My kids and grandkids tried out a couple of new games from Timberdoodle this week, including a seriously fun strategy game called One Up. The game can be played by two, three, or four players. The object is simple: Line up four of your own colored playing pieces in a row, vertically, horizontally, or diagonally,…
My grandkids came over this week and tried out another of the new critical thinking games I recently got from Timberdoodle. This one is called Dress Code. It contains several clear acrylic tiles — four with pictures of children on them, and several more sporting various patterns in a variety of colors and styles. The…
One of my sons has been taking a photography elective this semester using an online course called Photography 4 Teens. The course was produced by the same folks who brought us YouTube 4 Teens, which we reviewed a couple of years ago. And, like its predecessor, this program is taught by Damon Evans with help…
My daughter and I tried out another fun project from Timberdoodle Co over the weekend: Learn to Paint with Acrylics. The kit includes everything you’ll need to complete 30 small paintings, plus project ideas for 20 more. The paints, paper, and brushes are all of top quality, and the book discusses some basic techniques in…
Are you looking for an easy and engaging way to teach your middle or high school student general science? Then take a look at Westfield Studios General Science 101, available from Timberdoodle Co. Comprised of 4 DVDs plus a teacher’s guide and unit quizzes on PDF, this program is surprisingly broad in its scope. Not…
When Timberdoodle contacted me about reviewing their Nomadic Professor American History Course, I gladly agreed. We love history! Plus, I knew a couple of my sons were preparing to take their US History CLEP exam, so I figured this video course would be a fun and interesting way to review for the test. I’m not…
Here is a fun new journal I gave to my daughter for Christmas. It’s called My Year of Nature. (Please ignore the dirt under my fingernails. I’m a nature-lover myself, and had been digging around in my garden before snapping these photos. 😬 ) You might not suspect it to see her all dolled up…
Are you looking for a good way to get your kids excited about writing? The Weekly Real-World Writing workbook Timberdoodle recently sent me to review may be just the ticket! It is chockfull of practical assignments designed to give students word-smithing experience they’ll be able to repeatedly apply to real-world situations for the rest of…
Timberdoodle recently sent me a fabulous new arts and craft kit to review. It’s called World of Dinosaurs, and — just like its namesake — this kit is HUGE! World of Dinosaurs is part of Timberdoodle’s 2022 First Grade Curriculum Kit, but it can also be purchased as a stand alone project. Either way, you…
One of the books we read over Christmas break was Stealing Home, a graphic novel about the Japanese internment camps that were established in North America during World War 2. Timberdoodle sent me the book to review a few months ago. I read it first, then passed it along to my history-loving son to read…
Timberdoodle recently sent me another component of their Tiny Tots Curriculum Kit to review: a book called Pat-a-Cake: First Book of Nursery Rhymes. I’ve always loved reading poetry to my little ones (big ones, too!), and the adorable illustrations in this volume make it an especially fun addition to our children’s library. I read Pat-a-Cake…
Our family has always loved thinking games. So we jumped at the chance to review a copy of IQ Six Pro for Timberdoodle recently. The first thing I like about IQ Six Pro is that it’s very compact. It would easily fit in a coat pocket ar the side pouch of a backpack. Second, I…
I love word games, so I suspected So Clover would be right up my ally the first time I ever spotted it on Timberdoodle’s website. What I wasn’t expecting is how much my kids would enjoy playing this game with me — and how good even the younger ones would be at it! Easy to…
Our family tried out a new critical thinking game recently called Illusion Cubes — another great STEM product we got through Timberdoodle. The puzzle contains 24 double-sided tiles and an instruction booklet filled with 120 challenging designs, arranged in gradually increasing levels of difficulty. Although shading makes these matte-finished puzzle pieces look like cubes, they…
My grandson James just turned 5 and will be starting Kindergarten at home this fall. So he seemed the perfect candidate to help me try out the brand new Uppercase Magnatab Timberdoodle recently sent me to review. I took it out of the box, showed him how to hold the stylus, and demonstrated how you…
