critical thinking curriculum homeschool

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Can You Find Me? Gr. PreK-1
Complete the Picture Math Gr. 1-3
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Developing Critical Thinking through Science Gr. 1-8
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Editor in Chief Gr. 2-12+
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Half 'n Half Animals Gr. K-4
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Inference Jones Gr. 1-6
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Jumbles Gr. 3-5
Language Mechanic Gr. 4-7
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Mastering Logic & Math Problem Solving Gr. 6-9
Math Analogies Gr. K-9
Math Detective Gr. 3-8
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Mind Building Math Gr. K-1
Mind Building Reading Gr. K-1
Novel Thinking Gr. 3-6
OLSAT® Test Prep Gr. PreK-K
Organizing Thinking Gr. 2-8
Pattern Explorer Gr. 3-9
Practical Critical Thinking Gr. 9-12+
Punctuation Puzzler Gr. 3-8
Reading Detective Gr. 3-12+
Red Herring Mysteries Gr. 4-12+
Red Herrings Science Mysteries Gr. 4-9
Science Detective Gr. 3-6
Science Mind Benders Gr. PreK-3
Science Vocabulary Crossword Puzzles Gr. 4-6
Sciencewise Gr. 4-12+
Scratch Your Brain Gr. 2-12+
Sentence Diagramming Gr. 3-12+
Smarty Pants Puzzles Gr. 3-12+
Snailopolis Gr. K-4
Something's Fishy at Lake Iwannafisha Gr. 5-9
Teaching Technology Gr. 3-12+
Tell Me a Story Gr. PreK-1
Think Analogies Gr. 3-12+
Think and Write Gr. 3-8
Think-A-Grams Gr. 4-12+
Thinking About Time Gr. 3-6
Thinking Connections Gr. 4-12+
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Thinking Skills for Tests Gr. PreK-5
U.S. History Detective Gr. 8-12+
Understanding Fractions Gr. 2-6
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Vocabulary Virtuoso Gr. 2-12+
What Would You Do? Gr. 2-12+
Who Is This Kid? Colleges Want to Know! Gr. 9-12+
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Word Roots Gr. 3-12+
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You Decide! Gr. 6-12+

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We design critical thinking into ALL of our homeschool curriculum and supplemental educational products. This not only helps students transfer critical thinking skills to other areas of their lives, it improves the effectiveness of the lessons. Critical thinking requires deeper analysis of the lesson. Deeper analysis produces deeper understanding, resulting in greater engagement and retention of the lesson.

Testimonials from Homeschooling Parents:

Featured success stories & testimonials:.

"I especially like the way students get a deeper understanding of the words used and improve their thinking and writing skills." - Teachers' Choice Award Reviewer (regarding Vocabulary Smarts)

"This product provides a challenging yet engaging means to assess necessary, basic word usage skills, and includes important, meaningful writing connections." - Teachers' Choice Award Reviewer

"This product provides a challenging yet engaging means to assess necessary, basic word usage skills, and includes important, meaningful writing connections." - Teachers' Choice Award Reviewer (regarding Complete The Picture Math)

"[The Complete The Picture Math] activities were a great way to practice reading and following directions while reviewing math concepts." - Teachers' Choice Award Reviewer

"I've become a Critical Thinking convert. I tell everyone who asks that if I were starting all over from scratch I'd focus my whole curriculum on materials from The Critical Thinking Co.™. That may sound extreme, but I've seen [students] make phenomenal progress since I de-emphasized rote memorization." - Kathe, Educator, Marshall, MO

"[P]eople often ask me what to order from The Critical Thinking Co.™. I tell them, not even jokingly, that I can't help them. I'd advise them to order everything." - Melanie, Educator, Garland, TX

"The Critical Thinking Co.™ has uniquely captured the method of teaching students not only how to think logically, but to apply logic to the process of learning in every subject area. [M]any companies have begun to jump on the bandwagon and produce materials that use the critical thinking label, but the contents are the same old drill and practice, and our students know the difference right away." - Peggy, Educator, Tucson, AZ

"Your publications help to make significant learning happen for my students, and I have promoted your products in countless speeches and workshops I have given to teachers around the country. You have found ways to engage students in thinking and performance and the interactive approach is one I recommend highly and often." - Jeff, Professor of Education, Tampa, FL

"[This] company offers every imaginable means of teaching critical thinking to every student. I have found no other company that offers such specialized materials and that is so totally committed to such a difficult task in today's society." - Elizabeth, Educator, Richmond, VA

"My students really enjoyed the mental challenge that the problems posed them. The excitement that I saw coming from [their] faces as they worked cooperatively to solve problems was mind-boggling to me." - Leska, Educator, Charleston, WV

"We see great results in Thinking Skills from using your products. Your work has produced positive results and, I believe, higher test scores." - Luine, Educator, Baytown, TX

"I credit you in helping both my [students] and me to learn the thinking skills needed for success." - Michelle, Educator, Broad Run, VA

"The standard curriculums weren't working as well as I had hoped. The students were becoming impatient with all the repetition, but with these books, they've become eager to learn again." - Priscilla, Educator, Walpole, MA

"For 12 years, I've recommended your company to my teacher-training students. Your materials are exceptionally valuable to teachers. The Critical Thinking Co.™ not only produces quality materials, but your fine company is unusually responsive to needs and questions of the individual teacher as well as of the big school districts." - Dr. Leonard Martin, Teacher Education Program, University of Denver

"In my 17 years in the district, I haven't seen anything work the way [the Building Thinking Skills®] program did. The improvement was phenomenal, especially for our at-risk populations and second-language students. - Gayle Polk, Guidance Counselor, East Elem. School, Monroe, NC

"I have been teaching for 38 years. I started using Midwest Publication materials in the 1970's while working with gifted students. The critical thinking materials have provided a constant challenge for my students. The Mind Benders® were one of their favorite activities. I have continued to use your curriculum materials for more than 30 years. I have made it a point of sharing your critical thinking books with other teachers. Thank you for enhancing the minds of youngsters." - Dennis Schuman

"The books are easy to follow and allow kids to jump around... My son's teacher loved it, as well, saying the math concepts are age appropriate for him." - iParenting Media Reviewer

"I purchased Language Smarts, Mathematical Reasoning™, Visual Perceptual Skill Building®, and Dr. Dooriddles. My son is homeschooled in first grade and this is perfect for him. The Critical Thinking Co.™ products are a 'must-have' for any homeschooling family. Your child will be taught essential academic skills beyond rote memorization. Each activity encourages my child to use higher-level thinking and I see this overlap into his everyday problem solving skills. The Critical Thinking Co.™ truly does 'empower the mind!' I will be ordering from this company for years to come! Thank you again!" - Krista Bulger

"When my son is done with his schoolwork, he asks to do 'the fun books,' by which he means Building Thinking Skills®, Mind Benders®, and Red Herrings! What parents doesn't want to hear that?!" - Anne Ling, M.S. Ed.

"What a fun and family friendly way of making your brain grow. As a homeschooled family we're not always home so we keep Red Herring Mysteries in the car and everyone participates. The helpful guide at the beginning explains how to get the children to think in a deductive way rather than just guessing the answer, The answers at the back will surprise you. When the older children think they have the answers they then can ask leading questions until the younger ones get it as well. While it is probably meant for an overhead projector, the quality of the questions are well worth it. Time in the car melts away as the kids learn and laugh." - Joan Schleh, Mt. Vernon, WA

"My child really enjoyed learning math and being able to work on her art skills at the same time. What a great concept, especially with art being cut out of so many schools do to budget cuts." - Teachers' Choice Award Reviewer (regarding Complete The Picture Math)

"I just wanted to let you know how grateful our family is for the resources you offer. Six months ago, our family adopted six children from Liberia, West Africa. The children are war orphans. They range in age from 8 to 16 years. There are many academic milestones that they have missed, although they are able to do much more than I expected. I was able to speak with Tim via customer service. He was so knowledgeable. (Most folks I speak with think Liberia is in Russia!) He was able to dialog with me and gave terrific advice. He recommended some products but was also able to offer practical suggestions on how to fill in the gaps for these children. I cannot tell you how relieved I am to have found real help. I have chased so many rabbit trails that led nowhere. My hope is renewed and my kids are excited! Thanks so much!" - Kaitlyn MacMillan

"This product [Mathematical Reasoning™] incorporates so many skills into one activity that it can be used across the curriculum. Not only are math strategies and skills taught, but it also helps with reading and deciding what is being asked. I love this product!" - Teachers' Choice Award Reviewer

"The most positive characteristic of these books are the higher order thinking skills that the content encourages. As an educator, I can appreciate that the skills involve multi-steps and hands-on manipulation." - iParenting Media Reviewer

"Parents who home school students will find the books extremely helpful when introducing mathematics skills and all NCTM concepts and strands. For the money, the books are excellent buys and worthy supplements to any early childhood student's education." - Maxine Pincott, Oliver Ellsworth School, Windsor, CT, Teaching Children Mathematics (NCTM)

"As a homeschooling mother of five, I wanted to thank you for such wonderful products. We have changed our homeschool curriculum to focus on your Critical Thinking Co.™ products--after spending a small fortune on materials that were watered down and not effective--and couldn't be happier. I wish we had found your products earlier. Our younger children that have used your full curriculum products since preschool are all performing above their age groups and loving the challenge of learning!Language is not my son's strong point, but by using Language Smarts™, he is writing complete sentences, recognizing grammatical errors, and learning Language Arts like never before. Mathematical Reasoning™ presents math in a way that makes it not only simple to learn, but also practical to apply to everyday circumstance --obviously making math more meaningful to him. I cannot brag enough on Building Thinking Skills® and how it starts students out at a young age with organizing thoughts, brainstorming, and categorizing, all of which are crucial as college students and adults but unfortunately these skills tend to be overlooked in other curriculums. Our whole family enjoys the riddles and brain teasers from Thinker Doodles and Dr. DooRiddles that fill our van with giggles and discussion on long trips. Thank you for such wonderful products! Three cheers for exceeding the status quo!!!" - Katherine David, MS

"Our school had a low rate of children qualifying for advanced math. I started using Math Ties with them, and we had over 10 students in one class qualify for 7th grade math as 5th graders! I know that the key was the higher level thinking required in Math Ties." - Cassandra, VA

"I have been using The Critical Thinking Co.™ materials for 17 years. Our 1st son is an honor student at the University, and our 2nd son, a senior in high school, just scored a perfect 800 on the critical reading section of the SAT. He says, 'After all of those Editor in Chief® books, how could I not do well, Mom!' Thanks The Critical Thinking Co.™." - Melissa, OK

"My four-year-old daughter and I began slowly working through [Mathematical Reasoning™] together this fall. I figured we'd do a little here and there to start building some pre-math and math skills before jumping into a real curriculum next year. Well, she fell in love with the book! She would beg to 'do math' everyday, and want to work on it for 30-40 minutes at a time. Her math skills are now blowing me away! After the section about dividing quantities in half, she started talking about halves all the time. And she even figured out what half of 3 was all on her own. She is now in a 1st grade math curriculum and breezing through it at age 4-1/2. [Mathematical Reasoning™] really did what it promised — it built her mind up for future math experiences. Thanks so much for a great product!" - Katie, MO

"Our family loves your Mathematical Reasoning™ series. My son will be completing Level C by the end of this school year. As a former public school teacher and now a home school mom, I have looked at many math curricula and yours is by far the best I have seen and used. I am so glad you are continuing this series and can't wait to see the next book." - Park, TX

"I am a very experienced teacher and cognitive trainer. I own and direct a learning center and I have used the Building Thinking Skills® materials with my students. The success of developing the critical thinking skills is outstanding with these materials. One of my students was in the Special Education program for years; after working with the Building Thinking Skills® books he returned to grade level in seven months. I have worked with various brands of thinking skills materials, but The Critical Thinking Co.™ has the best on the market. I highly recommend these materials." - Claudette, Prescription for Success Learning Center, CO

"I am a certified teacher in math and history. My 13-yr-old niece and her friend homeschool with me, and I was looking for curriculum materials in language arts, since I had accumulated very little in that area. Thanks to a friend, I was introduced to your products, and we now use both the Word Roots series and the Editor in Chief® series. They now look forward to their grammar sessions, instead of dreading the boring drills in their previous books." - Jane, FL

"My sons have benefited tremendously from your products. Calvin (10) is in a gifted program and Jack (14) is in an advanced curriculum . They both score in the high 90th percentiles in all standardized tests. As a mom and a university professor I can't thank The Critical Thinking Co.™ enough." - Marinilka, WA

"When my daughter was 13, I began using the Editor in Chief® Series as part of our homeschool curriculum. She enjoyed the challenge of looking for errors even if at times she became frustrated that she missed a few. Only to go back and look harder until she found them! These skills have helped her be able to express her thoughts well throughout high school and college. She, now 20, was approached by the dean of students at her university and asked if she would be interested in being the senior editor for the school newspaper! She immediately jumped at the chance! This is a paid position complete with an office, a budget, photographers, writers, layouts, printers, etc. She now has truly become an 'Editor in Chief.' Thank you!" - Lisa-Jean, NJ

"My daughter, age 14, has PDD/Autism. Also, she has an accompanying non-verbal learning disorder (this doesn't mean she doesn't talk; it means that she has trouble interpreting body language and other non-verbal information). Something she has always struggled with has been visual problem solving. We have been using The Critical Thinking Co.™ materials since she was small, as they were the only materials that broke down tasks into small enough chunks for her. As she has grown older, we have also been using the software, most recently the new Building Thinking Skills® software. The Mind Benders® software also presented many challenging visual-puzzle activities, and we have used all of the Math and Reading Detective® software to help her fine-tune her critical thinking skills in the content areas. When she was 12, I purchased the Lexia Cross Trainer software. It was hugely expensive, and helpful, but The Critical Thinking Co.™ activities were just as useful and more varied to hold her interest, and much more reasonably priced.The materials haven't 'cured' my daughter, of course, but they have helped her stick with practicing her skills even when it is difficult. She 'asks' to play the second Building Thinking Skills® software nearly every day. Thank you!" - Sandy, MD

