LitWits Kits: A LitWits Review

Reading is the foundation for learning all sorts of things in life.  Connecting with good literature is a powerful force throughout your life.  To this day, I still get excited talking about some of my favorites like To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee or Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.  The characters and the messages from these books shaped parts of me.  Books are powerful! Today, I am reviewing a company that knows the importance of these meaningful books and are providing exciting ways to enhance a students connection with these books.  LitWits Kits from LitWits are designed to teach great books in fun and creative ways that leave an impression on students.  

What We Received:

We were given our choice of four LitWit Kits.  I chose The Secret Garden, A Little Princess, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Black Beauty.  Upon purchase, each kit is accessible through your account on LitWits' website, but entirely printable as well.  
Within every kit there are 9 sections:

Hands-On Fun

• Welcome
• Overview
• Prop Ideas
• Hands-On Fun
• BookBites
• Takeaways
• Handouts
• Learning Links
• Great Quotes

Handouts

How It Works:

LitWits began as a literature workshop where activities would happen all on one day.  For homeschooling, it makes sense to stretch them out over time as best suits your family's needs.  The idea behind all the activities is to do what the characters in the book did and understand what they felt and experienced.  This can be encouraged in a lot of different ways, which is what each kit provides - a spectrum of opportunities to connect with these books and characters.  Each kit suggests prop ideas to have something tangible to see and interact with that triggers thoughts about the text.  Hands-on Fun includes projects to make and Bookbites is food ideas to 'taste the story' with.  The handouts section is just what it sounds like, but I appreciated the well-thought out worksheets discussing things like Narrative Arc, Vocabulary and Creative Writing. At the end there is a section of links for further learning and exploration and a collection of the most famous quotes from each book.  Since there are many activities and further learning opportunities, the best way to approach using these kits is for you as the teacher to sit down and browse the entire kit and determine what is doable and useful based on age level and time constraints. A little or a lot still invites students to step into someone else's world and we can all agree there needs to be more of that in education.

Learning Links

How We Used It:

For this review we focused on A Little Princess, something that we as a family had never read.   My daughter (6) has been very into pretend and doll/stuffed animal play so she really enjoyed Sara's creative play and imagination.  We had fun talking about how much Sara's description of what her doll did when Sara wasn't looking sounded like Toy Story.  Because of that, dolls were our chosen prop for this book.  One of the themes that the kit focuses on is how much Sara chooses kindness and looks on the positive, possible side of life.  It is very much a skill that our culture doesn't practice or celebrate too much these days.  As a parent who wants my children to be thankful and content in ALL things, this story and the various activities gave much opportunity to reinforce gratefulness.

 We read the book over time and inserted activities when appropriate, but we could have read the book first and then spent time on the activities with equal benefit.  

 Sara's Splendid Sunset combined some fun arts and crafts element with a meaningful sentiment that surrounded Sara's positive outlook amidst her destitute circumstances. The three of us (my son 9 and daughter 6) worked on this project together and it was really fun to see where their enthusiasm was sparked.  My daughter loves using paper to create so she was excited to make a little Sara.  My son was all about the painting, but even stretched himself a bit by making curtains out of paper.

As I browsed through the other three kits we were given, it was so fun to see familiar stories highlighted in ways I wouldn't have thought about otherwise.  For example, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory brings to mind having a chocolate bar as a snack, but I wouldn't have considered making a cabbage and potato soup in order to understand just how extremely appealing chocolate and candy would have been to Charlie.  Sugar and sweet things are an every meal occurrence now so the contrast might be lost on some today. In the case of Black Beauty, I was not familiar with the author or her circumstances surrounding writing the book (having only a few months to live) and Litwits uses that fact to spur conversations about why that might be.  Straight to the heart of the matter is an approach I'm very fond of.  The Secret Garden, a story I have read and loved the movie(s), surprised me from the start with its simple creativity.  The first hands-on project is simply making a jump rope.  Making things out of what is available is also something that children can easily miss out on today because of convenience and excess of stuff.

With all of the open-ended aspects to this product, I was very impressed with the layout and thoughtfulness of the website.  They take every opportunity to encourage parents/teachers to utilize their product for the students' maximum benefit.  It is so nice to feel like you have a partner who wants your family's success too!

