A Different Type of Math...

On a roll this month with some amazing products....This time it is The Critical Thinking Company!  Specifically reviewed this time was "Balance Math Teaches Algebra".  If you have never heard of The Critical Thinking Company, they put out super workbooks that teacher deductive reasoning, inferences, lateral thinking, logic, analogies, and other thinking skills.

We purchased Balance Math and More, Level 2 at last year's Homeschool Convention, where I was completely overwhelmed by their booth ( I wanted everything!).  My children have enjoyed using it to supplement their regular math program, or as something different to do on Fridays.  Balance Math Teaches Algebra is a 62 page workbook, using scales to show equalities (or inequalities) and using shapes, letters and numbers to present equations that the student must figure out based on deductive reasoning and logic.  They are actually quite fun once you get the hang of it. 

It starts off simple, to get children used to thinking in terms of "x".  You'll see two scales.  On one side of the first scale, you see "20".  It balances with the other side that shows "x".  So you reason that 20 and x are equal.  The second scale shows "x" and then the other side has a "?".  The student simply writes that the answer is 20.  Once they get their mind working along these lines, they get a little tougher, showing 4 cubes, each labeled "x".  The scale balances out to "20".  The second scale shows 3 "x" cubes, with a question mark on the other side.  The student must realize that if 4x = 20, 3x must equal 15.  And so forth......

Never fear, English-majors!  There are tips and hints in the back, as well as the answers to each question with explanations.  Each page is perforated for easy copying, so you can use them with multiple children and still keep your originals intact for future kiddos coming up the ranks.

I think by using the balances and the shapes, not just numbers and letters, kids will "get it" much easier because the problems look like fun.  They look more like puzzles.  And that's what we call them around here. "Puzzles".

This product sells for $14.99 through the company's site here.  If you have younger children, they also offer Level 1, 2 and 3 Balance Math and More. The concept is the same, but at lower levels (these are the ones we started on last year).  They range from 2nd grade up to 12th grade and start at $9.99 per book. 

I just love the products from CTC!  Looking forward to more excuses to squeeze in a few new concept books each year!

The link to other reviews of this product is here.

**Disclaimer:  I was provided with a copy of this book to use with my children, in exchange for an honest review, having received no other compensation.

TOS Product Review: Scruble Cube!

Give me a word game, and you have given me the world.  I carry crossword puzzles in my purse at all times.  My mom and sister and I go on roadtrips with our collector's edition of Scrabble.  So when I was given the chance to review Scruble Cube, I knew we were a match made in heaven.

Scruble Cube has been described by many as Rubik's Cube and Scrabble rolled into one twisting-turning game of letter mania.  Each 4x4 side has letters with point values.  The object is to make a word by lining up letters and recording your points.  You get even more points if you tag a 2, 3 or 4x letter score OR a 2 or 3x word score to the beginning or end of your word.  Then the play passes to the next player and they try to do the same. 

The unique element about Scruble Cube is that your word can start on one side of the cube and "spill over" or "stretch" to another side.  Your words have no boundaries and no limits to length!  Wild cards are also spread throughout the cube and can be used as any letter.  The game gets interesting if you can manage to attach your new word, crossword-puzzle style, to your opponent's previous word.  Guess what?  You get points for both!  Be warned:  I know some people who really get cut-throat about their word games.

Scruble Cube comes with a score pad, instructions, and a 1.5 minute sand timer.  The edgy packaging has the Scruble Cube suspended in mid-air in the box--very appealing to receive as a gift. You'll want to take a minute in the beginning to get a feel for the way the rows and colums twist around.  If you are a "word puzzle" geek, you'll have an advantage over your friends, as 3 letter words come in handy, as do words with obscure letters like "X".  You may want to keep a pocket dictionary in your Scruble Cube box in case your opponents challenge your creations.

I think this product would be a great addition to a long car trip.  It can be passed around easily in the mini-van.  I would even sit it on the dinner table and play it during dinner!  Whatever gets the family interacting and working as a team.  That's what good games do, afterall.  And don't see this as a child's game.  I can totally imagine this on an executive's desk or in the hands of anyone who likes to "hold" something while they watch TV at night.

The award-winning Scruble Cube sells for $24.95 here , a fair price and the going rate for most games today.  You have the option of purchasing inexpensive replacement labels in case your game gets a lot of love over the years.  And I predict it will! 

See what the folks at The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Homeschool Crew had to say about Scruble Cube here

Happy twisting, Word Nerds!

*Disclaimer:  I was provided with a free product in exchange for an honest review, which I have provided here.

Let's Speak Logically

Maybe the word "Logic" scares you.  I used to put it into the category of "Calculus" and "Advanced Chemistry".  I just didn't know what I was talking about.  Now, after thumbing through some books at this year's Homeschool Convention, I get it.  They are just puzzles.  Ranging from very easy to expert, there is something for every child.  We have just recently started using logic and lateral thinking puzzles as warm-up activities.  Analogies are also a great way to get your kids to start thinking logically.  If you are already using Daily Grams, then you are getting a good dose of those. Remember analogies?  Meow is to Cat as Chirp is to Bird (or, meow: cat :: chirp: bird).  These show up on standardized tests and you can bet your bippy they are going to show up on the SATs! You may as well expose your kids to this kind of thinking now.  They'll have an edge over their peers and feel at ease dealing with information logically.

Have you tried Perplexors by Mindware Catalog?  Or Mind Benders by The Critical Thinking Company?  Both of these are amazing.  It takes my boys about 5-8 minutes to complete a puzzle each day.  When puzzles seem to easy, we kick it up a notch.  They are actually having a lot of fun figuring out something that at first seems impossible to figure out with the information given.  I'm currently working on an "expert level" one from Perplexors (geared toward 9-12th grade, so I'm a little embarrassed it's taking me this long!).  I'm carrying it around in my purse and work on it bit by bit.  I'm determined to show my kids that I'm smarter than a highschooler! Speaking of high school, I've also heard great raves about The Fallacy Detective by Nathaniel Bluedorn.  I'm planning on checking it out for the upcoming years.

So, why don't you try your hand at this puzzle?

Sample from Mindware's Perplexors (for age 10-11)

Why the big deal over logic, you ask?  Everywhere you turn, the world is attempting to sell our children lies, wrapped up in packages that are so gorgeous and convincing, we very often believe we need what they are selling.  Whether it's a cell phone, a hairstyle, or a sense of morality, advertising execs want you to trade your boundaries for their bling.  Picking out what's true in a sea of lies is an important life skill that our kids need to survive in today's world. In addition to good guidance from us, their parents, I believe that logic and lateral thinking puzzles will also help them bulk up their ability to wade through the ocean of junk out there and come out on the other end with their standards intact, more money in their pocket and a greater sense of truth.

"Fear is a disease that eats away at logic and makes man inhuman."
~~Marian Anderson