I received a COMPLIMENTARY copy of these books at a discount from Timberdoodle in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page. Thank you.
One of my favorite ways to spend time is to look back at photographs and memories of our children. I love seeing how they have grown and matured over the short years, as well as re-reading the silly things they said when they were younger. To help document those memories, we purchased (at half price in return for this review) Me: A Compendium from Timberdoodle.
About the Books
Me: A Compendium is part of the 2021 Second-Grade Curriculum Kit from Timberdoodle. And while it is part of this particular kit, I choose to use it with our six- and eight-year-olds. So, we are currently using it with our first grader and our third grader. At just under 100 pages, this hardcover book (with a book jacket) allows our children to document a number of feelings, thoughts, and ideas using simple writing prompts.
There are spaces within the book to document in writing or illustrate answers to the following prompts:
- The funniest joke they know.
- Their opinion on different types of weather.
- The name of their shop, if they owned one, and what they would sell in it.
- Their favorite and least favorite dinners.
- What they hope to do when they grow up.
- And more!
What Do I Think?
I was very excited to have the opportunity to review Me: A Compendium with our children. While they enjoy writing and drawing down their thoughts and opinions – and have even started a variety of small journals – I wanted them to be able to collect their ideas in one place that would last. As a hardcover book, I think they will stand the test of time. And with the thickness of the pages, the writing does not bleed through to the other side (although they have only used pencil so far in the books to document their memories, thoughts, and ideas).
I am very glad that we were able to get two books – one for each of our younger children – so they can document and record their own opinions separately. It is also fun to listen to them as they complete the books at the same time. They sit next to each other on the floor or at the dining room table and work on their own Me: A Compendium book. Sometimes, they complete the same pages, and other times they work on different ones comparing the writing prompts.
I love the softness of the colors used to illustrate the book. By not being overly bold, the colors allow our children's writing and drawings to stand out on each page. So it doesn't matter if they use pencils, pens, markers, crayons, or colored pencils. All their artwork and writing looks great.
While working on the book one day together, they both chose a page that asked about what type of shop they would have, what they would sell there, and what the shop would look like. As they were writing and drawing, they discussed memories of our trip to the pet store, books they have read about how to take care of pets, and more. I love the fact that they can work on the same page at the same time and compare ideas, or they can work on different pages independently.
I like that I can ask our children to complete a few pages for homeschooling, and they can work on their handwriting, spelling, and drawing while having fun. It is wonderful to add a piece into our homeschool schedule that allows them to be creative and document their memories of their homeschool days.
What Do Our Homeschooled Children Think?
They were both so excited when they received their copies of the book! When I asked both of them if they would recommend the book, our daughter gave a firm nod of her head while our son said, "I would recommend this book to people of many ages."
Our daughter said, "I like that you can write anything you like about stuff." She also said, "If you don't like ice cream, you can leave it blank." She really enjoyed the fact that she could give her opinion on things like the weather. "You can choose how much you love (the) sun, rain, clouds, and freezing weather."
When I asked what was our son's favorite part of
Me: A Compendium, he took off the book jacket and showed me what was written on the inside of it. This is where the author of the
Me: A Compendium can write their super-secret stuff. He has not completed this part yet, so I can't wait to see what he thinks needs to be super secret.
I would recommend Me: A Compendium for homeschooling families who wish to guide their children in documenting their memories, daily lives, and ideas in an organized fashion. This book will be a great keepsake for the future!
More From Timberdoodle
We have used a variety of products in our homeschool from Timberdoodle, including the following:
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