SchoolhouseTeachers.com (Review)

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

I have been using SchoolhouseTeachers.com and their Ultimate Prek-12 Annual Membership for several years now. While it can be a great option as a ‘one stop shop’ for all of your curriculum needs, we tend to use it for particular subjects, to explore personal interests, and to add depth and variety to what we are already using.

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We are currently using SchoolhouseTeachers.com to supplement kindergarten math, for my sixth grader’s literature class, and a photography elective. My son has also switched over to using the Bible Study for Preteens lessons for his personal Bible time. He is really enjoying those lessons and my daughter may begin them in the spring. Over the last several years we have also used other literature courses, the Preschool Playground, and Small-World Sensory Science just to name a few. I am planning on using lots of courses next year as my son begins high school.

20180102_111806 — He loved helping me get is stuff ready for school next week. It all fits nicely into his tub.

I love that the courses provide great content, clear lesson plans, and flexibility. I can print off the lesson plans and use the course exactly as it is designed, or I can adapt the course to meet our needs. For example, my daughter is really enjoying her literature course but I wanted all of us to read Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol in December. I simply swapped out that book for the unit that was in her literature course, and now she can pick up the next unit in January. Other times I have added or taken away activities or changes the time lines for courses to meet the needs of our family.

In addition to over 400 courses, SchoolhouseTeachers.com has a great video library. We loved watching some of the Christmas videos during the holidays and Drive Thru History is always a family favorite. There are a large variety of videos on topics including art, Bible, apologetics, foreign language, music, history and more. There are even videos specifically for parents on a variety of parenting topics.

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If you have a young child that is learning to read or an older child that is struggling with reading the literacy center is a great resource. You can select the skills your child needs to work on and it will give you suggestions and activities to help. If your child needs help in an area other than reading, the focused learning centers link you to a variety of resources that can help in other subjects.

I am very excited to have this resource as I plan and prepare for my son’s freshman year of high school! We are working towards more independent learning and giving him a variety of electives that will help prepare him both for adulthood and for the college program that he is interested in pursuing. One of the courses we are excited to use next year is Geometry with Mr. D. It has been a few (over 20) years since I have done high school math and I love that this course has videos to help him learn the concepts independently. I also am excited for him to try Personal Finance and the ACT/SAT prep courses next year.

Another awesome feature that I need to mention are the new more interactive courses and self-grading quizzes. Not all courses have these features but SchoolhouseTeachers.com has been adding a lot of new self-grading quizzes and videos. These quizzes give you more options for independence but as always you have the option of using the lesson plans and adapting the courses to meet your family’s needs.

Overall, I think SchoolhouseTeachers.com has a lot to offer any homeschool family. Whether you want to use it for a couple of courses, to give your children elective options, for the extra content (video library, World Book access, literacy center, etc), or as a complete curriculum for all of your students the inexpensive cost and quality courses are a great addition to a home school program. One post certainly cannot cover all that SchoolhouseTeachers.com has to offer so be sure to click on the graphic below and check out all of the other Crew reviews!

This post may contain affiliate or referral links. As always I will never recommend a product that I don’t believe in and you will never be charged more for purchasing through our links. It does help pay for the costs associated with the blog.

LitWits Kits Review

I have not been this excited about a literature unit study in a long time! LitWits was generous enough to give us four of their LitWits Kits to review. We love to read and we have used and enjoyed a variety of studies but this one fit our family perfectly. While I personally think it is important for students to occasionally analyze literature and learn how to really break it apart, I think it is far more important that they learn to enjoy reading and making connections with what they read. These kits did just that and as an added bonus to this busy mom, they were super easy to implement.

We were able to choose which titles we wanted from the 46 available titles. I was having a hard time choosing because there were so many wonderful titles, I ended up choose two and allowing my 6th and 8th graders to each choose a title. We chose The House of Sixty Fathers, My Side of the Mountain, From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler, and All Creatures Great and Small.

