Home School Product Reviews

Toys That Grow With Them

This set (Toddler Timberdoodle Core Curriculum) is full of toys that are fun & challenging. At 23 months, some of them I’ve set aside for later on in the year (which was my plan) because my daughter isn’t really ready for cutting, or the LUK set I’m guessing. Everything that came out of the box of was of very high quality and I was glad to have everything in it! As she plays with some of these toys I’m seeing how long they will last. She’s using them in their most simple application right now, and I can’t envision her outgrowing them even by 3 in almost all cases!

Candace from CA

Beyond Wonderful!  
If the creators of this book (The Reading Lesson Book) need a spokesperson, I am perfect. My first year homeschooling, I ordered a curriculum package from another company. What a complete and utterly awful mistake. I ended up having to pay a teacher to help catch my daughter up in reading. It was not an option, we had to try something else, especially for my next homeschooler. This book made teaching to read childs play. I can’t tell the creators of this book thank you enough.

B. Pop-Arty Beads

A favorite with my boys!

B. Pop-Arty Beads are a favorite with my two boys (ages 4 and 2). I bought another set of larger beads for my toddler, but he can’t connect them as easily as he can the Pop-Arty Beads. My boys connect them in all sorts of ways and will wear them or pretend they’re trains or other things. The beads do smell a bit unpleasant, but that does slowly fade and it hasn’t fazed my children in the slightest. These beads are very popular, but especially with my 2-year-old. I recommend them for an indoor activity on those wet or excessively hot days.

I bought Imaginets for my newly 3 year old son. He calls it his ‘shapes game’. He mostly uses it in free play, but has completed the first couple of pictures from the cards. Looking at the complexity of the harder cards, this is definetly a game that will grow with him! I like that it closes into it’s own carrying case, a feature that really cuts down on ‘missing magnets’. This game is solidly built and has a good size work surface. I would recommend it to others.

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.

No one is too young for B. Pop-Arty Beads!!

I bought these (B. Pop-Arty Beads) with my sweet 5 year old daughter in mind. I was thinking it would her and my 3 year old daughter something to do while I was working on harder school stuff with their big brother. LITTLE did I know EVERYONE would enjoy them, my 8 year old son, my 39 year old husband, a 12 year old girl, and myself! There is so much you can do with them beyond make jewelry. My children’s favorite thing to do it make people!! They make babies and even our family in cute little bead people. I love these so much I have even given them as a birthday gift. They are an ageless, genderless, timeless toy that does not play for you! Thanks again Timberdoodle for only carrying the BEST!! Again and Again I say it….I LOVE AND TRUST TIMBERDOODLE!!

We purchased two of these (Jumbo Magnifier by Learning Resources) for our toddler twins, and haven’t regretted that purchase for a second! From the large size, to the jumbo handle, this is truly rough and tumble and well suited for toddlers to use.  One of my twins would sit for the longest time staring into it, moving it around, looking at things closer, and further away.   And i suspect this will be something they play with for years to come, just in different ways.  The attached thingy that holds a paper close to the magnifier broke on one of mine- but we don’t really use that part anyway, so its function is still retained.  So if you have REALLY rambunctious toddlers- you may have that problem but overall this thing is as strong as steel.

Visit timberdoodle.com to read additional Jumbo Magnifiers reviews.

We are in love with this!

The Preschool Timberdoodle Core Curriculum 2011 came in 3 days ago and I haven’t heard the end of it. My 3 yo is having so much fun he wants to do “school” all the time. It was nice to be able to tweek it a little so that I can include my almost 2 yo as well. If you’re not sure about something give them a call and they can help you make it work specifically for your child(ren).

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.