"When my two children were 8 and 6, they completed Building Thinking Skills® Level 1 in just a few months. Every day they begged to do 'the thinking book' first, and never wanted to stop after just a couple of pages. Many days they went on and on until I had to make them quit to do something else. My son jumped three grade levels that year in reading comprehension, and my daughter experienced major breakthroughs in her understanding of math concepts. Coincidence? I don't think so! This year we jumped back in to Building Thinking Skills® Level 2. They are now 10 and 8, and the interest level hasn't waned at all. I just love curriculum that the kids can't wait to do and that is obviously so good for their ability to think and process information. Thanks so much for such fun products!" - Cindy, OH

"My daughter is 8, and we had tried several math programs usually stopping in the school year several times to find one that 'clicks.' Some of the programs left her in tears when I would say, 'ok, it's time for math.' She would say they were just too boring. It was the same thing over and over again. After visiting a curriculum fair one year, I had tried a Mind Benders® book because she likes a challenge. She loved it right away. She says each one is different, and it is fun to try and figure them out. So I decided to try Mathematical Reasoning™ Level B. I was not disappointed. She is quite happy with it. They also have different types of math problems, not just the same thing over again. They lay the ground work for higher learning in an easy and fun way. Thanks so much, I am looking forward to trying other products." - Joanne, FL

"Our eleven-year old son has learning disabilities. He struggles to read. He struggles to retain information from day to day. In early January/09, Cat 3 testing rated his reading score as 2.3, his language arts as 2.4, and his math as 3.6. We and he were amazed and totally pleased when his scores in late March were 4.2 for reading, 4.3 for language arts, and 4.9 for math. We wish to thank The Critical Thinking Co.™ for their terrific products which allowed this improvement to happen. These are the products we used: 1. Building Thinking Skills® Primary 2. Building Thinking Skills® Level 1 3. Mind Benders® Book 24. Mind Benders® A1(first half)5. Memory Challenge! Software6. Think Analogies® A1These products have greatly improved our son's academic abilities with only 5-10 minutes per day, per book, and doing two books per day. Next week, our son will be advancing into another new level of readers and will have completed 1/3 of grade 5 math. We will continue to use your products every step of the way. Thanks, The Critical Thinking Co.™" - Valerie, Saskatchewan, Canada

"As a former elementary teacher, and presently a homeschooling mom, I highly recommend Building Thinking Skills®. My daughter is gifted with strong language art skills, but had confidence issues in math matters. I began using Building Thinking Skills® Level 1 in her third grade year as a way to strengthen her critical thinking skills and build her confidence. It only took about 10 minutes of our school day, and she usually completed 2 pages within that time, except when she wanted to keep on working! (You know a product is a success when the students don't want to put it down!) Both her confidence and reasoning skills improved, and along with those, her standardized test score made an amazing leap. As I was choosing curriculum for her fourth grade year, she ASKED to use Level 2. I know I had a big smile on my face as I said 'Of course, you can!' She is now just a few days away from completing Building Thinking Skills® Level 2. We are both very pleased with your products, and are currently poring over your catalogue, enthusiastically choosing more products for next year!" - Amy, TX

"I teach children that have been identified gifted. Your catalog is one of the few that I order from year after year. Wanting to increase vocabulary I decided to purchase Word Roots. It is everything I was searching for and more. It goes beyond 'spelling tests' and teaches students to decipher words based upon prefixes, suffixes, and roots. The focus is on meaning which in turn increases comprehension. My students enjoy watching the buildings appear when they reach 90% mastery. I seldom hear complaints when having to redo activities because of the technology used. This year I had several students so successful that I had to order Level B. I teach fifth grade. Keep up the good work-you are right on target with gifted children." - Cecilia, NC

"I recently purchased the Mathematical Reasoning™ Beginning 1 book for my son who just turned 3 years old. He absolutely loves it! The first day we looked at the book, he completed the first 13 pages and can now recognize when a set has 3 members just by looking at the picture! I love that the instructions are so simple and understandable; it really keeps him engaged. As a math instructor, I am so happy that it looks like I may have a math-brain in my family after all! He asks to do his math schoolwork every day!" - Janelle, LA

"My son hated math. I was using two different popular programs and he didn't like either. It didn't matter if he had manipulatives or a fun, colorful workbook. I saw your curriculum and gave it a try. Wow! What a great fit for my son. He is a child who learns best when analyzing information. Your Mathematical Reasoning™ curriculum gave him a way to learn math that made sense to him. Thank you!" - Amy, Ontario, Canada

"Making the decision to homeschool my son was scary business. Although I had a post graduate degree I'd never taken the first class in education theory. A teacher recommended the Mind Benders® product and I quickly learned about all the other wonderful products offered by The Critical Thinking Co.™. I discovered that I had developed my own educational theories and one most dear to my heart was to encourage my son to think as opposed to memorize temporarily. We have used many of the products for math, reading and language arts, and enjoyed them all, but Mind Benders® remains my son's favorite. 'Please, Mom, can't I do one more?' He asks every time we complete a problem. That truly brings a smile to this homeschool mom's face!! Thank you, thank you to all the writers and illustrators who make these great learning tools that are so much fun." - Elizabeth, TX

"Think-A-Minutes has really allowed me to pinpoint my children's strengths and weaknesses. My second-grade son most often asks for help on pages that contain verbal skills. My fourth-grade daughter most often asks for help on visual/ figural skills. This information has allowed me to fine tune our curriculum. I ask for more math pages to be done of the second-grader and have added the Reading Detective® to stretch his verbal and comprehension skills. I have moved my verbally strong daughter up a level in comprehension and literature analysis as well as slowing down on geometry concepts to allow for more hands on and discussion time. Thank you, Think-a-Minutes for such a valuable and fun diagnostic tool." - Melody

"When my daughter turned 3, we began Mathematical Reasoning™ Beginning... and finished it in less than two months! I was very pleased on how 'advanced' it was towards the end of the book - much better than the workbooks you find at WalMart, for example. She enjoyed the color and pictures and learned a lot of new concepts that really put her at a higher level in math. Now she is starting regular kindergarten math and we already need to skip most of the material since she understood it from her Mathematical Reasoning™ book! I plan on purchasing more math books for next summer!!! Definitely a success for her! Thank you!" - Karin, NY

"I am writing in regards to my student Patrick and his amazing test results with the Reading Detective® B1. Last school year his test scores showed that he had difficulty and scored Low Average in a few particular areas in reading: identify text, locate information, evaluating validity and credibility, and responding to text. His mother found the Reading Detective® and began working with Patrick over the summer. In August, I began working with Patrick and saw how not only he really enjoyed reading the passages, but his skills were growing by leaps and bounds! In September, he did our district MAPs (Measure of Academic Progress) test and every skill he was Low Average on last year he was NOW High Average to High! I cannot be more thrilled with these results! I am recommending the Reading Detective® to all my families who struggle in these areas of reading!" - Aly, KS

"I wanted to let everyone know at The Critical Thinking Co.™ how much your products have helped my four year old daughter. We purchased the Building Thinking Skills® Beginning book back in the spring, and have been working through it. She has learned so much from that book. I'm amazed at how she has caught on and comprehended sequencing, classification, half and whole parts, analogies, and more. I could go on and on about how much I love this book! I think it has placed her ahead for kindergarten next fall. Thank you again for your products. I plan on purchasing more for kindergarten." - Ildephonse, MN

"My mom started me on Building Thinking Skills® when I was about 5. She used the figural book as a special reward for when I'd finished my other homework. During my first year of college at UC Berkeley, we had isometric drawings for an engineering class. Many people found this to be the most difficult part of the course. I had been doing these exercises since kindergarten! I owe my A in that class to The Critical Thinking Co.™!" - Hillary, CA

"I just wanted to let all of you know at The Critical Thinking Co.™ how much your product has helped my 5-year-old daughter. We bought Mathmatical Reasoning™ Level A this summer. We are almost finished with it! Not because it's short and too easy. Far from it!! It is 250 pages of colorful, exciting activities. My daughter loves it! I have to limit the amount of pages she does each day or that is all she would do. She has learned so much! We both get excited when we turn the page just to see what comes next. Thank you for such a great product!" - Wanda & Maleigh, NC

"By using Reading Detective®, my daughter's reading comprehension test scores rose 20 percentile points over 2 years. Amazing! And we only did one book in that time and she has multiple learning disabilities!" - Monique, VA

"Everyone was amazed when my 11-year-old daughter saw a Rubik's Cube for the first time and immediately started working it. She had the first side completed in a flash! Our family thought she was brilliant, but I knew she had been happily developing her mind through Building Thinking Skills® since she was four. She is now finishing Level 2 and has a good head on her shoulders. Thank you for providing such wonderful materials!" - Jatina, OK

"A few weeks ago we introduced Building Thinking Skills® and Mathematical Reasoning™ to our almost three-year-old. He begs to do 'work' like his daddy, and so we finally gave in to some workbooks that would spiral the concepts in a logical order. We do about ten pages each day (he begs for more, though) and already we notice his confidence building with simple counting, line recognition, and problem solving. We are hooked and can't wait to try more books from your company as the pages captivate our son and teach him at the same time, all while he is feeling 'big' and confident in his knowledge. Thank you!" - Katie, MN

"I am a very proud grandma! My six-year-old grandson just loves your Math Detective® Beginning Software. He has even gotten 'in trouble' for sneaking over to 'play' on his computer after bedtime. How can you get mad at that?" - Anne, FL

"I teach 3-6 grade Gifted Math. Coming up with logical thinking for all grade levels is tough, but with the leveled Scratch Your Brain® Series, I can rely on Bell Works as a quick, fun, and challenging way to start each period. Many times, the students take the puzzles home to their parents and work on them together!" - Spencer, AZ

"Recently, we bought the Thinker Doodles Beginning book after having such great success with the Building Thinking Skills® and Mathematical Reasoning® books. Our son, three, has gone from not wanting to color or draw to begging for it each day. In the past, a blank coloring page was too much for him, and he would just sort crayons on top of the page and then call himself done. We were shocked since most kids love to color, and decided to try this book. The moment it arrived he was anxious to try it. We have been working with it daily and not only does he love finishing the pictures, he will actually sit and color the pages now once he completes the drawing! We are so pleased as parents to watch him finally explore his creative side, and take pride in his artwork! Definitely going to continue with this series!" - Katharyn, MN

"Our grade level uses the Dr. DooRiddles books to motivate our students to get ready to start the day. Students must have their backpacks put away, their pencils sharpened, etc. and be in their seats by a certain time in order to submit an answer to the riddle of the day. The responses go into a bucket and the teacher pulls one out-if the answer is correct, the student receives a prize. The teacher continues to pull names out until the correct answer is given. Students who are not seated and ready to start the day cannot participate. This has saved us valuable time because all of the students want a chance to decipher the riddle! As a bonus, we've had many students who have been inspired to write their own riddles for the class to solve" - Karen, TX

"My son is a struggling learner. He has a slight tendency toward dyslexia and he sometimes finds schoolwork frustrating and difficult. We have 2 other children who have grown up with The Critical Thinking Co.™, so we started our youngest on Thinker Doodles. It was his favorite part of the day! We then moved him to Mind Benders®, which helped him to think logically about what he reads. This has also helped him think before he reads words so that he can conquer his reading problems. It takes great concentration to see letters backwards and be able to recognize it and fix it before speaking.Now, we are working on the Building Thinking Skills® series. I have to say, without The Critical Thinking Co.™, my son would be behind on grade level. For many years, I used the Critical Thinking books and software to help my son prep for his standardized testing and for college prep tests. He has amazing grades! But now, I see the benefit of critical thinking for helping my youngest child organize what he sees and process it in his mind. His reading has improved tremendously since we began The Critical Thinking Co.™ products. And the best part of critical thinking is that it is always a favorite part of their school day. It will always be a part of our schedule." - Tammy, LA

"My mom bought our family Memory Challenge! Software a few months ago to play on the computer. Our whole family loves it. It has helped my dad & mom sharpen their memory and also me & my brother. It is fun to do together. We find ourselves laughing & enjoying ourselves, together. It has brought our family hours of enjoyment & helped us with our memory, especially the old folks! Ha!Ha!" - Maleigh, NC

"I have been very pleased to use your Reading Detective® and Math Detective® books in our homeschool this year. My daughter is an accelerated reader, and the Reading Detective® has really helped her learn to adjust her rate of speed, and to read for detail and analysis, as well as enjoyment. The reading selections include wonderful excerpts of children's literature, fiction, and non-fiction. I'm always pleased to hear my daughter giggle as she reads a humorous passage, or her excitement as she shares a newly found nugget of knowledge with me from that day's assignment--two more confirmations of reading comprehension! In regards to the Math Detective®, she has also had great success. The story or charts and graphs are engaging and challenging without being frustrating. The answers to questions and their proofs can be easily located with careful reading and observation. If I needed further "proof" of The Critical Thinking Co.™ product's success, her standardized test scores in both reading comprehension and math problem solving skills each increased by 20+ points this year. (And this only took 20 minutes of our time, two days a week. On alternating weeks we would either do Reading Detective® or Math Detective®.) Once my daughter reaches college and I head back to teach in the classroom, I'll be taking these wonderful resources with me!" - Amy, TX

"My son (10) is on the autism spectrum. He has a brilliant mind for facts and figures, but always struggled with his thought process. Mind Benders® and Building Thinking Skills® have given him solid direction in organizing his thoughts and following logical patterns. The progress my son has made in barely one year is incredible. No therapy or modification has come close to having such an impact in the 6 years since his diagnosis. There are no words to express how thankful we are for The Critical Thinking Co.™" - Carrie, PA

"The other day my son and I were having a discussion and in the middle of it, he pointed out something we have been talking about from our Critical Thinking text. He said, 'Remember what we talked about in Critical Thinking? Two people can have different meanings for the same word.' I love seeing him become a better thinker!" - Amy, AZ