As a product and curriculum resource, I highly recommend LitWits and their kits that are packed FULL of some great teaching ideas.  With our culture in a bad habit of cutting off some of the truly important things in life like nature, gratefulness, appreciating animals and so many others, we need more educational activities like the ones found in LitWits Kits.

Follow LitWits on Social Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LitWits/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/litwits4kids/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LitWits4Kids
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/LitWits/

LitWits offers kits for a ton of other favorite books.  Check out other Crew reviews below to see what other kits are like and what they thought of them!

A Purpose of Parenting: To Balance Your Kids

Over the course of about a week, the Race Car has taken up baseball.  This 1 year old kid is now running around with a foam bat (though he gravitates to the metal, heavy ones whenever he can) and ball looking for someone to pitch to him.  He moves the bat onto the left shoulder, hands gripped in good form and then crouches his whole body down (sometimes so low he falls over) ready for the pitch.  It's adorable and a little mind-blowing how fast he's picked it up, but incredibly consistent with his personality.  Just like his father, when he sets his sights on something he goes after it and sees nothing else.

As I was reading to him before bed (something that is a struggle because he just wants to go, do and resist being still), I tried to work with him saying a couple of words.  As a typical third child, he's taking a little longer to get those words flowing.  It's especially hard with an extra talkative older sister who wants to be in the middle of everything.  The book was about tails so we worked on the T sound and then tried to get him to repeat the word.  Once I got the other two kids to quit interrupting, he gladly pushed out the T sounds and then grinned like crazy when I insisted at the whole word.  We finished and then he jumped up, turning around for a hug.  It occurred to me that I really needed to do that more often - work with him without the other two hanging all over him.  He does mama, dada, ball, go, and just recently mastered uh-oh, but he's capable of so much more if he would only slow down and try it.

And then the entire purpose of parenting came into focus.  We get hung up on different learning styles, disciplining methods and personality types, but the big picture is balance.  With each child God has entrusted to me, it has been my job to know them.  Knowing them means that I learn their weaknesses which should inform my parenting of them - show me where they need balancing.  I have 3 children and a husband who would rather go and do than just about anything.  In my relationships with them, I am learning to help them slow down.  The child that is afraid of hard things (even though highly capable of them) does better when they are forced to learn every aspect of that hard thing in order to master it with patience.  The child with all the words needs help respecting other people's need for silence.  This baby of mine is an amazing accomplisher and I'm learning it is my job to open up his awareness to other great things to accomplish, not just the ones on his radar.

Through conversations and maybe even some ad on Facebook, I've heard a lot of opinions about letting children decide for themselves about how they will be disciplined or what they will do or eat.  It seems to be a trend of some sort that suggests if a child doesn't prefer it then the decree has been set.  And I understand, to a point, because I want my kids to be happy.  I don't want them to resent me or have anxiety over something forced upon them.  However, I am seeing in all of my children the value of filling in the gaps between where they prefer to be and where they could be.

If I let her, my daughter would eat fruit non-stop and rarely have protein - if ever!  Do you know what kind of emotional wreck that girl would be if she didn't get enough protein in the day?  Seriously, she would be on her way to diet-induced diabetes.  As her parent, I see her weaknesses (emotionally and physically) and educate her preferences.  Last month we had some particularly stressful meltdowns regarding J and his math studies.  For that period of time, if I had let him decide he would never mess with math again.  It was hard (he thought) and didn't want to do it.  3 weeks later he's excitedly speeding through multiplication tables to impress his dad.  He just needed a little more patience than he felt like having that week.

Of course, there are always varying techniques on how to parent and carry out rules and consequences, but don't ever believe the lie that a child must like, prefer or be in love with everything they do.  It is our job to balance, equip and build up.  All of those things requires growth and that means change.  If your family never sets out to grow, then you are all likely to miss the mark.  Our relationship with our kids is meant for us to provide balance - a balance that keeps them rooted to the things that matter and that helps them choose wisely even when it isn't comfortable.

Horses In History by Mattie Richardson: An Appaloosy Books Review

History buffs and horse lovers, this one is for you! Last month we were introduced to Author Mattie Richardson/Appaloosy Books and Mattie Richardson's Horses in History Series through the Homeschool Review Crew.  This historical fiction series gives the reader a trip back in time through the horse's point of view.  My horse-loving 9 year old was beyond excited to review these books and he was not disappointed.  The periodic pleading for a horse of his own will now increase thanks to this delightful book series.

