Reviews

Wondering if a particular homeschool product is a good fit for your eclectic, classical-leaning, gifted homeschool? We all know intense gifted kiddos eat curriculum for breakfast, which means we need a lot of options (and a lot of coffee!) Here, I dive in and share what works — and what doesn’t.

STEM / Hands-on / Games

• Robotis Dream 2.0 Screen-free robotics construction set
• Fischertechnik Screen-free robotics construction set
• GraviTrax Marble run construction set
• Chroma Cube Single-player logic game
• Code Rocket Learn to code
• Walls & Warriors Single-player logic game
• Illusion Cubes Single-player logic game
• IQ Six Pro Single-player logic game
• Great Wall of China Real brick model
• Dr. Livingstone’s Human Anatomy 500+ pc puzzle of the abdomen
• Buildings of the World 1000-pc jigsaw puzzle.

Art and Handicraft Kits

• Sonlight Hands-on History Projects, crafts, and more (updated review coming in March 2023 Preview here!)
• Djeco Natural World Workshop Gouache painting kit
• Chinese Brush Painting kit – Everything you need to practice this ancient art
• Thinking Putty Mixed-by-me Kit A new twist on our favorite sensory putty
• Pix Brix: The Great Wave off Kanagawa – full post coming soon! Preview here.
• Sonlight Lapbook Kit for American History I – full post coming soon! Preview here.

Math

• Singapore Math Review The best math curriculum for K-6.
• Doodle Maths App Review

Science

• Apologia Science Audio MP3 CDs Science audiobooks
• Apologia Science Junior Notebooking Journal Guided notebooking

Sonlight History

• Sonlight *NEW* Pre-K Curriculum with Montessori Updates Pre-K at home with good books and hands-on lessons
• Sonlight *NEW* Level K: Kindergarten US History A redesigned approach to American history
• Sonlight *NEW* Level D: US History for Elementary A complete literature-based American history curriculum
• Sonlight Level F: Eastern Hemisphere – full post coming Fall 2023! Preview here.

History

• Home School in the Woods Project Passport: Ancient Greece Lapbooks, audio stories, board games, mapwork, and more
• Sunflower Education Giant American History Timeline Hundreds of pages of resources for enriching your history study

Graphic Novels

• Robin Hood and other educational graphic novels
• Wile E. Coyote Physics Science graphic novels
• Stealing Home – full post coming soon! Preview here.

Board Books

• Jesus Heals A Catechesis Books Baby Believer primer
• Psalm 23 A Catechesis Books Baby Believer primer
• Kingdom of Heaven A Catechesis Books Baby Believer primer
• Baby Gym Books Movement and rhythm for infants
• Baby Babble Books Speech recognition for toddlers

Hands-on for Little Learners

• A-Z Uppercase Magnatab – A hands-on tool for teaching letters to preschoolers
• Fanta Color Baby – An independent color matching game
• Stabilo Pencils – Long-lasting wooden pencils (watercolor, too!)

Books

• Bronze and Sunflower Middle grade historical fiction (China; 1960s)
• Borderland: A Journey through the History of Ukraine Adult non-fiction
• Secret of the Hidden Scroll Simple chapter-books for for early readers
• Aunt Claire Presents… Turn-of-the-century books (with FREE curriculum printables!)
• Candlewick Press Encouraging curiosity with rabbit trails

(I’m available for product, book, and curriculum reviews — and social media promotions. Want to work with me?)