Home School Product Reviews

Timberdoodle’s catalog is full of curriculum resources and products for home educators, and my girls love looking at all the homeschool supplies they feature. They were thrilled to receive a Junior Puzzleball Globe from Timberdoodle for our family to review.

The 3D puzzle made by European game maker Ravensburger features curved plastic puzzle pieces that students assemble to create a sphere. The Junior edition of the Puzzleball Globe includes 96 colorful puzzle pieces that fit together to form a globe illustrated with kid-friendly graphics of birds and animals.

The product is recommended for children ages 6 and up. My 8-year-old daughter, who has always loved puzzles, opted to put it together the first time using the numbers stamped on the back of the curved pieces. She completed the globe puzzle in one sitting and thought it was a nice change from flat cardboard puzzles. No glue is required, and the pieces fit snugly together. For more of a challenge, she’ll try assembling the globe with a map without using the numbers. My 4-year-old isn’t able to do the puzzle by herself, but the pieces are the right size for her and she is able to help her big sister. My husband and I were both surprised and impressed by how sturdy the Puzzleball is when put together! You can toss it in the air and catch it like a regular ball, and the kids even rolled it back and forth to each other on our tile kitchen floor without it coming apart.

Unlike the versions designed for teens and adults, individual countries aren’t identified on the Junior Puzzleball, so its use for geography instruction is limited. The colorful illustrations make the globe appealing to my preschooler. She is now suddenly quite interested in learning about the continents and where things are in the world!

The Junior Puzzleball Globe costs $12.75 and is well worth the price. Puzzleball Globes are also available for older children as well as teens and adults; they come in 240-, 540-, and 960-piece models that include a plastic display base and/or a metal rotation stand. Watch the video below to see how to assemble a Puzzleball and use the included puzzle guides. (The globe in the video contains 540 pieces and is larger than the Junior one, which is about 5″ in diameter.)

The preceding is reposted from the Treasure Seekers blog.

Stories From History - Set of 11 Graphic Novels

We had the opportunity to review a set of 11 historical graphic novels from Timberdoodle over the last couple weeks.  When I opened the box, both boys (ages 7 & 9) were eager to check them out. Colin (9yo) immediately sat down with “The Discovery of T. Rex” and devoured the book.  Nate (7yo) has been interested in Leonardo DaVinci for a long time, so that was the first one he grabbed.

These graphic novels are well-drawn and full of interesting information. My boys enjoy graphic novels, but I often struggle finding ones that are appropriate. I like that these can be incorporated into our lessons, as well as provide them with reading material that interests them.  Nate prefers reading non-fiction, so these are even more up his alley!

Colin has been learning about early colonial times, so the book about Christopher Columbus dovetailed nicely into our lessons.  While these books sit on our homeschooling shelves, I know they will be pulled down and read outside of lessons as well.

The books are geared for 8 – 14 year olds (3rd – 8th grade), and Colin found that he had no trouble reading them.  Nate needed some help with some of the words, but they weren’t overly difficult for him to read either.

Each book is 48 pages long, and I liked the fact that each book included a timeline, extra facts, glossary and an index.  The glossary is a wonderful supplement for both spelling and vocabulary units. These are great addition to our other learning materials.  The set of 11 we reviewed is available for the amazing price of only $16.95 — making each book cost only $1.54!

This set includes the following 11 titles:
Pizarro and the Incas
The Life of Anne Frank
The Building of the Great Pyramid
The Life of Julius Caesar
The Life of Christopher Columbus
The Race to the South Pole
Gladiators and the Story of the Colosseum
The Life of Alexander the Great
Elizabeth I and the Spanish Armada
The Life of Leonardo Da Vinci
The Discovery of T. Rex

Timberdoodle is one of the first homeschooling companies I purchased products from years ago when we started our homeschooling journey.  I have always appreciated the wide variety of products, good prices and great customer service.

The following is reposted from the Home with the Boys blog.

Recently, I have been trying to make more time to sit down and play with the boys. Of course, finding something that both of them like to play – other than trains – can be difficult.
At the MOPS convention I went to a month ago, one of the sessions challenged us to carve out one-on-one play time with each child at least once during the week. Doesn’t sound that difficult, but the week fills up fast!
The first time I did this with Jeremiah, his response was amazing – he was so thrilled and couldn’t wait for more time with just Mommy. I was really touched and definitely wanted to do more.