My grandkids helped me with another Timberdoodle review this week. This time, we were playing a new card game called Little Match. Little Match is super simple to play. Each player gets four cards. The rest of the deck goes in the middle with one card facing up. If a card in your hand matches…
This week’s Timberdoodle review is for something called a Sensory Tissue Box. It’s a simple concept: a plush, velveteen box stuffed with 15 squares of fabric in bright colors and different textures. If I’m honest, I must admit I’d never have given this toy a second glance had the company not asked me to review…
The Stabilo Pencils I’m reviewing this week for Timberdoodle were a huge hit, both with my children and with my grandchildren. The pencils were much thicker than I was expecting, but their stubby shape and thick wooden casing made them virtually indestructible. And with 18 bright, creamy colors to choose from, there were plenty to…
I’m back with another Timberdoodle review. This week, three of my grandkids helped me try out Djeco’s new Little Artist Sticker Medley. The kit contains everything you need to complete four different scenes, including a wordless instruction booklet that gives step-by-step directions even the littlest kids can follow easily. My grands could hardly wait to…
It always feels a little bit like Christmas when Timberdoodle releases their new catalog each spring, because it’s packed with all sorts of goodies kids love. And as a member of their blog team, I get to review books, curriculum packages, art kits, and strategy games (like the one I’m doing today — Quixo), all…
One of my favorite things about spring is the fact Timberdoodle releases their new catalog in May. And it is always full of fun and fabulous new finds. Like the sweet Baby Babbles Collection of board books I’m reviewing this week. Thankfully, I had a crew of the cutest little helpers one could hope for…
For the past couple of months, our family has been trying out a new keyboarding program I got from Timberdoodle. It’s called Typing Instructor Gold. It’s touted as being “the most advanced typing program available.” I can’t really vouch for that claim, since I haven’t tried them all. But after 30+ years of homeschooling, we…
My kids and I tried out a new TwoStick Shadows Art Kit from Timberdoodle this week with fairly impressive results. The kit was a little pricier than kits we’ve tried in the past, but when I consider the quality of the supplies included, it seems like a bargain. Timberdoodle carries a wide selection of TwoStick…
My teen boys tried their hand at a new craft this week with these cool soapstone carving kits from Timberdoodle. The kits contain everything you need to create a beautiful figurine. My 16-year-old Daniel carved the bear and my 14-year-old Samuel carved the orca whale. Timberdoodle also carries a cat, which I may have to…
Shortly before Christmas, Timberdoodle offered me a deal I couldn’t refuse: 50% off any products I’d be willing to review. All I had to do was submit my my wishlist — and Kloak definitely made the cut. I’d been eyeing this strategy game ever since Timberdoodle first started carrying it. It can be played by…
Timberdoodle sent me another big box of fun new products to try out recently. So I’m planning to post one review every two weeks until I’m done, starting with today’s Genius Star write up. My kids were more than happy to give this one a test run with me. Genius Star can be played with…
Do your teens spend a lot of time on YouTube? Have you ever wondered what it would take to run a successful YouTube channel? Do you have great ideas for generating content, but aren’t sure how or where to begin? Then YouTube 4 Teens is the course for you! YouTube 4 Teens is an online…
Timberdoodle sent me a review copy of Cognitive Drawing over the summer, which my 20-year-old daughter Rachel has been methodically working her way through. I’ve been so impressed by how this 90-day course is laid out that I’m thinking of buying a second copy for myself. Rachel and I both love to draw, but neither…
Our family spent the last week putting together some of coolest jigsaws we’ve ever seen: Dr. Livingston’s Anatomy Puzzles. The set consists of seven separate puzzles. We started at the top with the human head. I love the packaging as much as the puzzles themselves. Each box looks like a medical textbook and seals with…
I’m back this week with another Timberdoodle review. This time we’re looking at Apple Twist, a new 1-person thinking puzzle by Smart Games. There’s a reason this manufacturer goes by the moniker “Smart Games” — the name definitely fits. And there are lots of reasons I love every one of the Smart Games I’ve tried….