"I have used The Critical Thinking Co.™ materials long before they were Critical Thinking - the company before. I began a system-wide program for the gifted, MERIT, and still use the materials today, as I teach in a school that is a result of my original program back in the l980s. Just ordered Daily Mind Builders™ because achieving value-added scores on standardized tests (Terra Nova) is most difficult with gifted children who score high anyway. I use The Critical Thinking Co.™ materials to reach my highest children as well as my "double exceptional" children - gifted and autistic. They work! And have worked for years and years. Bravo!" - Cynthia, TN

"My five-year-old daughter and I have become superhero 'Math Girls.' We set aside a few minutes several times a week to work on your Mathematical Reasoning™ books. She loves the books and begs me for more "Math Girls!" She calls it our "special time!" She is so proud that she is entering kindergarten in the fall and has completed the entire kindergarten math curriculum. We have just started on the first grade Mathematical Reasoning™ book. She loves mathematics so much because of the fun activities in the books! Thanks!" - Linda, NJ

"As a third grade teacher, I loved the Reading Detective® software. I had 5 computers in my room, and if students made 100 on our practice TAKS test, they were allowed to "play" Reading Detective® while the others had to go over their mistakes on the paper with me. Everyone's goal was to make 100 so they could do Reading Detective®." - Nita, TX

"We tried Word Benders™ in our workbox from our homeschool group recommendation. Oh my gosh....my child loved them. Never seen her have such fun trying to figure them out. I am definitely gonna make this part of our curriculum now." - Renee, TN

"It's been raining ALL day today, but that did not stop us from going outside to drop our shampoo bottles filled with different quantities of sand from a height! (Activity 43 "Falling Bodies-Does Weight Make a Difference" from Developing Critical Thinking Through Science Book 2.) I am SO impressed with this material! I wish I'd had it sooner. Preparation time is minimal and what's required is very reasonable and achievable. The activities invariably lead to more discussion and practical application of the principles demonstrated. It's not just my 15- and 11-year-olds who are learning. I am, too!! I am SO, SO impressed!!!!! We love it!!!" - Jenny, Australia

"We homeschool our children and our oldest daughter (16) is taking dual-credit classes at our local community college. She was in an English class and the teacher asked the class about a meaning of a word and under her breath she was breaking it down like her Word Roots program would have her do. The professor overheard her and asked her what she was saying and she told him she had studied words and she was using the root word to figure out the word. The class was impressed along with the professor. She came home and told us and the other children who made sure to use the program the rest of the semester." - Debbie, IL

"I have purchased numerous amounts of your software down through the years and I have found them to be engaging for the students that I teach. I am a remedial teacher, and the students that I have, had been very successful using some of the following products: Math Detective®, Memory Challenge!,and the Think Analogy™ Puzzles." - Julia, TX

"I home school my two children, ages 7 and 12, and have added Balance Benders™ and Mind Benders® to our curriculum this year. I entered our kitchen the other day, only to find my children in a heated debate, hands waving, pointing, heads shaking. They were working on a Balance Benders™ challenge and were flustered about finding the third correct answer. Finally, after I joyfully watched the scene for a few moments, my son (age 7) said, 'Hey Mom, we found a mistake. This one <pointing> would work, except the square is completely black. It should only be gray and cut in half like the one up here. You should call the company.' So, I did; and they were right. My children had used logic and reasoning, exactly the skills these puzzle challenges develop, to discover the mistake. The best part is, they were confident enough in their decision to question the authority of the book. Can you hear me cheering now?My children love these 'Bender' books; in fact, I would not be exaggerating if I said they were addicted to them. I sincerely thank you for a product that makes what can be extremely difficult skills to master an absolute blast for my children.On a side note, I would like to mention that I am a doctoral candidate in education at Northeastern University, and have recommended these products to peers and colleagues as the best of the best." - Joan, MA

"Just this evening my second-grade son mentioned something was the hardest question ever, and being the typical aggravating older child, my other son said, 'Multiplication is harder; what's 9X4?' I gently said to the younger, 'You don't have to know the answer. Just tell us what 9X4 means.' To which my brilliant mental mathematician shocked us all when he replied, 'Well, what's 40-4?'" - Nicole, NM

"Although my son is quite bright, home school time was a nightmare. He knew how to do what I was asking, but refused to do the work. Then, I switched all of his curriculum to The Critical Thinking Co.™. THIS YEAR IS GREAT!!! He can't wait for school to begin and often wants to do extra work. He loves the challenge that The Critical Thinking Co.™ curriculum provides. He will often let out a huge sigh at the end of our school day and rub his head. Thank you for providing great products for great thinkers!" - Maggie, GA

"Oh, no...not vocabulary again. As a homeschool mom and parent who tries to carefully craft curriculum, vocabulary was not a favorite...UNTIL we found The Critical Thinking Co.'s™ Word Roots workbooks. My son is now looking forward to vocabulary, and even inventing his own words based on roots he has studied. His spelling, also, has been improving because this text breaks down roots, prefixes and suffixes so my son is breaking down words to formulate the correct spelling. We are very happy to have found this product." - Carol, MD

"I have purchased numerous amounts of your software through the years and I have found them to be engaging for the students that I teach. I am a remedial teacher and the students have been very successful using the following products: Math Detective®, Memory Challenge!, and ThinkAnalogy™ Puzzles." - Julia, TX

"My oldest son enjoyed math when he first started school, but soon became frustrated when he couldn't make the connection between the problems on the page and real life. I decided to try Mathematical Reasoning™ Level D because it looked as though it would bridge that gap. Two weeks into it, and my son wants to do more math each day than what I assign him! He is really enjoying working the problems because they now make sense." - Stephanie, TN

"We send our kids to the public school. While the school is great overall, there are some gaps we try to fill at home. Resources from The Critical Thinking Co.™ help us to do this easily, without being a drain to our kids." - Amy, MO

"I am a gifted intervention specialist in a rural public school. About 4 years ago my 7th-grade group read, Nothing But the Truth, by Avi. It is a novel which includes several different points of view. After my first group read it, the discussion did not go well. The students did not try to understand the different points of view of the main characters. The next year, I taught them critical thinking skills using Critical Thinking Book One from The Critical Thinking Co.™. This year, the students were able to have a great discussion as they were able to 'get' the points of view of others. I have continued to use these books." - Barb, OH

"I congratulate The Critical Thinking Co.™ on the superb job you do of preparing children to think in a fun way. Three years ago, my daughter was recommended for advanced placement testing, and my husband and I wanted to do everything possible for her to prepare her for the testing. I called The Critical Thinking Co.™ after doing some research and had an in-depth conversation with you about the materials you would advise us to use in a short amount of time. I found the books to be very helpful, and guided me beyond the in-home instruction I was able to piece together. I am pleased to say that Lauren placed in the advanced program, and has benefited since then from the The Critical Thinking Co.™ materials! Thank you so much." - Leslie, PA

"In January of 2010, I went for a mammogram and came home with not great results. I sat my kids down to tell them the news and what type of cancer I had. Cystosarcoma phyllodes. My daughter blurted out, 'oh, that means it has a leaflike growth structure.' It was so great that she recognized the Greek root from the Word Roots books and that it helped them to understand exactly what was going on. As I went through my procedures, some of my registered nurses hadn't even heard of that type of tumor. Maybe they should use Word Roots as part of their continuing ed. courses." - Shannon, CO

"Using The Critical Thinking Co.™ books since our 7-year-old son was young has enabled him to understand mathematical concepts at an early age. Just 7 years old and he is starting 4th-grade math. Critical thinking skills have given him independence of thought. Thank you!" - Christine, MT

"Thank you The Critical Thinking Co.™. Because of you my daughter scored 98 percentile in the CogAT®. I knew she had potential, but as a first-time mom I didn't know how to challenge her; how to fulfill her needs. The books certainly helped her a lot and gave me a direction for taking appropriate steps. Thank you so much." - SP, TX

"We gave Thinker Doodles to our kids (a 6-year-old girl & a 5-year-old boy) for Christmas. They both love them!! You say it is the SMART Coloring Book. It is that & a whole lot more. It makes them think, but all they know is they are having fun! The books were very affordable & worth every penny. Thank you!" - Wanda, NC

"I use the Mind Benders® and Critical Thinking books a great deal. I used to be a full-time classroom teacher, and then moved into college (adjunct) faculty positions and part-time tutoring. The materials are applicable to all levels and classes--when I start class with a Mind Bender® the students jump right in and are excited about learning. I incorporate the critical thinking skills throughout all the curriculum, and immediately see the students' mathematical reasoning skills improve. It's great to have resources like your company provides, because they augment and supplement the textbook problems--generally, they are more interesting! Thank you for providing the materials!" - Marie, TN

"My 6th-grade homeschooled daughter completed Building Thinking Skills® Level 1 and 2 by the end of her 5th-grade year, so I decided to go ahead and try the Level 3 books her 6th-grade year, despite the suggested age of 7-12th grades. She has been very successful with the challenge, and thanks to consistent practice that these books provide, breezed through her ITBS® and CogAT® tests this month. We use the Level 3 Verbal book daily, one page a day, and the Level 3 Figural book only 3 days a week, one page a day. This schedule isn't overwhelming, and has taken us half-way through each of the books this year, and will allow her to finish them her 7th-grade year. She still looks forward to her 'Thinkers' time every day, and her test scores continue to show measurable improvement on a yearly basis. I have highly recommended this series to other parents, and will continue to do so once I return to teach in the public school classroom!" - Amy, TX

"We use The Critical Thinking Co.™ products as part of our homeschool curriculum. The Mathematical Reasoning™ book has been a wonderful tool. The instructions are easy enough for my kindergartner to read to himself. My son loves math now!" - Elisha, SD

"When my seven year-old daughter emerged from taking the SCAT, I asked her what helped her for the test. Without hesitation she replied: 'Think Analogies®.' Based on her SCAT results, she qualified for the Johns Hopkins CTY with high honors." - Kathleen, NJ

"My daughter was chosen for advanced academics, thanks to the books by The Critical Thinking Co.™. Every fortnight I log on to CriticalThinking.com to find more books for my kids and friends' kids. As a school teacher, critical thinking is a big help in my personal and professional life." - Samrudhi, VI

"We have 'clubs' at our school, and I have made a 'Girls Who Love Science' club. In this club we use the Critical Thinking books, Mind Benders®, and Red Herring Mysteries books. I also use the Red Herrings at the end of the class if we have 5 or 10 extra minutes. The kids love the questions. They try to finish early and remind me to do a Red Herring Mysteries activity." - Melissa, FL

"We have been using Critical Thinking products for three years with our now 7-year-old son. We love the concept of logic and thinking outside the box that critical thinking develops. We bring Mind Benders® and Dr. DooRiddles with us everywhere and enjoy doing them together as a family. I love the Language Smarts™ and Mathematical Reasoning™ curriculum. My son enjoys them very much and can follow the simple instructions with ease. Thanks to critical thinking, my son breezes through and scores high on his standardized and placement tests. Thank you so much for your wonderful material! I always recommend The Critical Thinking Co.™ when I am asked for recommendations." - Brenda, SC

"I am a teacher of the gifted and our primary goal is teaching our students critical thinking techniques. I find your products excellent resources." - Bonnie, GA

"I've used the Building Thinking Skills® sets for 3 of my children (grades 1st, 3rd, 5th) and it has helped immensely in preparing them for our state standardized testing, mandatory for all 3rd graders. My eldest not only passed the exam but received commended ratings. The Word Roots set of books also has helped my 5th grader in her current English class. When asked who had been exposed to Greek & Latin root words, she was ecstatic to be the only one in the class to know what was being introduced in class and has breezed through the subject. Thank you, I plan on using these and other materials for the rest of my children as they progress through school." - Gina, TX

"Brilliant! That is the only word that I could think to use for the mind expanding, creativity building, thinking skills enhancing software! Honestly, I have been homeschooling my two daughters for 5 years and it has taken me this long to find your products!! I am in love with the Editor in Chief®, Word Roots, Math Detective®, and Mind Benders® software. I have spent years trying to get my children to really understand mathematical concepts, this has done it! I can't wait to try Spider Island! Learning to proofread with Editor in Chief®, has made grammar so much easier and entertaining for them! It has been really hard to find good, quality software until now. I thank you for opening my eyes to your curriculum by sending me that first catalog." - Kristy, WA

"We have a 6-year-old boy with both expressive and receptive language disorder. We bought the Hands-On Thinking Skills book as a supplement to his math program. We can't believe what a difference it has made. He had a hard time following directions because he didn't understand in all subjects. Now we can explain it and then show him, as well. He is able to use the manipulatives to follow the directions and now his speech is improving, as well, because he now can see the manipulatives, move them, understands it, and is now verbalizing it. It has carried over and helped him in his current math program. Everyone has been telling us how much more he talks recently. This has only been in 2 months and only 82 pages in. We are excited about finishing the book and buying more." - Jennie, OH

"When my children were 10 and 13, I purchased your Word Roots A1 Software on a whim at a homeschool conference. I intended to use it to strengthen their vocabulary skills throughout the next year. I brought it home and they finished the program in two weeks. I promptly ordered A2 and B1. They finished both of those before the summer was over. My then 10 year old son is now 14, and he announced to me recently that he needed to review the programs. That decision is entirely of his own accord. His younger brother who is now ten requested only two things he really wants. Science Detective® and Math Detective®. We already have Editor in Chief®. My children highly recommend your products based on their own satisfaction." - Barbara, AZ

"My third, fourth, and fifth grade students just love discovering the 'rest of the story' in the Red Herring Mysteries, and I just love how it has taught them to think outside the box. The students now understand that one word can have several meanings. They beg to hear a Red Herring Mystery if we finish a lesson early." - Pamela, GA

"I was struggling with teaching algebra. The Balance Math™ books broke it down into bite size pieces. They finally got it! I like the color and space in the elementary books. I will definitely be buying more." - Twila, Homeschoolbuyersco-op.org Member

