what we want to, or need to know, and dive in!
- A relaxed, fun, and encouraging learning process like DD focuses on
Students can cover all the main subjects like math, language arts, history, science, social studies in alignment with their interests.
Sets students up to dive deep into the skills, knowledge, and tools they will need to have for their future callings and careers

Be sure to join the main Fun-Schooling Moms group on Facebook, and then click below to watch a video on Fun-Schooling journals that are Delight Directed-Friendly!

21 Thoughts About Core Journals

March 10, 2023March 10, 2023 / 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:

Work or Play? Why not BOTH?

February 25, 2022February 25, 2022 / Sarah Janisse Brown / 1 Comment

Whenever my kids are playing hard and having the BIGGEST fun doing whatever kids do, when no one is telling them what to do I always ask them, “What are you working on?” I use the word “WORKING”. I call their activity a PROJECT. They never say “Nothing, I’m just playing.” No, they go into a detailed description of something amazing, that starts with: “I’m trying to build a… I’m figuring out how to… I am making a… I’m taking this thing apart… I’m putting together a new!”

When they are playing they are often doing work that is very meaningful and important in their eyes. I have a daughter who was always very, very busy, I was always trying to pull her away from her “play” as if it were a waste of time, because I didn’t yet see the value of play. After all, she was 9 and should be doing things that look like school. She knew how to read and write, and she was always in her own world.

One day it was raining outside and she was looking out the window. She had been there for a long time. She was supposed to be in the school room with her science book. I was about to tell her to stop sitting around and get back to work. Then I noticed she had a notebook with all these strange little marks, pictures, checks and numbers. So I asked, “What are you doing?”

“Oh, I was just charting the storm, timing the lighting and the thunder and measuring sound and distance. I’ve been charting the weather for about a month.”

I started unschooling that child on that day, and at that point I began to ask my kids what they are working on when they seem to be playing or busy. They always amaze me with their answers.I couldn’t find anything in the 3rd grade school books that could have been more educational and meaningful than the research our daughter had been doing on her own. I just began to ask more often what she was working on and then I began doing everything I could to support those interests. She is the one who recently gave me the ideas for the 10- and 12-Subject Portfolios! I think it is funny that my unschooled child would be the one to want to design such a structured subject-by-subject learning plan for herself!

She has learned so much about so many subjects over the years and now she wants to put all her knowledge together in a Portfolio that is well organized.

All of my children need differing amounts of structure, motivation, instruction, teaching, guidance, assignments, evaluation, and follow-up with their learning. They are all unique. My dyslexics need a lot of my help and investment when it comes to learning to read, write, and spell. Dyslexia Games makes it easy, now that it exists. (continue reading by clicking Page 2 below)