One perk of being on Timberdoodle’s blog team is that we get first glimpse at any new products Timberdoodle acquires for its curriculum kits each summer. That’s how my family got a free review copy of Battle Sheep last month. I ordered Battle Sheep on a whim. With 15 grandchildren ranging in age from 1…
Abby had a few friends over for an afternoon of crafting last week. It seemed the perfect time to crack open the Jungle Friends String Art Kit Timberdoodle sent me to review for their new catalog. The kit comes with everything needed to complete four string art pictures. The box claims this activity is good…
When Timberdoodle recently asked which of their products I’d be most interested in reviewing, I included a couple of their new family devotionals on my list. Big Beliefs proved to be a great choice. Big Beliefs contains 99 short readings that tackle 33 core Christian beliefs. The theological concepts covered follow the same order as…
I’m back with another of my Timberdoodle product reviews today. This week we tested their whimsical Djeco So Pop Craft Kit. I love the fact that this kit is all-inclusive. You’ll find everything you need to complete four different art pictures right in the box. No other supplies necessary. Thanks to great organization, separating the…
Today, I’m reviewing a set of wooden lacing zoo animals I got for my grandkids. They came from a wonderful curriculum company called Timberdoodle. Timberdoodle recently contacted me about reviewing a slew of new products. I’ve been a loyal customer for decades and am still using products that I bought from this company thirty years…
My family has been ordering educational products through Timberdoodle for decades. So when Timberdoodle approached me about reviewing a new set of Junior Rainbow Pebbles, I agreed without hesitation. The set comes in a sturdy cardboard box that is easy to open and close, but durable enough to withstand lots of repeated play. It includes…
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted any Timberdoodle product reviews. But as Christmas approaches, I’ve been browsing Timberdoodle’s website in search of fun, new gift ideas. This little U-Gears Knight on Horseback definitely fits the bill. It’s new to the Timberdoodle catalog. So they sent me a free kit. That way, one of my children…
As I mentioned last fall, I had the privilege of teaching five of my grandkids two days a week this school year, along with my youngest four children who are still at home. Since several of these kids are close to the same age and grade level, I decided to try Timberdoodle’s 3rd grade boxed…
In keeping with my longstanding tradition of doing my Christmas shopping online from trusted vendors like Timberdoodle, I ordered a big box of craft kits and games for our kids the first part of December. I plan to review all of those items in the next month or so. But today, I want to tell…
Our family loves thinking games. We especially like games that can be played in a variety of ways, with multiple players or all by yourself. Q-bits matches that description perfectly! This challenging game contains four sets of colored design blocks — each with its own storage tray — and a deck of cards with 80…
I’ve been using Timberdoodle’s 3rd grade curriculum kit this year to homeschool my youngest daughter and a couple of my grandsons. Today, I wanted to give you an update on how all that is going while looking a little more closely at the math components of the kit. So far, the kids are loving school….