"I LOVE The Critical Thinking Co. - I've purchased several items from them in the past, and have NEVER been disappointed. The materials are always top quality, well written, concise, and easy to use. I've purchased both software and traditional books for my kids to learn logic, analogies, Latin roots, and critical thinking strategies. Unlike some websites, the sample pages for TCTCo. always give you a clear example of what you'll get in your purchase, so there's never any doubt about the product you'll be receiving." - Tiff C., Homeschoolbuyersco-op.org Member

"I identified Reading Comprehension as a weakness in my 9 year old son when doing test prep for the Stanfords. I decided to have him work through Reading Detective® RX for a few months leading up to the test. At first he was getting most the questions wrong but after a while he started catching on. I just received his test scores and reading comprehension moved from a weakness to a strength. He scored in the 97th percentile." - Isha Youhas, VA

"I have used the Reading Detective® in my third grade classroom and love the way it is introduced so that my students must go back to text to verify their answer. Kids these days don't want to take the time to go back to text which the state tests require they do." - Debbie McDonald, Indiana

"Our oldest son is starting college this fall on a FULL RIDE academic scholarship! He was home schooled since kindergarten and we heavily used The Critical Thinking Co.™ products since the beginning. He scored in the top 2% in the nation on both the PSAT and SAT. I know it is because of all the critical thinking books we used over the years. Now our second son will be sitting for the PSAT this fall and he is already scoring in the top 1% on his practice tests!" - Sandy, ID

"For over 34 years I have taught gifted and high-achieving children and young adults. When I created MERIT, a program that pulled gifted students for one day a week, I used The Critical Thinking Co.™ materials exclusively. Mind Benders®, Critical Thinking, etc. Today I am retired and use your materials... especially for bright autistic students, and my 'twice exceptional' students. Without a doubt, your company's materials have helped me become one of Tennessee's two National Teachers' Hall of Fame inductees! I owe a lot to your wonderful and unique materials." - Cynthia, TN

"Love these books!! My 6 children have gone from being bored, disinterested students to excited happy learners. It is common for them to ask to do extra lessons instead of wanting to be done as soon as possible. Math is a new favorite subject!" - Sharon, WI

The Critical Thinking Co. carries our favorite critical thinking books. We love the variety of books they offer which challenge my kids in a variety of ways. Critical thinking is a favorite subject at our house and my kids look forward to the challenges that are provided in a fun way. I highly recommend them and the Co-op offers them at a good price. - Karri C., Homeschool Buyers Co-op Member

We consider your products to be the best on the market bar none. - Selwyn, New York

I have used critical thinking books with my daughter since she was 3 years old. I like Mathematical Reasoning and Language Smarts books very much because they encourage my child to think. These books are terrific. They are a great way for kids to use math and also think abstractly. My daughter found it fun. These books helped my daughter get accepted into an advanced math class. Thank you so much for creating these amazing books for children. - Maya, CA

"You wouldn't think something so fun could have such a profound effect on your thought process! Mind Benders® sharpen organizational and informational processing skills as well as strengthen reading skills." - Merrilee Defoe, Reviewer

"We didn't know that grammar could actually be fun until we received Editor in Chief®. My son would read a short passage, which also contained a picture and caption, and then he’d correct the passage by using the 'clues' on the right. It’s like detective work, which really appealed to my son." - Leah, Sunny Southwest U.S.

"Word Roots is everything I was searching for and more. It goes beyond spelling tests and teaches students to decipher words based upon prefixes, suffixes, and roots. The focus is on meaning, which in turn increases comprehension." - Cecilia, NC

"We did an experiment to see if Building Thinking Skills® would help students perform better on standardized and state tests. The improvement was remarkable. Test scores went up even after the first few months!" - Joel, Principal, NC

"The fun thing about Mathematical Reasoning™ is that every page is a little different. No rote facts or boredom here! Mix that in with a few game-like activities and lots of colors and pictures, and they had my kiddo hooked." - Michele, Virginia

"U.S. History Detective® is fabulous. You have to do more than just figure out the correct answer -- you have to give the sentence number(s) that best supports your answer. I love that. You have to read the text and support your conclusions." - Debra, CO

"I love the Language Smarts™ curriculum. My son enjoys it very much and can follow the simple instructions with ease. Thanks to The Critical Thinking Co.™, my son scores high on his standardized and placement tests." - Brenda, South Carolina

"Reading Detective® is the best reading comprehension teaching material I have found! I love that your material teaches the student HOW to comprehend, and how to look for the answers in the text. I love your evidence-seeking approach!" - Sarah, MO

"The wealth of game-like activities and colorful illustrations in Fun-Time Phonics!™ make it feel like play rather than work, allowing kids to enjoy themselves while acquiring the skills and confidence that lead to fluency." - Tillywig, Brain Child Award Review

"My children love Balance Benders™; in fact, I would not be exaggerating if I said they were addicted to them. I sincerely thank you for a product that makes what can be extremely difficult skills to master an absolute blast for my children." - Joan, Massachusetts

I've been using your publications since you were Midwest Publications in the 1970s and 1980s. I have used them with both gifted children and in the regular classroom as well. I am retired now but still work with gifted children on a regular basis. I still make use of many of your series and still have Mind Benders (orginally B1-3 and C1-3). They are every bit as wonderful now as they were back then. - Bob Eldridge, Old Tappan NJ

I just want to say, The Critical Thinking Co. is one of the best, highest-quality educational publishers to ever exist. Please do not EVER stop publishing these amazing materials. - Maya Evans, Ohio

I've purchased a number of TCTC products, and I'm highly pleased with each one! They offer creative, engaging materials that get my students thinking in new ways and develop their skills in reading, writing, math, and problem solving. I've spent countless hours in the past creating similar materials for my students, and I'm so thankful to have found The Critical Thinking Co! - Kerri Anderson, Kansas

This is our first year using The Critical Thinking Co. as a full Curriculum for our boys, ages 10, 9 and 6. We are beyond impressed. My boys have never been so happy to do school and it's almost daily they will tell me how much they love their books. They are thriving, loving school, loving all their books, asking for more books to be purchased. This curriculum is so impressive. The way the books are structured helps kids retain the information they are learning, sparks curiosity and its not boring, like some we have used in the past. I will never buy anything else. Thank you for creating a curriculum that kids of any age would find amazing. - Tina Hooker, CO

"Making the decision to homeschool my son was scary business. Although I had a post graduate degree I'd never taken the first class in education theory. A teacher recommended the Mind Benders® product and I quickly learned about all the other wonderful products offered by The Critical Thinking Company™. I discovered that I had developed my own educational theories and one most dear to my heart was to encourage my son to think as opposed to memorize temporarily. We have used many of the products for math, reading and language arts, and enjoyed them all, but Mind Benders® remains my son's favorite. "Please, Mom, Can't I do one more?" He asks every time we complete a problem. That truly brings a smile to this homeschool mom's face!! Thank you, thank you to all the writers and illustrators who make these great learning tools that are so much fun." - Elizabeth, TX

"When my children were 10 and 13, I purchased your Word Roots A1 software on a whim at a homeschool conference. I intended to use it to strengthen their vocabulary skills throughout the next year. I brought it home and they finished the program in two weeks. I promptly ordered A2 and B1. They finished both of those before the summer was over. My then 10 year old son is now 14, and he announced to me recently that he needed to review the programs. That decision is entirely of his own accord. His younger brother who is now ten requested only two things he really wants. Science Detective® and Math Detective®. We already have Editor in Chief®. My children highly recommend your products based on their own satisfaction." - Barbara, AZ

"I recently ordered a few of your books as part of my 1st graders homeschooling curriculum and I am SO IMPRESSED that I just had to let you know. My son loves doing the work and it is really making a difference in his thought process. I could go on and on, I am just so happy to have found your company and look forward to a long relationship with you." - Krista, MD

"My 6th-grade homeschooled daughter completed Building Thinking Skills® Level 1 and 2 by the end of her 5th-grade year, so I decided to go ahead and try the Level 3 books her 6th-grade year, despite the suggested age of 7-12th grades. She has been very successful with the challenge, and thanks to consistent practice that these books provide, breezed through her ITBS and Cogat tests this month. We use the Level 3 Verbal book daily, one page a day, and the Level 3 Figural book only 3 days a week, one page a day. This schedule isn't overwhelming, and has taken us half-way through each of the books this year, and will allow her to finish them her 7th-grade year. She still looks forward to her 'Thinkers' time every day, and her test scores continue to show measurable improvement on a yearly basis. I have highly recommended this series to other parents, and will continue to do so once I return to teach in the public school classroom!" - Amy, TX

Resources for Homeschooling Parents

100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum The Well Trained Mind The Old Schoolhouse The LINK Homeschool Magazine Home-School.com Homeschool.com State Homeschool Associations

This resource list includes websites and companies that are not necessarily affiliated with or endorsed by The Critical Thinking Co.™

Homeschooling Articles & Advice

Are Your Kids Exceeding State And Federal Standards? Involved Parents Make A Big Difference Reading Critically Between The Lines Clever Ideas for Smart Summertime Fun! Parents: A Child's First & Best Resource For Learning Build Confidence And A Love Of Learning! Problem-Solving: What Skills Are Really Involved? Turn Game Time Into Brain Time Learning How To Learn: The Key To Success

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Critical Thinking & Logic
The Amazing Dr. Ransom’s Bestiary of Adorable Fallacies: A Field Guide for Clear Thinkers
An Introduction to Logic and Philosophy
The Art of Argument, The Argument Builder, and The Discovery of Deduction
The Basics of Critical Thinking
Brain Teasers
The Consequences of Ideas (DVD or CD series)
Critical Conditioning
Critical & Creative Thinking Activities Series
Critical Thinking Company
Critical Thinking Detective: Math Series
Critical Thinking Detective Series
Critical Thinking Detective: Vocabulary Series
Crypt-O-Words
Developing Critical Thinking through Science, Books One and Two
Dish ‘em Out Game
The Fallacy Detective
A Field Guide to Lies: Critical Thinking with Statistics and the Scientific Method
Fourmation Game
Good Ideas from Questionable Christians and Outright Pagans: An Introduction to Key Thinkers and Philosophies
Heroes & Villains: The Quest for Civic Virtue
How to Lie With Statistics
Introductory and Intermediate Logic Courses
Logic I: Tools for Thinking
Mind Benders
Philosophy for Kids: 40 Fun Questions That Help You Wonder About Everything!
Philosophy for Teens
Practical Critical Thinking for Grades 9-12+
Primary Analogies
Prufrock Press Logic and Thinking Skills books
Reading for Young Catholics (grades 3-8) and Thinking Skills (grades 4-8)
Ridgewood Analogies
Royal Fireworks Philosophy Curriculum
Scammed by Statistics
Science Detective
Science Mind Benders
SimplyFun Games
Skill Sharpeners: Critical Thinking
Smarty Pants Puzzles
Take 5! for Language Arts
The Thinking Toolbox
Traditional Logic
The Tuttle Twins: Choose Your Consequence Series
The Tuttle Twins Guidebooks
When Math Matters
Z-Guide to the Movies

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Featured Critical Thinking & Logic Resource

The Bluedorn family, longtime promoters of Christian classical education, encountered content problems in most critical thinking and logic resources. So the Bluedorn brothers, Nathaniel and Hans, put their heads together and came up with this excellent introduction to practical logic from their conservative Christian homeschoolers’ perspective.

Read full review for The Fallacy Detective

Popular Reviews: Critical Thinking & Logic

Note: Publishers, authors, and service providers never pay to be reviewed. They do provide free review copies or online access to programs for review purposes.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services that I believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 "Guidelines Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

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Critical Thinking Reviews

Resource description.

According to publisher’s materials, "Critical thinking is the identification and evaluation of evidence to guide decision making. A critical thinker uses broad in-depth analysis of evidence to make decisions and communicate his/her beliefs clearly and accurately." The resources are designed to help students develop analytical thinking processes. The various curricula including Grade Level Solutions in Math, Language Arts, Science and Reasoning sell for less than $40 each.

Website: Critical Thinking

( 7 Reviews )

Before investing in any homeschooling resources, please read " How to Choose the Best Homeschool Curriculum ."

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I would recommend for Preschool and first grade, especially.

We used Organizational Thinking in Elementary school. In junior high grades, we bought and used Riddle Spiders.

We bought a Science critical thinking book, but did not use. It was too involved a study for us with other curriculum we were using.

I have used several of their CDROM's as extra fun practice for my kids. I have not used them as a complete curriculum, only because we love what we are doing now 🙂 It has been a great add on to our current studies and my kids often ask for more.

It is hard for my children to stop working in these books and move on to other subjects. One page isn't enough. They really enjoy these.

My son has worked through most of the Critical Thinking, Book 1 and is ready to start Book 2. He uses these books in conjunction with an online class. Looking them over, it would be difficult to use with one student. The class discussion he does is highly valuable and with one student and one teacher, would be lost.

He is learning a great deal about propoganda, reasoning techniques, and how to think through ideas logically. He really enjoys the challenge of identifying different theories in what he reads and hears both in the book, and in real life, mostly with TV commericals and info-mercials. By the time he completes the second book, he will have a very good handle on the subject which will carry him through high school and beyond.

One of my biggest goals is to teach my children to think. These books are great for that. You can get the best value if you put them in clear protective pockets to reuse over and over. We recently installed the Word Builder CD rom. It is great for vocabulary skills.

My preschooler loves it! My 3rd grader has been using the program since preschool and thinks it's great. He does the core books for school and other books for fun (they are on his Christmas list). This is my 7th graders first year homeschooling and she hates the program. She says she just doesn't get it and it is a struggle for her. I don't know if it because it is her first year with critical thinking or the program.

These are addicting. My children can't do just one page; they love to keep working in these books. The younger children look at them like fun activity books, while the older ones look at them like mysteries to solve.

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Critical Thinking Skills for Homeschoolers

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Critical thinking means evaluating an issue to form a judgment about it. A simple definition would be: thinking about the thinking behind something. Critical Thinking means challenging assumptions, those of other people and those in your own mind.

