Timberdoodle's 9th Grade Elite Curriculum Kit Review

Remember my unboxing post of TImberdoodle's 9th grade Elite Curriculum Kit?  Well, it's time for our review!  A is finishing up her 9th grade year and Timberdoodle released their 2019 Curriculum Kits recently so what better time to share our experience with you!  We did not use everything in our kit but we did use the majority of it!  You may be starting to plan your upcoming school year or maybe you are wondering about Timberdoodle's Curriculum kits.  Either way, I hope you find this review helpful.  I cannot get into every detail or this post would be especially long, so if you have questions about a specific portion of this kit that I don't address please feel free to reach out to me and I will do my best to help you in any way that I can!  Let's jump in...

A on her first day of 9th Grade

History

A has been studying the Renaissance, Reformation, and Growth of Nations with The Mystery of History Vol 3.  Even though this is Vol 3., this is our first experience using The Mystery of History Curriculum (I had heard of it though).  This kit included the book itself and the companion guide (which is the student activity book and teacher's guide all in one).  I would recommend having both of these (thanks Timberdoodle!).  This is definitely a "meaty" portion of this curriculum and why I chose to start with it.  A spent a lot of time using this history curriculum and it was fun.  It was a bit challenging at first to get a feel for what our schedule should be but once we got into a groove it was a lot smoother.  A loved reading outside books that tied into her curriculum topics and she especially loved the activities that went along with the lessons.  The activities are divided up for younger students, middle school students, and older students.  A did a combination of all the activities.  We went through together and picked out the ones she would complete.  She organized all of her completed work in a binder.  We took pictures of her hands-on projects and she included the photos in her binder as well.  This program includes pretests (that tests what you know ahead of time about the subject), quizzes and exercises throughout.

A collage of some of her projects.

A really thrived as she crafted her way through history.  A few of the things she made were an aged journal, compass, cannon, air freshener, treasure box, etc.

A with her homemade treasure box...

A with her timeline towards the beginning of the year.

A also made a timeline of important figures/events in this curriculum throughout the year {We used these timeline figures, which used to be free}.  She liked having a quick glance view of what she learned.

A colored the figures and we laminated them.  She used double sided tape to adhere them to her homemade timeline board.  Here is a close-up with more of her figures applied.  This is one of the suggested activities in the companion guide.

Another part of the history portion of this kit (which is completely separate from Mystery of History) is The United States Constitution - A Graphic Adaptation.

This book walks students through the entire Constitution.  If your students are like A, then they enjoy graphic novels.  A read this very quickly and quite enjoyed it.  I think it's a fun reference and resource book to have as needed.

Science
I love Science.  I guess that's no surprise since I have a B.S. in Zoology.  This year A studied Biology using Friendly Biology.  This curriculum was written by a homeschooling husband and wife team.  I had never heard of it before Timberdoodle so it was fun to see A use it.  A used this curriculum fairly independently with help from me when needed.  She would read the text and complete the lesson exercises - questions and a crossword for each lesson.  I would check them and make corrections and ask her if there was anything she didn't understand.  We did find a few mistakes here and there but nothing major.  Then she would take the tests.

Here is an example of a crossword mistake (there were too many boxes for the correct answer).  Again, nothing major.

I think this is a gentle Biology curriculum and not as intense as others I have seen.  The chapters are shorter and very non-intimidating.  I really love that they make Biology approachable and easier to understand for teenagers.  This was a great fit for A and I really think she learned a lot.

This kit also included Biology 101 DVD.  I wanted A to complete Friendly Biology first and now, she is beginning to watch our DVD.  This DVD has everything you need to earn high school Biology credit when you use the guidebook along with discussion questions and quizzes included on Disc 4.  We are starting to listen to this as a family (whoever wants to listen and watch with us), which is great.  Although, this DVD was designed for older students it is completely family friendly.  This DVD approaches Biology by classifying all life in accordance with the days of creation.  There is over 4 hours of material!  I'm looking forward to finishing this set.