As I’ve mentioned before on this blog, our family has been ordering from Timberdoodle for years. We love all the products they carry. When we first began our homeschool journey, they offered lots of enrichment games and activities, but it wasn’t until much later Timberdoodle began selling a complete curriculum for each grade level. By…
If you have lots of little ones peering over your shoulders during Bible time like we do, you’ll want to check out The Beginner’s Gospel Story Bible. This is another of the books Timberdoodle sent me to review this winter, and I really like it for several reasons. My Favorite Features of The Beginner’s Gospel…
My kids love brain games. But our newest one — Knot So Fast — is like nothing we’ve ever tried before. The game comes with a metal ring, a length of blue rope, and a spiral bound book with 40 knot-tying challenges. Kids must simply follow the diagram to produce the knots illustrated. The knots…
Of all the review books Timberdoodle sent me in my last shipment, the one my 7-year old daughter has spent the most time pouring over is God’s Very Good Idea by Trillia Newbell. She loves all the cartoonish illustrations. She also loves the bright, bold, beautiful colors artist Catelina Echeverri used in making the charming…
I’ve been a fan of Kevin DeYoung’s books for a long time. So when Timberdoodle offered to send me a free review copy of The Biggest Story ABC, I happily agreed. I’d already purchased a copy of The Biggest Story picture book when it first came out. The Biggest Story ABC is just a simplified,…
When we got home from Europe last month, this is what we found waiting for us: Most of those packages contained gifts we’d ordered for Christmas, but two of the boxes were chock full of books and curriculum for me to review for Timberdoodle. As I’ve mentioned before, we’ve been shopping at Timberdoodle for three…
One of our goals for our children is that they would know the Truth and be able to communicate it clearly, whether they are writing or speaking, formally or informally. The Rhetoric Companion aligns beautifully with that goal, as it is designed to help students become skillful and persuasive speakers. What exactly is Rhetoric? In…
We started using a history curriculum this past summer that is a departure from our normal “living books” approach. The America the Beautiful series that Timberdoodle sent us to review definitely falls into the “textbook” category, but my elementary-aged children have thoroughly enjoyed studying it. The textbook is divided into two volumes. Each contains 75…
For as long as I can remember, I have loved writing and drawing and coloring. Several of my kids share these passions, and I’m always on the lookout for products that encourage even the ones who aren’t naturally bent that way to spend time developing those skills. That’s why I love Doodle Your Day, a…
The first time I ever saw Extreme Dot-to-Dot, I thought it looked like something a couple of my middle boys would enjoy, so I ordered a book to include in each of those sons’ Christmas stockings that year. Sure enough, when Christmas morning arrived, both recipients were thrilled. It wasn’t long, though, before I realized…
When we first started our homeschooling journey over a quarter-century ago, one of the staples of our school day was doing critical thinking exercises. I eventually built a huge library of books by Critical Thinking Press, but the title we started out with way back when was the very first book in their Building Thinking…
After homeschooling for nearly 30 years, I have accumulated a lot of curriculum. During our recent move, I tried to pare down my collection just a bit, since my kids are getting older and our new house does not have quite as much bookspace as our last one did. Many of our books I could…
Timberdoodle sells a lot of fun products for teaching geography. We’ve used their Global Puzzle for years and have recently discovered and enjoyed their 3-D puzzle globe, as well. But it wasn’t until this summer that we tried any of their geography workbooks. Since map-reading workbooks were completely new to my youngest child, I started…
My little Abby has had a great time this summer helping me review products from Timberdoodle. A few weeks back, we tried out How to Draw Almost Everything. Although the tutorials in that book led to noticeable improvements in her artwork, they were probably better suited to her older siblings. But this week’s pick is…
Timberdoodle sent me another book to review this week: Wordsmithy by Douglas Wilson. I guess I could have just assigned it to my high schoolers to read on their own. (Then they could’ve put what they’d learned into practice by writing this review for me. Ha!) But I didn’t do that. Because I’m a writer…
Timberdoodle sent me another book to review this week: How to Draw Almost Everything. I was curious to get a look at it, since so many of my children love art and have been drawing since they were big enough to hold a pencil. To be honest, this title was not at all what I…
As I’ve mentioned before, we’re longtime fans of Timberdoodle, so when the company offered earlier this year to let me try a slew of new products in exchange for an honest review of each, I jumped at the chance to participate. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the books and games I’ll be reviewing…
When we began our homeschooling journey nearly thirty years ago, there was not the plethora of curriculum suppliers that we see today. So I was very grateful when, as a young mom, I stumbled upon a family-owned company by the name of Timberdoodle that sold slightly quirky but wonderfully fun educational products and thinking games…
When I started homeschooling a few of my grandchildren this summer, I went from having one beginning driver (my son Gabriel) to having three. So I jumped at the chance to review Friendly Driver’s Education when Timberdoodle approached me about doing so. I was already familiar — and impressed — by the Friendly curriculum line….