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We got started by using My Side of the Mountain as a family. I purchased the audio version of the book and we listened to it together before completing the activities that went along with the book. We had the extra benefit of listening to this on our way to a short family vacation in the mountains which tied in beautifully (but is certainly not required to make this unit study wonderful.) The study suggested that you use props to help the children connect to the story. I thought the actual mountain camp site made a great prop and loved how they were making connections to Sam’s adventures. They found Hemlock trees like he used to make his home, rocks for fire starting, wild edibles, a stream, and more. Then we adapted the prop process when we got home and I had them find and collect props that went with the story and share them with the family. They found some of our homemade jam to represent the jam that Sam made, rocks, leaves, sticks, and more. Even the five-year-old was excited to participate.

“Here’s one critical thing we do – or rather, don’t do – to make great books fun for kids: We don’t ask kids to read with assignments in mind.” From LitWit e-mail

Next, there were a list of hands on projects that could be completed to go along with the book. There was an idea for a poster to advertise the tree he lived in, an opportunity to make a clay pot, sketching on bark, and a play demonstrating the character of Sam. I decided to allow each of my older children to decide which of these projects they wanted to complete. My son and daughter both chose to make a pot like Sam made for his jam.

Then, together we made breakfast using their ideas that were based off of the book. We had cornmeal pancakes with blueberry jam and watered-down root beer that served as sassafras tea. I loved that they were not all that fond of the watered-down root beer but they realized that if they were not used to having so much sugar, it might taste better. It was a really fun way to connect with the book.

The LitWits Kits also contained a great list of links to help you take your study of topics from the book further. For example, there were links to falcon videos because of Sam’s falcon, links about some of the other animals he encountered, music links, and even links about the author. There were also downloadable worksheets that you could use to assess understanding of story line, vocabulary, and other aspects of the book. We chose not to use them with this book but may use them for some of the other titles.

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All of these components combined to make a fun and enjoyable book study. Sometimes, when a study over analysis a book it can leave a student ready to be done with the book and move on. These fun and engaging activities had my children talking about the book and making connections throughout their day.

The kits for the other titles are set up in a very similar fashion. I am choosing to have my children independently do the title that they chose and then, after the holidays, I plan to use All Creatures Great and Small as a family study. I am excited about learning more about some of the veterinary topics as well as English culture and I know that my daughter will enjoy the chance to make hot tea and Yorkshire pudding.

LitWits Kits can make a great independent literature study but I think they are even more amazing as a family study. The opportunity for us all to share the same wonderful story and a variety of fun activities really fits into what I want our homeschool days to look like. I wish I had known about these kits years ago! be sure to click on the graphic below to check out the other titles reviewed by Crew Members!

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When you sign up for the Schoolin’ Swag free resource library you will get a link and password to the library, we are adding to the library each month with new items. You will also get a bi-weekly newsletter email to keep you up to date on what we have going on.

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This post may contain affiliate or referral links, including Amazon affiliate links. As always I will never recommend a product that I don’t believe in and you will never be charged more for purchasing through our links. It does help pay for the costs associated with the blog.

Horses of History Appaloosy Books by Mattie Richardson (Review)

Our family loves history and we love reading. So when I learned about Mattie Richardson’s Horses in History Series by Author Mattie Richardson/Appaloosy Books I was excited to review them. My thirteen-year-old son jumped on the opportunity to read and review them. Over the course of the last several weeks, he read all four books and is finishing up an enrichment guide that goes along with the fourth book: Day and Night. My eleven-year-old daughter is going to give them a try based on his review.

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These short paperback chapter books are written by a teen author and are full of great historical information through the eyes of horses as they experience historical events. They are a great way to engage students in history and get them interested in learning more.

Matthew’s Thoughts

Appaloosy is a great book for readers 9-14. It is the story of a horse that runs from an Indian village and is caught by white men. The horse goes wild, and no one can ride him except one little girl. One day he runs away with her and trips into a hole. After that, the father, who didn’t know she rode, made her stop riding until she told him the whole story.

