ThinkPlay STEM Junior Xtra from Timberdoodle Review

Today I want to share with you the ThinkPlay STEM Junior Xtra set from Timberdoodle!  This set is geared for children ages 4-8 and F and G (ages 4 and 7) are simple loving it.

A close up of our tub.  I love that this durable tub holds everything and makes storage a breeze.  It's also labeled nicely which brings me joy.

 

Opening our set!

Our Spiral Bound Guide Books

I love that they lay flat and the laminated pages are sturdy.

A close up of the pieces.

 

You can see how the pieces connect above, you line them up and they kind of slide and lock together.

 

There are also special Xtra connectors.  These pieces are specially shaped (like t's and r's) and allow children to change the direction of their builds.  

 

This 400-piece set (squares, triangles, wheels and Xtra connectors) is extremely durable and I love that it comes with a plethora of project ideas within our guide books 🙂.  Our guide books have easy-to-follow photographs with step-by-steps on how to build each model.  The boys can easily follow the pictures.  As children progress through the book, the models increase in difficulty and shape.  The first creations lay flat while the later creations are 3-Dimensional.  The boys can play and build independently and they love showing me their creations as they complete them.  I also love seeing their "out of the box" own build ideas as well.

Some of the boys builds

 

Above you can see the boys following the picture to build their frog.

 

In some of the easier builds, the photographs are to scale with the blocks pieces.

The finished frog side-by-side with the build page.  It shows them which pieces they will need and the quantity as well.  As the builds get more complicated, the pages have more steps and photographs.

 

Basically, prior to their builds, kids will find the correct number, shape, and color of pieces that they will need.  The boys really appreciate that the pieces connect easily and stay together for sturdy structures; however, they also disconnect easily so builds can be taken apart and rebuilt or the pieces can be used for other constructions.

Above you can see the build steps for the flower, a more complicated structure.  These photos are not the same size as the actual build structure.

G with his flower!

I love this one, it truly looks like a vase or pot with a large flower.

 

 

Above you can see all the build ideas from just one of our guide books.  In this book kids are shown how to build a teddy, chair, swimmer, rocket, clown, lady, man, small plane, helicopter, butterfly, bird, sail boat, dinosaur, pig, bear cub, elephant, car driver, flower, soldier, plane, road roller, drummer, lion, turtle and spider.

 

 G loved building Teddy.

One of the many cars...

This set is great for fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, cognitive/creative thinking, problem solving, spatial skills, and so much more!  The possibilities of what they can build and create are truly endless.

 

 

The boys combined numerous builds to make this "crazy creation" as they call it.

A close-up of one side, I love the lion coming off the front and the wheels on the back - so fun!

ThinkPlay STEM Junior Xtra is part of Timberdoodle's PreK Curriculum Kit.  This set is a great hands-on resource to have in our homeschool and the younger boys are truly loving it!

 

Disclosure:  Huge shout out to Timberdoodle for selecting me as a Timberdoodle Blogger.  I received the ThinkPlay STEM Junior Xtra set in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are my own.

More Burn Camp in a Box Round 2 (Camp David 2021)

 

The kids in their Camp David t-shirts.

We have been having so much fun this week with all the goodies and activities that were included in the camp boxes for the kids.  If you read my first post, then you know that this years theme is the movie Onward.

We had so much fun at our home carnival!  A did a great job on face painting (G has the Curse Crusher from Onward and D has Guinevere from Onward), the kids had fun playing target ball, ladder ball, and of course there was lots of yummy food.

The kids were sent gift cards for a yummy Whataburger dinner!

 

We made salt dough dinosaur fossils!

 

We also had gift cards for a yummy Subway dinner another night!

 

We made gelatinous cubes inspired from the movie Onward!  I love the ones with the little LEGO swords and shield.

We had a fabulous Dance Night with dragon masks, balloons, glo-sticks and lots of great music.

I think you now have a glimpse into all the fun we have been having!  I'm so thankful to Texas Burn Survivor Society for everything that they do for my family and so many others 💜.  If you are ever looking for a great nonprofit to donate to, I highly recommend them.