Critical Thinking for Homeschoolers

It’s important to equip homeschoolers with the observational and critical thinking skills that will make them great thinkers because these skills will serve them in all arenas for the rest of their lives.

Sure, some academic learning requires the memorization of facts that must simply be spit back to prove mastery of the material. But many subjects like literature, history, science, and social sciences are exciting places to instead focus on the art and skill of critical thinking.

What is critical thinking?

The definition of critical thinking is: the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue or of information in order to form a judgment.

Critical thinking skills are so very important for homeschool high schoolers! They had some good role models in the past:

Socrates was a Greek philosopher who loved conversation with his students. His idea of good teaching was to encourage his students to think for themselves rather than to simply repeat back what they had heard from him or any other teacher. He would ask them questions, and more questions, and more questions, until they would come to a wise conclusion. Sounds like a good approach to me!

Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin tried to help young America to develop critical thinking skills. He famously wrote: “It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority.”

Poor questions lead to poor critical thinking but good questions lead to good critical thinking

Counter-culture leader Timothy Leary later completely misused that idea in the late 1960’s in the United States. A Harvard professor, he questioned authority all the time while encouraging his students to experiment with drugs like LSD. Made sense to him but proved to be faulty critical thinking.

However, going back to Socrates, he probably provided the richest, most intelligent application of the healthy way of questioning authority a couple thousand years ago. It was the questioning leading to wisdom that made his questioning good. Questions that lead to wisdom are good questions that develop critical thinking for homeschoolers even today.

Give your teens an introduction to critical thinking with Socrates with 7Sisters literature study guide to accompany Books I and II of Plato’s Republic . Plato was a student of Socrates, and it is from his ancient writings that we have the most information about this wise and influential teacher.

7Sisters Literature Study Guide for Plato’s Republic follows our no-busywork format. Like all our user-friendly guides, instead of attempting to examine every element of a book, Plato’s Republic study guide chooses a couple of respected literary devices and use them as a focal point of study (in this case:

expository writing
delves into the philosophical ideas debated
evaluates Socratic method of instruction by dialogue

These lead to critical thinking skills development.

Like all our guides, The Republic of Plato contains information that makes it easy to adapt for use for teens with varying interests, abilities and needs:

Average High School
College Prep or
Honors level

This product downloads as two separate PDF files. One file is intended for student use. This document contains fillable fields so students can type their answers directly into the guide. The other document is the answer key, intended for the parent.

Teens can learn healthy questioning skills to build good critical thinking skills by learning from Plato and Socrates. Use 7SistersHomeschool's literature study guide for The Republic of Plato.

Godly critical thinking for homeschoolers

I remember seeing graffiti once that said, “Question Authority.” Underneath, some other person with no respect for bathroom walls had written, “What will you do if Authority answers?” As a Christian, I want my children to grow up questioning authority in an appropriate way. Before you decide I’m a heretic who is raising a generation of heretics, allow me to explain.

God loves conversation. He is not made uncomfortable by questions. Over and over again in the Bible we see people who were eager to follow after God who dared to ask Him questions. Our limited human minds, muddled by sin, lack the perfect understanding to always understand God’s wisdom. God invites, even encourages us to question Him when we do not understand. That questioning must be done in an attitude of humility, because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but it is not a sign of weak faith when we question Him because we TRULY DESIRE to hear His answer.

There are many earthly authorities, and none of them are right in EVERYthing they are saying. My children are growing up with the internet. Things that are published on the internet appear to speak with authority. They need the ability to discern truth from error regardless of the tone of authority in which something may be asserted.

By helping my students to observe and think critically about

the literature they are reading
the historical accounts they are studying
the current events they are observing
the scientific research they are examining

I can be much less afraid that their minds will be ruined by exposure to something contrary to God’s word. As students grow in wisdom and approach adulthood, I can equip them for thinking critically about the many words that will be spoken to them with authority, genuine or feigned.

And as far as the bathroom graffiti goes, doesn’t it stand to reason that students who question authority in an appropriate manner will RECOGNIZE and RESPECT it when true Authority answers? God loves to reveal truth to those who seek Him!

For a World History e-text full of encouragement for critical thinking, take a look at History and Philosophy of the Western World. This was my youngest son’s favorite History course in high school. Great stuff! Follow up the next year with Philosophy in 4 Questions (the basic how-to’s of philosophy for beginnings, believe it or not, this text makes it FUN).

Philosophy in 4 Questions. 7SistersHomeschool.com

Want to get started with critical thinking for your homeschoolers? Read this fun post about textbook errors from our friend, Susan at The Sparrow’s Home.

Now you can start critical thinking for your homeschoolers! They will be better prepared for life!

7Sisters email subscribers receive periodic practical encouragement, special offers and NO SPAM EVER.

Sabrina Justison

Well, bless your heart. What we always say is: There’s not ONE right way to homeschool.

Some interesting explanations Too much emphasis on the socrates/plato foundation for learning

Teaching Critical Thinking Skills In Your Homeschool: Logic Made Easy

How can we foster critical thinking at home? Teaching critical thinking skills in your homeschool can be a lot of fun! Teaching logic to our homeschoolers is important because it’s the best way we can help our kids learn to be problem-solvers who make sound judgments.

Critical thinking skills don’t come naturally, but I’ll admit that adding another thing to our homeschool day wasn’t appealing to me in the beginning. Thankfully, there are lots of quick and fun ways to incorporate logic and build critical thinking skills with your homeschoolers.

Check out all our favorite critical thinking resources, games, and activities to get some great ideas for your homeschoolers. These fun activities will make it easy to practice logic in your homeschool this year.

Can Critical Thinking Skills Be Taught?

Being able to think critically is a skill that I assumed just came naturally. It definitely does not come naturally though. It is a skill that needs to be exercised, frequently.

Teaching our homeschoolers to use logic will help them to develop critical thinking skills they can depend on throughout life. Critical thinking skills help us to solve problems and make good decisions.

You can teach critical thinking skills in your homeschool in all sorts of creative ways. We like to use games to help sharpen our critical thinking skills here at the Waldock Way. Believe it or not, video games are great for teaching logic too.

Video games present players with complex problems and a variety of outcomes. Solving these on-screen dilemmas helps kids learn to formulate solutions, consider viable alternatives, and make good decisions.

How We Foster Critical Thinking At Home

There are lots of ways we can help foster critical thinking at home with our family. Playing games is a fun way to learn all sorts of things and logic is no different. You can read more about how we use gameschooling for other subjects in our Guide to Gameschooling .

You can foster critical thinking in your homeschool in all kinds of ways! Check out some of my favorite simple ways to teach logic at home:

Debate Everything

If your kids love to argue, channel that energy into teaching them how to debate effectively. Debate helps homeschoolers look at alternate explanations and outcomes. Plus, it’s an excellent way to develop communication skills.

Read Diverse Material

Another way to help kids learn to consider lots of possibilities is to provide them with lots of diverse reading material. Look for books from different perspectives. Twisted Fairytales , classic fairytales written from the villain’s perspective, are a great way to do this with elementary homeschoolers.

Learn From Everything

As homeschoolers, we naturally seek out learning opportunities in every scenario. Helping our kids see that learning is a mindset is an important first step to teaching them to approach things critically.

We can learn from time spent in nature, great conversations, fun games, and observing the world around us. Teach your homeschoolers to consider what they see and experience and provide supporting evidence for their claims.

Playing games is one of our favorite ways to learn everything! We love learning through games and discovering ThinkFun games was a lifesaver for us.

Develop Critical Thinking Skills With Games

ThinkFun is the world’s leader in addictively fun games that stretch and sharpen your mind. They have a large variety of games but some of our absolute favorites for logic are the single-player games because Emily can play them independently. When you’re homeschooling an only child , independent activities are really important.

I can leave a ThinkFun game out for Emily to play alone or we can take turns playing the game. It’s fun to challenge each other to “level up” each time we play. We call it leveling up because the cards are labeled from easiest to hardest.

Adding these games to our homeschool days has been such an easy way to incorporate logic lessons and build critical thinking skills. We don’t play them every day, but I try to make sure we are playing one of them once or twice each week. Check out our favorites:

Hoppers – Hoppers is a peg solitaire jumping game – set the frogs on the pond, then jump frogs until only one is left standing.

Shape by Shape – Shape By Shape is an advanced tangram-style pattern game, made more difficult because you also fill in the frame around each shape you make.

IZZI – This pattern matching puzzle consists of 64 square tiles, each printed with a black and white geometric pattern. Your goal is to assemble the tiles into an 8×8 square following the IZZI rule: In order to place two tiles adjacent to one another, their colored edges must match up precisely.

Rush Hour – You have to battle the gridlock as you slide the blocking vehicles out of the way for the red car to exit. For younger children, there is Rush Hour Jr. and for older children who finish the included challenges, you can buy additional challenge cards .

Gravity Maze – Gravity Maze is a gravity-powered logic maze game that builds reasoning skills and visual perception. Dropping the marble and watching it go through the maze successfully is so satisfying.

Laser Maze – Laser Maze requires you to use mirrors, beam-splitters, a little science, and brainpower to direct the laser through a series of mind-challenging mazes and light up the target.

Roller Coaster Challenge – With this game, you get to build your very own roller coaster. Choose a challenge card and set up the beginning pieces, then add the missing ones to complete the coaster.

Balance Beans – Balance Beans is a logic game and math game all in one. Set up the Red Beans according to the Challenge Card. Then carefully place the colorful Beans on the Seesaw to keep it from teetering.

Cat or Dog Crimes – Use your problem-solving skills to figure out where each animal was at the time of the crime. These games are equally amazing and the gameplay is very similar. I suggest buying based on which you like more cats or dogs.

Chocolate Fix – Using the clues, fill the tray with all nine chocolate pieces in their correct positions. Similar to Sudoku, you must examine all clues on the challenge card before making a move.

ThinkFun also has fun downloadable logic games and brainteasers that you can use in your homeschool today for free. How do you teach logic in your homeschool?

Share your favorite ways to build critical thinking skills at home in the comments. I can’t wait to read them!

One Comment

We love these types of games! Before our little was born they were recommended to me for brain injury recover to help rebuild some of those vital logic skills! We really do appreciate what they can do for your mind!

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The Joy of Teaching

Sharing creative ideas and lessons to help children learn.

Critical and Creative Thinking Homeschool Curriculum Guide

August 17, 2017 by Evan-Moor | 0 comments

Click here to download Evan-Moor’s Critical and Creative Thinking Homeschool Curriculum Guide.

Critical and creative thinking skills are fabulous tools that kids can use to apply the skills they have learned.

If you are looking for resources for your kids to practice critical and creative thinking skills, Evan-Moor has resources that are kid-approved!

Each of these Evan-Moor titles invite kids to use thinking skills in realistic ways with simple activities.

There are a variety of ways you can use each of these Evan-Moor titles in some engaging activities throughout your homeschool day.

For a quick warm-up to your school day, Critical and Creative Thinking Activities offers imaginative activities to motivate students as they practice thinking in multiple ways.

The book is organized by theme-based topics that interest kids.

The pages are just the right balance of fun and challenge that kids can accomplish. My kids ask to do extra pages because they enjoy these books so much!

When you are ready to teach your child strategies for both logic and creativity, Thinking Skills is a great choice. Thinking Skills teaches your child creative, critical, and logical thinking skills with fun and engaging activities.

It is organized into short units that focus on a specific type of thinking skill. Each unit includes a teaching guide and shares ideas of modeling and practicing the thinking skills that go with each unit.

One of my absolute favorite Evan-Moor titles is Hands-on Thinking Activities . My kids enjoy these activities so much that they think we are just playing games! It makes logic and problem-solving a delight.

First, we do the activity together. Most of the time the kids can figure out the puzzle themselves, and I am there just to ask a guided question if needed.

They always ask to play it again after they are finished.

Then, I put the activity in our rotation of independent activities. For example, the kids can use these fun activities as a review activity in our workboxes.

Here is a blog post I did about using Hands-on Thinking Activities in our homeschooling.

Skill Sharpeners: Critical Thinking is organized into kid-friendly units. Each of the units practice a variety of critical thinking skills, which are listed on each activity page.

There is also a “Test Your Skills” page that can be used as an assignment if needed.

Both Hands-on Thinking Activities and Skills Sharpeners: Critical Thinking have colorful, hands-on activities that are great for workboxes!

ONE FINAL NOTE:

For additional guides by subject area, see Homeschool Curriculum Resources and Guides.

If you want to use any of these resources in your homeschooling, you can buy each of these titles individually.

You can also access all of the lessons in these books in Evan-Moor’s TeacherFileBox .

TeacherFileBox is a digital collection of lesson plans and activities from over 450 Evan-Moor titles in all subject areas. We use it every day of our homeschooling!

Click here to learn more about accessing TeacherFileBox instantly for $13/month or $99/year.

Out of This World Homeschool Logic

I’m a big believer in homeschool logic and critical thinking here at Our Journey Westward. It’s been such a fun and important addition to our homeschool!

When I come across new (to me) resources that are really good, I love sharing them with you. Finding logic and critical thinking resources isn’t as easy as finding curricula for the more typical homeschooling subjects. And sadly, not all logic activities are worth the money. The series I’m sharing with you today is definitely worth the money!

These homeschool logic books are great for 3rd-7th graders!

This post contains affiliate links.

Homeschool Logic is More Than Matrix Puzzles

In many instances, the homeschool logic materials my family enjoys the most are full of matrix puzzles. Matrix puzzles are challenging and require lots of exciting concentration. While they ARE awesome tools for logic, there is more to logic and critical thinking than just matrix puzzles.

Other logic and critical thinking skills include:

Sequences order things.
Analogies make relationship comparisons.
Logical Notation uses symbols to represent variables.
Truth Values determine the truth of logical thoughts.
Logic Diagrams use pictures to determine logical conclusions.
Syllogisms are a series of statements that form an argument and draw a reasonable conclusion.
Deductions make determinations based on clues. (Matrix puzzles fit into this category.)
Inferences draw conclusions based on evidence and reasoning.
Illogical Reasoning leads to fallacies, otherwise known as poor reasoning.

