I thought I’d start a new weekly feature and discuss various curricula, magazines, DVDs, and other resources we use in our homeschool. Hope it is helpful to someone out there in the blogosphere. I am not compensated in any way for my reviews on this blog, I don’t sell these books, etc., so while you might disagree with me, at least you know these are my honest opinions.

Both my husband and I feel very strongly about kids learning critical and creative thinking skills, skills that are not tied to any particular subject area or content, but can be broadly applied across a wide range of disciplines and life situations. One of the best resources I’ve found for this for the very young is the Can You Find Me? books from Critical Thinking Press. Each page has a short rhyme with clues, and then a colour picture of possible answers. Check out a sample page here. From what I have seen, these books would be acceptable to both secular and religious homeschoolers.

I am working through the books with both boys—for Gareth, who is not yet reading, I read the rhyme/clues aloud, and he points to the correct solution. (As with all materials of this type, if a child comes up with an unexpected answer, but can provide a rational explanation of it, I accept it and congratulate them on their creative thinking. I am pleased to say that I have not yet encountered any ambiguous or poorly constructed questions in this series, unlike so many other workbooks out there!) With Daegan, we take turns reading the clues out loud, and he points to the answer. Any mistaken answers are opportunities for discussion: I ask how they got that answer, and we go back through the rhyming clues one by one to see if they fit. Usually the problem lies in a child not knowing the correct meaning of a word (or shadings of meaning)—a wonderful opportunity to learn in that teachable moment!

Critical Thinking Press has a number of other titles we are using in our homeschool which I will discuss later. Check out their website here for more information.