Did you know that we homeschool? This year, we made the decision to switch to using Thinking Tree Journals for a few of our subjects and, I gotta say, it’s going swimmingly! I’ve written about the journals several times before:
Homeschool Review: The Thinking Tree
Thinking Tree Journals in Action
Dyslexia Games: Not Just for Dyslexics
Today I’d like to talk about the Do It Yourself Curriculum- Fun-Schooling with Minecraft: 400 Homeschooling Lessons for Ages 9-14 which my middle son has been using since the beginning of the year.
So this journal obviously has a Minecraft theme, but I want to show you today how it’s just as versatile as the other non themed journals such as these:
Homeschooling Active Boys-Do-It-Yourself-Spring Journal
Fun-Schooling for Boys’ Winter Homeschooling Journal
Fun-Schooling Journal: Study 20 Interesting and Relevant Topics
In addition to the Minecraft coloring and activity pages, there are pages to record what books he is reading. He decided at the beginning of the year that he wanted to learn more about airplanes, how they fly, and learn to make good paper airplanes. The cool part of that goal is that he has somewhat weaker fine motor skills, so learning how to make paper airplanes strengthens his hands while still learning about his favorite topic!
See, based on your child’s individual interests, this journal could go in a million different directions! And what I love its that there are pages that instruct him to build something he is learning about in his Minecraft world. So far, he’s built interesting buildings from other countries, gardens, vehicles, and he simply can’t wait to build these planes!
These are the planes he made this week during his reading time:
He had to read the instructions in order to make his planes. I figure, as long as he’s reading WORDS, I don’t really care that it’s not a story book. In fact, we got him reading by getting him a bunch of comic books! Now he’s quite fluent!
So, I just wanted to encourage those of you considering using these journals in your homeschool (or otherwise), that they can really be used in a bunch of different ways. Just because they are themed does not limit them IN ANY WAY. The only limit is your child’s interests!
I recommend buying them on amazon because you can see user videos and pictures of the inside to help you make a decision on which to buy.
There is also an excellent Facebook Group for Moms where you can ask questions, and sometimes the author pops in with a bit of advice or a killer coupon!
If you decide to give them a try, drop me a note to let me know! I would love to hear how you made them work for you!
~Jamie
(These are NOT affiliate links or an ad in any way. I just really love these books and how they’ve transformed our homeschool!)
No Delusions of Grandeur 
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