Happy National Ice Cream Day 2021

Happy National Ice Cream Day

We had ice cream for dinner tonight as is our family tradition for National Ice Cream Day 🍨.  It was nice to have some extra family and friends for the occasion.  We had tons of Blue Bell Ice Cream - Rainbow Sherbet, Coconut Cream Pie (their newest flavor), Chocolate Sheet Cake, Mint Chocolate Chip, Cookies and Cream, Bride's Cake, Strawberry, and Homemade Vanilla.

 

And then we had a few toppings - marshmallows (3 varieties), slivered almonds, gummy bears, Reese's Pieces, M&M's minis, unicorn sprinkles, sprinkles, crushed Oreo cookies, Sour Patch Kids, gummy worms, chocolate chips, blueberries, strawberries, wafer cookies, bananas, strawberry syrup, chocolate syrup, pineapple topping, chocolate fudge, unicorn shell, whipped cream, etc.

 

G really appreciated all the marshmallows.

F especially loved all the candy.

These girls had cones 🍦.

A with her creation.

 

C with his bowl.

D might take the cake for the most ice cream and toppings in a single bowl.

Hope you had a chance to enjoy some ice cream today and if not, better late than never 😉.

Drawing Realistic Portraits from Photographs Review

I have a totally fun item to share with you today from Timberdoodle, Drawing Realistic Portraits from Photographs!  This DVD art class is geared for children ages 8 and up (3rd grade and beyond) and can be counted as a 1/4 credit for high school students.  This program contains 15 step-by-step lessons with a runtime of 117 minutes.

In this program students will learn - how to draw accurate guidelines, realistically place shading, and blend and add detail to create beautiful portraits.

What materials do you need?  It is recommended to have a 2-ply smooth Bristol Board,  0.5mm mechanical pencil, 2B soft 05mm lead, blenders, kneadable eraser, ellipse template, and a soft paint brush to complete this course.  A found the blenders to be a crucial component.

And of course, students need a photograph as their reference.  A choose an old photograph of my maternal grandfather, her great grandfather.  

In the first few lessons, A learned about the materials, having accurate guidelines and shading.  Then, she learned about drawing the different parts of the face.  And finally, she had to put all the skills together to create her final portrait.

A with her shading

A closer view...

 

Drawing a mouth from a photograph

Drawing a nose

Drawing an ear

 

Some more practice drawings...

 

Drawing eyes, you can see how much she is improving between the 1st and 2nd attempt.

A's first portrait attempt (putting it all together).

 

She is a little off on the mouth and chin but I don't think this is bad for a first portrait attempt at all!  She is already practicing and working on her next attempt.  She knows she needs to slow down and take her time with the details.  I can't wait to see it.

This program is specifically designed to help children who want to draw portraits but never felt like they had the talent.  Honestly, I feel like adults who want to draw would really enjoy this program too!  I love that specific drawing skills are taught (all the intricacies of drawing faces - mouth, nose, ears, eyes, hair, etc.) and that you can work at your own pace!  You get to practice, practice, practice.  Check out the fun trailer for this program below for more information and to get a feel for inside the lessons!

Drawing Realistic Portraits from Photographs is currently included in Timberdoodle's 12th grade curriculum kit and it is such a fun program that we definitely recommend.  And remember, it counts as 1/4 high school credit.

Disclosure:  Huge shout out to Timberdoodle for selecting me as a Timberdoodle Blogger.  I received Drawing Realistic Portraits from Photographs in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are my own.

Burn Camp in a Box Round 2 (Camp David 2021)

The kids were so excited to receive our camp boxes a few days ago for Camp in a Box this year.  I cannot tell you how excited F and G were to get their own boxes as well (it was so sweet of Texas Burn Survivor Society for thinking of them too).  The theme for this years camp is the movie Onward.

Opening their boxes!

The kids received super fun beach towels.

Awesome hats, you can see F's puppy hat above.

D and E both got Manticores.

And the personalized water bottles for each kid are amazing!

G with his water bottle.

D and E with their hats and water bottles.

 

One of the first activities was to watch the movie Onward so we did this last night!

G getting out his Day 1 bag.

 

I made movie trays for the kids with all their goodies.

A making her Tuck-ins (the inside out s'more).

D making hers.

Watching the movie Onward!

That's it for now.  Stay tuned for more posts in the next few days 😉.