Golden Sunrise is a great read for people 9-14. It is the story of Cheyenne, a palomino horse who belongs to a boy named Jared. Jared becomes a soldier in the army of Texas. While he is traveling and fighting in the Alamo he meets men like James Bowie and Davie Crocket.

Dusty’s Trail is a great read for people 9-14. It is the story of Dusty, a horse in the Pony Express. As a pony in the Pony Express he faces Indian attacks and other extremes. One day he rode three shifts because of sick horses that could not run. After that he became very famous to all the people in the pony express.

Day and Night is a good book for people 9-14. It is the story of horses Tucker and Shiloh. They are brothers who were sad to be separated but happy to be having an adventure. Tucker becomes a horse in the U.S. Mounted Infantry and Shiloh is a horse in the Confederate Volunteer Calvary. This story shares a lot about the United States Civil War.

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The enrichment guide for Day and Night was full of great information and worksheets. There were comprehension questions and vocabulary for each section of chapters. Then for each section she included an activity for them to complete to write their own story. If they complete each section, they will have a completed story at the end. There are also historical extension activities for each section. Information about civil war medicine, various important figures from the Civil War, recipes for Johnny cakes and hoe cakes and lots more. It was a great way to really dig deeper into the time period and would work wonderfully as a unit study.

Overall, we really enjoyed these books. I loved that in addition to history, my children had the opportunity to see that teenagers really can accomplish something big like becoming a published author. My son recommends them for ages 9-14 but I think you could read them aloud to even younger children. Be sure to find out more about the books and the author over at Author Mattie Richardson/Appaloosy Books. You can purchase the complete set at Amazon. Finally, don’t forget to click on the graphic below and check out the other Crew Reviews.

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CrossTimber: Your Amazing Name Video (Review)

The Your Amazing Name – Personalized Adventures for EVERY name! video by CrossTimber – Name Meaning Gifts is one of the most unique reviews we have done with the Review Crew. While these videos follow a template they are personalized with your child’s name, art work, address, photograph, and a letter from the parents (or whomever is purchasing the video for the child).

When you purchase this for your child, CrossTimber – Name Meaning Gifts sends you a Google form to fill out with information about your child. You include all of the information that they need to personalize the video. My favorite part was the opportunity to write a short letter to Benjamin. This was a wonderful way for us to share how we chose his name and remind him how special he is to us and God. You also include a piece of artwork that your child has done. This artwork is used throughout the video and is a really fun way for your child to connect to the video. We sent in a tractor he had drawn and he enjoyed seeing it show up in various settings of the video.

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The video is animated and takes your child on an adventure to learn about the meaning of their name. Our video was particularly interesting because my son shares a name with the main “character”, an animated pencil named Benjamin. The pencil takes your child on a rocket ship, made out of the child’s artwork to meet the stars. The stars share about how each of them has a name and how important our names are to God who knows all of our names. Then you also go to a tree house to meet an owl who talks about name origins, and even into a field to meet the sheep that ‘once was lost and now is found.’ Throughout the story you are learning more about names and name origins, the child’s specific name, and how God views each of us as individuals and knows us by name.

When I asked Benjamin what his favorite part was he said that he really enjoyed the part with the owl. The owl taught about names and told Benjamin that his name came from the Hebrew language and the country of Israel. Then at the end of the video, it shared that his name means “Son of my Right Hand, Mighty in Spirit”.

As a fun bonus, they included a PDF of personalized worksheets about Benjamin’s name. there were mazes, coloring pages, copywork, and tracing paper focusing on his name. These are perfect for us because he is working on learning how to write his name.

Check out this sample video for more information!

If you are looking for a unique and meaningful gift for a child in your life, consider getting them the Your Amazing Name – Personalized Adventures for EVERY name! video. I would recommend these videos for children in the 4-10 year old age range, although my eleven year old daughter saw my son’s video and requested a video using her name. In addition to the videos, CrossTimber – Name Meaning Gifts has a variety of personalized items sharing more about your child’s name including plaques, mugs, music boxes and more. Make sure that you click on the graphic below to find out what the other Review Crew members thought.

