Building Thinking Skills

Workbooks from The Critical Thinking Co.

Building Thinking Skills • Beginning • Ages 3-4
Question and Answer Puzzles to Improve Academic Performance
and
Building Thinking Skills • Level 3 Figural • Grades 7-12+
Critical Thinking Skills for Reading, Writing, Math, Science

From The Critical Thinking Co.

These are great books for strengthening thinking skills!
I give a big thumbs up!

My family has the privilege of reviewing two workbooks from The Critical Thinking Co. which promotes their product as “The #1 Selling Thinking Skills Program in the World!”
Each workbook provides “highly effective verbal and nonverbal reasoning activities to improve your child’s reading, writing, math, logic and figural-spatial skills, as well as their visual and auditory processing.” Each workbook is full of matching, selecting and drawing activities.

And, if you can’t figure the answers out, no worries!
The Answer Guide is Included!

Building Thinking Skills • Level 3 Figural • Grades 7-12+
Critical Thinking Skills for Reading, Writing, Math, Science

My 16 -year old daughter and I are reading and working through Figural Level 3 book. We sit down together and work on the activities, from page to page. I definitely see the value in doing these exercises.

Training our brains to think and look at shapes and designs differently, to see the similarities and relationships from one figure to another, and to express them through drawing similar patterns - this is more difficult than it seems. We love the gentle pushing it gives to think harder. Sometimes, (many times) we need to peek at the answers.

The introduction discusses the importance of “Discussion,” not simply paper and pencil alone, to solve and work through the exercises. Manipulatives are encouraged since they provide a “concrete basis” and a “richer perception of the analysis talks.”

The workbook is broken up into four categories: Similarities, Sequences, Classifications, and Analogies. The Similarities exercises begin with Matching Figures and have various geometric shapes with lines and shading designs. We are to pick out the ones that match or don’t match. This continues and increases in difficulty for several pages. This section continues with several exercises including (but definitely not all): Recognizing Lines of Symmetry, Identifying Congruent Parts, Drawing Tessellating Patterns, Complete the Cube with One Piece, etc.

Sequences include (but not all): Pattern Folding, Paper Folding, Sequence of Figures, Selecting Pattern Pieces, Matching Pattern Pieces, Rotating Cubes, etc.

Classifications has exercises in: Matching Classes, Changing Characteristics, Classifying By Pattern, Discovering Classes, Overlapping Classes – Intersections, etc.

The Analogies section has practice in: Figural Analogies, Describing Types of Figural Analogies, Follow the Rule, Select the Solid, etc.

Building Thinking Skills • Beginning • Ages 3-4
Question and Answer Puzzles to Improve Academic Performance

The next workbook I am reviewing with my two sons, ages 3 and 8. The Beginning book for ages 3-4 is full of colorful pages.

My boys usually sit on my lap and we talk about each page. They think it’s their game book. My 3 year old takes it to heart and is recognizing shapes around himself. He sees straight lines, curved lines, corners, etc.

I’ve noticed my 8 year old, who is slightly delayed developmentally, becoming very mentally active after a session. He’ll begin to talk non-stop, and begin to engage in conversations with the family.His expressive language is delayed also, so to see him communicating more and beginning conversations is exciting. I believe it is directly related to the work we do in the Building Thinking Skills book.

Activities on each page strengthen Visual and Auditory Processing, Fine Motor Development, Reasoning, Deduction and Creative Problem Solving. The concepts covered are: Colors, Logical Connectives, Lines, Corners, Geometric Shapes, Behind & In-Between, Above & Below, Measurement, Half & Whole, Left & Right, and Open & Closed.

Again, these are great books for strengthening thinking skills!
I give a big thumbs up!

Alphabet Alley's Two By Two Game

Two By Two Matching Game by Alphabet Alley
Click Here for Alphabet Alley

Alphabet Alley is a family-owned company that produces toddler toys with a Christian message.
“Smart fun for little souls,” is their motto.
What’s not to like here?

The Two By Two Matching Game is an adorable matching game for the youngest ones in your family. It is a simple game of turning over the cards and matching up the pictures, and helps to improve memory and concentration skills.

National Parenting Center's 2008 Seal of Approval!

There are 12 pairs of designs: a Noah’s ark, a fluffy sheep, a red bird, a yellow ducky, a baby elephant, zebra, lion, and giraffe, a red ladybug, a round piggy, a blue butterfly, and a little calf.

They’re printed with bright colors and endearing illustrations. The cards are sturdy and chunky making them perfect for little hands to pick up and flip over. These are especially convenient for those working with children with special needs who need fine motor grasp activities.

This game is a big hit in my house with my 3 year old. He loves to look at the animals and match them up. He is learning how to play the game, take turns, and clean up afterwards. He likes to line them up and make a “train” of animals.

