Homeschool Archives - Page 2 of 7

Review: All About Reading Level 2

November 8, 2018 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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We haven’t used an official reading curriculum in the past with our kids, but I always have wondered about a few different ones. We were recently given the opportunity to review All About Reading Deluxe Kit Level 2 from Timberdoodle and we jumped at the chance. All About Reading is available in Pre-Reading, Level 1, 2, 3, and 4.

The All About Reading Deluxe Kit Level 2 is offered on Timberdoodle’s website for $163.80. Included in the All About Reading Deluxe Kit Level 2 is the following:

Level 2 Teacher’s Manual
Student Packet with Activity Book
Two readers
Reader Divider Cards
Reading Review Box
The Letter Tiles App (available on iTunes, Google Play, or Kindle)
Letter Tiles
Magnets
Tote Bag
Phonograms Sounds App

All About Reading Level 2 Features:

Decoding (Phonics): Learn new phonograms WH, EE, ER, AR, OR, ED, OY, OI, AW, AU, OW, and OU to read words such as whale, sheep, herd, farm, horn, toy, boil, saw, haul, flower, and found; read words with long I or O before two consonants as in find and gold; read words with soft C or G as in race or gem, and learn the first four jobs of Silent E
Decoding (Structural Analysis): Lean to identify base words, read contractions such as “they’ll”, learn syllable division rules for reading multisyllable words, and read words with past tense ending ed, as in wanted, snowed, and chipped
Vocabulary: Discuss new words in the context of the story and one’s own life, and understand homophones, synonyms, and antonyms.
Fluency: Read with accuracy, meaningful expression, and natural phrasing.
Comprehension: Connect text to one’s own experiences, make predictions, identify the main character, compare and contrast main characters, discuss character motivation and main conflict, skim for specific information, and make inferences from the text.

I admit at this point in our homeschooling journey, I really appreciate curriculum that spells everything out for me so I don’t have to spend hours and hours planning. The first thing that I noticed with All About Reading Level 2 is that step-by-step lesson plans are included in the Teacher’s Manual.

The first step in preparing the program was getting the letter tiles ready. I simply was able to separate the letter tiles and then apply the magnets to the back of the letter tiles. A magnetic white board is preferred for this program, but we did fine just organizing the letters in front of us and skipping the white board. After this, I prepared the syllable tags and the Reading Review Box.

I was a little nervous starting this program on Level 2 since we do not have any prior experience with this program. I wondered if the kids would be able to follow along with the program without having the Level 1 complete. It turned out to be just fine.

Each lesson includes a “Before You Begin” section to guide parents on how to prepare for that day’s lesson. It’s very important to read this section before you start. Next, there is a review section where the program directs the teacher on which phonogram cards and words to review for that day. The “New Teaching” section introduces something new for the day. Throughout everything, teacher’s are guided and it is very easy to follow. At the end, the teacher is encouraged to read aloud for 20 minutes, keep a record, and mark the progress chart.

There are 57 lessons in the All About Reading Level 2. It’s important to note that it’s not expected to complete a lesson every day. Lessons can take as much or as little time as needed to understand the material.

The program grants permission to photocopy the student materials in the book for household use only. That is an important feature for large families like mine!

As I mentioned earlier, we have been using the program for a a few weeks as part of our homeschooling. In that time, I’ve grown to love this program. I decided to use the program with both my 7 and 9 year old girls. I felt that both girls could benefit from extra reading practice.

So far, it’s been a success! The hands-on activities have greatly helped my tactile learner improve her reading skills. The girls also like doing the activities. I find when my children enjoy learning something, they retain the information far better. This program is easy to use with more than one child at the same time.

One of the things that we created with the program is the flip book pictured above. My girls cut out the ending sounds to blend with the “st” sound. It was pretty neat to flip through and see all the different words that can be created.

We look forward to continuing All About Reading Level 2 throughout this school year and will probably continue with the program. I greatly appreciate Timberdoodle for providing this awesome product for us to review and find another program that works wonderfully for my children.

How to get a Driver’s License for a Homeschooler in Georgia

October 19, 2018 By Merry 3 Comments
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I had my friend Merry write an article for you guys about how to get a driver’s license as a homeschooler. Really, I think I needed the step by step instructions and she did a great job! My 15 year old now has her driver’s permit. It was pretty painless given the wonderful information Merry provided.

Big thank you to Merry for this great article on her experience with teen drivers!