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Goldtown Beginnings Series by Kregel Publications (Review)

When I showed my five-year-old the pictures of Jem Strikes Gold and Jem’s Frog Fiasco by Kregel Publications, he was unsure if he wanted to read and review them. I was surprised that he was not more excited but he explained that he was not sure about them because of the dog on the front. We discussed it and he agreed to give them a try. He does not know how to read yet, but we agreed to review them by having me read them aloud to him.

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Even though he was a little worried about the dog on the cover (he is scared of dogs), he waited eagerly for the books to arrive in the mail. When the box arrived, he opened it to find two adorable paperback books with beautifully colored covers. The print on the pages was a little larger than normal, making it great for young readers.

When the books came in he wanted me to start reading Jem Strikes Gold right away. We curled up in the recliner to read a chapter or two that evening, and ended up reading half of the book. He kept wanting me to read more and my eleven-year-old daughter was working in the same room and ended up listening with us as well (it might have helped that she shares a nickname with one of the main characters).

Jem Strikes Gold tells the story of Jem and his little sister Ellie and their lives in a California gold town. They live in canvas tent with their parents. Their mom does laundry and bakes pies for miners and dad pans for gold. They help out with these tasks but also have time to play and get into lots of adventures. They learn how to deal with a bully, how to obey their parents, and how to be kind to one another and they even add a pet dog to their family. By the way, my son decided that since it was in the book and not in real life, this dog was okay.

Since we had such a positive experience with book one, I decided to pack Jem’s Frog Fiasco and bring it along with us on a short family camping trip that we were doing. We already had several longer novels that we were listening to on the road but I wanted a good book to read at the camping site. I thought that my older children might find it a little childish but knew that my five-year-old would enjoy it. However, all of the children enjoyed sitting around and listening to the story in the evenings. My daughter even helped me read a few chapters one night. While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend buying the books for older children, the story is fun for the whole family. (I did notice that Kregel Publications has a series featuring this same family designed for children in the 9-13 range.)

Jem’s Frog Fiasco is the second book in the series and continues the story of Jem and his sister Ellie. This book shares even more of their adventures with their dog, catching bullfrogs, a missing sister and lessons they learn about being kind to one another. It felt so very real to me because the children reminded me of my own. They love each other but still get into arguments and fuss with each other. The story has some serious moments and important lessons, but it is also filled with lots of laughter and fun.

While we used the books as fun read alouds, they also have some great printable educational activities to go along with the books. It includes comprehension questions, recipes, vocabulary, graphing, drawing, and more. These would make a great unit study. I am saving them to use in a couple of years when my son can read the books independently.

I highly recommend the Goldtown Beginnings Series for children ages 3-7. They make great read alouds and would also be good first chapter books for independent readers. The stories are fun and engaging while also teaching important morale lessons. My son has already requested books 3 and 4 in the series as soon as they are released next spring! Make sure to check out these books and all of their other offerings at Kregel Publications and then click on the graphic below to check out all of the other reviews.

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Channie’s Visual Handwriting and Math (Review)

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When we were preparing for him to start Kindergarten a couple of months ago my five-year-old informed me that he knew how to write the letter B for Benjamin and did not need any more letters. I did not push the issue and decided that he would learn when he was ready. While he was not interested in sitting down and learning his letters with any traditional means, he enjoys more creative outlets like clay, sand, and dry erase markers. Knowing how much he likes dry erase markers I was excited to let him try Channie’s Dry Erase Flashcard For Alphabet & Number by Channie’s Visual Handwriting & Math workbooks. In addition, he loves math and numbers and we were able to check out their math workbook: Neat Numbers.

