Timberdoodle's First Grade Curriculum Kit Review {Unboxing Our Elite Kit}

I am super excited to share this news with you!  Timberdoodle just recently revealed their 2020 Curriculum kits and I am excited to announce that we will be using and reviewing their First Grade Elite Curriculum Kit (with F) throughout the upcoming school year, beginning with this unboxing!  This kit is chock-full of amazing products.  I want you to get a look inside at what's included and what specifically we will be using.  And yes, our school year does not typically begin until August but I wanted to get this unboxing to you quickly as you might already be planning for your next school year.  And I have a feeling with the current social climate that we will be using several of these items this summer 😃.  I'm really hoping you find this post handy.

 Our Timberdoodle Boxes!

 A peek at opening up our box!  Everything was packed extremely well.

With Timberdoodle, you have the choice of several kit options: Basic, Complete and Elite.  We chose the Elite kit which is everything and the kitchen sink when it comes to homeschooling 1st grade.  I love the elements in this kit.  There is also the choice to select a classic (faith-based) kit or a nonreligious kit if that suits your needs better.  We ordered the classic.  The customization feature is great and allows you to really get the best options for your student and homeschool.  If your child is reading ahead or reading at a slower pace, you can select the correct level for your child.  The same applies for Math and other subjects as well.  I had F take the tests for Math, Spelling, and Reading and chose the recommended levels for 1st grade because those matched up for where he is currently at.  I'd recommend doing this for your child as well.  I also already own a few of the kit items so I was able to take those items off when ordering so as not to duplicate.  Now, let's dive in!

 Timberdoodle's Curriculum Handbook for 1st Grade

This 8.5" x 8.5" handbook is designed to be simple, easy to use and get you started on your curriculum kit right away without being overwhelmed or confused.  It's small, lightweight and easy for you to reference as needed.  It has lots of tips and tricks for you.  I really like the looks of the reading challenge that's included in ours as well as the various builds for our Plus-Plus Mini Set.

There are 4 items in the History component of our curriculum kit:  The Story of the World Volume 1 Book, The Story of the World Volume 1 Activity Book, The Story of the World Volume 1 Audio Book, and Famous Figures of Ancient Times.

 The Story of the World Volume 1 Set

 I already own the Story of the World Volume 1 Audio Book and Activity Book

{We customized our kit to remove these since I didn't need to repurchase the same items.  We do plan to use them!}

We did not already own The Story of the World Volume 1 book

This volume covers Ancient Times beginning with the earliest nomads and ending with the last Roman emperor, ~ 5000 BC to 400 AD.  It presents world history in chronological order.  F does not have much experience with this program so I'm excited for him to jump into it.

Famous Figures of Ancient Times

We already own this book as well so again we customized our kit to remove it.  We are going to use it this year as F learns about Ancient Times.

There are 4 items in the Thinking Skills component of our curriculum kit:  Critical and Creative 1, Smart Cookies, miniLUK Set A and B, and the Postman Observation Game.

 

 Our Critical and Creative Grade 1 book

This book contains 46 theme-based units to help your child think in a variety of ways.  There are brainteasers, logic puzzles and mazes among other things.  I am really excited to see which activities F enjoys the most.

 Our Smart Cookies Game

This game helps teach children logic as they progress through 64 brain-building puzzles, in a cookie format!  I'm excited for all of us to try this out as it is recommended for ages 6-99!

 Our miniLUK Set A and miniLUK Set B

I have no idea what this set is!  It seems to be a hands-on, game-like way to teach thinking skills.  The workbook collections cover memorization, concentration, visual perception, logical thinking and more.  I'm really interested to see how this works and how F likes it.

 Our Postman Observation Game

Yay, another game!  This game focuses on your child's visual acuity and memory and how quickly they respond.  This is a multigenerational game so again, we all get to enjoy it.

There are 2 items in the Geography component of our curriculum kit: Skills Sharpeners Geography Grade 1 and the World Scrunch Map and 2 items in the Science component of our curriculum kit:  Science in the Beginning Set and the Lab Kit for Science in the Beginning.