I am so thrilled to share with you the latest addition to my arsenal for entertaining/ educating grandkids. It’s a kit called Stepping into Science, and it is filled with (almost) everything you need to complete 29 simple and easy experiments. Many of the experiments can be done over and over again. The target age…
I’ve spent the past couple of months trying out a new-to-me craft called slow stitching. I got a beautiful Wattle & Loop Slow Stitch Polar Bear kit from Timberdoodle in exchange for my honest review. The full-color instruction booklet provided very detailed step-by-step directions for completing the project. Other than the photos and diagram, there…
My daughter Abby cheerfully volunteered to help review Mose’s Detective Agency when Timberdoodle sent it to us this summer. She’s always loved miniatures and for years has created many her own out of recycled jewelry boxes and beads and bottle caps. So having a kit filled with so many realistic-looking miniatures was a special delight…
My grandkids tried out another great Smart Game from Timberdoodle this week. This one is called Safari Park Jr. It’s designed for ages 3 and up, though lIttle brother loved the bright colors and chunky animals and definitely wanted a turn playing, as well. The good news is, all the parts are plenty big for…
Timberdoodle sent me a set of Silky Crayons to review this summer, and my grandkids love them. We’ve been using them for months! The colors — twenty-four in all — are bright and vibrant. They provide great coverage, and will even show up on black paper. The crayons themselves are virtually unbreakable. They never dry…
My kids and grandkids tried out a fun new building kit from Timberdoodle this week called Jixelz Creator. With over 3000 pieces in 20 different colors to choose from, the supplies were plentiful enough for multiple kids to work on projects simultaneously. The set includes a design booklet with pictorial instructions for 40 colorful projects…
I’m back this week with another smart game from Timberdoodle. This one is called Penguins Huddle Up, and it’s definitely a keeper. It can be played by 2-4 players and has simple enough rules of play that even a six year old can understand it. Yet it is fun and challenging enough that older kids…
We’ve fielded a lot of questions over the years on the topic of homeschooling. Below are a few of our most helpful (and frequently requested) posts, pages, and printables for homeschoolers — whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been at it for years. Why Homeschool? There are as many different reasons to homeschool as…
We took a new critical thinking game called IQ Perplex with us on our last roadtrip. It’s a fun way to pass travel time and provides brain-boosting practice in spacial reasoning, to boot. Designed for ages 12 and up, this one-player game boasts 120 different challenges in graduated levels of difficulty. The easiest challenges show…
The thing that first turned me on to Timberdoodle thirty-something years ago was their critical thinking games. And they’ve continued to deliver great products in that category ever since, including a brand new game called Grizzly Gears we tried out this week. The object of this one-player game is to get the pieces to their…
The new Timberdoodle catalog has all sorts of wonderful strategy games to hone your critical thinking skills, like the one my kids are helping me review this week: Paradux. The board and playing pieces are all made of polished wood. We like the fact Paradux seems so heavy and durable. This 2-player game is a…
We recently had an opportunity to try out the SmatMax Baby STEM play set with a few of our grandchildren. The set consists of chunky plastic building pieces in a variety of shapes and bright colors, all with strong magnets inside that make connecting them to each other a breeze. Straight and curved lengths combine…
Timberdoodle recently offered to send our family a review copy of Friendly Chemistry, which we gladly accepted. I suspected it might be the perfect way for my most recent high school graduate to learn chemistry, and I was right. In the beginning of our homeschool years, I taught my high schoolers chemistry myself. Then the…
We spent the past week in New Orleans, and I packed Timberdoodle’s new Cats & Boxes to play on the road. It also came in handy keeping kids entertained when we arrived at our hotel an hour before check-in. The object of the game is to rearrange the tiled pieces from their starting position until…
One of the products in the new Timberdoodle catalog that I just love is this sweet set of Baby Sign Language Flash Cards. They are bright and colorful with photographs of an item on one side of the card and pictorial instructions for how to sign it on on the opposite side. Not only do…
When Timberdoodle offered me the opportunity to review Kumon’s new My Book of Cutting, I agreed without hesitation. That’s because I’d already tried some of Kumon’s other skill building workbooks with a few of my grandchildren. Builds Fine Motor Skills This workbook is a little larger than the ones I’ve used in the past. It…
Timberdoodle recently released their spring catalog which is chock-full of fun new offerings such as the Mobi Zippee Toy I tried out on my grandbaby this week. This toy is much softer and squishier than I anticipated. I thought the central capsule would be hard plastic, but it is actually made of textured, food-grade silicone….