Got a soon-to-be-driving teen in your house? If you’re like me, you may need some guidance in figuring out what your child needs to know, do and have in order to get their license. This is especially important and confusing if you are homeschooling your teen. It can be overwhelming. I’ve tried to gather all things new-teen driver related into one post for our local readers. If you think I’ve missed something, please leave a comment!

In Georgia, teens go through a graduated driver’s license program because of the Teenage and Adult Driver Responsibility Act (TADRA). It is a three-step educational process that helps teens gain more experience with driving. As they complete the requirements of each permit, they are allowed to graduate to less restrictive licenses. The Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) has a page with everything you need to know for teens, but I’ve broken it down with links for each step below.

The first thing to know is that there are Georgia Department of Driver Services offices all over the state, and you will be visiting one of them at least twice. Of course, there is one in Athens, but you can go to other offices if you choose. Some of the offices are much busier with much longer waits than others. We used the one in Greensboro with no real wait time at all.

STEP 1:

When your child is 15, they can get their instructional permit (class CP), often called a learner’s permit.

• There are documents you must take with you to the DDS. You will need a current certificate of school enrollment to verity that your teen attends school. If you are attending a school, the school office will have to fill this out and notarize it. They do this all the time and will probably have forms there. If your student is homeschooled, you will need a copy of their homeschool declaration of intent instead. You will also need their birth certificate and social security card. It would also be good to take something official showing your child’s residential address; an envelope, postcard or magazine they’re received in the mail, maybe. There is an application you will have to fill out and sign, but you can skip a step by filling in the application before you go there. If you do, print it out and take it with you, but do NOT sign it until they tell you to once you are there.

• Your child will be expected to pass a knowledge exam about rules of the road and road signs. You can find information you need to practice in the DDS driver manual. They also must pass a quick vision test to make sure they can see well enough to drive.

• You will have to pay $10 for the permit. This permit is valid for 2 years.

With their new learner’s permit, your teen is ready to learn to drive! But they must always be accompanied by someone over 21 who has a valid full license (class C). While they have their learner’s license, they are required to complete a total of 40 hours of driving, including 6 hours at night in order to get their intermediate license at 16 . . . so get them driving! We started our son off in large parking lots and secluded, not-busy roads.

A part of TADRA is Joshua’s law, which requires teens who want to get their license at age 16 to complete an approved driver’s education course first. If you and your teen decide to wait until they are 17 to be able to drive on their own, then it is NOT required to take a driver’s education course, although it would give you a discount on insurance if they do!

• Driver’s education courses done with professional instructors are very thorough, and your teen would get on-the-road driving practice with them. They take about 30 hours. The downside is they are costly . . . $300 or more. That being said, there is an option for a scholarship from the state for driver’s education that is worth looking into! The Georgia DDS site offers a list of certified driver training schools. Many high schools have instructors come do a class there at certain times in the year, and it is open to anyone (for a fee), regardless of if they attend the school or not, I believe. Check the list to see if a high school near you offers it.

• Athens Technical College offers a driver’s education course for $350. The option I mentioned above for a scholarship applies for this course as well. They also have a driver’s education simulator that allows your teen to practice with an instructor without actually being on the road for $35!

• Another option is to have your teen take a driver’s education course online. They still would take 30 hours to do the course, but it would all be done online. The Georgia DDS site also offers a list of certified online driver’s education courses. The benefit of this option is the convenience of doing it at home and the cost. It varies depending on which company you use but costs as little as $30. The downside of this option is that it may not be as thorough as it would with an instructor, or your teen may breeze through it without really paying attention. Honestly, my son did the course online, and when he did the road test at 16, he didn’t pass it the first time because of several small rules of the road he didn’t remember learning in the online class.

Another part of TADRA is that any driver under the age of 18 must complete the Alcohol and Drug Awareness Program (ADAP). If your teen is enrolled in a school, that course is done at the school, usually in freshman year. But there is an online option for homeschooled teens. It is free, and takes about four hours to complete.

STEP 2:

If your teen is 16, got their learner’s permit and has had it for at least a year, has driven for at least 40 hours with at least 6 of those at night, has completed a driver’s education course and has completed ADAP, . . . OR they are 17, have or have NOT done a driver’s education course but HAVE done ADAP and HAVE driven for 40 hours with 6 of those at night . . . then they are ready to go for their intermediate license (class D). WHEW!!

