Another Great Logic Game: A Review of IQ® Gears

I received a COMPLIMENTARY copy of this product from the Timberdoodle in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review or be compensated in any other way. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page for more information. Thank you.

Gear up for some fun with IQ® Gears from Smart Games! From easy to expert, be prepared to build critical thinking skills while working through 120 challenges. 

We have the privilege of adding IG® Gears to our homeschool day, courtesy of Timberdoodle. This unique logic puzzle is part of the 2024 10th Grade Curriculum. Whether you homeschool one child or several, this is perfect for those moments when you are busy and need to occupy your child(ren), but you want them to build their critical thinking skills.

What do you get? 

• 1 game board 
• 7 puzzle pieces with gears 
• 1 booklet with 120 challenges and solutions 
• 1 convenient carrying case 

Why is this a Great Logic Game? 

IQ® Gears allows you and your children to work independently on concentration, problem-solving, and logic. Or you can work on puzzles together on the couch. I've found that having an extra set of eyes sometimes helps you see the answer you missed. 

In order to play this logic game, you will need to remove all the puzzle pieces from the game board. After you pick a challenge, you will place the indicated piece(s) onto the gameboard as shown in the challenge. Next, it is your job to place all the puzzle pieces onto the gameboard. All the pieces should fit and create a connection between the big gears on the right and the left of the game board. This is how you win the challenge. You can see if the gears match up by spinning  There is only one solution for each puzzle. 

What Do We Think? 

Like other games we have reviewed from Smart Games, our children quickly grabbed IQ® Gears to work on in their rooms. Our nine-year-old daughter had it in her room for a few weeks before I had to grab it again so I could share our thoughts.

They enjoy puzzle-solving video games, so I am always happy to introduce something low-tech for them to do offline. And with five levels (starter to wizard), they will be able to continue using IQ® Gears for years to come. 

Just like the Zig Zag Puzzler and IQ Waves, IQ® Gears is perfect for car rides. It's compact and easy to take with you in your bag or backpack. In addition to car rides, it's perfect for waiting rooms or restaurants. Why give your child(ren) a phone or tablet to keep them busy, when you can build their critical thinking skills? 

Are You Looking For More Ways to Build Critical Thinking Skills? 

Check out these reviews of other great products offered through Timberdoodle: 

• Thinking Critically and Creatively: A Review of Critical & Creative Thinking Activities 
• Dice, Decks, and Boards: Penguins Huddle Up™ Game 
• Dice, Decks, and Boards: Navigate the High Seas through Critical Thinking 

Book Club: Book Review of Meeting Her Match

 

I received a COMPLIMENTARY copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review or be compensated in any other way. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page for more information. Thank you.

Reading historical fiction can be so much fun (especially reading a good one on vacation)! I was lucky enough to start reading Meeting Her Match by Jen Turano while on vacation. It was the perfect book to read while soaking up the sun. So, while Meeting Her Match, the third book in The Matchmaker Series, is set in West Virginia, I was introduced to Owen and Camilla down the shore.

About the Book 

The story opens with a chase through the Hudson River Valley in the Spring of 1889. Our heroine, Miss Camilla Pierpont, is riding with her companion, Lottie, when unknown assailants attempt to kidnap her. It's during this escapade that Camilla meets Owen who is there to meet her.

Owen Chesterfield is seeking help to make a refined lady out of his sister, Luella. There have been some pretty disastrous run-ins between the Chesterfield and the Murchendorfer families of Wheeling, West Virginia. Eventually, Camilla agrees to help and travels to West Virginia. 

Of course, helping Luella isn't the only plot point of Meeting Her Match. Camilla herself is facing potential matchmaking as is Lottie, Owen's grandmother, and others.

My Thoughts 

This is a really fun book. From Camilla's pets to a surly pig named Esmerelda, there are quite a few humorous and well-written moments. The family and friends of the main characters, while not at the center of the story, jump off the page and invite the reader to learn more about them. 

The description of the homes, furniture, and clothing also brings the novel to life. While reading Meeting Her Match, I could feel myself sitting on the yellow sofa and hearing the swish of period dresses. 

I would recommend Meeting Her Match for those who enjoy historical fiction.

Learning to Draw in Nature: A Review of The Nature Explorers Drawing Guide for Kids

I received a COMPLIMENTARY copy of this product from the Timberdoodle in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review or be compensated in any other way. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page for more information. Thank you.