We only have one more week of our homeschool co-op to go before summer break, but already I’m planning for next year’s schooling. One new program on our schedule? Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer. We’re actually planning to work on this one through the summer, since my daughter is wanting to…
After reviewing Dr. Livingston Anatomy Puzzles back in 2020 and loving them, when the puzzle makers contacted me recently about reviewing their line of Dr. Livingston Junior puzzles for kids as well, I jumped at the chance. We have several avid puzzle fans in the family, with more coming up right behind them. So we…
This month is almost gone, and I still haven’t posted reviews for Awaking Wonder or any of my other December reads. And, come to think of it, I missed posting my November books last year, as well, so I’m including those in this list, too. What’s not included are reviews for the books I re-read…
A couple of my children and I tried out Watercolor for Young Artists this week. Timberdoodle sent me the kit several months ago to review, and I brought it along on our Florida vacation. That was a smart move for two reasons: First, because it gave us something fun to do during our downtime at…
My grandkids came to visit this week. While they were here, they took a look at the new Baby Gym Board Books Timberdoodle sent me recently to review. Since the books were written with babies in mind, Rachel read both to her 6-month-old nephew. He loved the bright colors and the short, simple verses. He…
This week, I’m reviewing another advanced craft kit from Timberdoodle that takes a fair amount of patience to finish — this adorable little Succulents Needle Felting Kit. The kit has everything you need to complete a collection of cute, compact cacti. The succulents vary in shape and in level of difficulty. My daughter Abby picked…
Our family recently received review copies of two new art kits Timberdoodle added to their catalog this year: Papercraft World Fox and Papercraft World Bear. Each kit contains enough materials to make one animal, plus very brief instructions. The only other thing you’ll need is a bottle of glue. And a little patience. (Plus —…
I recently ordered a fun new journal from Timberdoodle that I’m planning to put in my 12-year-old daughter’s stocking this Christmas. (Shhh! Don’t tell!) It’s called My 52 Lists Project, and it is designed to get kids writing — even those who might not normally enjoy doing so. The concept is simple: 52 writing prompts…
Our family has been cruising on the open seas all week, so this is a fitting time to review a fun new thinking game I recently got from Timberdoodle called Pirates Crossfire. Designed for ages 7 and up, this single player game contains 80 different challenges in four modes of play ranging in skill level…
I’m back today with another Timberdoodle review — this time for a Cursive Logic workbook on US Presidents & Citizens. My daughter has been working through this handwriting curriculum over the past month or so. The book begins with a simple description of how each letter is formed in cursive, both as a capital and…
I’m back with another Timberdoodle review today — this one for Hide Inside! Thinking Putty. A couple of my grandkids spent some time with us this week and were happy to help Abby try out this new activity kit. That worked out perfectly, since each kit contains everything you need to make three tins of…
Our grandkids came over to visit last week, and Abby taught them how to play our new Bata-Waf Card Game while they were here. Easy to Learn A very simple and straightforward game, it is designed for ages 3-6. So it was perfectly suited for James and Ellen. After dealing all the cards, evenly split…
My newest little grandson came over this week, and while he was here, he tried out the Play Together Caterpillar Timberdoodle recently sent me to review. This cute little critter by Gund has lots of great features, all rolled into one. There’s a feathery tail on one end that’s good for tickling baby. And a…
Timberdoodle recently sent me a couple of Ditty Bird Board Books to review with my grandkids. Two titles were included in the set: Ditty Bird Children’s Songs and Ditty Bird Learning Songs. Rachel read the books to her niece and nephew while I took pictures. A few of the songs in the book were already…
I’m back with another Timberdoodle Review today. This week, we’ve been trying out a fun new art kit called Animals and Their Homes. It contains all the supplies you’ll need for six different kinds of crafts and at least 14 finished projects, including mosaics, 3-D paper crafting, sticker art, coloring pages, cut-and-fold designs, and more….