What We Received:

We were sent 4 paperback books: Appaloosy, Dusty's Trail, Golden Sunrise, and Day and Night - all of which were signed by the author.  The author also sent a nice email that included a digital copy of her brand new 98-page Day and Night Enrichment Guide for the Day and Night book.

How It Works:

These books are written with 8-14 year old readers in mind. Each of these books is set somewhere in the 1800's depicting a historical event through the eyes of horses.  At the beginning of each book is a list of words and their definitions that are used in the book, but might be unfamiliar to the reader.  In Golden Sunrise, a story about a horse's experience at the Battle of the Alamo, `the list contains Spanish words.  Appaloosy, a story depicting the Nez Perce War, defines words from the native Nez Perce language.  At the end of each book, the author includes  'A Blast from the Past' section where she discusses the actual events the story was based around.  At the end of Dusty's Trail the reader can learn about the American Quartera Horse and the Pony Express.  Day and Night concludes with information about the Civil War.

The Day and Night Enrichment Guide we were given is a huge resource! Within the 98 pages, the author includes reading comprehension questions. vocabulary, history reading segments, A Soldier's Life - goes over varying aspects of a soldier's life, geography, horses and history, Living History - a craft or game section, a creating your own story section, and a biography section.  There are 8 parts of this guide and each part includes the above activities.  For more advanced students are some suggestions for deeper study.  This guide is an entire history unit all by itself and a great resource for enhancing the reading of Day and Night.

What We Thought:

My 9 year old loves horses to his very core so he was predisposed to love these books anyway, but we have been very pleased and impressed by Ms. Richardson and her series.  J was excited about the stories being told from the horses' perspectives.  In Day and Night, the chapters trade off telling Shiloh and Tucker's (siblings) experiences from both sides of the Civil War. He said that element made it more fun to read because while reading about one he was wondering what was going on with the other one. The vocabulary words kept any of the unfamiliar subject matter still accessible and great for learning.  As a parent, I want my children to love what they are reading so this fit that perfectly.  As a reader, I am so impressed that the author wrote her first book at 13!  The idea is so charming and fun to read and her enthusiasm for history is evidenced in each book.  We are fans and will be glad to add this to our curriculum library!

Follow Appaloosy Books on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Appaloosy7/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/appaloosybooks/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AppaloosyBooks

Is your family not really into history or horses? Check out some of the other reviews through the link below to see what other readers thought of these books.

The Importance of Being a Loser

I wanted to cry.  Miss Z's soccer team had just made a goal - their first goal of the entire season.  Before you go calling me a silly soccer mom, know that this was the next to last game of the season.  They hadn't scored a single goal all season long.  That unbelievable moment - a moment that we as parents and spectators had begun to think wouldn't happen this season - was full of delirious screams and wild jumping around.  We still lost the game, but went on to score two more times after that and were just as excited every time.  These girls had worked hard, but had a few things working against them all season.  They were a new team, for one.  They only had 2 subs while most teams had 4 or 5.  And since they were low on sign-ups, they were a combination of age levels playing up in half the team's case and physically smaller than most of their opponents.  All things that weren't anyone's fault really and we had certainly seen growth in just a few short weeks but none of that helps much when you're feeling discouraged at the losses. So, when a shot finally went in today, you better believe we rejoiced!

Losing, whether it be in sports or any part of life, is just that way.  When you experience poverty, you have a greater appreciation for abundance.  When you lose loved ones early in life, you have a great capacity to appreciate those around you now.  Losing means struggling.  Struggling gives you the chance to learn things and to grow in ways not possible otherwise.  In sports it is natural and tempting to want your child to be on a winning team.  When your team isn't winning you might talk bad about the other team or give the refs a hard time or even switch teams just to avoid losing.  We all can slip into a sore loser mentality and make a 7 year old's soccer game about our personal validation.  But, let me remind you that not only does it make you look foolish, but also your child misses the chance to learn skills to help her thrive in life for years to come.

Did you read that right? Losing a soccer game or not getting the lead or even getting dealt the worst hand in life, is usually one of the biggest catalysts in personal development and growth.  Life is full of losses and the most successful people are the ones who struggle enough to actually learn how to do it better next time.  Not to mention that the gratitude for the wins is so much bigger and sweeter when you have really lost and then found success with much effort.  As parents we are wired to not want our kids to hurt, but sometimes we forget the purpose in some of that pain.