This license allows them to drive by themselves, with some restrictions. They are not allowed to drive between midnight and 5 a.m. For the first 6 months, they are not allowed ANY passenger who is not a family member. For the second 6 months, they are not allowed more than ONE non-family passenger who is less than 21. After the second 6 month period, they are not allowed more than THREE non-family member passengers who are less than 21.

• You must take the same documents to DDS that you took for their learner’s permit plus two additional documents; their certificates of completion for their driver’s education course and ADAP. You also need proof of vehicle insurance and registration for the car they will drive for the road test. You will also be expected to sign a document swearing that your teen did the required 40 hours of driving, including 6 at night. Again, you will need to fill in and sign an application, which you can do ahead of time. If you do, print it and take it there with you, and do NOT sign it until they tell you to while you are there.

• Your teen may again have to pass a knowledge exam and a vision exam.

• This time, they must take a road test. This means an individual will get in the vehicle with your child and ride with them to assess their driving, but it’s done on a closed course at the DDS. This link tells you some of the things they will watch for. One important note here . . . you must schedule an appointment to take the test. How soon you can get an appointment for a road test depends on how busy the office where you want to do it is. I asked about the office in the town of Between and couldn’t get an appointment for a road test there for a month, so I asked about the office in Greensboro and they had plenty of openings. We were able to get our appointment there for the next day.

• You will pay $10 for this license. It is valid for 5 years. But, when they are 18, they will want to get their full license (class C).

STEP 3:

You made it this far . . . the last step is simple! Once your teen is 18, they can upgrade their license to a full class C, which has no restrictions. This can be done online, thankfully! They may get a card in the mail reminding them. As long as their class D intermediate license is still valid and they have no major traffic convictions in the last year, they can upgrade it. Of course, if they haven’t gotten any licenses before now and this is their first time getting a license at all, they will have to go to a DDS office with their documentation and take the knowledge exam, road test and vision exam.

THERE! Now you have a full fledged driver just in time for them to fly from the nest (sniff).

Review: Smart Kidz Radio

July 25, 2018 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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We love listening to the radio while we clean up around the house or go about our daily business. We recently heard about a new program from Smart Kidz Media called Smart Kidz Radio and were eager to give it a try.

Smart Kidz Radio is a free online radio station designed just for kids! You can listen in 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through the website or one of their apps. The Smart Kidz Radio Live Stream is available in the app store for both Android and IOS devices. If you prefer to not add another app to your device, it can be streamed from your computer as well. Once you’re ready and either have the app or the website open, all you have to do is create an account and start listening by pressing the play button! My kids were able to do this independently after I set up the account.

In the Podcast section, you can find some of your favorite fairy tales available for instant listening. These were pretty neat to listen to while we were doing an art project or enjoying some quiet family time. My younger children liked to scroll through the different podcasts and pick which one they wanted to listen to at that moment. Some of the fairy tales you can listen to for free anytime include:

Alice in Wonderland
Cinderella
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Hansel and Gretel
Jack and the Beanstock
Little Red Riding Hood
Pinocchio
Rip Van Winkle
Robin Hood
Rumplestiltskin
Sleeping Beauty
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
The Three Little Pigs
The Three Musketeers
The Tortoise and the Hare
Treasure Island
Aladdin and his Magic Lamp
The Itsy Bitsy Spider
and more!

In addition to the free channel and stories, Smart Kidz Radio will be offering a membership for $3.99 a month. With this membership, you will receive access to their On-Demand Radio programs with over 1,000 original children’s songs and stories! The On-Demand Radio program includes songs from the following:

My First Life Skills
My First Baby Signs
Good Behavior Builder
Living Skills
Skills to Survive and Grow
Bedtime
Children’s Favorite Sing-along
Relaxation Program
Animal Songs
Treasury of Christmas Classics
Classic Fairy Tales
Best Loved Bible Stories
Grandpa Tyler’s Storytime
Not So Scary Tales

We’ve listened a lot over the past few weeks and my younger children really like the songs. I definitely think the songs on this website are geared toward preschool and younger elementary school students. Most of the songs have a teaching aspect like respecting your parents or being kind to friends. At times, it did seem like we heard several of the songs more often than others, but that’s okay with us given it’s a free program. Our family will continue to use Smart Kidz Radio when the littles want to listen to the radio. I also see us continuing to use the podcast section to listen to the fairy tales.

For more information, please visit the Smart Kidz Radio website. You can also find out more on Facebook and Twitter.