Language Arts

Easy Grammar Grade 9

There were several components of Language Arts in our kit - Easy Grammar Grade 9, Editor in Chief Level 3, Implications of Literature Explorer Level, Root Words Level 3 and Writing with Skill Level 2.  The only portion of this that I was previously familiar with was Easy Grammar which I am a huge fan of.  A completed the Easy Grammar program in 6th grade.  It was fairly easy for her to jump into Easy Grammar Grade 9 with no problem and it has been a great addition to her 9th grade year.

Editor in Chief Level 3 and Word Roots Level 3

While I had never heard of Editor in Chief or Root Words (both Level 3) I think they are really good programs (The Critical Thinking Co. is pretty fantastic).  A found it challenging to jump into both of these books without having previously completed the earlier books.  We were muddling through them and then it dawned on me.  One of the beauties of homeschooling is the ability to adapt to your student.

Editor in Chief Level 2 and Word Roots Level 1

So I ordered Editor in Chief Level 2 (which is recommended for 6th-8th grade) and Root Words Level 1 (which is recommended for 5th-12th) for her and it was a night and day difference.  Having more instruction and explanation was great for her and she really thrived!  I think if she had completed the previous books this would have been a none issue so if you are jumping into these books with no prior instruction be aware that you may want to start with a lower level and work your way up.  These books are great additions and hold huge value in language arts instruction.  When she completes these books I look forward to using the higher levels with her and see what she thinks then!

Unfortunately I cannot comment on the Writing with Skill by Susan Wise Bauer.  We ended up not using this program but I have mad respect for Susan Wise Bauer and I think it is something that we will use in the future.  I will definitely be looking through this program this summer!

We did use Implications of Literature Explorer Level but we did adapt it.  There is a lot in this program and we didn't do everything.  This program includes quizzes, textual sidebars, literary critiques, writing assignments, journaling, grammar, and vocabulary.  It's packed!  A really enjoyed the reading and journaling.  We focused on those two things the most.  A appreciated the vocabulary footers included in the student text and I appreciate that the teacher's text included all of the student text with helpful annotations and suggested answers for assignments.  This really is a comprehensive program.

Math

We had already decided to use Teaching Textbooks online before I got this kit for A.  I have been fairly happy with that.  I will say that Math-U-See Geometry looks pretty awesome.  A completed Teaching Textbooks Geometry last month and I am toying around with the idea of having her work through some of the Math-U-See Geometry program to see how she fairs and for greater review.  I'll keep you posted.

A loves her Extreme Dot-to-Dot puzzle book.  I'm so glad that Timberdoodle thinks of adding books like this to their curriculum.  It's so fun for the kids and help keeps them motivated during the school year.  It has been a great relaxer and a fun break for A to use her dot-to-dot book.

Some of A's Dot-to-Dot creations

It was pretty fun.  The day that A finished her possum dot-to-dot we had one show up in our backyard.

Thinking Skills

A really enjoys her Anti-Virus Mutation game.  In this game, there is a virus lurking on the board (the red piece), and your job is to slide molecules around to clear an exit for the virus - that's it!  While this game may look easy, it can be challenging too.  I appreciate that it's portable so we can take it on the go.  It's also a single-player game and those can be hard to find.

This game is a similar concept to Timberdoodle's Asteroid Escape Smart Game.  Smart Games encourage planning, problem solving, spatial insight and flexible thinking which is why this can be found within the Thinking Skills category of this curriculum.

Building Thinking Skills Book 3 Verbal

This has been a great book to help A develop her critical thinking skills as well as help prepare her for future tests.  She took the Standford 10 Standardized test a few weeks ago and I'm thankful that she worked through this book this year.  I see it as only a help.

STEM

A has enjoyed her Duinokit Jr.  This kit has a bunch of mission cards that teach Arduino-based learning through assignments.

A working with her kit

One of A's simpler assignments...

