How to Fun-School with Reggio Emilia

September 13, 2023September 13, 2023 / Amanda Osenga / Leave a comment

What is Reggio Emilia?

An educational philosophy developed in the 1960s
- Named after the town in which it was developed
- Founded by Loris Malaguzzi who wanted children to have a more holistic education after the war
- Similar in many ways to Montessori and Waldorf
- Come to the US in the 90s

Main Focuses of a Reggio Emilia education

Teachers learn with children
- Teacher/sparents are seen as guides and the primary learning is child-led
- Suggestions are only made if the child asks for them
Play-based, especially in the younger years
Self-directed
- When a child expresses interest/curiosity in a subject/topic, that is what the child is invited to explore
Education is highly focused on involving and engaging all the senses
Children are given control over their learning
- Lots of project-based learning
- Documentation is important, learning journals are kept and utilized daily

Other tidbits

“Hundred Languages of Children”
- Written by the founder and addresses how children are natural communicators and communicate through a variety of methods such as art, writing, drama, speech, etc
The classroom/learning environment is referred to as the “third teacher”
- Space is kept clutter-free, organized, and full of natural materials
- It is not a “prepared environment” like in Montessori, rather an environment children can play, learn, research, and grow.

How to combine Fun-Schooling with Reggio Emilia and peek inside Reggio Emilia-friendly journals
Make sure to join our Facebook group and then click below to watch!

What questions do you have about Reggio Emilia? Do you have any resources to share on the Reggio Emilia Method? Share in the comments!

Learn More-

Fun-Schooling + 9 different educational methods

How Do Unit Studies Work with Fun-Schooling?

June 28, 2023June 24, 2023 / Sarah Janisse Brown / Leave a comment

Unit Studies…

A deep dive into a topic/interest
- Can be based on an animal, nature topic, hobby, interest, book, place, person- anything really!
Combine multiple educational subjects into the same topic
- For example, a unit study on horses might look like:
- Math- calculating horse speed, stride, distance, stats, etc for racing horses. Managing a budget for horse feed and equipment. (lots you can do with horse math!)
- Science- horse biology
- Social studies- horses around the world, how horses are used in different cultures/communities, horses throughout history
- Language Arts- read a classical book about horses, do copywork on horses, learn to spell horse-related words
Multiple ages can work together on the same unit study with age-appropriate materials for each subject
Students can also work individually on a unit study
Great for students who tend to get “sucked into” a subject
Goes well with our idea of choosing a major https://funschoolingwithsarah.com/?s=major
Can last as long as you’d like- a day, week, term, month, or even an entire school year!
An easy way to combine elements from multiple educational approaches/methods (see the comments below for links to the other educational approaches we’ve covered)
How do I set up a unit study?
- Start with a Fun-Schooling journal based on what your child wants to learn about- or a blank core journal or Master Class if we don’t have a themed journal on the subject
- We’ll talk about this more on the 21st- information below

How do you set up a Fun-Schooling Unit study? Make sure to join the main Fun-Schooling group, and then click below to watch!

The Fun-Schooling Story: The Thinking Tree Grows!

July 8, 2022July 8, 2022 / Sarah Janisse Brown / Leave a comment

The Thinking Tree Grows

At first, we weren’t sure any of “this” would catch on beyond our circle of friends. As we were contacted by families asking for journals with different themes, we knew something special had come. I got to work creating more journals. Each was based on the same concept with different covers and interior artwork to appeal to kids’ interests. These core journals became the foundational journal for Fun-Schooling families.

We named our new company The Thinking Tree when we published Dyslexia Games. My kids got involved in creating journals based on themes they were interested in and subjects they wanted to cover. I created smaller journals to use as an in-depth study on a single topic.

A Facebook page and group were started. We got the attention of a few Mom Bloggers who shared our journals with their audience. I added in Math and Spelling journals. Thinking Tree was invited to homeschool conferences. A few of our journals became available through Barnes and Noble. I created a series of Mom School journals so moms could pursue their interests and be a good example. Word kept spreading about our Fun-Schooling journals and I became an unintentional entrepreneur!