I am using the Two by Two Matching Game to teach his older brother to count by two’s. I just work it in while we’re playing a game, but I’ll also use it for part of his math time.

My boys are very happy with this game and
take good care of it.

Definitely worth the $10.99 price.
Click Here for Alphabet Alley

Alphabet Alley's Noah's Ark Go Fish

Noah's Ark Go Fish by Alphabet Alley

The Noah’s Ark Go Fish card game is the same old Go Fish we’ve all played, but these cards have a Noah’s ark theme, with pairs of animals on several of the cards. All are numbered so you can play by calling out the animals or the numbers. The names of the animals are written on each card, too.

Dove • Lions • Butterflies • Pigs • Giraffes • Ark • Noah
Elephants • Zebras • Cows

The Noah’s Ark Go Fish card game is for kids from 3 and up. These cards are over-sized, measuring approx. 3” x 4.5”, and heavily laminated making them perfect for the young ones to play with.

My two youngest boys ask often if we can play cards. They like the bright colors and cute characters.

Again, these are great to use with special needs kids, especially kids with Down's syndrome who have small, pudgy fingers. I know this from personal experience with my own son, Joshua.

It is a little bit of a struggle for him to play with a regular deck of playing cards. Playing with Alphabet Alley’s Noah’s Ark Go Fish, cards are much easier for him to manipulate and he’s learning how to hold them properly.

My only negative experience is with the product box the cards came in, which ripped very easily.

Noah’s Ark Go Fish card game is well worth the $5.99 price!

Click Here for Alphabet Alley

ALEKS Math Review

“ALEKS is a web-based, artificially intelligent assessment and learning system.” It’s an online, interactive Math curriculum that evaluates each student’s math skills and provides instruction in the areas needed.

It can be used as a personal tutor, or a supplement to public school, or as a homeschool curriculum. It offers instruction in K-12 mathematics, up to and including Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, Trigonometry, AP Statistics, AP Calculus, Physics, Chemistry, Fundamentals of Accounting, and Business Math.

My homeschooled children have been using this system for the past month. April is registered in Algebra 2, and Jonathan in 6th grade. After their initial registration, which went smoothly, they were each given an online assessment to find out what they knew.

A list of topics is then assigned to each student in a colorful pie shape, called MyPie. Each time the students log in they are asked to do review work, or they are placed exactly where they left off from a previous session.

ALEKS provides assessment reports for the parents, and the kids can see their progress right on their MyPie charts. They can pick and choose any part of the pie to work in. ALEKS will not let them move on to more difficult topics until current ones are mastered.

Jonathan, my 6th grader, is plodding along quite well. He’s a kid that has meltdowns from mathematics! I have not seen any of these so far. He likes the freedom to pick and choose his topics from the ALEKS MyPie for the day. The instruction is straightforward and uses diagrams and examples for instruction. If Jonathan gets a problem wrong, he can click for an explanation and it solves it for him. Then it prompts him to practice similar problems. Jonathan says he likes it better than the Saxon math he’s doing. I have him in Saxon Algebra 1/2 which is a little above his level. His ALEKS level is easier for him, and less stressful. I’ll continue to use both programs with him. He needs all the math support he can get.

My daughter, April, works in ALEKS Algebra 2. She’s been working slow and steady through it. She wishes there “was more structure to the program in terms of telling her exactly what problems she needs to do and what “grade” she got on the assignment.” But ALEKS doesn’t work that way! It doesn’t give grades; it provides mastery! She will either learn it and master it, or continue to work on it.

Overall, I’m pleased with the ALEKS system. I’d like to continue with them for both of my kids.

Click Here for ALEKS

Times Tales - Times Tables Made Easy!

Times Tales - Times Tables Made Easy!

Click Here for Times Tales

Times Tales is a program that teaches the upper times facts through mnemonic stories.

It is the brainchild of Jennie Von Eggers, a homeschooling mom teaching the multiplication facts to her boys. They had trouble remembering their facts from day to day. She developed a way to teach them through clever stories, which enabled them to recall the facts.

Several years later, she (along with two partners) developed this system into Times Tales.

Cast of Times Tales Characters:
Butterfly – The number “3” drawn to look like a butterfly.
Chair – The number “4” drawn to look like a chair (4 table legs)
First Grade Class – looks like the “6”
Mrs. Week – looks like the “7”
Mrs. Snowman – looks like the “8”
Treehouse – looks like the “9”

Story #1:

The First Grade Class played musical Chairs for 24 hours.

Setting:

A flip chart with a really cute picture of little kids with 6’s on their heads walking around a chair shaped like a 4, and musical notes flying around the room.

Plot:

We talk about the picture and what the kids are doing. Ask questions and get the kids to tell you the story back. Make sure to keep the numbers in order.