Each of these logical skills not only stretches the brain but enhances critical thinking in all areas of life. Not to mention, mastery of logical skills can specifically improve performance in subjects like math, science, and reading comprehension!

A great logic/critical thinking set of books for 3rd-7th grades.

Homeschool Logic That’s Out of This World

All of this may sound complex, but it doesn’t have to be! In fact, you can practice all the logic skills above easily with children as young as 3rd grade! How? By using an “out-of-this-world” serie s by Bonnie Risby that includes three titles:

Logic Countdown

Logic Liftoff

Orbiting with Logic

Logic Countdown is for 3rd and 4th graders, Logic Liftoff is for 4th through 6th graders, and Orbiting with Logic is for 5th through 7th graders. Each book practices the various types of logic in several quick worksheet activities.

While the workbooks build upon each other, it isn’t necessary to start with Logic Countdown if your child is already older. However, there is no harm in starting with Logic Countdown no matter how old your children are.

Logic Worksheets for Kids

Take a peek at the jam-packed, but not overwhelming worksheets. They keep the attention of my kids! Each book contains at least 50 worksheets and an answer key. We typically complete between one and three worksheets per lesson.

These are sample pages from Bonnie Risby's awesome logic workbooks.

I’m not always a fan of worksheets, but these are worthwhile. They include clear directions and meaningful activities that train children to think logically in everything from sequencing and analogies to deductions and inferences. They are challenging, but engaging – the perfect combination.

Are you looking for more logic and critical thinking ideas?

Products You Might Like

Child moving a chess piece on a chess board. Promoting a masterclass about logic and critical thinking.

Hi! Thanks for sharing this series, and your favorite logic resources as well. I will be looking into these soon. Would you say these are your preferred over the other ones?? I would like to try them all, but I don’t think we would be able to so I’ll need to pick and choose. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again!

GC, they are really good and are my top choice for the logical skills I mentioned. Really, they are some of the only books for elementary and middle school ages I’ve found to even include those skills. If you’re looking for logic matrix puzzles, my top pick is the Mind Benders series. If you could afford one book of each series, that would probably be best.

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Mastery-Based Homeschool Curriculum Programs and Packages

January 4, 2023
Homeschool Curriculum & Reviews

10 Mastery Based Homeschool Curriculum Options

Homeschooling is becoming an increasingly popular option for families looking to provide their children with a quality education. For those who prefer a mastery-based approach, there are plenty of curriculum options that make it easier than ever to customize the learning experience. This article will provide an overview of 10 mastery-based homeschool curriculum options and outline their features, benefits, and drawbacks.

I hope you enjoy reading this blog post. If you want to do my course on how to homeschool, click here .

Affiliate links are used in this article.

Let’s dive into it!

What is a Mastery Curriculum?

A mastery-based homeschool curriculum is an educational approach that focuses on students progressing through subject material at their own pace , with mastery of foundational skills being essential before advancing.

This type of curriculum offers students an opportunity to build a comprehensive understanding of topics and foster self-motivated learning habits .

It emphasizes customized instruction and the completion of material in line with individual capabilities and goals.

Is a Mastery-Based Homeschool Curricula the Same as a Self-Paced Homeschool Curriculum?

Yes, a self-paced curriculum is pretty much same as a mastery-based curriculum. Self-paced learning is used to help students master concepts in a mastery-based course.

A mastery-based curriculum contrasts with a spiral curriculum that uses a stepped approach to learning where a student circles back to a topic but keeps moving at the same pace as others in the class.

Each learning method has its pros and cons.

Spiral vs Mastery-Based Learning

Spiral learning is a method of instruction where a teacher introduces new concepts and then reviews them regularly as the student progresses, building on the previously learned material.

Mastery-based learning is an approach to teaching in which students must demonstrate their understanding of a concept before progressing to the next one.

Both spiral and mastery-based learning have various advantages for educators and learners.

The spiral approach allows for greater flexibility for teachers, providing the opportunity to review topics when needed or offer additional support if necessary.

It also helps keep lessons interesting by introducing new content regularly.

Mastery-based learning requires students to understand concepts thoroughly before they can successfully move onto more complex ideas, ensuring that they truly master what they learn rather than simply memorizing it temporarily.

You can learn more about spiral vs mastery-based learning here .

BEST Mastery-Based Homeschool Curriculum Programs and Packages

Look closely at some student-led homeschool curriculum options that might suit you below.

The Apologia curriculum is a Christian-based learning program designed to help students explore the world through education and faith.

The curriculum is based on the philosophy that all knowledge comes from God, and it emphasizes scientific exploration, Biblical truths, and hands-on activities to bring learning to life.

This Mastery-based homeschool curriculum provides comprehensive materials for elementary through high school, as well as college-level courses in science and math.

Parents can choose between traditional textbooks or digital versions of the same content, allowing them to tailor their instruction to their children’s specific needs.

The curriculum consists of modules that allow for flexibility in creating a customized plan for each student’s unique journey into higher learning.

Apologia also has a mastery math curriculum alongside their science subjects.

Check out Apologia more here .

Compass Classroom

The Compass Classroom is an online Mastery-based homeschool curriculum that is self-paced. The program teaches using a very strong classical flavor, running students through a solid Latin curriculum while also teaching using traditional trivium learning methods.

But, this program also includes a vibrant social life active through My Compass Classroom, a chat forum for parents and children taking this classical course.

Although the program is primarily classical, it also has a dash of Charlotte Mason influence which emerges in their how-to homeschool courses.

Compass Classroom has world-famous presenters like R.C. Sproul. The courses are very entertaining, and parents can do them with their children (I sit down with my kids and learn Latin with them as I find the program so entertaining!)

Compass Classroom is a very affordable program and can be used for the whole family! Check them out here .

Khan Academy

Khan Academy is a secular homeschool curriculum that’s entirely free . Featuring a tracking tool and lots of engaging video lessons , it seems like the perfect mastery homeschool curriculum.

But, this program, while useful, is only recommended (by the company itself) to be used as a homeschool resource and a supplement for complete programs .

This is because it has large gaps in content. It’s also not accredited, so for parents wanting accreditation, this wouldn’t be for them.

For most homeschool parents, though, this won’t matter.

And that’s because it’s completely acceptable and legal to make your own homeschool transcript as the reigning principal in your educational institution.

Colleges accept transcripts parents have written. Read more about that here .

Generations Homeschool Curriculum

Generations Homeschool Curriculum emerges as one of the top contenders for the best curriculum for Mastery-based homeschool learning.

With its resolute dedication to cultivating a biblical worldview across all subjects , Generations helps students to master concepts and skills while fostering a deep understanding of how their faith intersects with their studies .

This curriculum embraces the principles of Mastery-based learning, encouraging students to progress at their own pace and ensuring they grasp each topic thoroughly before moving on.

Through hands-on activities and real-world applications, Generations ignites a genuine passion for learning, allowing students to achieve mastery in their studies .

Moreover, the curriculum’s affordability makes it an ideal choice for families seeking a high-quality , Mastery-based homeschool program that won’t break the bank.

At prices ranging from $150 to $250 for a mailable homeschool curriculum , Generations Homeschool Curriculum offers an exceptional value proposition, making it an excellent fit for families committed to Mastery-based learning and a faith-based education.

Check out a Generations homeschool curriculum review here .

All About Learning Press

All About Learning Press is a great option for homeschooling during the elementary years, providing reading and spelling programs focusing on mastery-based learning.

Their approach is designed to teach one concept at a time , making it easier for students to understand and retain information.

With just 20 minutes of daily teaching , the curriculum ensures focused learning without overwhelming students.

It incorporates engaging activities and uses multiple senses to enhance the learning experience .

The lessons are clear and direct, leaving no room for confusion. The curriculum follows a logical sequence, building upon previous knowledge and boosting students’ confidence .

Check Out All About Learning Press here .

The ACE Paces Homeschool Curriculum is an award-winning, student-led homeschool program to help students reach their academic goals. This popular curriculum allows parents to provide a quality Christian education for their children at home.

With the ACE Paces homeschool curriculum, students can take control of their own learning with an organized system that provides structure and support.

Each PACE (Packets of Accelerated Christian Education ) contains a workbook, answer booklet, tests, and other activities that make up one subject area of the curriculum. Parents can use these materials to create a custom learning experience tailored to the needs of each student.

Using this method, students work through the material at their own pace and receive recognition for mastery when they complete each level successfully.

The goal is to ensure that all learners are equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary for success in future studies.

ACE Paces is a cheap homeschool curriculum , so won’t hit the bank balance too hard! Check them out here .

Schoolhouse Teachers

Schoolhouse Teachers can be used as a Mastery-based homeschool curriculum.

This program offers you a HUGE range of electives alongside their open-and-go traditional school boxes.

If you want to use different homeschool methods, you can check out their Charlotte Mason, Classical, and Unit Studies Centers.

They offer you ALL grades for ALL children in your family for ONE price.

You can check out this amazing program (that I use with my own family) here .

How to Get This Curriculum for $1

If you want to try this curriculum but don’t want to commit until you know it’s right for you, you can try Schoolhouse Teachers for $1 by using the code ONEDOLLAR here .

The LifePac homeschool curriculum is a Mastery-based, Christian-based program that has been helping homeschooling families since 1978.

LifePac, produced by Alpha Omega Publications, offers parents an array of educational choices and learning materials, including workbooks, tests, and teacher guides.

The curriculum is designed to meet the individual needs of each student, offering flexibility and customized plans of study.

LifePac allows students to progress at their own pace while still adhering to state guidelines for academic standards.

Each unit includes 10 or 11 workbooks which can be completed in 2 to 4 weeks depending on the student’s ability level and how much time they devote to their studies.

Parents are encouraged to use the built-in testing system as well as weekly exams for additional assessment opportunities throughout the course of study.

You can check out Lifepac here (and maybe find it on special).

Masterbooks

Masterbooks Homeschool curriculum is an exciting Mastery-based homeschool program that provides students of all ages with engaging educational materials to help them learn.

The program, which loosely uses the Charlotte Mason homeschooling method, includes a wide range of subjects, including math, science, history, and language arts.

Each subject has been designed to be easy to understand and provides engaging lessons that promote critical thinking skills and problem-solving strategies.

Students are given the freedom to learn at their own pace and have access to detailed teacher’s notes which help guide their learning journey.

Masterbooks is a relatively easy homeschool curriculum and will be a big hit for families who love gentle learning through literature.

You can check out Masterbooks here (and maybe find it on special).

Ambleside Online

Ambleside Online is a free homeschooling curriculum that provides a Charlotte Mason education for students from kindergarten to grade twelve.

It was created with the belief that children should be taught by being exposed to a rich feast of ideas through literature, poetry, and music (which is a Charlotte Mason concept).

The curriculum emphasizes teaching through living books (educational storybooks) and books by great authors instead of textbooks.

The curriculum includes all subjects taught in elementary school, including math, language arts, science, and history, and additional subjects such as Latin, art appreciation, and nature study. ( It’s important to understand that when we say the curriculum includes these programs, we must understand that the curriculum points to resources, some of which we have to buy and others of which are free .)

Every year students read and study several classic literary works from around the world with age-appropriate adaptations.

Ambleside Online has a schedule, but most people use this course fairly flexibly and make it into their own mastery-based homeschool curriculum.

Monarch Mastery-Based Curriculum

Monarch is a student-led, self-paced mastery-based homeschool curriculum for Grade 3-12.

This program, which Alpha Omega Publications produce , is delivered entirely online, meaning you can get the program straight away and do it without the use of paper and pencil.

Monarch is available on a monthly or annual subscription and can be a great choice if you want a program that is online and doesn’t require a lot of time in put from parents.

Mastery-Based Math Programs

Beast academy (mastery-based math program).

Beast Academy is an advanced Mastery homeschool math curriculum for children ages 7-13.

This award-winning program provides interactive learning experiences through bestial animations that are both fun and educational, making it the perfect choice for young learners who want to build strong problem-solving skills.

Developed by mathematicians at the University of Texas Austin, Beast Academy takes students on an exciting journey of mathematical discovery using comics, puzzles, and stories to promote critical thinking and logical reasoning.

The curriculum is divided into three levels – elementary (grades 2-4), middle school (grades 5-6) and upper school (grades 7-8). Each level helps kids develop fundamental concepts in arithmetic, algebra, geometry and more through engaging digital resources such as online games and animated videos. The content has been carefully crafted to ensure that kids can learn at their own pace while having fun along the way.

You can get this program as an online program or offline books .

The Math-U-See Curriculum is a mastery-based homeschool math curriculum that covers kindergarten through 12th grade.

It focuses on developing a deep understanding of fundamental concepts and skills before progressing to new topics.

Each level concentrates on specific skills while continuously reviewing and integrating concepts from previous levels. The curriculum employs various tools such as videos, manipulatives, and additional resources to cater to different learning styles and environments.

Students are encouraged to learn at their own pace, allowing for individualized instruction. The curriculum provides resources to meet individual learning needs, including supplemental practice and enrichment activities.

For placement, Math-U-See offers an interactive placement tool with yes/no questions and example problems to determine the proper level for each student. Classroom placement tests are also available to establish initial placement and support data-driven assessment and progress monitoring.

Singapore Math

Singapore Math is an approach to math education that has achieved widespread success in Singapore and continues to gain traction among educators around the world.

This method of teaching math places a greater emphasis on problem-solving, critical thinking, and real-world applications of mathematics.

Developed by the Singapore Ministry of Education in 1982, the Singapore Math curriculum has been adapted for use in many countries due to its focus on building strong foundational skills and helping students understand concepts rather than just memorizing formulas.

The Singapore Math approach uses concrete examples with visual tools such as diagrams or objects to help children understand mathematical problems before moving onto abstract equations. It also encourages students to explore various solutions instead of focusing on one correct answer.