Would your children like to learn about drawing? Do you want to include nature journals in your homeschool routine? The Nature Explorers Drawing Guide for Kids is a great tool to help your children learn to draw most of the animals they will see during nature walks, and it presents fun and interesting facts about the animals, too. This paperback book is part of the 2024 Third-Grade Curriculum Kit from Timberdoodle. 

About the Book 

The Nature Explorers Drawing Guide for Kids presents step-by-step instructions for each animal presented to help your children get started. It provides: 

• An introduction to nature exploration 
• 40 step-by-step drawing instructions 
• Drawing techniques and tips
• 15 2-page nature journal pages 

This 128-page paperback book includes such animals and plants as: 

• Fox
• Moose
• Robin
• Seagull
• Maple leaf
• Saguaro Cactus
• Bumble bee 

Each animal and plant featured has a one-page drawing instruction page and one page dedicated to a critter profile, observations you can make, and a tip.

What Do We Think? 

I love the fact that the book does not start with two or three simple steps and then jumps to finishing up with a very complicated final drawing. The artist presents realistic expectations for the children (and parents who are drawing along with their children). 

I found the steps very simple to follow as did our 11-year-old son. Our 9-year-old daughter was a bit more picky because her drawings did not turn out the way she wanted them to. But the more nature walks we take, the better her drawings will be with practice. 

It is a great size! You can easily stow it away in a backpack or bag to take with you on your nature walks. We even took it with us on vacation.

I would highly recommend The Nature Explorers Drawing Guide for Kids to parents of children ages 6+ whether you homeschool or not!

Note to Christian Parents: There is a brief introduction to Charles Darwin as a naturalist. Nothing is mentioned about evolution in this description. 

Looking To Study More Art? 

Please check out my review of another great art-themed product from Timberdoodle: 

• Art History for All Ages: A Review of Have I Got a Story For You! Downloadable Art History Video Series (Renaissance)

Dice, Decks and Boards: A Review of Once a Pawn a Time

I received a COMPLIMENTARY copy of this product from the Timberdoodle in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review or be compensated in any other way. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page for more information. Thank you.

Would your children like to learn chess? What if they could learn chess in a fun way that was offline? Once a Pawn a Time is part of the 2024 3rd Grade Curriculum Kit from Timberdoodle and allows you to teach even the youngest children to play chess with its fun and whimsical approach. 

What Do You Get? 

Once a Pawn a Time includes two fully-colored, illustrated books written by chess teacher, Patzi Stewart. Book I presents chess in a fun and fanciful way. If you are working through the book as intended, it will take you one to two hours to complete it. Book II is designed to be read in 20-minute increments to learn about the chess pieces before playing an actual game. 

The illustrations in the book match the chess pieces. The thirty pieces have amusing faces on them to match the story in the book. Each chess piece has a round circle of felt on the bottom of it. They are also pretty hefty feeling so they won't just fall over.

The board folds up by bending each quadrant into itself. This makes it compact for putting away. The chessboard is also erasable so you can use whiteboard pens on it. And the board is gridded to help you move the pieces according to the books and rules.  

Everything comes in a great box for storage. The pieces have their own bags, and the two books and the board fit perfectly with them into a box that can stand on your bookshelf. 

What Do We Think? 

I think Once a Pawn a Time is best introduced before your children know any chess. If your children have a basic knowledge of the game, like ours do, they will want to skip ahead and get playing. Since I hadn't played chess in quite a while, it wasn't too difficult to convince them to sit with me as I read through Book I.

I really loved the illustrations in the book. The text was easy to read aloud. The directions as to how to set up the board and how the chess pieces move were easy to understand. My only complaint with the books was that the text was small (there is a lot of information to share) and difficult to read on the darker pages (which are color-coded for the chess pieces). A favorite part of Book II for me was the section on opening moves. I must admit to usually starting each of my chess games the same way. 

Our children were excited to start playing. Having Once a Pawn a Time on our game shelf means I can incorporate something new into our homeschool day to strengthen critical thinking skills and emotional intelligence. And with the design of the box, we can easily take it with us to the park, library, etc. 

Would You Like To Play More Games? 