As much as I want to see that beautiful daughter of mine score a dozen goals, if only to see her excitement, it is more important to see her face any looming mountain in her life with endurance, ingenuity and an attitude to try again when she loses.  I love it when my kids win, as we all should I think, but today reminded me how valuable losing truly is to being a success in life.

2 Digit Multiplication Practice: A Channie's Review

Growing up I had two brothers, I was a nanny for two boys and now I'm a mother of two boys.  I feel like I have a good handle on what it's like to teach boys.  My sons are very active and would rather be busy moving around than not.  That often leads to doing the undesirable things in life (like math for J) in a big hurry!  Doing schoolwork in a hurry can not only lead to messy handwriting, but making simple mistakes becomes a way of life. We  reviewed a handwriting book from Channie's Visual Handwriting & Math workbooks a couple of years ago that had a wonderful format for neat and orderly practice.  Today's review is from the same company only this time we're considering a One Page A Day 2 Digit Multiplication Practice book.

What We Received:
A One Page A Day 2 Digit Multiplication Practice workbook with over 50 tear-out pages, a cardboard back and an answer key in the back.  

How It Works:
Each page contains visually guided problems, beginning with 2 by 1 digit problems and eventually graduating to 2 by 2 digit problems. Each number or number answer has it's own box so that everything lines up clearly.  In the 2 by 1 problems the single digit row is shaded green. The 2 by 2 problems continue with shading, but this time green boxes signify the first calculation and answers and blue boxes signify the second calculation and answers.  On both types of problems there are white boxes for the final solutions.  Near the back of the workbook the shading goes away, but the boxes are still present.  The net is taken away, but the format is still simple and clear.

The intent of this product is clear by the name 'One Page A Day...' so this is a drill type product that encourages the student to actively practice while not being overwhelming at the same time.  Also, all of their products encourage neat and clear handwriting skills, even in math!  The pages are designed to be ripped out, giving you the option to assign work separate from the answer key.

What We Thought:
True confession time! When signing up for this review, I overlooked the 2 digit part and only saw multiplication and 3rd grade.  J had not learned double digit multiplication when we received the product!  At first I panicked, but then I just took this opportunity to teach him double digit since he was already pretty proficient in his times tables.  And guess what?  All it took was one sitting and he figured it out!  Small mistakes are still his way of life when he gets in a hurry, so this was no exception, but the more he practiced the better he got at it.

The visual guidance in this workbook is genius and the best way to practice double-digit multiplication I have ever seen.  With so many new elements with double digit multiplication, it can get really confusing and difficult to teach sometimes.  The color-coded blocks, while seemingly not that important, makes this program highly effective and unique in my opinion.  So effective that a scatterbrained mom can use it to teach the skill from scratch with no issues!

Keep Up With Channie's on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/channiesworkbook/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/channiesvisualhandwriting/

Did you know Channie's offers a variety of workbooks?  Several other Crew members tried out other books as well as this one so click below to find one that meets your education needs!

Smartick: A Math Enrichment Program Review

Doing math and thinking mathematically aren't necessarily the same.  I had a hard time grasping that as a new algebra student who just wanted it to come naturally.  As any parent can tell you, every child is different with different strengths and weaknesses. Logic and reasoning are skills that feelers like me may not have in spades, but need developed in order to excel in school.  Today's review, Smartick, speaks directly to the need for more mathematical thinking rather than just seeking right answers.  The past few weeks J (8) and miss Z (6) have been using Smartick as often as we could with interesting results.

What We Received:

We were given a 6 month subscription for two students to Smartick, "a unique online learning method that helps your child reach maximum potential by using mathematics to increase mental agility, calculation skills, concentration, and studying methods."  This includes online access for me as the teacher/parent to monitor their progress.  It is designed for students age 4-14.

How It Works:

As the teacher, I registered both students and set up ages, usernames and passwords.  When each student first logged on, they set up an avatar that can be changed at any time later.  From there, each session has a consistent format.  Students are asked in emoji form what their mood is and then they begin a 15 minute series of questions and exercises.  As they answer questions, they earn ticks (this program's currency/reward) and for correcting their mistakes at the end of the session they can earn another tick.  After the session is complete, they are allowed access to a play area of sorts.  In this area, they can play games, challenge others, change settings like painting their house, changing clothes, etc., go shopping, make 'friends' and send messages.  