You can check out this mastery homeschool math curriculum here .

Mastery-Based Reading Programs

There are also a mastery-based reading programs.

Comprendi Reading (by Dr. Marion)

Comprendi ™ emerges as a standout choice for mastery-based homeschooling, earning its place among the best curriculum picks.

Notably, the program is free until 20265 (then low-cost ) , offering an economically sound option for homeschooling families.

Tailored for mastery-based learning in grades 4-6, Comprendi™ uniquely blends engaging narratives, captivating graphics, and specialized instructional approaches.

Its distinctive NarrEx™ feature seamlessly integrates storytelling with complex information , promoting effective and enjoyable learning.

Whether you’re a newcomer to homeschooling or seeking to refine your mastery-based approach, Comprendi™ proves to be an invaluable and cost-effective selection for cultivating reading mastery.

Advantages of a Mastery-Based Homeschool Curriculum

Mastery-based homeschooling provides several advantages, giving parents and students more control over the learning experience and allowing them to customize their education based on individual needs .

First, with mastery-based homeschooling, the student can work at their own pace and adjust the level of difficulty depending on how quickly or slowly they master a lesson or topic.

This allows for a personalized approach to learning, where each student can focus on areas that are pertinent for their future plans, whether it be college preparation or career readiness.

Additionally, since mastering a subject is necessary before progressing further in the curriculum, this provides an extra layer of assurance that all material has been fully understood before moving forward.

Possible Disadvantages of a Mastery-Based Curriculum

While I love a mastery-based curriculum, some people think there are some drawbacks to this type of educational curriculum.

Firstly, implementing a mastery-based curriculum may require additional time and resources devoted to each student’s individual learning needs.

Secondly, sometimes, the focus is on understanding rather than memorizing or completing tasks (and this may be a drawback if you want it memorized as well as understood).

Therefore more effort must be put into creating lessons that meet this goal since they may contain more complex activities and require greater levels of engagement from students.

Finally, some students may find it challenging to keep up with the higher expectations set out by such an approach due to their individual academic capabilities or lack thereof.

In conclusion, mastery-based homeschool curriculum programs have much to offer families seeking to create a personalized learning experience for their children. With the right program, parents can ensure that their children are learning appropriately and mastering material before advancing. The list of programs provided here offers a great starting point for families looking into this type of homeschooling approach. It is essential to thoroughly research each program to find the one that best fits the needs of the student and family.

Rebecca Devitt

Most adults don't particularly want to relive their schooling experience on a daily basis. They would gladly move on to a new life devoid of homework and teachers. Very, very few adults will passionately blog about their schooling some 15 years after graduating. This makes Rebecca Devitt somewhat unique. As it happens, she was homeschooled. And she loved it. Still does. And she wishes every kid could get a taste of homeschooling at its very best. Her website How Do I Homeschool , is a springboard for parents to see what a life of homeschooling could be for both them & their children. When she's not blogging Rebecca is still homeschooling her-adult-self by learning Latin, growing weird vegetables and most importantly looking after her two children Luke & Penny. She has a husband Tristan and is a participant at Wollongong Baptist Church. She's also written a book about why parents should homeschool called 'Why on Earth Homeschool' .

Find the best literature-based homeschool curriculum programs to make your kids into lovers of reading.

7 BEST Homeschool Curriculum Based on Literature [2024]

Sonlight Curriculum for Homeschools in a Nutshell. Review by Rebecca Devitt

Sonlight Curriculum Review for Homeschools

Beast Academy Vs Singapore Math: Which is the better advanced math program? We compare cost, approach, visuals, online and book formats PLUS more.

Singapore Math vs Beast Academy: A Detailed COMPARISON

Critical Thinking and Logic in Your Homeschool

Critical thinking and logic aren’t quite the same things, although we often treat them as if they are. They are related. Think of how correlation and causation are related. Don’t run away in fear; this isn’t too academic although I could totally nerd out on this stuff.

Critical thinking hinges around questioning information and data. Logic is more of the art (or science) of reasoning. Logic is used to evaluate the answers to the questions you asked.

In science, we talk about evidence-based protocols. The evidence is evaluated through a lens of reasoning. You’ve probably come across terms like deductive and inductive reasoning before. (Maybe on Baker Street- for you Sherlock Holmes fans) In fact, there is a whole area of science education focused on the claim-evidence-reasoning cycle.

Basically, when we are trying to build critical thinking skills, we are doing it by building our kids’ logic muscles.

Just to let you know, this post may contain affiliate links.

Help Kids Become Better Critical Thinkers

So…this depends on age. What we expect of a 5-year-old and what we expect of a 10-year-old are going to be quite different. The same is true for all of the stages. One thing to keep in mind is that many of the skills we think of as essential to critical thinking don’t fully develop until a person is in their early to mid-twenties.

This is also a reason that having mixed ages groups, like our typical homeschool families and groups, can be so beneficial. Younger kids are always seeing how older kids are reasoning out bigger problems and can begin to mirror that back at relatively young ages. If you’ve ever had your child repeat something you wished they hadn’t, you know all too well about the ability of little kids to mimic.

So, with that being said, the best way to create critical thinkers is to create an atmosphere that supports problem-solving. This can be done organically with chores around the house, in our academic lessons, and in various games that use strategy as a central component.

Critical Thinking and Logic Around the House

Chores always seem to create a perfect environment for the creation of problems. It doesn’t matter how many chore lists and job charts you make, a problem can always be created, I mean found . Our go-to in these numerous situations with four kids is, figure it out . Emphasis intended.

It is easy to see problems. That is the first step, but now we ask our kids to figure out solutions. You can’t reach it? Get a stool. You don’t know where it goes? Create a basket or pile and put things that you don’t know where they go there while you continue to do everything else. Toilet clogged? Well, that is a different thing, but you see the point.

Evaluating and problem-solving are essential to the development of critical thinking and logic skills.

Academic Lessons & Critical Thinking

Everyone loves a good mystery. It can turn boring academic lessons into something exciting, and when our brains are excited we are learning more. Win=Win. I like to include both logic puzzles and academic escape rooms in our homeschool. Leading questions can even start the ball rolling. Remember again to keep the kids’ ages in mind. Logic is a skill that develops over time to create strong critical thinkers.

Critical Thinking Games

We are a game household and immediately began embracing gameplay to help strengthen the executive function and critical thinking skills of our family. Our favorites include games like Sherlock, Ticket to Ride (they have Junior and Older editions), Forbidden Island (cooperative, yes), and Catan. All of these games include components of metacognition (thinking about thinking) that help build that logic muscle.

How do you increase critical thinking and logic in your kids? Share with us below! We’d love to know what you do!

About the author

Kim is writer and owner of The Learning Hypothesis. She is a “retired” professor and K-12 educator that now homeschools her own children. She has a passion for the sciences and wants to help ignite that passion in kids. Her goal is to provide support to parents, teachers, homeschoolers, and community educators so that they can create enriching and engaging science experiences.

How to Find Homeschool Math Lessons in Nature

Looking for and finding math lessons in nature is an art and science that will really benefit and excite your homeschool students!

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10 Reasons You Need a 4-Day Homeschool Week

Are you thinking of changing from a 5-day week to a 4-day homeschool week, but wondering what you would do with an extra day? Here are ideas!

Sara Dennis

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Homeschool Den

Making Homeschooling Hands-On, Engaging, Meaningful & Memorable! Be inspired by all the possibilities!! Check out our unit studies, packets and printables!

Category: Critical Thinking Activities

Critical Thinking Activities

March 5, 2019

by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published March 5, 2019 · Last modified March 3, 2021

Creative Thinking Activities

I just created a new page with a couple of really fun free printables that challenge kids to think critically. Creative Thinking Questions: The first set includes some creative thinking questions I once compiled. I thought it would be fun to start off the day with something a little different for the kids… some off-the-wall creative thinking questions. The kids had fun with this and I know some other homeschooling...

$Math Mindset Mistakes and More$

Critical Thinking Activities / Homeschool: Random Thoughts / Math General Posts

January 22, 2018

by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published January 22, 2018 · Last modified January 21, 2018

Math and the Brain – Mindset, Mistakes and More

The biggest mistake you can make is to be afraid to make one! I often love books about the brain and the latest on brain research. You probably already know about the link between exercise and learning. There are studies that show that after just twenty minutes of exercise, the brain is fired up! Read all about it in the fitness.gov article, Learning is a Moving Experience. Check out the composite...

Critical Thinking Activities / Homeschool Den / Science / Science Experiments / Science: Electricity and Circuits Unit

October 24, 2016

by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published October 24, 2016 · Last modified March 19, 2023

STEM! Paper Circuits (and More!)

In this part of our Electricity and Circuits units, we had a lot of fun with Paper Circuits!! If you’ve been a reader for a while, you know how much we *LOVE* hands-on science and engineering! We have been having such a great time with our electricity and circuits unit that I just had to come on briefly to share a snippet of what we’ve been doing. (Normally, I wait...

Critical Thinking Activities / Games for Thinking and Learning / Homeschool Den

April 28, 2016

by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published April 28, 2016

Critical Thinking Activities – Analogies, Logic & More

With our yearly testing behind us, we are going to spend some time on another side of math — analogies, logical reasoning, and math puzzles. These help kids develop logical thinking, analytical abilities, and mathematical reasoning. I thought I’d share some of the resources we use in our homeschool. My kids were SO, SO excited to get back to these activities!! With life as busy as it has been, I can’t...

June 17, 2015

by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published June 17, 2015 · Last modified April 25, 2016

Free Sudoku Puzzles and Mazes for Kids

Whether you are going on a long trip or writing the kids a letter at camp, these printables might come in handy this summer!! We have been using Krazy Dad’s website for years and I wanted to highlight them again since just recently I pulled out some of the printables we made again. I love that his materials are so varied. So, while ED is working on the harder 4×4...

Critical Thinking Activities / Games for Thinking and Learning

April 6, 2015

by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published April 6, 2015 · Last modified April 5, 2015

10 Creative Thinking Questions for Kids – Free Printable

I have something a little different to share with you today! This past week, we’ve been doing some major re-organization of the homeschool room. I came across an old printout with some creative thinking questions I once compiled. I thought it would be fun to start off the day with something a little different for the kids… some off-the-wall creative thinking questions. I really hope the kids have fun with...

Critical Thinking Activities / Math General Posts

January 16, 2015

by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published January 16, 2015

I laughed so hard…

Today during math circles we had this mind bender: Cut this magic carpet into three pieces and sew it back together to make a 6×6 carpet. DD and LD got it WAAaaaayy before ED and I did. ED was sad that she hadn’t gotten it yet, so LD said Well, you are young and your mind is just developing. Mom’s mind is old and her mind is rotting! That had...

Critical Thinking Activities / Homeschool Den / Math General Posts

January 12, 2015

by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published January 12, 2015 · Last modified January 2, 2020

Critical Thinking Activities – Math Circles

A few days ago, I mentioned that we started back into homeschooling with Math Circles rather than jumping into our “normal” math curriculum. What are math circles? From what I understand, they started in Russia where they hosted math contests. Students competed to answer various word problems. The contest itself was designed to get students intrigued and excited about mathematics. There’s something similar here in the US called the Math Olympiad....

Critical Thinking Activities / Games for Thinking and Learning / Summer Activities

July 16, 2014

by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published July 16, 2014 · Last modified June 24, 2015

Strategy Game: Quoridor (ages 6+)

I don’t know about you, but there are times when the kids complain about being bored and not having anything to do. We’ve been trying to bring out some board games that don’t get much use during the school year. A couple weeks ago, I wrote about a game called Quarto. Another quick strategy game we’ve been playing this summer is called Quoridor. (affiliate link) The goal of this game is...

July 3, 2014

by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published July 3, 2014 · Last modified June 24, 2015

Quarto Strategy Game

This summer, we’re trying to bring out some of the board games that are often ignored during the school year. Board games and strategy games can foster the ability to think, focus, and problem solve. Games require players to plan ahead and can help develop more sophisticated thinking skills. Games are beneficial because they foster social interaction and social skills. Everyone practices taking turns and following the rules. Games also help...

April 5, 2014

by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published April 5, 2014 · Last modified April 25, 2016

Free Sudoku Puzzles for Kids

I’ve been trying to get some planning and printing done this afternoon for our homeschool next week. We’re going to add some critical thinking activities back into our schedule and I often pull out Sudoku puzzles for the kids to work on while I’m gathering materials (that down time while I’m trying to get my act together!). The kids LOVE these puzzles. Krazy Dad has hundreds and hundreds of Sudoku...

Critical Thinking Activities / Family Meeting / Games for Thinking and Learning / Homeschool Den

November 23, 2013

by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published November 23, 2013 · Last modified April 10, 2016

Family Games Night (A Review of Several Games)

It has been WAAaay too long since we had a family games night. For a while we did really well holding a family meeting once a month or so (see this post-Holding a Family Meeting) and this post (Our Monthly Family Meeting). Last weekend, though, everyone was home (no sleep-overs, no sporting events!) and so we gathered together to play a bunch of games! Fun! This was the first time we...

Critical Thinking Activities / Games for Thinking and Learning / Homeschool Den / Math General Posts / Must Read

October 24, 2012

by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published October 24, 2012

Math Dice Game: Mmm Brains

With Halloween right around the corner it seems only fitting that I bring up this game, Mmm Brains. It sounds gruesome, but it’s really just a dice game which requires addition and multiplication. It brings the kids running, so you can’t beat that, right?! This game has five dice with the numbers 1-5 and a brain on each side. Then there are lots of counters (red brains=5 and white brains=1)....

Ages 2-6: Preschool (Age 4) / Critical Thinking Activities / Games for Thinking and Learning / Must Read

October 10, 2012

by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published October 10, 2012 · Last modified October 31, 2017

Games for Thinking and Learning: Blink

This is a series about the logic and critical thinking games we play in our homeschool. We have a table in our homeschool room and I rotate in new games a couple of times a week. These are all games we’ve acquired for schooling and/or for fun (I haven’t received them to review). Today I’m going to highlight a card game called Blink that is a great game for preschoolers on...

