Interactive learning with Brilliant ~ a TOS review

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Disclaimer: I received a Complimentary copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC Regulations.  

Good morning friends! We’ve made it to the end of another week! I don’t know about you but for me the school year feels like it is flying by. As we approach the holiday season, I am looking to slow down just a little bit while still giving my kiddos an educational experience. To accomplish this we have been dabbling a little bit each morning into the world of STEM skills with our Premium Subscription from Brilliant.

The Brilliant program is just that, brilliant! We received a Premium Subscription for two students and I used it for myself and McKenzie, my 7th grader. Many people, including myself, find it hard to fit in STEM activities in the daily home educating process. However, by using Brilliant’s interactive web and mobile based program your student will learn problem solving, critical thinking, and logical reasoning skills in just 15-20 minutes a day. 

Brilliant’s online learning platform helps your student, aged 10+, master concepts in science, math, engineering, and logic by simply solving challenging problems in a hands-on approach. If you have read this blog for a while or know me in real life, you know I am all for hands-on learning! 

With over 70 online courses geared for everyone in 6th grade and up you can be sure to find something to study including courses on Everyday Math, Pre-Algebra, Geometry Fundamentals, Scientific Thinking. Computer Science Fundamentals, and Logic. 

For this review I focused on the Pre-Algebra course with my 7th grader McKenzie. During the morning I had her use it as a brain warm-up before getting started on her math lesson for the day. Since the Brilliant is an interactive program, it adapts to the user’s knowledge level, so you get the most out of the program. In the next few weeks, I am going to add in the Scientific Thinking course for McKenzie and we will most likely sit and tackle those together with little brother looking in too.

 

Brilliant is one of the courses I never knew existed but has found a place in our daily homeschool adventures! I also love that the learning can be on-the-go, especially since we are about to start traveling for gymnastics season. McKenzie and I are going to Puerto Rico for a competition in a few weeks and Brilliant will be coming along so she can continue her schooling on the road. And since I have already started thinking of next year’s courses, I have moved Brilliant’s Logic course to the top of my short list of programs for McKenzie’s 8th grade year as well. I am excited about this program for when Micah is old enough to take part as well.

I wholeheartedly recommend you check out Brilliant for your family. Help spark the natural learning curiosity in the students in your life by gifting them a subscription for their birthday and Christmas. I know we will continue to use this program through the end of our subscription and beyond. Be sure to click the banner below to find out what my CrewMates thought of this program as well.  

 Company ~ Brilliant 

 Product ~ Premium Subscription 

 Format ~ online, interactive program 

Price ~ $149.85 

Ages ~ 6th grade - adult

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© 2008 - 2022 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author. 

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Building Thinking Skills Level 1 with The Critical Thinking Co. ~ a TOS review

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Disclaimer: I received a Complimentary copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC Regulations. 

 Morning friends!

 

 Hope your week is going great! Aah, welcome to summer break! Are you looking for something to combat the “summer slide”? One of our favorites is called Building Thinking Skills® Level 1 from The Critical Thinking Co.™. 

 If you are long term readers then you already know that The Critical Thinking Co.™ is our favorite critical thinking course to use. So much so, that I am excited to use the Building Thinking Skills® Level 1 (BTS level 1) with my youngest, my son Micah. This course is a complete logic/critical thinking program for grades 2-3.

The Critical Thinking Co. is a family-owned business that has been “empowering the mind” for more than 50 years. They sell critical thinking products/supplements that cover reading, writing, mathematics, science, and history. Instead of rote drilling and memorization, students are encouraged to “carefully analyze what they are learning.” The Critical Thinking Co. is on a mission to develop the critical thinking skills in all children. 

 We received the softcover workbook for BTS Level 1 in the mail about 6 weeks ago. This is a thick workbook with over 300 pages. Inside you will find activities that will help your child with thinking skills for reading, writing, math, science, and test prep. 

There are ten different focus areas throughout the book including:

 Describing Shapes 

Similarities and Differences in Shapes 

Figural Sequences 

Figural Classifications 

Figural Analogies 

Describing Things 

Verbal Similarities and Differences 

Verbal Sequences 

Verbal Classifications 

Verbal Analogies 

 There is a full answer key in the back of the book. It is full color, miniature sized pages of the student pages with the answers marked.

Micah has enjoyed using this book each day as part of our summer learning time. Since the activities are meant to be developmentally sequenced and build upon one another we have just been plugging along in the book completing 2-3 pages a day. Normally it just takes him about 10-15 minutes to complete 2 pages, depending on the activity presented. Somedays he choose to keep working until he got tired and that got no complaints from me. 