It is intended for students to have a session every day, at least 5 days a week.  Like exercise for the brain, the more you stretch your muscles, the more adept and agile they become.  The difficulty level increases very gradually over use so that is not overwhelming, but adequately challenging.  It is also not viewed as a quick, short-term solution for students.  If your student is struggling or way behind, this program isn't touted as something that can bring them up to speed over a couple of weeks.  Smartick is a long-term program designed to maximize potential.  In that way, it is not a math curriculum at all, but a mathematical training program to optimize a student's ability to maneuver within their curriculum.

What We Thought:


From day one the kids loved using this program.  Whenever possible, they like to watch their sibling do their session in addition to their own.  There were few how-to questions and no complaints other than when it was going to be their turn.  I appreciate the wisdom of requiring their session to be completed BEFORE they are allowed to play around.  They would never want to do anything else otherwise!  

Honestly, using it every day was a big challenge for us.  Part of that was due to a death in the family and then a week long vacation, so certainly not normal life.  Still, once we got home getting 5 days in was harder than I expected.  Most programs like this we would expect to do 2-3 days a week.  Now that I've used the program and have seen how it works,  I absolutely understand the value and importance of engaging very regularly.  Behavioral issues aside, I have been pleased with the kids' school performance in a variety of areas lately.  It sure would seem that this program was contributing to that outcome! I feel like another couple of solid, regular months of use would give me more feedback to confidently confirm its effectiveness. 

Smartick on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Smartick
Twitter: https://twitter.com/smartickmethod?lang=en
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smartick/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD_f6FMb0X1QDp5j7puQh1Q



Do you have different aged kids and wondering if it would work for them too?  Check out other Crew members reviews through the link below and see if they had a similar experience.

The Shepherd's Stone and The Lion's Roar: A Secret of the Hidden Scrolls Review

We have had the pleasure of reviewing books from The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series two times before and each time the kids adore them!  WorthyKids Books has brought joy to our house again with the next two installments, Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: The Shepherd's Stone (Book 5) and Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: The Lion's Roar (Book 6).  If your elementary students have never read any of these books, today is the day to start!  As Christian parents, we want Bible stories to come alive to our kids, but ancient words on a page sometimes get stuck in translation.  Each book magically transports Peter and Mary to Biblical times where they race against the clock to solve secrets of the scrolls before they are stuck back in time! They kids get to spy on events like Noah's ark and the battle at Jericho, bringing a kid's eye view to some of the most fantastical events in our history.

What We Received:

We received the next two books in the series.  Both are paperback and over 100 pages and at least 12 chapters.  There are great black and white illustrations at least every 3 or 4 pages.

The Shepherd's Stone takes the kids to David as a shepherd boy and a pack of wolves, they witness the kingdom of Israel and it's enemies the Philistines.  The kids get the chance to hear about David's faith and where his strength comes from!  

In The Lion's Roar, they travel to Babylon where they meet Shadrach and hear about he and his friends' trial by fire years ago.  Then they are introduced to Daniel and the trouble he's having with the high priest.  As the children hide from the high priest with some help from a local friend, Hannah, they witness Daniel's  commitment to God and punishment to the lion's den. 

Who Is It For?

The reading levels of each book is around 2nd grade.  My 8 year old races through each book in a day because he is voracious reader, but also because he loves a good adventure book.  They are simple enough for 6 year old to read and enjoyable enough for 3rd grader to beg for.  As the author continues to add books, I'm certain my son will want to read them despite their ease simply because he's invested now.

What the Kids Thought:

It goes without saying that my 6 and 8 year old enjoy reading these books. When I asked them why, I was told it was because it had to do with the Bible.  They really seemed to connect with these familiar Bible stories presented from a different eye view.  It certainly helped that the series reminded them of certain other book series about a brother and sister that go on adventures to different times.  

What Mom Thought:

In addition to the Biblical reinforcement, the books make a point to label Satan and his forces within each story and then highlights how the children deal with that.  It's been a good exercise for my kids to wrestle with how they deal with Satan's temptations in their own life.  So much more than a fun book!

Would you like a chance to win all 7 of the books in this series? There is a giveaway going on right now! Follow this link to enter: http://bit.ly/ScrollsSweepstakes

Keep Up With Worthy Kids Books on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorthyKidsBooks/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/worthykidsbooks/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/worthykidsideals/

Wondering what other families thought? Check out everyone else's reviews at the link below!