This weekend, my 2-year-old granddaughter came to visit and helped me review a delightfully simple Visual Perception Board Book Collection I recently got from Timberdoodle. When a sudden rainstorm drenched our dry clothes during a family visit to the lake this morning, Oma and Opa opted to bring baby home with us while the rest…
One of the things that first drew me to Timberdoodle 30+ years ago was their fantastic selection of resources meant to foster critical thinking. And the company continues to surprise and delight me today with products like the new Horse Academy Smart Game we’re reviewing this week. The puzzle comes with a gameboard, ten course…
Gabriel recently read the grandkids another new book we got from Timberdoodle. This one’s called Don’t Tickle the Tiger, but [spoiler alert] the book is a lot more fun to read when you do. In fact, my grandkids completely ignored the instructions on every single page and tickled all those animals relentlessly! If you read…
I’m back with another Timberdoodle review this week, this time for an adorable little A-to-Z Animal Board Book. My grandkids love to read, and they were more than happy to help us take this title for a test drive. Their Aunt Abby read them the book, and they took turns lifting the flaps. With the…
This week, we tried out a new art kit from Timberdoodle. Rightly called “Inspired by Van Gogh,” the kit contains scratch art projects reminiscent of some of the artist’s most famous paintings. It includes everything you need to complete four different scratch-art scence; however, the kit contains only one etching tool, so if more than…
Recently, our family had the privilege of trying out Deep in the Jungle Sticker Mosaic Kit, a new Djeco craft kit carried by one of our all-time favorite curriculum suppliers, Timberdoodle Co. Like all Djeco arts & crafts kits, this one came with more than enough supplies to complete the projects. In this case, that…
Eleventh in my monthly series on celebration-worthy moments, below you’ll find a lengthy list of November Holidays and Quirky Celebrations. I hope these posts will help you make every month more memorable this year. You’ll notice that some items on this list are linked to other pages. Click through for ideas and resources to help…
Last month I finished half a dozen wonderful books: Hands Free Life plus five others. Read on for my thoughts on all six of my July reads. Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare My ten boys took turns reading Sign of the Beaver aloud to the family last month. It’s easy to understand…
We’re back with another Timberdoodle review today. This week, we tried Clumsy Thief Jr, a card game for kids that is quick, fun, and educational. I got to spend some time at my grandkids’ house yesterday and brought Clumsy Thief Jr. to entertain them once all our chores were done. They were more than happy…
We love using the summertime to knock out some fun electives and enrichment studies. This summer, we’ve been working our way through a new DVD art curriculum we got from Timberdoodle called Drawing Realistic Portraits. The course is simple and straight forward with only fifteen lessons — a little less than two hours total instruction…
Just in time for summer, we got another big box of educational games and puzzles — including IQ Circuit — to review for Timberdoodle last week. We’ve loved and used Timberdoodle products for decades, so my kids were thrilled to see a package from our favorite homeschool supplier sitting on our front porch. Abby called…
It took us nearly a week to finish, but we finally completed the USA History over Time puzzle Abby got for her birthday. From the moment Timberdoodle offered to let me review this puzzle, I knew my daughter was going to love it. She is crazy about jigsaws and works them routinely. Several other family…
For the past couple of months, I’ve been working my way through a big stack of stuff Timberdoodle sent me to review. They let me pick which products I was most interested in, and one of the ones I requested was a devotional book for families called The Ology by Marty Machowski. I’ve been hearing…
Fifth in my monthly series on celebration-worthy moments, below you’ll find a lengthy list of May Holidays and Quirky Celebrations. I hope these posts will help you make every month more memorable this year. You’ll notice that some items on this list are linked to other pages. Click through for ideas and resources to help…
