Family
Unschoolers
Network

Sadly, F.U.N. News is no longer being published on a regular basis as we just don't have time to devote to keeping it on a schedule. We are changing to a smaller format published on an irregular basis and distributed primarily to FUN Books customers at no cost.

If you would like to support the Family Unschoolers Network, the best way to contribute to our efforts is by making a purchase from FUN Books. That way you can get some great books at the same time you are supporting our efforts. If you would prefer to just make a direct contribution, click here. 

Sample Issue You can go here to view the web version of our sample issue.

Back Issues See what you missed in past issues. View a full description of the contents of each issue and read selected articles. Information is provided on ordering back issues.

Guidelines for submitting articles. Got some good ideas you'd like to share, or just want to see your name in print? See our guidelines for submitting articles, artwork, letters, photos etc. We don't pay cash, but you can earn $10 to $20 in FUN Bucks for purchases from FUN Books.

Joining - We no longer have subscriptions available to our newsletter, but you can join and get copies of past issues of F.U.N. News and you can support us by shopping at FUN Books

Return to Table of Contents

Back Issues

Back issues are available for $2.50 each for issues 2-11 and $3.00 for later issues. The Premiere issue (#1) is also our sample issue and costs $1.00. The entire sample issue can also be viewed in our web version.

See below for descriptions of back issues and links to selected articles available on-line, and hot-links to web sites mentioned.

Issue 1 - Premiere issue

Unschooling - What is Unschooling, Lessons From The Business World - Quality in Education, Heartbeat, School Resources for the Home Educator, Storytelling Resources, The Real World, Homeschooling, A piece of Cake. This is our sample issue. See the entire text of this issue on-line in our web version. If you would like a paper copy mailed to you, just fill our our Request Form.

Issue 2 - Socialization

Issue 3 - Thrift

Issue 4 - Genealogy

Issue 5 - Foreign Language

- Habla Usted Espanol?, Lessons From the Business World: The Language of Your Customers, Improve Your Foreign Language Learning with Pen-Pals, A World Wide Language, Encarta 96 World Atlas, The Resource Center Page: Fantastic Foreign Language Resources!, Learning Another Language?, Great Gardening Resources, Computer Corner: Foreign Language Resources for You and Your Computer - reviews of several language programs, and letters from readers.

Issue 6 - Cooperation vs Competition

- And the winner is..., LFTBW: Competition, The Value of Cooperative Games, A Good Book to Read, Civilization II, Book Reviews, To Be or Not to Be... Cooperative Games vs Competitive, Collecting Insects, and letters from our readers.

Issue 7 - Math

- Fear of Math, LFTBW -Math: Still Relevant in Today's Workplace, My Chicken, Math Resources, Public Television Resources, HEM Top 10 Math Resources, Stroytelling Tips From a Master Storyteller, One, Two, Three . . ., Might Math Carnival Countdown, Book Reviews, Meeting Unique Learning Needs, and letters.

Issue 8 - Science

- Organic Learning, Science in the Garden, LFTBW, Comets and Company (Becky Rupp), Super Science Suppliers, Dances With Dragonflies, the Eclectic Learner, reviews, and more!

Issue 9 - Simplicity

- Simplifying and Organizing, LFTBW, Un-Jobbing, What Do You Yearn to Learn?, Simplicity Customized, An Unschooling Journey, More Mothers Discover that Being Home is an Affordable Option, resources, reviews and more.

Issue 10 - Geography

- Nothing Knew Under the Sun, LFTBW, The Land of the Hand, Geography and Other Disasters, Great Geography Resources, Focus: Geography, Software Corner, What Do I Know About Geography?, The Eclectic Learner, and more. Web Sites mentioned

Issue 11 - Physical Fitness

- Lots of articles and resources on physical fitness, including Physical Fitness: From Formal to Informal and Everything in Between by Alison McKee, Irish Step Dancing by Mary Griffith, Deschooling by Pattie Donahue-Krueger, Software Corner by teens Christopher Krueger & Jeremiah Rauwolf, book reviews and more. Web Sites mentioned

Issue 12 - Interest Initiated Learning

Unschooling or Homeschooling?
LFTBW - Common Sense Regulation
Qualifications and reviews

Issue 13 - Healing effects of Homeschooling

- Healing Effects of Homeschooling, Our Reader's Writes, LFTBW - Outflanking our Freedoms, Big Chains, Big Savings?, Dealing With Our Doubts, And Once There Was Katie, Homeschooling as a Path to Healing, Resources, Reflection on Home Education, On the Right Track, Homeschooling as Healing, Insure Your Freedoms, Reviews

Issue 14 - Homeschooling Support

Guidelines for submissions

We welcome all submissions. If you would like your name (instead of initials) listed with any notes or letters you send, please indicate some place on your letter that we have permission to print your name along with your letter.

You don't need to be a "professional" writer. If you want to get your ideas down on paper to share with other F.U.N. readers but are hesitant about writing an article, just write a letter to us with your ideas. Our computer checks all the spelling!

Format:

If you send an article, the preferred methods are by disk (3.5 or 5.25, IBM format), modem, or E-mail. We prefer WordPerfect, Rich Text Format, or ASCII files. Typed on a piece of paper and sent by U.S. mail or fax is also acceptable!

Rights:

Please indicate that F.U.N. News has permission to print your photo, writing, or artwork just so that we know if what you send is something you only wanted to share with us personally or with all F.U.N. readers. Be sure to include a self-addressed stamped envelope for any items you want returned. F.U.N. News reserves the right not to publish any writing or advertisements for any reason. After publication, all rights return to the author. You can then re-use your work however you want. Be sure to let us know if your work has been published elsewhere.

Articles:

Read issues of F.U.N. News to get an idea of the type of articles written. We prefer work that shares ideas and information that other publications may not be providing. In general, we also like articles that show how learning can be fun and relevant to everyday life, that life experiences can provide excellent learning opportunities, that the family plays an important role in learning, and that we all learn best when we are actively involved in our own education. We include both opinion and news/resource articles in each issue. If you write an article that lists resources, please verify that all addresses and information are correct!

Reviews:

If you are interested in reviewing books, videos, audio tapes, compact discs, computer software, games, toys or craft kits, please let us know the type of material you are interested in and the age level. Send us a note along with your name, age, address and phone number. (If your whole family is interested, send along the interests, ages, and names of all who want to participate).

We will add you to our list of reviewers. We will contact you if we want to use you for a particular review, and if you accept, we will send you the item along with the deadline for the review (usually about a month from your receipt of the item). The length of the review may be from a minimum of a few paragraphs up to a whole page. Your review may be reprinted in F.U.N. News, the F.U.N. Books catalog, or mainly used to help us decide whether or not to carry that particular product.

Some general guidelines: was it FUN to use?; is the item a good value for the money?; is there anything you find objectionable in the material and does the overall content outweigh what you find objectionable; are there elements that others may find objectionable even if you don't? (examples: violence, supernatural beings, nudity, offensive language); if the item is for a child, what was the age of the child testing it and how hard/easy was it to use? Again, these are just some general guidelines. Add your own style and opinions to the review.

About you:

At the end of our articles and reviews we like to let our readers know something about the author. Some items you may want to include about yourself are any special qualifications or interests, information about your family, and so forth. We tend to like bios that include something a little lighthearted (see previous F.U.N. News for examples).

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