Want to read more reviews about this product and others? Simply click the banner below to hear what other homeschool parents had to say.

Our Homeschool Plans 2018-2019

June 25, 2018 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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If you care to look back, you can see what we used in the 2015-2016 year here or in the 2016-2017 school year here. Last year’s 2017-2018 can be found here. Some of it is the same and some has changed.

Also, be sure to read my article- Homeschooling a Preschooler – See What Works for Us!.

This upcoming school year, I will have a 10th grader, 6th grader, 3rd grader, 2nd grader and a preschooler. Last year I told y’all that my older 2 were going to do the majority of their social studies, science, and language arts with a tutor one day a week. That went VERY well and we will continue again this year.

Math:

Math, we are once again using Horizons Math, but only for 2 of my children. For my oldest, we will continue with Math-U-See. My 3rd grader will also be starting with Math-U-See since she is struggling with Horizons. We are also continuing with XtraMath.org. I can’t say enough great things about this website! It’s a completely free way to make sure your kids understand all of their math facts. As a mom, I can login and see how they are doing as well and what needs improvement. We actually bribe the kids and each day they get a green light, meaning that they did well, they get a piece of candy. Once they completely finish a chart, they earn $1 🙂 Usually it takes many months for them to complete the chart, but that’s okay!

Language Arts:

We will be starting Easy Grammar with my 2nd grader. My 3rd grader will start on Saxon Grammar and Writing 3.

My 1st and 2nd grader will continue working on Horizons Penmanship since they didn’t finish last year. From there, they will move on to A Reason For Handwriting.

All 4 of my school age children will continue working through Q&A For Kids: A 3 Year Journal. I am going to get the Q&A For Teens for my oldest, though. Also considering getting one for myself!

We are continuing Building Spelling Skills for the middle 3 to work on spelling. We really slacked on that the past year.

My 2nd and 3rd graders will also continue working on Explode the Code. This is a very simple program, but can help with the fundamentals for the little kids. Takes just a couple minutes each day and they are fun!

We have actually decided to stop paying for ReadingEggs and have switched to a program that we like better called Reading Kingdom. I feel it’s been much more thorough and has been teaching typing along with reading. You can get a FREE month here. We tried it out for a review and loved it.

My 6th grader will be using IEW Ancient History along with Rod & Staff English. My 10th grader will be using Easy Grammar Ultimate Series.

Bible:

This past year, once again we greatly slacked on our Bible lessons, however my son has taken it upon himself as a challenge to read through the Bible. He’s been doing well with that. For now, all the kids will also continue with VeritasBible.com.

Social Studies:

History we will continue to pull from Allinonehomeschool.com for the little girls and of course the vast variety of books at the library.

My 10th grader will be using Notgrass Exploring World History. My 6th grader will be using Story of the World Volume 2.

Science:

Science we will also continue to pull from Allinonehomeschool.com for the little girls, enjoy homeschool day at Sandy Creek, and of course the library as well.

My 10th grader will be using Apologia’s Chemistry and my 6th grader will be using God’s Design for Science

Why We Stopped Homeschooling Year Round

May 16, 2018 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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A while back, I wrote an article about how we homeschooled year round and loved it. In fact, that was 4 years ago. Since then, many things have changed. The kids are getting older, we’ve added another kid, this teacher is getting more tired, and life has happened.

Even though we do still love taking breaks throughout the year when places aren’t as busy, we find that having a summer break for mental health reasons is so needed this year. As I type this, we are wrapping up our school year with about another 2 weeks to go. I am already feeling so done. I want to close the door to the school room and run away!

Don’t get me wrong, I like homeschooling and love being around my kids. I just find that when everything doesn’t revolve around school, our relationships with the children are much easier. It’s hard finding the balance being both mom and teacher.

This summer we are taking a much needed official break. We have an end date and the kids know that on that date, mom is going to cease being teacher.

I will not check any more work. I will be done. They may not finish every last page of their books. And that’s okay. My high schooler may have to pick back up on her math in the fall. That’s okay as well. We want to have fun and enjoy the kids.

School isn’t the end all. Relationships matter. The kids matter. My sanity matters.

Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program 2018!

May 8, 2018 By MommyOctopus 1 Comment
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We love that Barnes & Noble has such a fantastic and fairly easy summer reading program. For 2018, children in grades 1-6 can read any 8 books and score a free book!

You can find all the information and download the PDF file to print your reading log on the Barnes & Noble website. The list of free books that you can select from are on the reading log.

