Home School Product Reviews

A Reason for Writing - Kindergarten

My kindergartener, Daniel, and I really like this writing program. It breaks down each day into a very manageable amount of writing to practice. My favorite part is at the end of each week, the student writes the whole verse on a blank page of their choosing (included at the end of the book). They then color it too, and we get to display their work! I chose to get the 1st grade workbook for him, since he started kindergarten already knowing how to write all of his letters. This book is teaching him how to write them nicer, including things such as writing them the right size & using proper spacing between words. We’ve been using this book for 5 months now, and his writing looks so much nicer already. I plan to stick with this series!

Paperback Lightwedge

We LOVE the Lightwedge! After reading about the lightwedge on Timberdoodle’s website, I knew we had to have it. My daughter reads every chance she gets and especially on the long trip to Grandma’s and Grandpa’s house. When coming home late in the evening, she can read until her heart’s content with the Lightwedge and it doesn’t disturb the driver like the light above her seat. We’ve only had to replace the batteries once in over a year (and she uses it a lot!). I think she even stays up at night and reads in bed after we’ve tucked her in. I recommend this for any parent who wants to keep their child reading even when it’s dark!

The kids are enjoying this audio history so much! We are blessed in that we are preparing for an upcoming trip to England (a gift). This holds their interest and helps make them connect wth British history studied elsewhere. It is music to my ears to have them ask, ‘Just one more chapter, please!’ It reminds me somewhat of listening to Story of the World, but specific to British history. I’d buy it again in a heartbeat. They will even willingly listen while we fold laundry!

We absolutely love the Jungle Doctor books. They are full of adventure, a Biblical Lesson, and along the way you may learn a thing or two about being a doctor. I found two puppets of a lion and a Gorilla which make the books come to life even more. My 5 year old has now decided that he wanted to go to Africa and be a Doctor when he grows up.

Throughout my 20+ years of homeschooling, I have used six different math programs including Saxon, Math-U-See and a specialized curriculum for LD students. We began using Teaching Textbooks math 2 years ago. It has eliminated the need for outside tutoring. Gone is the frustration and the tears. Gone are the hours I used to have to spend grading math papers! The Teaching Textbooks program uses CD-Roms. Every lesson is ‘taught’ by a teacher explaining the lesson and illustrating the concepts on ‘notebook paper’ on the computer. The student then works the problems. If he gets a problem wrong twice then a step by step solution will show up on the screen to help the student figure out where he went wrong. Can you grasp how WONDERFUL this tool is for the higher levels of math?!!! When the problems are answered on the computer, there is automated grading. That, in and of itself, is worth the price of the program for me. Also nice is the ability to re-use the curriculum for your other children. We don’t even use the paper textbook, but if your student does, it can be re-ordered for your next student, and the CD’s re-used. I recently called Teaching Textbooks and was told that if your student still is struggling with a problem after seeing the solution, you may call them with the curriculum being used and problem number and they will have their tutor call your student! A great help for the more advanced math courses, for sure. This math program has really helped boost my son’s confidence. It explains concepts clearly and concisely. He looks forward to math everyday now.

Timberdoodle offers free shipping on all orders with Teaching Textbooks Complete course.

At first I was very apprehensive about buying these books because I didn’t see the benefit in comic books. My first three children are girls so there was never really any interest in comic books and reading was not a struggle. They were all ‘bookworms’. My son,(4th grade) however, was a different story. It was becoming a struggle for both of us to get his school work done. I bought these books to encourage his love of reading and hoped that he would retain something of value from reading them. I want him to enjoy learning. Well, it worked. He read two of them in a matter of days. He thanked me over and over saying how much he liked the books. So, I got him reading, he is enjoying history, and as an added bonus, his sisters read the books whenever they get the chance. There are a couple of things that I wasn’t crazy about. For example, in the ‘Diary of Anne Frank’ she has a brief thought about what it would be like for Peter to kiss her. Also, in the T-Rex book, there is the mention of millions of years ago. These instances were talked about but minor compared to the value of getting my son interested in reading. I will be buying more in the future.

Our daughter was initially skeptical about ‘10 Days in Europe‘, fearing we were foisting another ‘educational game’ on her. She relented, we tried the game this week, and it has become her first request after dinner! The strategy involved necessitates her to partner with a parent for now (she is seven), but she is very eager to fly solo. Learning the geography of Europe has actually become an added bonus – for us the game is all about the strategy involved!! We look forward to adding ’10 Days in Asia’ to our game collection for the next school year!

These blocks (Pattern Play) exceeded our expectations. We have 10 children, and therefore have tried many toys. This one is truly one of the best we’ve found over the years. There are 40 different pattern cards to make with the blocks, with several different levels of complexity. The blocks are smooth and chunky and will stand the test of time. There is even a cloth bag to store them, but they are attractive enough to leave out on the wooden tray as a coffee-table toy. These blocks seem to ‘beckon’ the children to play with them! A real classic.

Integrated Physics & Chemistry

We tried two other well-known chemistry curriculums that are great programs for science and math oriented students. My daughter is not strong in these areas and was doing very poorly, but I didn’t want to give up on her having some understanding of the building blocks of life and how things work. Integrated Physics and Chemistry consists of relatively short, self-paced lessons with a reading text and workbook that ‘put the cookies on a little lower shelf’ for students that don’t intend on pursuing a career in a science field. My daughter loves the historical background and the practical, real-life applications the author uses. Most important, she is successfully learning the concepts and principles of chemistry and physics. This curriculum may not be enough for the college-bound in nursing, engineering, etc., but it is just right for someone who needs a lighter on math, heavier on concepts, approach to chemistry and physics. The lessons are easy to pace and correct as daily work. My daughter is able to work independently with little to no help from me, and she is getting A’s on quizzes instead of D’s and F’s. Previous curriculums were taking lots of my time reading with her and explaining, and she still wasn’t getting it. This curriculum might even be a good stepping stone for a younger, science–oriented student, before they try to tackle a more intense curriculum like Apologia or Bob Jones.

I bought this(My First BrainBox) for my daughter’s third birthday. She can’t get enough of it! We sit down and look at the pictures (a little longer than the timer says to) and she can’t wait to answer the questions. It took about 10 minutes for her to catch on the first time, but once she realized what she was doing, her attention to detail has exploded. I would recommend this for any preschooler.

To view more information about My First Brainbox or other homeschool preschool products visit timberdoodle.com.