And another

This is a nice kit.  A did have a problem with the LCD component failing.  It would be better to have more protection to not ruin hardware with simple mistakes so kids can keep learning.  The software challenges are pretty good.

Art

How to Draw Almost Everything has step-by-step instructions and illustration for drawing animals, people, plants, food, buildings, vehicles, and more!  A especially liked the animal section (no surprise).

A working on drawing animals

 A sampling of her animal drawings...

Other

Mixed by Me Thinking Putty Kit

This Glow in the Dark Mixed by Me Kit includes:  5 small tins with clear Thinking Putty, 3 concentrated primary-colored putties (red, blue and yellow), 3 special effect putties (Glow-ifier, Shimmer-izer, and Sparkle-izer), 1 tin to hold your components, 6 colored pencils, and extra labels for your tins.  If you are new to Thinking Putty, it will never dry out.  Thinking Putty is great for kids to fidget with, play with and use as a destress tool.  A loved making her space inspired putties:  Cosmic Lavender, Galactic Blue, Alien Green, Sun Rays and Shooting Star!

A close up of A's putties

Cosmic Lavender has the Shimmer-izer added to it.

Alien Green contains the Glow-ifier so it glows in the dark!

Cracking the PSAT/NMSQT

This book has everything you need to prepare for the PSAT (math/critical reading/grammar skills, drills with answer explanations and practice test questions).  This had been a good book for A to gain experience with.  She is actually signed up to take a SAT prep course next year in CoOp and I think this book is definitely helping her prepare for the PSAT as well as the SAT.  Another great addition.

So, to wrap up we used everything in our kit except Math-U-See Geometry (only because I had previously purchased Teaching Textbooks online for the oldest 5 kids), Professor Teaches Office Super Set (ran out of time), and Writing with Skill Level 2.  We also changed both Editor and Chief and Root Words to a lower level.  This kit was fun, exciting and overall I think A really enjoyed her Freshman year at home.

I should note that this kit is not the only thing that A did this year but it is absolutely a complete and full curriculum load.  A was involved in the local Homeschool Advanced Band and Wind Ensemble.  She also participated in a weekly P.E. program.  And of course, was a part of our weekly Homeschool CoOp during the school year.  I plan on having her use Professor Teaches Office Super Set over the summer, we just didn't fit it into our schedule with everything else we added in but it looks great and I want her to be familiar and comfortable with Microsoft Office, Windows, Quickbooks, Graphics and Web design.  I will come back and update this section after she completes this portion.

I also want to note that Timberdoodle allows you to customize your kit.  If you need to do this, take advantage of this feature.

Timberdoodle offers standard (faith-based) kits as well as non-religious kits.  They also offer 3 different kit levels - basic, complete and elite so there is something for everyone.  You can order just the backbone of what you will need with the basic kit or everything and the kitchen sink with the elite kit, which is what we used (and it's awesome)!  I hope I have given you a fair assessment of A's 9th grade school year.  I hope you have found this review helpful.  Again, let me know if you have any questions.  Thanks Timberdoodle for helping me officially homeschool my first year of high school!  I survived and A thrived!

As I mentioned previously, Timberdoodle launched their 2019 curriculum kits.  There are a few minor differences between the 2019 Ninth-Grade Curriculum Kit and the 2018 one we used:  99 Stories I Could Tell (added to Language Arts), English Language Skills (instead of Writing with Skill), People Places and Principles of America 2 (Added to History and Social Studies), Mand Labs Premium Kit (instead of Duinokit Jr.) and Mixed By Me Thinking Putty Hypercolor (over Glow in the Dark).  I actually think these changes look really good.  I'm  most excited about the English Language Skills and Mand Labs changes.  Kudos to Timberdoodle for always pushing for their kits to be the best!

Disclosure:  Huge shout out to Timberdoodle for selecting me as a Timberdoodle Blogger.  Timberdoodle sent my family their 9th grade Elite Curriculum Kit for a discounted price in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are my own.