A Game That Stretches the Mind ~ Tri Cross

 

 We're all about games in our house.  The very day we received Tri-Cross in the mail I came home and my husband had gotten out the game to teach my daughter to play.  The game is visually appealing and the instructions are clear and concise, so it was easy to get started. As you can see from the above picture, the game has won several awards, so right away I knew it would probably be wonderful.  

Later that evening, my husband taught me to play and we stayed up late playing the game.  It is a game that involves a lot of strategy and problem solving.  I liken it to the thinking that goes on when we play chess and backgammon.  The game has won several awards and after playing it for several weeks I can see why it gets such high praise.   

The Tri-Cross Basics:

You can purchase Tri-Cross at specialty toy and school supply stores and you can also purchase it online.  The standard board game is $24.95.  The deluxe wood edition is $35.95.   There is also a handly little travel edition which is $19.95.    (We received the standard game, travel game, and an instructional DVD for review.)

It is recommended for children 8 and up.  My ten year old got the hang of it quite nicely (although games were much shorter with her than they were between my husband and I!).  My six year old learned to play, but I'm not quite sure he got the strategy part of the game.  I think in time, however, he could learn.  

To see how to play Tri-Cross in detail, watch any of the videos by clicking here.   This, in addition to the detailed instructions that come with the game make it very easy to learn.  I still keep the instructions out when we play as a visual, which is very helpful for my children!  

You can connect with Tri-Cross on Facebook, Twitter and via their website.  

The Travel Version of Tri-Cross

What We Thought of Tri-Cross:

We were thankful to receive this game for review!   It has been a lot of fun, and I can definitely see it stretching my children's minds.   At the price of $19.95 (for the travel edition) it is a little pricey.  Perhaps this would be a good Christmas or birthday gift.   I would recommend it if you have children that love strategy games... it's also great to stretch the minds of mom and dad!   

You can read what other crew members thought about this game at the offical TOS Crew blog.

*Disclaimer: I received the above named product from TOS Crew in return for my honest review. I have not been compensated in any other form.  

Having Fun With Magnets ~ Our Review of Primarily Magnets

One of the subjects I knew we needed to cover in science this year for my youngest was magnets.  I was delighted when we received Primarily Magnets (published by AIMS Education Foundation) to review for The Old Schoolhouse.  Upon first glance I was wondering how exactly we would use this activity book, since it appeared to be geared for classroom teachers, but after thoroughly going through the book and then trying some of the activities, I concluded this book would be of value to homeschoolers.   

AIMS Education Foundation specializes in hands on math and science activities.   They have MANY activity books at many age levels - a full list is found on their website.  Here you will also find they offer manipulatives, lab kits, and all sorts of good things!   


Primarily Magnets is available as a .pdf download ($18.95), or you can order the print version for the same price AND it comes with a CD that contains all of the activity sheets.  This particular book is for grades K-2.  That seemed just about right to me.  My first grader loved it, and my fifth grader knew most of what we had covered, but had fun with it anyway.  


Four main areas are covered in Primarily Magnets:

1.  Magnets Interacting With Other Materials

2.  Magnets Interacting With Other Magnets

3.  Magnetic Fields

4.  Everyday Use of Magnets

The book begins with some basic information about magnets, which was very helpful to us as we began our study.  It gave Historical Background, Magnetic Poles, Magnetic Domains, Magnetic Fields, and Magnetism as Interaction.  

Each lesson in the activity book has a topic and key question.   For example, we did a great lesson called "Hungry Hounds".  The topic was magnetism and the key question was "How can you make an object move using a magnet?"   There were also all kinds of other school speak stuff that I (quite honestly) skipped over because it reminded me of my days as a public school teacher.  As homeschoolers we aren't too concerned with recommendations found in national education reform documents, are we??  

In Hungry Hounds the children were asked to move their hounds down a winding path.  The hounds had paperclips taped to them and the children had a ruler with a ring magnet attached.  To pull the hound down the path they needed the paperclip on the hound (which ATTRACTED the magnet), but to push the hound down the path they needed the opposite pole of the ring magnet (which REPELLED the magnet).  I liked how so much science vocabulary was used throughout the lesson.  As you can see -- my kids had a great time with this.  They even went so far as to name their hounds.  Their favorite (which sent them into fits of laughter) was Fuzz Brain!   

   

Getting on to the lesson, we needed ring magnets (which do not come with the activity book, but AIMS has them available for purchase).   Thankfully my sister-in-law is a science teacher so we had access to the magnets, but you would have to get a few additional materials to use this book effectively.  I went through the lesson set-up and procedures and did the activity with my children.  THEY LOVED IT!   The extension questions at the end of the lesson were also good for me to ask my children... got them thinking a little more deeply.  