Reading logs can be redeemed between May 15th and September 3rd, 2018.

Enjoy!

Review: Reading Kingdom + Free 30 Day Trial!

May 7, 2018 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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With all the kids in our house and their many different learning styles, we have tried many online reading programs. I have to admit, that Reading Kingdom has turned out to be my new favorite. Both my 7 and 8 year old daughters have been using the program for the past month or so and have made great strides doing so.

Reading Kingdom is designed for children ages 4-10 years old and helps them get to a 3rd grade level in both their writing and reading. This program is designed to customize itself to each child, which makes it perfect for both the early reader and the struggling reader. When you first sign up, the child will take a placement test to get them on the appropriate level. From there on, it designs the lessons for each day. The goal is for the child to do 4 sessions a week, at minimum, for best results.

Reading Kingdom uses a 6 skill model of reading instruction. The program focuses on sequencing, motor skills, sounds, meaning, grammar, and even comprehension.

My 8 year old has been especially struggling as a reader. Since starting the program, she has taken off with more confidence than ever and I have found her reading independently lately. Both my 7 and 8 year olds enjoy doing the program. Frequently I have to tell them to get off after their session ends so we can work on other things.

Above, you can see my daughter working on one part of the program. The program will tell her words to click on in the sentence. It’s a great way to distinguish words while you read.

Here’s what my 7 year old had to say about the program:

I like learning with Reading Kingdom. I get to learn new things and type fast. My favorite part is the bird part, where the birds fly out and you have to type the word it has listed.

And my 8 year old’s thoughts:

I really like typing. I like the rocket ship part where you blast bubbles with the letters you have to type. I get to learn to type fast.

What I find unique about this program is that it encourages learning keyboarding skills in addition to reading skills. Not only do my daughters have to click on the correct stuff on the screen, it reinforces it through typing.

When we started the program, I quickly realized how keyboarding hadn’t really been on my radar for the girls yet. They really had no idea and took forever to find the right keys. As time has gone by, they are becoming more and more efficient!

Behind the scenes, there is a dashboard where you can see how your children are doing. Clicking on the child’s name in the parent account launches their unique program. Here’s a sample of what I can see for my 1st grader.

I like that I can see how my children and progressing and I also receive email updates each week.

Since we are having such a great experience with this program, we are definitely keeping our subscription until both girls have completed the program. I also plan to create my 2.5 year old son an account once he’s old enough.

Interested in finding out more? Reading Kingdom offers a free month so you can check out the program. Simply CLICK HERE to sign up for your free month.

For more information, you can visit the Reading Kingdom website. You can also find more on Facebook, Twitter, and even Instagram.

You can view reviews on this product and also their ASD Reading program by clicking the banner below.

Learn to Read with Reading Kingdom OR ASD Reading {Reviews}

Review: Apologia’s Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology

April 18, 2018 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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A couple years ago, we reviewed Apologia’s Exploring Creation with Astronomy, and since then, we have been hooked on Apologia’s science programs. We were very thankful to get a chance to review Apologia‘s Young Explorer Series science again, this time with Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology.

About the Product:

Apologia’s Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology is available as a textbook, notebooking journal, junior notebooking journal, and the MP3 audio CD. This set is geared toward the elementary school age and helps children understand what is going on in their bodies and how wonderful God has designed us. There are 14 lessons that cover various subjects including the digestive system, your senses, nervous system, growth and development, and more. If you’re like me and like to take a peek inside products before purchasing, you can even view a sample of the products on their website.

Our Experience:

As I mentioned early, we are huge fans of Apologia. I love that there is a lesson plan already put together in each of the Notebooking Journals that can be followed. It takes a bunch of planning out of my workload by following the included plans. Apologia’s Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology is meant for working through twice a week and flows nicely as such.

Since I’m homeschooling 4 kids and I have a toddler in the house, I love to combine kids for our lessons where I can. One of my favorite things about Apologia is that they offer a student Notebooking Journal and a Junior Notebooking Journal so this program can be used with multiple ages at once. The Junior Notebooking Journal is a little easier with some coloring and other activities, which makes it perfect for the younger crowd. For our family, I used this Apologia program with my 5th grader and my 2nd grader. My 5th grader used the regular Notebooking Journal, while my 2nd grader used the Junior Notebooking Journal. Each of the books was similar, but geared more toward the appropriate age. Both had work pages for the experiment logs.

