Home School Product Reviews

Lights the page not the room

I saw this (LightWedge) in the car of one of my friends one night. It was dark, and she did not like to drive with the light on. We had to read some materials, and her son pulled this LightWedge out. It was marvelous! We could read without the distraction of the overhead light in the car. It is perfect for travelers and for those who need to read in the dark. It is portable and easy to carry. I bought one for my father who has everything-except this!

Shakespeare Graphic Novels

Wonderful resource! As a literature major, I appreciate Shakespeare in a way my family doe not. However, that did not stop me from insisting our children be exposed to The Bard during their Middle School years. When even Charles and Mary Lamb’s version was a little tough for some of our children, I was becoming concerned. Then I stumbled upon these books (Shakespeare Graphic Novels) – WOW. So much of the original language is included with great pictures (and we know a picture is worth a thousand words!), that after reading a graphic novel, the Charles and Mary Lamb’s Shakespeare for Children became easily understood. Now, watching a rendition of the play itself became enjoyable, rather than the torture-fest the kids insisted it was before. Worth every single penny.

Tacy

PA

Timberdoodle carries over 150 different Graphic Novels.

The Adventures of Tintin

My then 11-year-old son, Stephen, who was struggling with reading devoured his first Tin Tin book. He even collected his own funds to order another volume! he introduced a friend to the books and now his friend has more Tin Tin books than he does! What a blessing to see my son motivated to read and stealing every moment to get back to his Tin Tin adventure!

Melody

VA

If you are looking for the complete Tintin Series visit Timberdoodle.com

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons

I heard about this (Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons) book from my sister who had used it with her children.  I used it with my two youngest sons when they were about 3.  I remember I was almost in tears, when my middle son read a stop sign.  With my youngest, we got through most of it, but it gave him the tools he needed to be a solid reader.  He is a bookworm, even now at 16.  My sister did use it with her kids at around 2 1/2.   Our kids were early talkers so maybe a rule of thumb would be to use as soon as they start developing language skills.

This book worked wonderfully for my boys. One does need to read the parent instruction carefully, I read it more than once to make sure I followed the program (being the stick-to-the rules accountant that I am).  The only regret is that I did not have this book to use with my oldest son, he learned to read by 4 but he does not have the same enjoyment of reading as my youngest two.

Lightwedge

I hesitated to buy the LightWedge book light because of the cost, but I have always trusted the Timberdoodle reviews.  This is the best book light ever!  Everyone in our family uses it whether reading in the car or late at night in the bedroom.  It is also great for reading while waiting on the boys at various practices when it is dusky out but not quite dark!  Other family members have seen it and wanted it as well.  I plan to buy three for Christmas presents this year!

Pathway Readers

We have used Grade 1-3 Pathway Readers to get our children up and running with their reading before graduating to real books.  I am sad that I have just started this series for the fifth and last time with our youngest child.  The older children crowd around, “Oh, the Peter and Rachel books.” They hang over the back of the couch for a few minutes and reminisce before getting back to their own school work.  I love these books for their strong family values, their good stories and simple black and white illustrations.  The stories make me want to be a gentle and consistent mother. They spur my young readers toward doing the things that are good and right and lovely in their day to day interactions.   I like the repetition of new words.  It helps new vocabulary become quickly familiar.  I take turns reading paragraphs with my little guy to keep the length of the lessons reasonable.  I use Reading Made Easy for phonics instruction prior to starting the Pathway Readers and do not bother with the workbooks that come with the Pathway Readers.  My approach to early education is the less writing the child has to do the less frustrating it is for us both.  They have plenty of time for written work in their later school years.  Our Pathway Readers will be books that we will save and pass on to our grandchildren.

BOB Books

We used these little booklets (Bob Books) along w/ Pathway Readers and Teach your Child to Read in 100 easy lessons. Thats it! They learned how to read very well w/o a formal Phonics Curriculum. They thought they were great fun!!!!

Sam Campbell's Living Forest Series

The Sam Campbell’s Wildlife Series consists of high quality stories for children who love nature.  My children love hearing about the adventures of the animal characters, and as a parent, I appreciate the more advanced vocabulary and writing style as compared to many modern novels.

Are you looking for high quality reading material? Check out our many options.

Paperback Lightwedge

We purchased the Paperback LightWedge for our seven and a half year old son as soon as he became an independent reader. This has been an excellent investment. He would have nightly bible time in his bed using the lightwedge and also read his personal reading books. It is convenient, long lasting, and easy to use! We are planning on purchasing this for all of our children as soon as they achieve “independent reader” status.

Stories From History - Set of 8 Graphic Novels

…I bought the historical graphic novels as a way to get my middle schooler into reading something somewhat educational. =D  I didn’t hand them to him, I told him they were mine.  He could read the Tintin, but I was going to read these historical ones first.  Muhahahaha.  Of course, he started sneaking them….and enjoying them…. =D =D

Over 150 graphic novels at Timberdoodle!