When we received these products my son was very eager to try out the dry erase flash cards. For him, any excuse to use markers is a good one. For me, any program that will help him enjoy learning his letters is a win. This product was great because it included shaded blocks to help him maintain size uniformity, and dotted examples for him to trace and blank blocks for him to write independently. I really appreciated the fact that they were small and easy to finish even with a short attention span and developing fine motor skills. Depending on his desire to work on them, we could take just a couple of minutes and do one letter or he could work on four or five different letters or numbers in a sitting if he was enjoying it and staying focused.

The Neat Numbers workbook has three different types of pages working on neat numbers as well as basic math facts. The first type of page allows them to trace the number multiple times. The second type of pages gives them an example and allows them to write the number independently into each block. As the learner progresses through the book, they reach pages which have basic addition and subtraction facts that they solve and write the number into the block. Those pages progress from facts with pictures to numbers only and eventually blank squares where they could write their own facts.

My son was doing very well with the tracing pages but is still working on using the blocks to help him with uniformity and sizing for his numbers. I found that sometimes there were so many blocks on a page that we needed to split it up into more than one session for him to focus and do his best on each practice.

If you have a student that is struggling with handwriting and needs more assistance, these and the other great products offered by Channies may be just the solution you have been looking for. The extra guides and colored shading can offer the support needed to make them successful. Other Review Crew families reviewed these and other Channies products so be sure to click on the graphic below to check out their reviews.

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Excelerate SPANISH (Review)

My eighth grader and I had been discussing a four-year high school plan for him, and he decided that he wanted to learn Spanish for his foreign language requirement. We had been planning to wait until next year to begin, but when we were offered the opportunity to review Excelerate SPANISH Streaming from Excelerate SPANISH he decided that it would be a good idea give it a try and become more familiar with Spanish before high school.

While I took several years of Spanish in both high school and college, many years of not using it meant that I had forgotten much of what I once knew. Therefore, I was excited about a program that utilized steaming videos and would not be very parent intensive. In addition to utilizing spoken and written words, this program uses a system called Total Physical Response (TPR). Per their website, “Studies in brain functionality and linguistics show that TPR facilitates foreign language acquisition for all age groups. TPR activates various motor cortices of the brain, making it easier to learn Spanish than you’d ever thought possible!” This system is most simply described as adding motions to each word to help you remember the words.

We received both level 1 and level 2 and my son is utilizing level 1. In level one each lesson consists of a 30-45 minute video class. In looking over the videos in level 2, it is set up similarly but the videos are a bit longer, ranging from about 40-60 minutes. They also include more conjugation practice. The lessons introduce Spanish vocabulary in a story format. So, at the beginning of each lesson the teacher introduces all of the vocabulary needed for a story by telling you the words, writing the words on the whiteboard, and teaching movements to go with the words. Then she begins to put them together to tell a story. For example, in the first lesson the story was about a man who was waiting for a bus, he waiting a long time before getting frustrated and using a taxi.

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My son really enjoyed how she used the stories and motions to practice the new vocabulary. However, he felt that it went too fast and he needed to watch a lesson multiple times before achieving mastery. We were watching a lesson each week but after the second lesson we realized that he really needed to watch the same lesson multiple times so we went back to lesson one and watched it a couple of times. He liked the concept and enjoyed the program but I do not know that we will be able to finish an entire course in a year’s time based on the need to watch each lesson multiple times. I am hoping that as he gets more familiar with the format and his Spanish vocabulary increases, it will be easier to pick up on the new vocabulary.

There are optional workbooks that are available to go with this program. The program can be used as a stand-alone program without the workbooks, but personally I think that if you were using the program for high school credit, you would need the workbooks to round out the program.

If you have a student who learns best through movement or needs material presented in multiple formats (auditory, written, and kinesthetic) this might be a great fit. Keep in mind that it moves very fast in each lesson but with the streaming format you have the ability to re-watch lessons as often as you need to for mastery. Be sure to click the graphic below to check out the other Crew Reviews to learn more about their experience with Excelerate SPANISH Streaming.