Our Skill Sharpeners Geography Grade 1 book

This looks like a fun book to learn key map skills and geography concepts with color and fun themes.

World Scrunch Map

This portable, detailed map will allow F to really see places around the world and where they are located.  He won't have to worry about neatly folding it up as it just scrunches back into its bag.

Science in the Beginning Set

This set includes the textbook and a Helps and Hints booklet as well.  This is the first book in the Berean Science series and I'm so excited to use it and see where this series begins.  We have not used this book but we have used another book in this series, Science in the Age of Reason (which is the 4th book of this series).
 

Our Lab Kit for Science in the Beginning

I am beyond excited to have this prebuilt lab kit to go along with our Science program.  This kit includes most of the necessary items for all the experiments in this program.  This is going to be so convenient to have and should make doing the experiments go a lot smoother as I won't have to spend time gathering the necessary supplies!

There are 3 items in the Math component of our curriculum kit: the Math-U-See Alpha set, the Wrap-Ups Addition and Subtraction, and Mobi Kids.

Math-U-See Alpha Level

This is a multisensory, manipulative-based curriculum that looks for mastery of concepts before progressing.  I'm excited to use this with F this year and see how he does with it.

Wrap-Ups Subtraction (orange) and Wrap-Ups Addition (green)

These portable, math manipulatives are great for drillwork and learning math facts.  I'm interested in seeing what F thinks of them.

Our Mobi Kids

If you know us, then you know we love games.  Mobi Kids is a fun and simple math game that uses colorful tiles.  It will be fun to play this with several of the kids and see what the family thinks.

There are 4 items in the Language Arts component of our curriculum kit:  All About Reading Level 2 Deluxe Set, Spelling You See Level B, Daily 6-Trait Writing Grade 1 and Imagidice.

All About Reading Level 2 Full-Color Edition Deluxe Set

I'm super excited to use this reading program with F.  We have used the All About Reading Pre-Reading level in the past and really enjoyed it.  I really appreciate that they upgraded their products to color.  I think this is going to be a great addition for F this year.

Spelling You See Level B

I have never used this program before but I have heard of it.  Again, I'm excited to see what F thinks.  I like the looks of the multisensory approach and this is the universal set so it includes everything we will need, even the erasable colored pencils!

Our Daily 6-Trait Writing Grade 1

I wasn't familiar with the trait writing concept.  This book uses this method to determine if a child's writing is skilled or not.  The six traits are content, organization, word choice, sentence fluency, voice and conventions (which include grammar, spelling and mechanics).  I'm curious to see how F does with this book.

Our Imagidice

These dice are used to inspire imaginative storytelling without the burden of writing, spelling, etc.  I can't wait to hear the tales F creates.

There are 2 items included in the STEM component of our curriculum kit: Robotics Play 600 Pets and Plus-Plus Mini 1200 piece set and 2 items included in the Learning Tools component of our curriculum kit: Mad Mattr Craftsman and the Test Prep Grade 1 book.

 Our Robotics Play 600 Pets

In this set, F will get to build his own robots.  I'm excited that he is going to get to experience the fundamentals of simple automation.  There are step-by-step instructions on how to build seven moving pet robots.  Everything is included except two AA batteries.

Our Plus-Plus Mini 1200 piece set

We are already huge fans of Plus-Plus so this set is such a great addition to have!  There are endless possibilities for builds with these simple shape pieces.  I love that this set includes an assortment of 10 different colors.

 Our Mad Mattr Craftsman set

Mad Mattr!  We love it.  This moldable, stretchable, doughy like compound is a blast to create and build with.  This set includes the brick maker mold and six extruder tools - circle, square, star, triangle, hexagon, and house-shaped polygon.  I can see F getting a lot of play time with our Mad Mattr.

Our Test Prep Grade 1 book

This books offers students the essential groundwork needed to prepare for standardized tests.  I've never really concentrated on standardized test taking skills, especially at this young of an age so I'm really interested in using this with F and seeing what we think.  I definitely think it can't hurt!