Last Act:

Show the kids Flash Cards and have them tell you the story represented by each one. Then reveal to them that their actually doing “math.”

I‘m reviewing this product and have to say I am unsure if it works for my family. My older boy Jonathan, 11 years, still struggles slightly with recalling his multiplication facts. But learning the stories for each one seems cumbersome. He’s farther along in knowing his facts and this just slows him down. He’s not the target audience for this system.

Joshua, my middle boy, 8 years, is thoroughly enjoying it. He carries the flip chart around with him - through the house, in the car, to church,- and talks about the stories on each page. He recognizes the numbers in the characters and reads the equations to me. But, developmentally, he’s not learning his multiplication facts. I wonder if this will hinder his understanding of the concept of multiplying numbers. I may be putting the cart before the horse with this boy. On the other hand, this may be exactly what will help him see and understand his times tables. He’s a boy that likes to experience life, and learns through seeing things, hearing things, and touching things. Teaching him these clever stories is great for his imagination and story-telling abilities. He’s behind in his expressive language skills, but I see him articulating these stories.
I’m willing to continue using this with him and evaluate the outcome. It may be much farther down the road.

Click Here for Times Tales

Time 4 Learning Review

Joshua loves his “school time.”

My Joshua is a special child. God has gifted him with an extra chromosome (Trisomy 21, aka Down syndrome) It takes him longer to learn some things. He’s a very visual learner. He makes connections when he can see it, feel it, hear it, touch it. His life and world experiences make his learning come alive. Enter Time4Learning – a new approach that takes advantage of today's technology. It's a convenient, online home education program that combines learning with fun educational teaching games. (From their website.) 

I had 2 of my kids working here this month. My youngest, Joshua, works in the Kindergarten level. Here, he is learning phonics, special sounds, counting by 2’s and 5’s, ordinal numbers, comparing numbers, and odd/even numbers. Joshua is just beginning to learn these number concepts and Time4Learning provides the “fun” school time he needs to reinforce these concepts. He loves it. Since I am homeschooling, Joshua likes to think of this as his “school” time. In Joshua’s experience with Time4Learning, I have been most pleased with the Language Arts section. It does a very good job of introducing new sounds or sight words, and then working with them. Creative-looking, colorful sock puppets, finger puppets, and little bugs are used to teach the lessons. He would be on this site all day if I let him! Joshua loves his “school time.” If I could afford it, (it is reasonably priced) I’d keep Joshua on Time4Learning indefinitely. He truly enjoys it and is making connections. It has been beneficial, indeed, for Joshua.  

The only drawbacks are the size of the graphics in the math sections.

• At times, the items to be counted are too small for him to clearly differentiate.

• The number grids and graphs are also too small for him to see and therefore

• He has a hard time understanding the concept being taught.

The Science and Social Studies sections are fun and interactive also. But, it seems some reading is involved, which the parents will need to read to the student. This is fine in my case. Joshua likes to sit on my lap and learn that way. We read through each section and I help him to understand the lesson, then we take the quizzes together. The program leads Joshua through each section with flashing arrows. He can click on any icon and work in any section, but it keeps track of what he has or hasn’t finished. So, each time he works, it prompts him to what he needs to finish. 

My other son, Jonathan, has been working in the 6th grade level. He’s been focusing on the math and language arts sections. This is quite different for him, since he’s been engrossed in Saxon math for the past 2 years. Time4Learning is big, and bouncy, and loud, and he was a little embarrassed when he began. I think he felt it was too juvenile for him. He’s gotten over that; he keeps the volume down… For Jonathan, I see Time4Learning acting as a great supplement to his math and grammar studies. The lessons are very entertaining and keep his attention.

Reviewing Time4Learning this past month has been a privilege. You simply sign up each child in their appropriate level and then they are assigned a username and a password for each time they log in to learn. There are two levels for logins, an Upper Level Login, and a Lower Level Login. There is also a Parent Login that gives access to a parent forum, and lesson plans. It gives an account status and allows you to make changes to the student levels. 

Time4Learning’s interaction is very similar to the kid’s computer programs JumpStart series and Winnie-the-Pooh learning software. There is also a child’s portfolio icon which shows what they’ve worked on, how successful they’ve been, how much time they’ve spent on each section, etc. These reports can be printed out for reference. 

Their website says...

Time4Learning's curriculum can be the foundation of a homeschool program.

Many homeschool families use Time4Learning as core curriculum in one or more subjects: others use Time4Learning to supplement other homeschool curriculum with a fun interactive reinforcement of the day's lessons. Families with children in school use Time4Learning after school as an alternative to tutoring, learning centers, or supplementary workbooks. Time4Learning is also popular as a summer skills sharpener or instead of summer school.

Click Here For Time4Learning