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Smartick Math Program (Review)

When the request came out for reviewers for the Smartick math program, we were just getting back into the swing of school and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to add another program to the list. However, signed up for the free trial and let my daughter give a try. She stayed up way too late that night trying the program and was very quick to let me know she wanted in on this review. She was thrilled when she found out that she was going to get the chance to use Smartick on a regular basis, even though math is not her favorite subject.

Smartick recommends using the program about 15 minutes a day four to five times per week. Each day they give the student an assignment that takes about 15 minutes, in addition there are competitions that the child can choose to participate in to practice those skills and earn points, called “ticks”. Each user also has a virtual house that they can decorate. As they earn ticks, they can spend them to buy things for their character or house. In addition, as they reach a certain number of ticks their house changes and new amenities are added. For example, my daughter is really excited that she has almost earned enough ticks to get the house with a swimming pool.

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When I asked my daughter how she felt about the program after having used if for about a month she said, ” I love the program and how you can earn ticks and get things to decorate your house. The wishing well is really cool. I wished for a swimming pool and after I wished they showed me a button. It told me that after you got a certain amount of ticks you could get a house with a pool. I like how there are lessons that teach you things and also competitions that you can do to try and earn ticks, if you win. There is also a thing where you can get friends and you can see their house, get them presents, and see how many ticks they have. There is also a button in the middle where you can play games when you first log-in for the day you have to do a session and then you can decide what to do after your session is done. ”

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When I asked her what she had learned from the program or how it had helped her, she said that the competitions had really helped her build speed with her multiplication facts.

I love that this program has made my daughter enjoy doing math. She is really motivated to earn the ticks and almost every day she has spent more time than required, sometimes as much as an hour, working on the program in order to earn more ticks. As a parent another component of this program that I appreciate is that each day they send me an e-mail that tells me how she did during her 15-minute session. It gives information on the types of problems, percentage correct, and speed of completion. This makes it very easy for me to know that she is staying on track or catch any problems early.

Smartick Picture 1 — An example of one of the daily e-mails.

In addition to the e-mails, I can log into my parent dashboard and view lots of additional information. I can see a calendar of which days she completed a session, how she did on each session, a break down of the exact problems that she completed, any questions she has asked the wishing well, how many ticks she has earned, and how she has spent ticks. This makes it very easy to monitor her progress.

My only real concern with this program is the friends program. As a family our children are not allowed to have online friends that we do not have a personal connection with. On this program, anyone can request to be friends with any other user. We made the decision to have our daughter not accept friend request except for a few from children of other Review Crew families. She honored this request and we did not have any problems but I had to depend on her honesty in that policy. The friends feature also did not share very personal information but did allow them to see into the virtual house and see their ticks.

If you are looking for a way to get your student to willing spend time practicing math facts and concepts, a subscription to Smartick might just be the answer to your problems. In just 15 minutes a day your child can increase speed and accuracy while having fun with math. Be sure to check out the other Crew Reviews by clicking on the link below!

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The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls 5& 6 (Book Review)

What do you do when your daughter loves a series that she began last year, even though they are really below her grade level at this point? You agree to review them and let her read them, of course! I love to encourage reading for fun and delight and sometimes that means reading something that is an ‘easy read’ because you want to keep going in a series or because you want to know what happens next. Last year we had the opportunity to review books 3 and 4 in the Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series by WorthyKids Books . This time we had the pleasure of reviewing Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: The Shepherd’s Stone (Book 5) and Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: The Lion’s Roar (Book 6).

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Instead of just my opinion on the books, I thought you might enjoy hearing from my eleven-year-old daughter, Elizabeth.

Tell me about Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: The Shepherd’s Stone (Book 5):

Mary and her brother Peter travel through time back to Bible times and in this book they meet David (the one who fought Goliath) and go with him to the army camp and watch as David fights Goliath. While they are doing that they are trying to solve the mystery of the hidden scroll. This means they must figure out what words are on the scroll because it is in a different language. The message on the scroll in this book is “fear not God is stronger than any problem!” When they say the word it turns into the right word. You have to read to the end to find out if they solve the mystery in time.