There are 5 items included in the art component of our curriculum kit: What's New? What's Missing? What's Different?, the Aquarellum Cosmos Set, Doodle Washington D.C., Djeco's Cosmos Foil, and Do Art Coloring with Clay.  We already own and reviewed What's New? What's Missing? What's Different? so we customized our kit to not include that.

Our Aquarellum Cosmos Set

In this kit, there are two pictures to paint along with all the necessary supplies.  This looks like a really high-quality set and I'm excited to see F's results.

Doodle Washington D.C.

This looks like a really fun drawing book.  There are several prompts with doodles specific to Washington D.C. itself, but there are other doodles that are more universal.  I'm really glad to have a drawing book for my younger crowd and I'm excited to see what creations lie ahead.

Our Djeco Cosmos Foil

I already know that we are huge Djeco fans.  We have used several of their products and have not been disappointed.  This space-themed foil set looks fantastic.  There are 12 space scene cards to decorate and I can't wait to see what F thinks of this unique art process.

Our Do Art Coloring with Clay

This kit uses pre-printed boards for children to apply clay to in order to create amazing art pieces.  Again, this looks fantastic and has everything included that we will need.

And that is our Timberdoodle First Grade Elite Curriculum Kit in a nutshell!  I am stoked.  I will be doing more in depth reviews of individual products as we use them so stay tuned for those!  And as always, please feel free to ask me any questions.  I'm glad to help if I can 😉.

Disclosure:  Huge shout out to Timberdoodle for selecting me as a Timberdoodle Blogger.  I will be refunded the purchase price of our curriculum kit in exchange for my honest reviews.  All opinions are my own.

Ultimate PreK-12 Annual Membership from SchoolhouseTeachers.com Review

{Disclaimer:  I received a FREE Ultimate PreK-12 Annual Membership from SchoolhouseTeachers 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.  This post contains affiliate links.}


I am loving the variety of Elementary Homeschool Course, Middle School Homeschool Courses and High School Homeschool Courses available with the Ultimate PreK-12 Annual Membership from SchoolhouseTeachers.com.  This is on online membership that contains downloadable, printable elements as well as online classes and video components.  There is so much available on this site it is truly amazing.

SchoolhouseTeachers.com offers a full curriculum for every grade beginning with preschool through high school, including electives.  This Ultimate membership gives access to all the site's content, allowing customization for every child, all at one price!  That's especially awesome if you have a large family like I do.  SchoolhouseTeachers works great as a primary curriculum and can also be used to supplement as needed.  I really appreciate that every course is designed with a Christian worldview.

Focused Learning Centers

I'm really like the idea of the focused learning centers.  If your child needs help in a particular area whether it be math, reading, foreign language, science, college planning, etc., the focused learning centers can help.  They will direct you to the courses, lessons, and articles that can help you teach your children who are struggling.

Literacy Center

The Literacy Center is also great as it helps you to improve your child's reading and literacy no matter where they are.  You will find links, techniques, and strategies to guide your children in reading instruction.  There's a great guide that helps you pinpoint exactly where to begin based on their ability.  F is considered an Early Reader while G is an Emerging Reader.  I have access to lots of resources to use with them including activity sheets and audio files.

Preschool Playground

I'm really loving the Preschool Playground.  There are tons of tools and academic resources that can help you make the most of your time with your littler ones.  You will find resources for Bible, Language Arts, Multi-Subject, Numbers/Patters/Cognitive Skills, Manners and Healthy Habits, Arts/Crafts/Music, Science, Motor Skills, Social Studies, etc.  And there is always help available if you have any questions or need to chat with customer service at any time.

Here you can see resources available for Preschool Language Arts.

Video Library - Above you can see a few of the options for Kids and Art.

The video library is another wonderful member benefit.  There are numerous videos that span several academic areas along with entertainment, marriage and parenting, and Bible study as well.  You will gain access to hundreds of streaming videos from providers like Creation.com, City on a Hill, Discovery House, Drive Thru History, RightNow Media and more!  The video library rounds up all the videos in one location for easy access.