Hands-On Activities, Packets, Encouragement, and More!

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Hi i’m liesl.

Do you believe education can be exciting, inspiring, and full of joy? We do too! I love the quote by William Butler Yeats, "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." It's about getting the kids involved, engaged, and fired up about learning (while juggling the rest of life too!)

A bit about me: I have my Master's from Brown University. I have more than 20 years of teaching experience. I was a high school teacher for many years both in the U.S. and internationally and also taught for the University of Maryland before leaving to homeschool my 3 wonderful kids. To read more about us CLICK HERE .

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What science topics could I teach my 5-7 year old - Homeschool Science Curriculum

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20th Century History
Active Math Games
Ages 2-6: Apple Unit
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Ages 2-6: Preschool and Toddler Activities
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Ages 2-6: Preschool for ED – Fall 2011 (age 3 1/2)
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Ages 2-6: Toddler/Preschool Activities
All About Homeschooling!
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electricity and circuits unit
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History: Africa Unit
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History: American History
History: American West Unit
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History: Ancient Egypt
History: Ancient Greece Unit
History: China Unit
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History: Civil Rights Movement
History: Geography Activities
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History: India Unit
History: Japan Unit
History: Middle Ages
History: Native American Indians Unit
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History: Slavery and the Civil War
History: This is the United States-Unit Study (grade 1)
History: World Religions
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Homeschool: Interviews with other Homeschoolers
Homeschool: Month in Review
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How to Start Homeschooling
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Mom Stories
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Online Homeschool Classes
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Outdoor: Fossils
Preparing for College
Science Experiments
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Science: Astronomy Unit
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Science: Biomes; Animal Habitats
Science: Cell Unit
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Science: Dinosaurs Unit
Science: Earth Science Unit
Science: Electricity and Circuits Unit
Science: Energy Unit
Science: Food Chains
Science: Garden Science
Science: Hibernation
Science: Human Body Unit
Science: Magnets
Science: Natural Disasters Unit and Activities
Science: Nature Studies
Science: Ocean Unit
Science: Physics Unit
Science: Plant Unit
Science: Rain Forests
Science: Rocks and Minerals
Science: Simple Machines Unit
Science: States of Matter Unit
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Science: The 5 Senses
Science: Vertebrates – Invertebrates
Science: Water Unit
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Science: Whale Unit
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Starting to Homeschool
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Homeschool Resources and Books

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Earth Science Bundle

Earth Science Unit, Layers of the Atmosphere, Rocks and Minerals, Weather, Simple Machines, Energy and more

Click the image to check out our packets on Earth Science, Rocks and Minerals, the Atmosphere, Weather, Energy and More!

Units are also sold separately.

Earth Science Packet

Earth Science Unit - Layers of the Earth Plate Tectonics Pangaea Faults Earthquakes Volcanoes

This is one of our most popular units. It covers the Layers of the Earth, Plate Tectonics, Earthquakes, Volcanoes and More! It is included in the Earth Science Bundle (see the picture/link above).

Biology BUNDLE

Click the image to see our Biology Units on Animal and Plant Cells; the Biology Unit on Biomes, Food Chains, Symbiosis; Scientific Classification & Taxonomy (Domain/Kingdom/Phylum/Class, etc.); Botany - Plant Kingdom and Oceans and Oceanography.

Big Animal Bundle

Animal Units - Vertebrates-Invertebrates, Rainforest, Lifecycles, and more!

Click on the image to see our Animal Bundle - including the Animal Unit, Life Cycles, the Rainforest, Winter (Polar Animals) & Hibernation, Chameleons, Wolves, Cicadas and more!

Human Body Systems Bundle

The Human Body Systems, Skeletal, Digestive, Circulatory, Muscular, Nervous, Endocrine Systems and More (with lots of hands-on activity ideas)! We usually study a different body system each year.

Digestive System Packet and Activities (100+ pages)

Chemistry Bundle

Click on the image to see our units on the States of matter, Properties of Matter, Electricity & Circuits, and the Chemistry Unit (Get to know the Periodic Table in a fun way!)

Free Science Checklist – Elementary and Middle School

Free Science Checklist - Elementary Middle School

This is a free checklist I put together of the various science units I hope to cover in the elementary and middle school years.

Civics & Government Unit

American Revolution Packet

American Revolution Unit - Worksheets and Activities

World Facts Packet

Do your kids know the 4 largest countries? Which countries have the most people? The longest river? This packet covers basic world and U.S. facts and also covers geographic features and land forms.

Geographic Features & Landforms (also in the World Facts Packet)

Ancient Egypt Packet

Ancient Greek Gods and Goddesses

Middle Ages – Feudalism Packet

Middle Ages - Feudalism Activities Event Cards Worksheetsand More!

Slavery and the Civil War Packet

World War I Unit

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World War II Unit

Long A Sound Activities

ow-ou-oy-oi-aw-au Word Sort Activities

The spelling program we use:

We have used AAS for 6 years! AAS is an affiliate link.

er-sound Word Sort & Game

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Language Arts Homeschool Curriculum

Free Apostrophe QuotationMark Underlining-Worksheets

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Montessori Addition Sheets with Regrouping (Free)

Dragon Math Packet

$Dragon Math Packet$

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Multiplication Packets

Multiplication Bundle worksheets-games-activities-skip-counting-mazes-and-more

This is one of the best values we have... more than 20 PDFs with games, activities and worksheets to learn/practice the multiplication facts ($7.00).

Homeschool Resources

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Rocks and Minerals Unit

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Simple Machines Unit

This is a fun, hands-on unit for early elementary students!

Human Body Systems Worksheet Packet

How the body is organized from cells to tissues... organs to body systems

Five Senses Unit

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Ancient China Packet (Free)

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Homeschool Planet Novel Thinking lesson plans button

CTC: Novel Thinking

Seamlessly add your Novel Thinking curriculum from The Critical Thinking Company to your homeschool schedule with these lesson plans for use with your Homeschool Planet subscription. Novel Thinking curriculum helps students actively engage in the reading process by focusing on those skills that lead to better comprehension, higher test scores, and a greater love of reading. The engaging chapter-by-chapter activities focus on true comprehension—not just word searches that measure surface comprehension

What You Get

What You Get:

The publisher-recommended course of study
1 school year lesson plan, covering all the assignments for your Novel Thinking curriculum.
Checkboxes for your students to check off as they complete their assignments, providing them with a sense of accomplishment and a permanent record of their achievement.
Novel Thinking Lesson Plan Bundle includes all 5 lesson plans!
Automatic lesson plan updates as needed, with enhancements, link updates, etc. Note: You decide whether to apply the updates.

Please note: Curriculum is not included with your lesson plan and should be purchased separately. Select the "More Info" link located in each lesson plan option below for a description of the curriculum and an affiliate link to purchase the curriculum. These lesson plans are subject to copyright laws and cannot be used beyond those in your household. By “household” we mean a person or persons sharing the same single family housing unit such as a home, apartment, mobile home or condominium. You may reach us with any questions at [email protected] .

Automatic rescheduling of assignments when “life happens”
“Daily Digest” email reminders to help you and your child stay on track
Grade your student’s work to recognize or reward completion.
Track attendance for states where this is required.
Generate reports, reminders, and much more!

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IMAGES

Including Critical Thinking In Your Homeschool
5 Ways to Develop Critical Thinking Skills in Your Students
Practical Critical Thinking CLEARANCE ISBN-13: 9781601446640
Critical and Creative Thinking Homeschool Curriculum Guide
Homeschool Hacks: How to Incorporate Critical Thinking Skills in…
Skill Sharpeners: Critical Thinking, Grade 1

VIDEO

Homeschool effective lesson planning ,critical thinking skills and engaging history activities
How does the UK Curriculum at The Class Of One help children secure a global future?
How to Think More Logically with Kathy Gibbens
Progress Outcome 3 Example Program
REVIEW: The Critical Thinking Company's Word Roots Level 3
Progress Outcome 3 Example Program

COMMENTS

Homeschool Curriculum
Call our Product Specialists at 800-458-4849. We design critical thinking into ALL of our homeschool curriculum and supplemental educational products. This not only helps students transfer critical thinking skills to other areas of their lives, it improves the effectiveness of the lessons. Critical thinking requires deeper analysis of the lesson.
Critical Thinking & Logic curricula reviews for homeschooling
Indicates that the item was selected as one of Cathy's 103 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum. The Amazing Dr. Ransom's Bestiary of Adorable Fallacies: A Field Guide for Clear Thinkers. An Introduction to Logic and Philosophy. Analogies. The Art of Argument, The Argument Builder, and The Discovery of Deduction. The Basics of Critical Thinking.
Critical Thinking Reviews
According to publisher's materials, "Critical thinking is the identification and evaluation of evidence to guide decision making. A critical thinker uses broad in-depth analysis of evidence to make decisions and communicate his/her beliefs clearly and accurately." The resources are designed to help students develop analytical thinking processes. The various curricula including Grade Level ...
Critical Thinking Skills for Homeschoolers
The definition of critical thinking is: the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue or of information in order to form a judgment. Critical thinking skills are so very important for homeschool high schoolers! They had some good role models in the past:
Why Critical Thinking Is the Class Your Homeschool Can't Skip (Plus
Kids learn critical thinking by actually doing it, said curriculum theorist Hilda Taba, and to do it, they need opportunities to practice creative thinking and problem solving in their everyday learning lives.Critical thinking has become a buzzword in education circles, but for homeschoolers, the skills to manipulate ideas, critically examine information, and combine knowledge in different ...
Teaching Critical Thinking Skills In Your Homeschool: Logic Made Easy
It is a skill that needs to be exercised, frequently. Teaching our homeschoolers to use logic will help them to develop critical thinking skills they can depend on throughout life. Critical thinking skills help us to solve problems and make good decisions. You can teach critical thinking skills in your homeschool in all sorts of creative ways.
Why Logic and Critical Thinking Matter in the Homeschool
That takes logic and critical thinking. And, I bet at least one of your homeschooling goals is to raise a well-rounded child who can transition into successful adulthood. Well, that adult will need a healthy dose of logic and critical thinking ability. Purposeful training in thinking skills can go such a long way in the now and later moments!
Homeschool Hacks: How to Incorporate Critical Thinking Skills in
Critical thinking is an essential life skill, and Evan-Moor has created an engaging resource to help kids practice thinking skills. If you have read my previous post on the Skill Sharpeners series, you know there are many benefits to using the Skill Sharpeners series in your homeschooling. One title in the Skill Sharpeners series is Skill ...
Critical and Creative Thinking Homeschool Curriculum Guide
Learn how to use Evan-Moor's resources to help your kids practice and apply critical and creative thinking skills in realistic ways. Find out how to access the books, activities, and activities in Evan-Moor's TeacherFileBox and other guides by subject area.
Out of This World Homeschool Logic
Homeschool Logic is More Than Matrix Puzzles. In many instances, the homeschool logic materials my family enjoys the most are full of matrix puzzles. Matrix puzzles are challenging and require lots of exciting concentration. While they ARE awesome tools for logic, there is more to logic and critical thinking than just matrix puzzles.
10 Mastery-Based Homeschool Curriculum Choices and Picks
Beast Academy is an advanced Mastery homeschool math curriculum for children ages 7-13. This award-winning program provides interactive learning experiences through bestial animations that are both fun and educational, making it the perfect choice for young learners who want to build strong problem-solving skills.
PDF Critical and Creative Thinking Skills Homeschool Curriculum Guide
Use Critical and Creative Thinking Activities for imaginative activities to motivate students as they practice thinking in multiple ways about a variety of curriculum and theme-based topics. Use Thinking Skills to teach your child creative, critical, and logical thinking skills with fun and engaging activities. 2. TEACH 1. WARM UP
Critical Thinking and Logic in Your Homeschool
Critical thinking hinges around questioning information and data. Logic is more of the art (or science) of reasoning. Logic is used to evaluate the answers to the questions you asked. In science, we talk about evidence-based protocols. The evidence is evaluated through a lens of reasoning. You've probably come across terms like deductive and ...
Evan-Moor
Choosing and gathering a homeschool curriculum can be an overwhelming task. To help, Evan-Moor has created homeschool curriculum bundles for grades PreK-6. ... Your Homeschool STEM and Critical Thinking Bundle develops your child's problem-solving skills with STEM lessons and critical thinking activities. Help your child become a confident ...
CTC: Building Thinking Skills
Seamlessly add your Building Thinking Skills curriculum from The Critical Thinking Company to your homeschool schedule with these lesson plans for use with your Homeschool Planet subscription. Building Thinking Skills d evelop critical thinking skills in all academic areas-reading, writing, math and science-with this reproducible book of higher thinking activities.
Critical Thinking Curriculum: The Examined Life
The Examined Life is a unique resource designed to develop students' critical thinking. The lessons it contains are likely to ignite curiosity and lead to lively discussions in your homeschool. The lessons it contains are likely to ignite curiosity and lead to lively discussions in your homeschool.
Critical Thinking Activities Archives
Critical Thinking Activities - Analogies, Logic & More. With our yearly testing behind us, we are going to spend some time on another side of math — analogies, logical reasoning, and math puzzles. These help kids develop logical thinking, analytical abilities, and mathematical reasoning.
CTC: Critical Thinking Detective
The story is presented on one page, with a worksheet on the facing page for students to fill in to describe their conclusions. 30 classroom/home-reproducible pages, softcover; answer key included. Grades 4-12. The curriculum for this. Critical Thinking Detective Book 2. plan can be found by using the following link~.
CTC: Novel Thinking
Seamlessly add your Novel Thinking curriculum from The Critical Thinking Company to your homeschool schedule with these lesson plans for use with your Homeschool Planet subscription. Novel Thinking curriculum helps students actively engage in the reading process by focusing on those skills that lead to better comprehension, higher test scores, and a greater love of reading.