So I was very excited when this product showed up on our door step…

Rapelli (by Timberdoodle) is a game that teaches color-matching, counting and even a little early strategy – although I think that last one was lost on my three-year-old!

Here are the game instructions:
The 18 colorful caterpillars are blissfully munching their way through the bamboo tube. Roll the first die to determine the color of the caterpillar you need to move. Then roll the direction die and count the number of segments the caterpillar moves in or out of the bamboo.

Jeremiah was immediately captivated by the bright colors when I pulled it out of the box. Add to that the cute little caterpillars and he was ready to play!
At first, he just wanted to play with the caterpillars so I had to keep us on track with rolling the dice, taking turns, etc. But even after one game, he was really starting to get the concept.

The game is listed for ages 4 and up and I would have to agree with that age range. while Jeremiah enjoys it and gets most of the concepts, the strategy part is lost on him for the most part and he needs lots of help with addition and subtraction aspects.

But even with these limitations, he LOVES this game. He asks to play it often. He even wanted to play it when his friend of the same age was over last week. And he was “teaching” the friend how to play! It was so cute!

Now for what I love about Rapelli…

It is made out of quality materials. It is solid, natural and nice to look at it. And it doesn’t make any noise
It is actually fun to play even as an adult because of the strategy involved. My husband and I have both played it with Jeremiah now and enjoyed ourselves. Maybe we’ll pull it out one of these days and take on each other!
And most importantly, it is giving me another way to have quality learning time with Jeremiah disguised as fun! I love being sneaky like that!
Rapelli comes with one large bamboo tube, 18 caterpillars in six colors, one action die and one color die, is made for 2 to 6 players, and is available here for $21.50.
With Christmas right around the corner – that’s right, I said it – I think Rapelli would make an excellent present for children preschool age and up!

The preceding is reposted from the Home with the Boys blog.

Recently the opportunity arose to review a family game that dealt with numbers. Since my 8 year old son loves games and also loves math, I jumped at this chance. Upturn is a product of Timberdoodle Company which provides quality educational games and homeschool curriculum. Upturn is a game that is easy to explain, easy to play and an exciting combination of numerical strategy and chance designed for children ages 6 and up. This game retails for $25.00 and would make a fantastic and quality gift as we approach the Christmas season. A few days after receiving a copy of Upturn, a catalog came in the mail from Timberdoodle and is jam packed with educational supplies ranging from curriculum, books, games and toys which provide fun, challenge and educational value.

Our game arrived promptly in the mail and as we opened the package it became evident that this was a quality product. The outer box is sturdy and the contents include plastic number racks to hold the number tiles and a drawstring bag to hold the thick and sturdy number tiles. I especially like the simplicity to keep together the contents since many of our board games can easily become scattered!

As we began playing, I was concerned about a lack of challenge since the object of the game is to discard your number tiles first. You discard your tiles by going up or down numerically from a tile placed in the middle of the playing area.

We had to keep the directions handy as the tiles include directions of turn for play along with a few skip your turn tiles and a “joker” or free choice tile. This game provided a much bigger challenge than expected. As the players would go along discarding tiles in one direction, the opponent’s numbers would often thwart your plan as you also had to accommodate their numbers in each numerical direction. Of course there was the unexpected “skip your turn” and then perhaps a sudden change of numerical direction – higher or lower.

This game provides opportunity to enhance mathematical learning through number recognition, critical thinking skills, sequencing and strategic planning. My family enjoyed this game and is looking forward to many more games of Upturn!

We received a package from Timberdoodle and everyone in the family has been enjoying it in a big way. We’ve received packages from Timberdoodle before and they are always a hit. Even if it is a “boring” homeschool text, the kids are thrilled because Timberdoodle sends stickers with every order. Who doesn’t love stickers?

This package was different from any package we’ve received from them before. Our Timberdoodle box contained a bucket of…….Bubber. Have you heard of Bubber yet? This was new to me. The bucket felt as if it could be empty, but upon opening, we discovered a modelling compound that is nearly indescribable.

Originating from Sweden, it is called the lightest modelling compound on earth, and I believe it. Yet as light as it is, it can hold it’s shape in an amazing way. It is soft and silky, yet crumbly and dry. It isn’t cold and clammy like play-dough, rather, it is warm and nearly feels like it is melting in your hands….but it’s not. My four year old described it well. She said it feels “like warm snow.”