Another thing I like about Apologia is that most of their experiments are easy and most use items that we already have in our home anyway.

Above, you can see a couple photos from when we did an experiment this week about how muscles work. My kids had to use a clothespin (we used a chip clip for a similar concept), and guess how many times they could open it in a specific length of time. Afterward, they had to see if they felt sore from opening the clip and working their finger muscles. It was an easy experiment, but much was learned.

The MP3 audio CD in this set actually came in great use during our weeks reviewing because for several weeks, I lost my voice! Fortunately, we had the MP3 audio CD and the kids were able to listen to their day’s lessons without me having to read it. In fact, it was so easy to just pop in the CD that we used it on busy days in the car to refresh what we have been learning.

For More Information:

For more information, you can visit Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology to check out these products. You can also find Apologia on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

You can also read more reviews from the Schoolhouse Review Crew on this product and others by clicking the banner below.

Apologia - Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology Reviews

Kennedy Space Center: Free Ticket for 5th Graders

April 2, 2018 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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It’s like the Kennedy Space Center read my mind! We’ve been talking about taking the kids for a visit! Currently 5th graders can snag a free ticket to visit the Kennedy Space Center. This offer is for a limited time only and open to 10 and 11 year olds or 5th graders in 2018.

Here are the details:

Free admission offer is valid for students that are in the 5th grade in 2018 or are between the ages of 10 and 11.
Domestic public and private students will need a relevant report card or school transcript.
International and home school students will need a passport or birth certificate.
Students must visit with a full admission-paying adult to receive free admission ticket.

Offer not valid for groups or field trips and cannot be combined with any other discounts.

Free admission is limited to three (3) students per paying adult. Boarding Pass to Mars is valid through December 31, 2018.

All coupons must be printed. Smartphones, PDF or electronic copy of the coupon will not be accepted.

To get your ticket and for more information, visit the Kennedy Space Center website.

Review: Thin Stix Creativity Pack

November 8, 2017 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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A few months back, we tried out the Thin Stix products for the first time. We were so excited to receive Thin Stix Creativity Pack from The Pencil Grip, Inc. to review one of their other great products.

About the Product:

The Thin Stix Creativity Pack consists of 24 wonderful colors from solid tempura paint. Included are 12 classic colors, 6 neon colors, and 6 Metalix. Drying in only 90 seconds, Thin Stix are prefect for mess-free creativity. To create, simply uncap and twist up the paint and then use it on paper, wood, poster board, cardboard and more! Very much like coloring with a marker, only it’s with paint! Thin Stix are intended for ages three and up. They are non toxic and no water, cups, or even smocks are needed for use!

Our Thoughts:

Thin Stix! Oh how I love you! I am seriously not a fan of art projects with kids and avoid them most of the time! Thin Stix make painting a million times better with it’s mess-free aspect, plus the kids love using them!

When our package for this review arrived and I opened it, the kids gave a cheer when they realized that we were reviewing the Thin Stix again. This followed by oohing and aahing over the different colors that were in this package. The kids couldn’t wait to get their hands on them!

We saved it for a rainy day activity during the toddler’s nap time and then I let them have at it! I was impressed at how sparkly the Metalix Thin Stix are and how vibrant of the colors seem to be.

I asked my 6 year old what she liked best about the Thin Stix Creativity Pack and here is what she said:

I like that there are sparkly ones and lots of different colors and shades of my favorite colors. I really like the pink sparkles one! I am going to use them to make lots of pretty pictures!

And here is what my 11 year old had to say:

I like that they are paint and dry very quickly. I plan to use them to color and paint, especially when I have a school project that needs a decorated poster board.

At the time, only those 2 and the toddler were home, but when the other 2 walked in the door, they immediately joined in on the fun!

Even after page upon page of creations were made, the Thin Stix kept on hanging in there. These can definitely be used for an extended period of time. We look forward to checking out more items from The Pencil Grip, Inc company in the future.

For More Information:

You can purchase Thin Stix from BJs website and many other places as well. The Pencil Grip, Inc company has a lot more to offer than just the Thin Stix! See their website to check out all the varieties and colors of the Thin Stix, a variety of therapeutic toys and products, fidgets, and pencil grips.

For more information, you can also visit The Pencil grip on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. You can also click the banner below to read more reviews on this product and others by other homeschooling families below:

Thin Stix Creativity Pack {The Pencil Grip, Inc. Reviews}