Home School Product Reviews

Fabulous way to introduce languages

I have a five year old daughter and a two year old son who both love Little Pim! We used to get them from our library, but decided it was worth the investment to own these. The whole video is in French, and the set-up is similar to the Signing Time videos. The video introduces a few words, then has a ‘review’ and often the panda (“Little Pim“) will do something cute in between the segments. These videos introduce many vocabulary words as well as some key phrases, all with excellent accents. If you are looking for a gentle introduction to languages and new sounds for young children, this is it.

Simple, creative learning opportunity

The 3-D Feel & Find is a helpful component of our homeschool.  It has multiple uses for multiple ages.  It is a very simple toy/game, which I like, but it still provides challenge to several age levels.  My younger children use the puzzles outside of the bag to match the shapes, which include basic shapes as well as people, trees and animals, to their wooden opening.  My older children are able to match the pieces while they are still in the bag and thus unseen, developing their sense of touch better.  Additionally, the game is good for teaching shapes and colors. The pieces can be further used for role-playing with the people and the animals.   All the pieces store in a durable drawstring canvas bag.  The puzzle pieces can be used also without the wooden bases to role play.  Note that the box depicts pieces that may not be identical to the inside contents in terms of the specific shapes, but they are basically like what is shown.

This turtle maze is appealing in various ways. It is a fun quiet toy for your child to play with, without making a mess or losing pieces. It teaches good manual skills, and mental skills, as well. As they begin, they will just work on the ability to move the balls around, but eventually they will begin matching the colors and bring up the skill level a notch.

I received this set a few weeks ago for our children, ages 7, 5, 3 and 10 months old.  It has been a perfect fit for our young family!

The older kids enjoy the play bench as much as the little ones do!  It’s great to watch them teach their younger siblings colors and shapes as they all play together.

Our three-old son LOVES the hammer!  He can work with his tools just like Daddy.  :)  Since the hammer is attached to the play bench by a cord, we don’t have to worry about it getting misplaced.

At 10-months old, our little guy enjoys shaking the rattley shapes more than anything!  The shapes are bright and colorful, just a tad noisy, and the perect size for his chubby little hands.

The Tolo Shape Sorter Play Bench is an all around favorite at our house!

Just what I needed...

I bought this (Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches) thinking “how will I find time to read this, with all the books I already haven’t read??” I am so thankful I took the plunge! First, I was so relieved to receive the book and find it is small, less than 100 pages, and has quick-read chapters. I finished half of it in under an hour! But the best part is, Rachel hit the nail on the head. Does she live at my house?? Its like she knows exactly what’s going on in my head. Yikes. But what a fantastic perspective she has. How often do I get frustrated with my children’s behavior, but the reality is that they are acting no better than I am?? How often do I simply forget the temptations they have overcome because they have been replaced by other annoyances? Rachel is very good at reminding us of our own shortcomings, and also giving encouraging ways to train our children. Definitely the best book I have read in quite some time! And it provided the encouragement I really needed right now! Thanks Timberdoodle!

Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches is currently on sale at timberdoodle.com

Beleduc Lacing Beads for Little Ones

I purchased a few products that would work well with my, at the time, 19 month old and 3 year old.  One of those products were Beleduc Lacing Beads.  With just a little help finding the hole, even the 19 month old can lace a bead and pull the lace through.  We talk about the shapes, the colors, and it helps with small motor.

For both my now 22 month old and 3 1/2 year old, they enjoy playing with the caterpillars as well.

Another great multi-use toy/learning tool from Timberdoodle

We got this ball for my 4-month-old son, and it is the first toy that he has shown a real interest in. We chose the Oball Jelly instead of the rattle because we wanted it to be a quiet toy for church. I do look forward to trying your idea of using it as a bubble wand this summer. One consumer warning, colors really do vary, and my daughter thinks that it’s hers because the one we got is pink, lol. My baby doesn’t care, so neither do we. I want to get the bigger one now for my older children, and it would be a GREAT toy for a family reunion or youth retreat.

So Smart Playtime Baby’s Classical Music is a fun classical CD. My kids love it, especially Fur Elise. They didn’t realize that is was supposed to be the “Playtime” CD since it was instrumental. My oldest daughter (almost 7) like to get everybody laying down for their nap and listen to the CD. She doesn’t nap anymore, but she wanted to with the CD! The music on this one is very enjoyable!

Misty from AZ

Kid-O Bilibo

I bought one of these for my daughter’s second birthday a few months ago. All four of my children (ages 2, 4, 6, and went totally wild over it. I wish I had bought four of them! It has been used in so many interesting ways and each child approaches it differently. You never know what the Bilibo is going do be doing on a given day– there is always something new to do with it.

The only complaint I have is that my 2-year-old quickly discovered that she could use it as a stepping stool to get into things she shouldn’t be able to reach (of course kids do this with lots of different toys.) So I can’t leave the Bilibo out lying around all the time. It has to be put away when playtime is over. But I still love it and I’m glad I bought it.

Wahoo - The happiest, jumpiest, bounciest puppy ever.

My little ones have been burning up a lot of extra energy with this puppy, which is a very good thing as we have been very snow-bound all winter!  Our youngest named it “Rover” (how original!) and it has been dragged and loved on all over the house. It is definitely lots of fun for little, energetic legs.