If you have been reading this blog for a while, then you (probably) know that I’m homeschooled. I got a chance to review the Timberdoodle Secular Elite Eighth Grade Kit, so I wrote an unboxing post. Here it is! (BTW I have flipped through all of the products to see what they are like–I just started the school year yesterday) Also my mom’s unboxing post is here.
I thought I would make a list of the products inside of the kit, and write what I thought about them (first impressions, how excited I am, ect.)
2018 Non Religious Curriculum Handbook – Eighth Grade
The curriculum handbook has descriptions of the products and pictures, which can be helpful to some people. It also has book challenges. I like that they have those, but they aren’t very useful to me because I’m not very likely to really go through and do the challenges because I read for fun (and sometimes have to be told to stop reading) and don’t really need challenges to help me. It’s a really cool idea though!
This book is made so that you do one lesson per school day. I like this layout, and each lesson is pretty short but also teaches a lot. I also like how simple and straightforward the lessons are. They have somehow made grammar enjoyable, and I like that a lot because a lot of people dislike taking grammar lessons. Overall, I am pretty happy with this! (Note: the link says that the book is a teacher’s guide, but it is actually the workbook)
Mosdos Press Literature – Gold – 8th Grade
This book looks intimidating, but the text is actually really nice! The writing is a good size and well printed, and it seems like I will learn quite a bit from the book. It is pretty simple too, which is nice.
Once again, the size of the book looks intimidating, but the text and layout is nice. The book is seperated into different sections, and on the first page of each section there is a little box that says what the focus of the section is. I like the layout, but I don’t really like how the lessons are taught–they are kind of confusing and not enjoyable. I have had the same problems with other books by the same author, Susan Bauer, in her Story of the World series.
I generally enjoy graphic novels, especially graphic novels based on true stories and ones based on movies and books. (I already own a set of Lego Shakespeare!) I was pretty excited for this book, and I really like it so far–I am reading Hamlet right now. The illustrations are nice, and the text is simple and easy to read but still staying true to the story.
The first thing I noticed about this book was that it was pretty challenging. They had a pre-test where you had to write definitions for each word, and the words were REALLY hard. The layout is also kind of dense and confusing–I would maybe change it to a more clear layout. It does seem like it teaches a lot of simple Latin though, and I should be able to learn a lot.
Like the Word Roots book, the first thing I saw about this book was that it is REALLY challenging. (Or maybe that’s just because I’ve been doing pre-algebra?) I do like how they have the little bricks, which is helpful for any spatial learners. The bricks are also really fun to play with!
Extreme Dot-to-Dot: Spectacular Places
I really enjoy doing dot to dots, and this book is pretty cool! They have SO MANY dots, and you have to try and guess what landmark each picture is (they also have an awesome riddle for each one to help you!), and they have the answer in the back, which I think is a really fun thing to put in.
Building Thinking Skills Book 3 Figural
This book is really relaxing to do, but I don’t really think that it’s supposed to be relaxing–it’s probably supposed to be a challenging puzzle book? This book was super easy to do, and was mildly entertaining. The Timberdoodle website says that it is for grade 7 and up, but to me it seems more like it is for grades 2 and up.
This game is a lot like Rush Hour, but with asteroids and a space ship. It’s really fun, but also pretty challenging! The design is really adorable, and this could be a really good game to bring when you travel.
People, Places, and Principles of America 1
The set up of this curriculum is interesting. We put the teacher’s guide in a three-ring binder, and the other books that we aren’t currently using in the box that it came in. We put the three ring binder and the activity book and lesson book for the section that we are doing in my school bin. The curriculum seems pretty good so far though!
Focus on Middle School Astronomy and Geology
I just started this, and so you are supposed to read this little section, then you do an experiment. (BTW I just started the Astronomy) My problem with this curriculum is that so far it doesn’t really seem like I’m learning anything–I just read this section and then I do this experiment that I can’t even really do and doesn’t seem to have a point or work. So this was a bit of a let down.
I haven’t started this yet, but they sent an email with information on it, and it looks pretty cool! I want to get a pilot’s license, so this will be fun to do.
Mechanics Lab Planes and Helicopters
I haven’t started this kit yet, but it kind of looks like Lego, which I think is cool.
Spectrum Test Practice Grade 8
The pages in this is pretty standard tests. There are quite a few of them–definitely enough to last the whole school year!
This is a fun drawing book that also teaches techniques like how to draw vanishing points. I really enjoy this book so far! the title is a little bit misleading though–it’s more of drawing pictures of cities than designing a city or a house.
I like this kit so much that I have done it multiple times. It is really fun to mix the colours together and put it in the mini tins. The putty is also high quality–all of the Crazy Aaron’s company is high quality. My only problem with this kit is that the tiny tins are sometimes hard to open–a bigger tin would be better.
[…] I got a chance to review the Timberdoodle Secular Elite Eighth Grade Kit, so I wrote an unboxing post. My mom’s unboxing post is here. It is about the middle of the school year, so I’m […]