Games are a great way to boost critical thinking skills. Here a few more that I reviewed courtesy of Timberdoodle: 

• Dice, Decks, and Boards: Challenge Your Mind With Horse Academy
• Dice, Decks, and Boards: Navigate the High Seas through Critical Thinking
• Dice, Decks, and Boards: Penguins Huddle Up™ Game

Review of Speeches and Writings in American History from CursiveLogic

I received a COMPLIMENTARY copy of this product from Timberdoodle in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review or be compensated in any other way. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page for more information. Thank you. 

Do you plan on teaching cursive in your homeschool? Have you included cursive in your homeschool in previous years, but you are looking for a new approach? We were pleased to use and review Speeches and Writings in American History from CursiveLogic this summer in preparation for our sixth-grade year. 

Please note this workbook is actually part of the 2024 Fifth-Grade Curriculum Kit from Timberdoodle, but we will be using it during sixth grade. I love the flexibility of homeschooling! 

Our younger son learned how to write cursive using a different style, but I wanted to offer him the choice to learn a different approach. The goal is to let him find what style of cursive works best for him. Enter CursiveLogic! 

About Speeches and Writings in American History

We have not used any other materials from CursiveLogic prior to Speeches and Writings in American History. I do not feel that was a detriment because there were several pages of practice and review before jumping into the speeches and writings. It starts out with reviewing orange ovals to form the first stroke and moves through connecting the letters, forming loops, and finally, capital letters. 

Before the student moves on to the speeches and writings, they check their posture, paper, pencil, and grip. And finally, "check your form" includes five more sets of questions to ask: 

• Questions about the shape of the letters,
• Questions about the size of the letters,
• Questions about linking,
• Question about spacing, and
• A question about slant

The front of the book (which is laminated) has an alphabet reference chart with all 26 letters (lower and upper case), numbers 1-9, and the four types of connected letters. The back of the book has a vocabulary list from the speeches and writings.

Whose Speeches and Writings in American History Will Your Child Be Writing? 

There are 18 individuals chosen to represent American History from Patrick Henry to Ronald Reagan. Speeches such as George Washington's Farewell Address and Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream are included. Witticisms from Poor Richard's Almanac and Helen Keller's essay on Optimism are also included. There is a wide range of people and periods in Speeches and Writings in American History. 

 A few other individuals are: 

• Sojourner Truth 
• Geronimo 
• Susan B. Anthony 
• John F. Kennedy 

How We Used Speeches and Writings in American History in Our Homeschool 

When our 11-year-old started the book, I assigned one page of the review sheets daily. I went over them and checked to see if he needed to make any corrections to his form. After he had completed those review pages, I started to assign the speeches and writings. One day was set aside for reading about the individuals and their writing. Some days, that first day also included the warm-up and vocabulary exercises. Other times, I saved that for a second day. In general, the lessons are designed to take place over four days. 

While each writing section has a spot for the student to check off the following items, I haven't yet used that with our son. 

• Shape
• Size
• Linking
• Spacing
• Slant 
• 3 P's
• Relaxed Hand
• Light Pressure 

"Explore American history through cursive writing! Delve into the lives of 18 notable figures, from presidents to activists, honing handwriting skills." 

My Thoughts 

I really appreciate having a different way to teach cursive to our son. And the fact that this book can connect to American History is fantastic. We can connect his handwriting lessons to both history and language arts by using these lessons. We could even pull in spelling by using some of the vocabulary words for those lessons, too. 

How did we connect this to our other homeschool lessons? I printed out a copy of the entire poem "Paul Revere's Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to read. I have been having him read parts of the poem aloud. Eventually, I might ask him to copy the entire thing in cursive, too. 

There are a few other things in Speeches and Writings in American History that I really like. There is a midline review and a section on flourishes and signatures. One of the things we were talking about before we started the book was the fact that he would be able to pull from his experience with both styles to create his own signature. So, having this information presented in the book itself is wonderful. 

Finally, I like the inclusion of the Gettysburg Address in Lincoln's handwriting. I love primary documents, so we will be looking for more examples of the speeches and writings in this book to incorporate into our homeschool lessons. 

Are You Looking For More Homeschooling Products? 

I have several reviews of products from Timberdoodle. Check them out using the following links. 

• Supplementing Fifth Grade with a Geography Workbook 
• Develop Critical Thinking with Discover! Science 3
• History in Your Homeschool: A Review of Discover! Social Studies 6