At the end of the book there is a fun review, and also an assessment.  If you would like to see a detailed preview of the book, click here.   If you would like some free science and math activities for K-2 from AIMS, click here.  

Our Honest Opinion:

Primarily Magnets was a lot of fun to review, but I'm not sure I would spend $18.95 on just one small topic in science unless I was sure my child/children were VERY INTERESTED in that subject.

The illustrations and games/activities were very kid-friendly.  The activities are all definitely HANDS-ON and this is what appealed to my children. 

Each activity/lesson requires preparation on the part of the teacher.  You need to have the correct magnets, activity sheets, etc...   Be prepared to spend a little time.  

This activity book is not written with homeschoolers in mind.  Yes, you can adapt the lesson to make them fit the homeschoolers, but it is generally written for classroom teachers. If you are teaching a homeschool co-op science class, this might be the PERFECT resource.  

My children learned a lot about magnets and we will continue to use the activities in this book over the coming weeks.   I am thankful to have had the opportunity to use such a well thought out activity book for young children.  

**Visit the crew blog to see what my fellow crew mates thought about this same product!  

Disclaimer: I received the above named product from TOS Crew in return for my honest review. I have not been compensated in any other form.  

"Mom, Can I Work On The Computer, Please?" - Big IQ Kids Review

Our latest product review for The Old Schoolhouse is Big IQ Kids.   I had never heard of BIG IQ Kids until just a few weeks ago.  Now, I'm wondering how we ever survived without it!   I am, however, getting a little tired of my kids only wanting to work on Big IQ Kids!!  I'd like to tell you about this web-based program that encompasses math, spelling, vocabulary, and states.


We were given a one year, full premium membership to all areas of the site.   You can use certain areas of the site for free, but if you want your students' progress tracked or for them to have the option of  advancing once they master a concept, then you should go for the paid version.  The paid version also allows your children to customize their "buddies" and have full access to the games (and the games are a HIT!)  For pricing options, click here. I was going to attempt to explain it all to you, but Big IQ offers a nice chart on their site, so check it out. 


Each of my children were provided with their own login and password and were given the opportunity to create their own "buddy".    I made Big IQ Kids a bookmark in our browser, so any time it was computer time they could easily click on the bookmark and get to work.   I new they would never be off task because:  a) they liked the program so much they stuck with it, and b) progress reports were mailed to me and I could check them online as well.  

What Does Big IQ Kids Offer?

All of Big IQ Kids' activities can be tailored to fit anyone pre-school all the way through adult.   

A complete spelling program - with ready-made lists by grade level OR you may enter your own list.   We used the latter option and used Big IQ activities to reinforce our spelling lessons.   Both of my children enjoyed the lessons, tests, quizzes, and fun games.

A vocabulary program - This was very closely linked to the spelling program (using either your own list or a ready-made list), and to be honest, we didn't use it that much.  My daughter found it not as interesting as the rest of the activities in Big IQ Kids.  

A complete math program - Each day my children would do a drill with 50 problems.  I could customize what types of problems I wanted them to do, which I really liked.  Notice the clock (a cool feature!).  

A U.S. States program - This is what we used the most.  There were four areas of the states program: spelling, abbreviations, location, and state capitals.  Each area had different levels to progress through at the student's own pace.    

Spelling and Vocabulary Competitions -- kind of like your own virtual spelling bee -- lots of fun!  

What The Experts Are Saying:

I went to the experts (my children!) and asked them their likes and dislikes about Big IQ Kids.   There was only one negative, and that came from my daughter, who just absolutely did not like the computer synthesized voice.   In fact, she called it "a little creepy".  Other than that, the program was a resounding success all around!   The favorite things about Big IQ for my children were (and I'm quoting here!):

The lessons weren't too long.

It's fun to move up a level and earn game coins

.

It's good that mom gets an email when I complete something.

I could play the cupcake maker game all day long!  (Mom did have to put a limit on this, but they do have to earn game tokens, so that's a good thing!)

The Final Word From Mom:

This program was a huge success in our house.   We used Big IQ Kids daily.   I loved the customization options, parent reports and the fact that I could enter my children's spelling lists.   I would recommend (if you are seriously interested in Big IQ Kids) to try the free membership for a bit and decide if you want to invest in the premium membership.  Be warned:  there could be fighting over the family computer because of Big IQ Kids! 

The only negatives I could find were the synthesized voice and that it wasn't compatible with the iPad.  The price is a little steep, but if you would make this an integral part of your curriculum, you might think it's worth the investment.   In my opinion, however, those aren't deal breakers for our family.    In fact, now I see why this product won a blue ribbon award from TOS last year!

If you'd like to see what other TOS Crew members are saying about this program, visit the Crew Blog! 

Disclaimer: I received the above named product from TOS Crew in return for my honest review. I have not been compensated in any other form.