The Castle Mold Set, which would also work great with Moonsand. The Spoon KnifeAnd my favorite, the Mirette. This little tool is very inexpensive, at only $2.25, but it is so perfect for any clay, play-dough, or bubber type activities.

We all played with it for hours the first day. The kids have asked to play with it again every day. My BIG kids have asked daily! And the biggest kids in the house (my husband and myself) have enjoyed it right along with them.

Sherlock Deluxe Edition

We played this game (Sherlock) many, many (and many more) times when my youngest was 4 and 5. Simple, fast-playing, good practice with basic addition … the girl loved it, and only mom started getting a teensy bit bored after the 50th game played. However, Gopher It! was delightful practice and a favored game well after the math concepts and facts were down solidly. The game involves addition of 1’s, 2’s, and 3’s, and there’s some strategy and, in a roundabout way, some subtraction built in, too. Highly recommended for young ones, but be prepared to play it a lot.

We have several games by the same company who makes Gopher It!, and have enjoyed them all. They have sturdy cards, cute artwork, a nicely sized box, and simple instructions. They travel well and are always a hit with other kids who see us playing and join in.

PrismaColor 132-Piece Pencil Tin

We first tried Prismacolors after a professional artist told us there was nothing like them. We found and purchased them in the Timberdoodle catalogue and will never go back to the ordinary-brand colored pencils. Prismacolors lay color with ease, and you can shade, blend colors, or create sharp detail. The variety of colors allows one to get realistic effects whether on landscapes or portraits. I’d recommend a large set, since Timberdoodle has such steeply discounted prices. But if you’re not sure, go ahead and try a smaller set. You will be amazed.

The Big Picture Story Bible

“Who’s the main character in the book of Joshua?” I asked the girls I teach on Wednesday nights.  It was a trick question, and most of them caught it. While a few said, “Joshua,” most answered, “God!” In our Bible survey course we’d already discussed how GOD is the main character in every part of the Bible, even in Esther where He is not mentioned by name at all.

One of my purposes in teaching this class is that the girls will begin to see the big picture of what God is doing throughout time. It’s easy for children to gain a decent familiarity with Bible stories and still lack a cohesive idea of how it all fits together.  Sunday school materials, especially for the younger crowd, often don’t help here, emphasizing discreet Bible stories but not showing man’s need for redemption, or explain what God was doing in the Old and New Testaments to call out and redeem a people for Himself. As I wrote in an earlier post, some books and S.S. curricula are even omitting the Fall and man’s sinful nature, as if this is too difficult or troubling for four year olds to grasp!

I don’t think my children are that unique, and none of them have had any trouble recognizing their own sinfulness. Rather than be discouraged by the fact that they do wrong things, even little ones can be encouraged that there is a solution for their dark hearts. And without knowledge of our sin, we have no need for a Savior. In addition, in Children’s Bible story books, sometimes truth is sacrificed in order to create an easy to understand text.

Enter The BIG PICTURE Story Bible. This book is unlike any other Bible story book I have even seen! Rather than just retelling lots of wonderful Bible stories, the author here, in simple words, shows God’s redemptive plan from Genesis to Revelation. Yes, you will read of Adam and Eve, Noah, Moses, David, Lazarus, Nicodemus, and John, but throughout you will see God shining as the main character. You will read of how God kept his promises over and over and how Jesus fulfilled everything that God had written about and planned from long ago.

As wonderful as the text is, the pictures are just as compelling. Bold and colorful, they have lots of kid appeal without resorting to sentimentality. (The angels who announce the birth of Jesus to the shepherds almost look frightening! But not enough to upset your three year old.)  I love what the end cover says about the author:  As a church-planting pastor and father of five, David Helm joined his confidence in God’s Word and his respect for the spiritual capacity of children to write this book.

Don’t sell your young children short spiritually. Read them God’s Word straight up, but when you look for Bible story books be selective. The BIG PICTURE Story Bible is a great addition to any family’s library!

The Big Picture Story Bible is available at Timberdoodle.com.

Thinking Putty

I purchased a few kinds of Thinking Putty as Christmas gifts, and they turned out to be the most popular thing under the tree! My children love to manipulate it while in waiting situations (in the car, before hockey games, and even while I read aloud); they’re particularly fascinated with the color-changing properties of the “Hypercolor” variety and are eager to try the other versions. I’m convinced that this product has therapeutic, stress-relieving qualities for adults as well – it’s hard to keep your hands off of it!

Timberdoodle has over a 15 varieties of Thinking Putty at timberdoodle.com.