It’s about time for another Timberdoodle Review. And I mean that literally. Today’s review is all about time, because we’ve been trying out what has rapidly become my favorite new tool: Time Timer Plus. Keeps Kids on Track When I first ordered this chunky, visual timer, I pictured myself using it to keep my homeschool…
I’m back with another Timberdoodle review this week. This time, we tried out their Aquarellum Animal Postcards art set. The kit comes with everything needed to finish eight hand-painted postcards: cards, watercolors, palette, brush, and color-mixing instructions. The postcards feature designs pre-preprinted in nonabsorbent ink. This ensures the finished projects will look good, no matter…
In my closet sits a big box of new products Timberdoodle recently sent me to review. The kids have been testing them for me. So I wasn’t surprised when Gabriel wandered into my closet over the weekend and emerged with this Pix Brix Starry Night Puzzle. He asked if he could put it together. When…
Third in my monthly series on celebration-worthy moments, here is a lengthy list of March Holidays and Quirky Celebrations. I hope these posts will help you make every month more memorable this year. You’ll notice that some items on this list are linked to other pages. Click through for ideas and resources to help your…
In keeping with my promise to publish a wide assortment of celebration-worthy moments each month, here is a lengthy list of February Holidays and Quirky Celebrations. I want to make every month more memorable this year. Are you with me? You’ll notice that some items on this list are linked to other pages. Click through…
If years of COVID lockdowns taught us anything, it’s the value of celebrating the small things in life. Toilet paper. Grocery Pickup. Sunny days. Face time. Birds singing outside your window. That’s not a bad way to live, if you ask me. Sure, I’m ready to ditch the masks, plan a trip, and get back…
My friends at Timberdoodle recently contacted me about reviewing Fischertechnik Mechanic & Static. Of course, I agreed enthusiastically. As I’ve noted before, our family has shopped Timberdoodle for decades, with great results. Doing so has provided an easy way to enrich our children’s homeschool education and develop their critical thinking skills. Timberdoodle curates some of…
Last months booklist looks a little lopsided. I normally gravitate to nonfiction titles. But other than Bob Goff’s Dream Big and a spiral volume of sudoku puzzles, all the books I read in August were novels. The majority of these selections, our family read aloud together. Some for the third or fourth or fifth time….
6 Books I read in July Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin Women of the Word provides excellent, step-by-step training for women who want to study the Bible for themselves, but don’t know where or how to start. In an age where pop-psychology and feel-good phrases comprise much of what passes for “Christian” teaching,…
As I’ve mentioned before, our family has been loyal Timberdoodle customers for decades. Although much of our homeschool curriculum is non-consumable, I supplement our studies each year with art kits, thinking games, and other fun products from Timberdoodle. This year, the Wile E. Coyote Physical Science Genius is among the new add-ons. This 4-book set…
Although our kids are doing a little schoolwork through the summer, their lessons are relaxed enough to allow for lots of extra-curricular reading. That’s why summer book clubs are always popular at our house. Keep reading for our complete list of the best reading reward programs out there for kids, newly updated for 2022. Kids…
Our family traveled a bunch last month, so I got in a lot of extra reading. Below is a roundup of all the most recommendation-worthy books I finished in April: 31 Days to Love Your Husband, plus 9 other titles. Just Sayin’ by Dandi Daley Mackall I got this book free from My Reader Rewards…
Many of you know I’ve been using Timberdoodle’s 3rd Grade Curriculum with my youngest daughter and a couple of my grandchildren this year. I’ve been intending to write an update for a couple of months now to tell you how it’s been going. Unfortunately, I got distracted by several out-of-town trips, a couple of wedding…
Since January is “International Brain Teaser Month,” now is the perfect time to review Little Red Riding Hood, another Smart Game I ordered through Timberdoodle for my little ones. This set is a little more challenging than the Three Little Piggies I reviewed a few days ago. Consequently, you’ll note a slight shift in the…