There are really too many resources to name.  I did want you to know that there is a whole planning section that includes record keeping, scope and sequence, a schedule builder and lesson plans.  Check out the short video below to get an idea of how you can use these lesson plans in your homeschool.



Not only is there a plethora of content on SchoolhouseTeachers, there is also so much flexibility with this membership.  You can pick and choose and build your own curriculum or you can follow the information within the Scope and Sequence to put a subject or grade together - it is super customizable and that's a win for everyone.  I really appreciate that I can search the site by grade level or individual subjects.  I'm really excited about diving in and using this resource more in our own homeschool this year!  I hope you will check it out.  You won't regret it.

{SchoolhouseTeachers.com - Every Subject.  Every Grade.  Every Student.}

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LitWits Kits from LitWits Review

We are a book-loving family!  I was so excited to checkout LitWits Kits from LitWits!  They have so many fantastic options to choose from.  We choose to start with the LitWits Kit for Meindert DeJong's The Wheel on the School.

This digital lesson planning resource is ideal for students ages 8-12 but can be easily adapted to fit your needs and the ages of your students.  There are even suggestions to help you do this for both classrooms and homeschools alike.

LitWits

First, what is a LitWits Kit?  It is a web page chock-full of unique activities and downloads, along with teaching points and printable resources for specific literary books.  There's a handy dandy PDF version included for easy peasy printing.  Basically, these kits have done all the legwork for you!  The great thing about these kits is that you can choose the parts that work for you and your kiddos.

Our LitWits Kit on the Ipad and our The Wheel On The School book.

If I'm going to share with you about our kit, you need to be a bit familiar with the story of The Wheel on the School.  Even the kit includes a summary.  The story takes place in the fishing village of Shora in Friesland.  Lina wants to know why storks no longer come to nest there.  Her teacher encourages the whole class to investigate the question as they work to bring storks back.  Before long, the entire community is working together on their project!  It's a great book. 

Our LitWits Kit for The Wheel on the School contains:

• sensory prop suggestions
• creative projects and activity ideas
• takeaway topics
• research and audiovisual links
• great quotes from the book
• printable templates, activity prompts, creative writing handouts, etc.

There are many sections of our kit - welcome, overview, prop ideas, hands-on fun, bookbites, takeaways, handouts, learning links, great quotes and copyright usage.

We absolutely loved all the hands-on, fun suggestions as we experienced this book.  The kids made storks in a salty storm.  They love art so this project was super fun for them.  We used our watercolor crayons and white feathers.  Our kit told us the supplies needed and gave us directions to make this project.  It also provided the stork template for us to use.

 All of our storks...

 E's stork

D's stork

 C's stork

 B's stork

 And A's stork

We played with dominoes just like the children of Shora.  We used smaller dominoes so they fell often and the kids could see the effect of only one.

One of our domino chains...

We also made a stork, candy tin using cut out pictures of Dutch art.  

We even filled out tin with hard candies as a bonus treat.

In the bookbites section, we tasted the story as we sipped on hot chocolate (a few had milk!) and ate donuts, just like the community of Shora did during the storm!

Enjoying the story through food and drink.

LitWits Kits help kids in fun, hands-on, and meaningful ways.  They really give great ideas to help teach great books.  With bookbites ideas you taste what the characters ate.  With creative project ideas you make what the character made.  With kinetic activity ideas you can do what the characters did.  You can even hear and see what the characters' world looked and sounded like with audiovisual links.

We will be diving into our LitWits Kit for Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth next.

I really like the looks of the chromagraph activity and the Norton and Jules project.

We were so blessed to receive LitWits Kits for Meindert DeJong's The Wheel on the School, James B. Garfield's Follow My Leader, Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth and Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.  I'm really looking forward to using our other kits as the kids and I dive into these rich stories together.  We are familiar with these books so I chose these titles to really make the stories come to life with the kids.  We are going to have a blast!

Check out the short video below to see how these kits are like taking a field trip of the book you are reading!  It even shows you a few examples of activities from the LitWits Kit for My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George.

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