Tell me about Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: The Lion’s Roar (Book 6):

The lions roar (which starts each new adventure) takes Mary and Peter back to the story of Daniel in Babylon. They watch as the high priest is trying to get rid of Daniel. They see that Daniel still disobeys the law and prays to God and how he knows God will protect him. Then he gets thrown into the lions den. Mary and Peter look for Daniel and then they get thrown into the den by the high priest who is looking for them because they would not bow down to a statue. Will they escape? You have to read the book to find out! The message in this book is” God is in control”.

What do you like about these books?
I like how they turn a Bible story into a book that is fun and interesting.
Who do you recommend them for?

If you are looking for a way to teach a younger child, ages 6-10, about the Bible and God.
Anything you don’t like about these books?

Not really, I really like them.

From a parent’s perspective, I felt like they did a good job of staying true to the Bible though there are obviously fictionalized components. The book begins in modern times with two siblings staying at their uncle’s house. Since this is not their first adventure they know when they find an old scroll that it is going to take them on a time traveling adventure. Each book takes them into a different Bible story with a new message to solve. At the end of the book there is a section which explains where in the Bible you can read the story and a little about the fictionalization of the story. I think that makes for some great discussions about being sure to understand what is in the Bible itself.

WorthyKids Books recommends this book for first through third grades. I think the story is great for an even wider range, maybe kindergarten through fifth grades read aloud. The independent reading level is probably closer to second or third grade, though a strong first grader may be able to read it. Check out the giveaway that is linked in the image above for a chance to win all seven books! Also, be sure to click on the graphic below to check out what the other Review Crew members thought about these books. Tell me in the comments what Bible story you think the author should turn into the next book in the series.

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Brain Blox Wooden Planks (Review)

With four children ranging in age from 19 months to 13 years, it is not often that I find a toy or activity that they can all enjoy. However, Brain Blox has created a toy that worked for them all! We received a set of Brain Blox Wooden Building Planks a few weeks ago to review and they have become a family favorite. When I agreed to review them, I was mostly thinking about my five-year-old son but in the end, everyone enjoyed them.

The Wooden Building Planks are sets of 100, 200, or 300 wooden planks that can be put together in thousands of different ways to create. The planks are all made from 100% all-natural, precision-cut, chemical-free, New Zealand natural pine wood. We received the 200-plank set which also includes a booklet of ideas and a nice red drawstring bag to keep all of the wooden planks together when they are not being used.

I started out by just letting the children play with the planks and decide what they wanted to build. Sometimes they built alone, other times they siblings worked together or had an adult help out. Through this they created a variety of really neat projects. My five-year-old make a pier with a boat launch and a ship. Then together we created a barn where he put his farm animals and tractor. My older son created complex towers and games. The toddler would stack the planks on top of each other and knock them down again.

After they had some time to play around with them, I took some of the ideas from the Brain Blox website and used the planks for a bit of ‘school’ with my five-year-old. There were some ideas for creating letters from the planks and so I had him work on creating his name out of planks. This was far more entertaining to him that simply writing his name and provided good practice at making and recognizing the letters.

In addition to the basic building ideas the website includes puzzles which you use the planks and logic to solve, building suggestions that range from simple to complex, and even a spatial awareness curriculum based around the planks. We look forward to continuing to use these planks in a variety of ways for many years to come. We are even considering purchasing the larger set for Christmas.

As a mom of four children, I have gotten pretty picky about toys with lots of pieces. I hate hunting for missing pieces, stepping on pieces left out, etc. However, the fun, creativity, and engagement created by this set made the pieces totally worth it. The nice drawstring bag also makes it fairly easy to keep the pieces together. I highly encourage you to visit Brain Blox for more information and then click on the graphic below and check out the experiences of the other Crew members. You can also purchase the set from Amazon. Also check out my review of another Brain Blox product, Family Fun Chess, from earlier this week.

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