Explode the Code Review

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This is another subject that I saw my siblings go through before I chose it for my own homeschooling year. While initially an easy choice, these have been workbooks that I've had a hard time getting used to. I've even considered changing to something else after the first few weeks, but I told myself to just get through the first book, and I'm so glad I did! If you've been considering using Explode the Code for your own little one, you can check out my pros and cons list of this phonics program.

Pros: 
First off, the Primer Books (Get Ready for the Code) were amazing! Because my son was already quite familiar with the alphabet, he sped through the primer book I found for him, and really enjoyed the simple graphics, and fun pre-reading activities.

For the other books, I like how there are very frequently reviewing lessons to go over everything that has been taught.

I love all the silly sentences that get to be read at the end of each lesson (this is Book 1). My son is really bad at trying to guess what the sentence will be based on the illustration, so the crazy sentences help me know that he is actually sounding them out.

The books seem to go at a really good pace. This is good since my son struggled in the beginning. He is going over all the concepts he had a hard time picking up, and each book is thorough with the concepts they teach.

Cons:
While the illustrations are cute and simple, after seeing the beautiful colored illustrations of A Reason for Handwriting it's hard not to compare the two. The black and white drawings are fun, but sometimes they can be a little hard to guess what they are. (which is actually good for sounding out the sentences and not guessing what comes next)

My personal opinion is that there is a lot of writing back to back. We do three pages per day, and it seems they put a lot of handwriting together. For a beginner writer, this can be a struggle. For a little boy who wants to get everything right, or takes a long time writing certain letters, this can make the lesson drag on. As he learns handwriting, and understands the concepts, this is getting easier and easier.

My son would get frustrated when he couldn't understand the concept or sound out the words. He had such a hard time in the beginning, and while they DO repeat concepts over and over again, this didn't make the first few lessons any easier.

Closing remarks and tips:
Overall, I would say I have enjoyed these books, and as my son grasps the concepts I enjoy it more (and so does he)! This past week he asked to keep going past the amount of pages I assigned to him!
Something I would recommend doing is set a limit for each day, so your child doesn't get too frustrated or over tired. My mom would set a timer, for us we do 3 pages a day. Do whatever works for you and your child!

Have you used Explode the Code? What do you think?

A Reason For Handwriting Review

Note: Amazon links are affiliated

When it came time to pick my son's handwriting curriculum (which you can see the full list of here), there was no hesitation before choosing A Reason for Handwriting. I had two of my siblings go through the handwriting course when they were young. Not only did it help them obtain great handwriting, but they were copying Bible Verses. I remember my sister carefully coloring the illustrations and copying the verses, and when she was finished, she would gift these to family members. I was in Thailand at the time, and I think I still have a few of these keepsakes.



The Kindergarten version is a little different, in that there are no Bible Verses yet. Kindergartners learn how to form shapes, then letters based on these shapes. I really like how they do the letters in order of how they are made, not in order of the Alphabet. This makes it much easier for my little 5 year old to grasp, and his handwriting has flourished. Like the other books, there are still adorable illustrations, that my child can color and gift. There are already colorful animals gracing refrigerators in our family!










I am not sponsored by this company, and I paid full price for the book, but I just can't say enough good things about this course! When we received the book, my son ooo-ed and aaahh-ed over the colorful pictures inside, and Wednesdays (the day we focus on handwriting) is his favorite day of the week for school.






What do you use for handwriting? Let me know in the comments!

Whirly Squigz: A Timberdoodle Review

Back in July I talked about how I was including my Baby Girl in our homeschool year. She is 10  months old, crawling everywhere, but not quite walking yet. While she may not be walking yet, she is into everything! My hope was that adding these Whirly Squigz to her basket would help in keeping her occupied while Little Man and I worked on his Kindergarten studies.








The first thing I noticed about Whirly Squigz is how durable they were! Made out of silicone, they are very durable and perfect for little fingers to grab. Baby girl puts everything in her mouth, and these toys were no exception! She's been teething a lot here lately, and these made the perfect teething toys.

Another thing I liked about these toys, is that they could be separated and put in three different areas, and really function as three different toys. The suction cup on the bottom suctions really well (but not so much a baby can't pick the toy back up).I have tried several different surfaces, and unless the surface is uneven or bumpy, it will pretty much suction to anything.

The one 'con' I can give this toy is that Baby Girl was still too young for this toy when we got it. It is made for 10 months-3 years, and she just turned 10 months a week ago. Since she didn't quite 'get' the spinning aspect of the toy it didn't keep her attention as long, and I was unable to get a picture of her spinning it. However, big brother has really enjoyed these over sized 'figit spinners' -what he calls them-and showed Baby Girl enough times, that she has attempted to spin them a few times.

I also want to add the 'flower' with only 2 'petals' doesn't spin as well as the others. However, this is the one Baby Girl really enjoys as a teether.






Overall I would say that these would make great birthday or Christmas gifts for babies 10 months or older. They can be separated and make great toys to occupy little ones when you are out and about, or at home. They suction on tables, high chairs, windows, and refrigerators. You can click this link to buy it separately, or it also comes with the tot school curriculum from Timberdoodle. This would be great for introducing your little one to school (especially if they have older siblings they want to be like!), and helping with motor skills. Later I'll be writing Christmas gift suggestions for little ones, and I see this making the list!

Smart Farmer: A Timberdoodle Review

If you've followed me very long on this blog, you know we are using The Playful Pioneers Curriculum from The Peaceful Press. Right now we are in the middle of Farmer Boy and learning all about farm animals, planting, school in the 1800s, and all the wonderful life lessons you can find in all of Laura Ingalls' books. When getting our curriculum ready for the new school year, I knew I wanted this game from Timberdoodle, to help with critical thinking.

My son received this on his birthday, and couldn't wait to open it! He loves other thinking skills games from Timberdoodle, like Rush Hour Jr. (he plays this all the time at my moms) so he was excited for a game all his own that was similar. 

Smart Farmer is a game perfect for his age, and I don't think I would go any younger. He had no problem setting up the pieces in the correct places, but struggled to figure out how the game worked at first. Once I explained how it worked, he managed to figure out the first puzzle. He worked many levels on his own, but didn't quite understand that you needed to group the like animals together. I believe he will figure this out soon. 

Smart Farmers comes with a game board, fence pieces, itty bitty farm animals, and a puzzle manual. Each puzzle in the instruction manual increases in difficulty, to help keep the game challenging. The pieces are a little too small for baby sister to get a hold of, so we have to be sure and play it on the table or higher surface. Each piece is made very well, and I can see it lasting a long time! 

If you are thinking about a curriculum for building thinking skills, this game might be perfect for your 5-10 year old! It's cute, fun, and very educational. It even caused this momma's brain to stop and think a minute! My son loves puzzles, and I feel like this one is  a 'next level' puzzle. I am now also considering getting other puzzles like this from Timberdoodle. This game is also a part of the complete Kindergarten Curriculum from Timberdoodle, so you could have this as part of your main curriculum. I highly recommend this game for little ones who love puzzles, farm animals, challenges, or all of the above!