Overall, this has been a great fit for Micah and I am excited to see him build upon his critical thinking skills as he works to complete this book over the summer and next school year. This curriculum has earned a spot in our Plan of Study line up and I am excited to see Micah reap the benefit from such a thorough critical thinking program. 

 But, don’t just take my word for it! Thirty-four of my CrewMates also reviewed this workbook and several more, including Building Thinking Skills® Level 2 - Grades 4-6, Understanding Fractions, Percent, and Decimals - Grades 4-6 , Understanding Algebra I - Grades 7-9 , Thinking Skills for Tests: Early Learning - Workbook & Guide - Grades PreK-2 , OLSAT® Test Prep Level A - Grades PreK-K , The Language Mechanic - Grades 4-7 , and Language Smarts Level E - Grades 4. Be sure to click the banner below to read their thoughts.

 

 Company ~ The Critical Thinking Co.™ 

 Product ~ Building Thinking Skills® Level 1 -Grades 2-3 (Ages 7-9) 

 Format ~ softcover workbook 

Price ~ $34.99

Ages ~ 7-9 years old

 

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 © 2008 - 2022 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.

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Elementary Math Games from The Critical Thinking Co. ~ a TOS review

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Do you have a favorite homeschool company that you always seem to navigate back to? I am a huge fan of The Critical Thinking Co. so I was thrilled when we were picked to receive Elementary Math Games to use with my youngest daughter, McKenzie. We have been playing fun math games with this book for weeks now, let me tell you a little more about it.

The Critical Thinking Co. is a family-owned business that has been “empowering the mind” for more than 50 years. They sell critical thinking products/supplements that cover reading, writing, mathematics, science, and history. Instead of rote drilling and memorization, students are encouraged to “carefully analyze what they are learning.” The Critical Thinking Co. is on a mission to develop the critical thinking skills in all children. The Elementary Math Games book is available in either book form or Windows PC download.

I specifically requested a digital copy of the book that includes over a 150 pages! I find that this format works best for our family because I have a younger son behind McKenzie who will eventually use this book too. I especially appreciate the generous copy write The Critical Thinking Co. provides in letting the purchaser make as many copies of the pages within the eBook as necessary for their family. This is extremely helpful to me as I try to provide quality learning materials for my family. This product is also available as a paperback, and carries the same “family” copy write provisions if you have multiple children to use this book. This is something that as a large family homeschooler I appreciate.

Elementary Math Games is written for children in 3rd through 5th grade and features twenty different math games on number sense, problem-solving, and operational fluency. Each of the games is classroom tested and many only require a pencil and paper and a set of dice or spinner. Many of the games come with different variations of the same game. For example there are several types of BINGO to cover decimals, fractions, etc. Plus all the games come with clear directions so you can get started having fun right from day one.

The concepts taught for the target grades include: 

- Number Sense 

- Operational Skills 

- Place Value - Decimals 

- Fractions 

- Characteristics of Numbers: Multiples and Factors, Prime and Composite Numbers, Perfect Squares - Math Vocabulary and Symbols Formulating Math Problem-Solving Strategies

We played these games on Sunday afternoons after church in preparation for the week. Sometimes I wrangled in my older girls into play when we needed more people. It made it all the more fun when we did this because let’s just say we are a competitive family. Everyone wants to win so it made game play more fast paced and exciting. Our favorite games to play were Top Ten with a Twist and Math In A Circle.

I really enjoyed playing these games with McKenzie and how they reinforced math concepts that she is learning now and ones she has already learned. She likes hands-on learning and these games provided that needed learning style for her. My plan is to keep incorporating these games into her learning each week and to purchase the middle school edition for my middle schooler, Montana.

But don’t just take my word for it about how great these games are! Check out what my CrewMates think by clicking the banner below and reading their reviews. Some of my CrewMates reviewed the Middle School games and others reviewed different products like:

 Pattern Explorer Beginning, Grades 3-4 

Critical Thinking Detective - Vocabulary Book 2, Grades 5-12+ 

Dare to Compare: Math Level 2, Grades 6-7 

Middle School Math Games, Grades 6-8 

Building Writing Skills - Essential Tips & Techniques , Grades 6-12+ 

Vocabulary Virtuoso PSAT-SAT Book 1, Grades 8-12+ 

Vocabulary Virtuoso PSAT-SAT Book 2, Grades 8-12+

Plus, The Critical Thinking Co. is so great that they are offering a special promotion and coupon code just for you! From now until 12/31/2019 you can get 15% off any size order, plus fee shipping! That makes this eBook just $13.59!

Company ~ The Critical Thinking Co. 

 Product ~ Elementary Math Games 

 Format ~ eBook, but also available as a book 

 Price ~ $15.99 

 Ages ~ 3rd - 5th graders

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 © 2008 - 2019 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.   

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The Critical Thinking Co.™: Understanding Pre-Algebra ~ a TOS review

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We have always loved all the curriculum we have used from The Critical Thinking Co.™ so I jumped at the opportunity to review Understanding Pre-Algebra for my logic loving daughter, Montana. We used this new book from The Critical Thinking Co.™ as a supplement for our summer learning, let me tell you a little more about it.



The Critical Thinking Co. is a family-owned business that has been “empowering the mind” for more than 50 years. They sell critical thinking products/supplements that cover reading, writing, mathematics, science, and history. Instead of rote drilling and memorization, students are encouraged to “carefully analyze what they are learning.” The Critical Thinking Co. is on a mission to develop the critical thinking skills in all children. The Language Arts book is available in either book form or Windows PC download.


I requested a digital copy of the book that includes 448 pages! I find that this format works best for our family because I have several children behind Montana who will eventually use this book too. I especially appreciate the generous copywrite The Critical Thinking Co. provides in letting the purchaser to make as many copies of the pages within the eBook as necessary for their family. This is extremely helpful to me as I try to provide quality learning materials for my family. This product is also available as a paperback, and carries the same “family” copywrite provisions if you have multiple children to use this book. This is something that as a large family homeschooler I appreciate.

This book is written for children in the 6th through 8th grade and teaches math concepts and thinking skills that a child will need to be successful in Algebra I and higher level math courses. The curriculum is marketed as a full curriculum and I will say that it definitely is meaty in the focus and teaching. Math is not Montana’s favorite subject like some of my other children and the concepts don’t always come easily to her. Since we are already on summer break, Montana has been using this math book three days a week to prepare her for next year’s math curriculum. I put little green and red sticker flags on the pages so she would know where to start and finish her lesson.

The book covers a lot of material within the 15 chapters included. You can get an in-depth look at the table of contents on the website, however, these are the 15 Chapters covered: 

 • Family of Numbers

 • Working With Integers

 • Working With Rational Numbers

 • Ratio, Proportion, and Percent

 • Percent Applications

 • Algebraic Expressions

 • Equations and Solving Word Problems

 • Inequalities and Applications

 • Understanding Square Roots and Irrational Numbers

 • Two Dimensional Geometry

 • Understanding Volume and Surface Area

 • Graphing on the Coordinate Plane

 • Transformations and Congruency

 • Understanding Functions

 • Probability and Statistics

This math curriculum is standards-based and stresses practice and critical thinking when teaching the concepts through short lessons. Charts, diagrams, pictures, and graphs are in color with clearly presented concepts and math vocabulary your child will be set up for success for future higher level mathematics. Important information is highlighted so the student knows they should pay attention to it. There is a chapter review at the end of each chapter to show you where you need a little extra help. A glossary and several reference sheets including a table of square roots 1-120 are found in the back of the book along with the answer key.

Since we choose the digital edition of the book that requires using a Windows operating system, and I printed out the first the first two chapters of and placed them in a working binder for Montana. Normally, during a school year the student would complete two pages per school day and that would ensure you finished by the end of the school year. Montana also worked on two pages a day, four days a week during our review period. Instead of skipping around the book, which is fine, we started from page one just so she has a firm grasp on the concepts she is learning.

I really like that this book makes Montana put her thinking cap on. This book was challenging for her in a good way. Several of the answers not only want the answer but they want you to explain your thinking. To me this is priceless! Anyone can put numbers into a formula and come up with the answer, but this book teaches you to think “why” and “how” you came to your conclusion.

We definitely will be continuing with this book for the rest of the summer and throughout next school year. Since starting this math curriculum Montana has a good grasp of pre-Algebra knowledge and so have I. We both especially enjoyed the Cowboy story found within Chapter 2 on multiplying and dividing integers. So much so, that I made a copy for my rising 10th grader as she has been struggling a bit with this concept. The story helped to give her a visual and now she is not making sign mistakes within her Algebra I work.


I think this is a great book and if you are searching for a math curriculum move Understanding Pre-Algebra to the top of your list! In all the products we have tried, this company has never steered me wrong. Be sure to check out the other products including Critical Thinking Detective Book 1, Something Fishy at Lake Iwannafisha , Critical Thinking Detective: Vocabulary , Dare to Compare Level 1 , and Vocabulary Riddles Book 1 that my CrewMates reviewed from The Critical Thinking Co. by clicking the banner below.

Company ~ The Critical Thinking Co.™

 Product ~ Understanding Pre-Algebra 

 Format ~ digital eBook, for Windows platform only 

 Price ~ $42.99 

 Ages ~ 6th – 8th graders

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