By Heather Sanders.
I like educational children’s kits. When my kids were younger–I’m thinking particularly about when my oldest, Emelie, was in Pre-K, I would comb the shelves in the children’s section of the nearest bookstore for those fun little book/activity kits. Usually they came with one book, sometimes two, activity suggestions, and a puzzle and/or craft. I would take the kit home, review it, and then divide the contents over the course of two or three days. It tended to be a focused, productive way to wind Emelie down for her afternoon nap.
Even then I realized I could probably purchase the book and gather the supplies for less than I paid for the “package deal”, but the convenience of someone else planning and creating thematic activities, gathering all the necessary supplies, and then packaging it all together with a set of clear and concise directions was worth the extra money I spent. I always viewed it as an investment in the creator’s efforts and a nod to the time constraints that kept me from doing likewise.
To this day I have not strayed terribly far from that mindset. Though Emelie is a Sophomore in high school, Meredith is now in 7th grade and Kenny has moved into 5th grade, I still primarily purchase our curriculum in large “kits” (for lack of a better word) from Sonlight. They send me the Instructor’s Guide with a detailed schedule, they research and pull together the textbooks and readers, they gather materials in supplies kits for the science labs, etc… and they ship it all to me, nice and neat, in two to three great big boxes.
Yep, I’m a fan of kits.
So, not surprisingly, when I was contacted by DiscoverLit Kits I was very interested. After clicking around their website I discovered an immediate kinship with their product as I read about their dual emphasis on the importance of reading and developing a love of learning early on in a child’s life.
Upon the kit’s arrival, I opened the box and pulled out a very simple, clear, plastic bag with two handles at top tied neatly by a ribbon. Inside, the bag held a single book and a sealed package of literacy activities designed to “build knowledge about, reinforce, and also extend learning” in six literacy areas.
The Activity Cards are designed for ages PreK-K and center around the subject of BUGS.
The book in this particular kit is The Butterfly, an Usborne Picture Book written by Anna Milbourne and Cathy Shimmen. The Butterfly is sturdy and obviously constructed for children 18 months or older.
In its 24 pages the book uses simple words and brilliant illustrations to tell the story of a caterpillar munching along until his transformation into a butterfly.
At the bottom of most pages are white pre-printed stickers that encourage parents to engage with their children as they are reading.
For instance, after reading page 1 the reader is prompted to ask the child, “What do we know about the caterpillar?” and “Have you seen a caterpillar in our garden?”
The included Activity Cards outline step-by-step instructions for all the associated activities in the areas of science, math and art; each activity is based on the six literacy areas: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics/Word Study, Fluency, Comprehension, Vocabulary, and Writing.
In the Science/Writing Activity #1 parents and their children are encouraged to “engage in a real-world exploration and to experience the process of recording observations.”.
Most of the materials are provided for this activity:
» mini-observation journal
» magnifying glass
»The Butterfly book
Outside of those materials parents or caregivers only need to provide colored pencils or crayons and follow the steps outlined beneath the Procedure sub header on that specific card.
Another example is the Word Study Activity #1 where children are taught to use “context clues and pictures to help them identify and understand the meaning of common words, including color words.”
Again, the needed materials are provided:
» The Butterfly book
» Butterfly, Butterfly poem (available in a small card for parents and a larger letter sized “Child’s Copy”)
» Color Word Stickers
There is a Ladybug Math activity for computing numbers, understanding, quantities and pattern discovery.
The Paper Chain Caterpillar is part of an Art/Word Study activity where children get to cut, glue and create, but also learn that a caterpillar’s jaws are called mandibles and they use these to munch on green leaves.
There is even a little BookChat flyer for increasing a child’s word recognition, vocabulary and context.
The DiscoverLit Kits are available to order in three different ways at three different price points. The Pre-Made Kit is a single bundle shipped right to your door. The Do-It-Yourself Kit ships the featured book of the month to your door and then you must download all the activities and provide all your own supplies. And finally, the third option provides a download of just the literacy activities, meaning you must buy, borrow or check out your own books from the library to use with the activities.
Some of my thoughts…
When I first opened the package I questioned the $49 price tag for the Pre-Made Kit. I am a sucker for packaging and presentation and while it was very neatly put together it didn’t have the “squeal appeal” of other kits I’ve reviewed and loved.
Until I fully evaluated the offered activities, it felt a bit on the “lean” side.
That said, let me assure you DiscoverLit Kits are anything but lean. The packaging might not have captured me, but the activities did. I quickly saw that this kit far exceeded other kits in how seamlessly the concepts weave and build into each of the activities.
Also, I admire that they created a system where parents can easily set the pace. Though the company recommends one activity a day, the activities can really be done in any order, on any day, across multiple days, skipping days, or piled up all in one day. You don’t have to worry about getting them out of order or reviewing “this” before “that” because each activity compliments the other really, really well.
Another thing I like is the book. They chose a hardier, high quality book with thicker pages and sturdy front and back covers. I particularly like that they only select books that are generally accessible. This means if someone only wants to pay to download the activities, they can still find the book in any online or brick & mortar bookstore and in most libraries.
However, there is one thing that I wish they would change or alleviate altogether. If I ordered one of these kits for a birthday or Christmas (They would make great party gifts!!) I would specifically call or email and ask that the pre-printed stickers not be affixed to the book cover and internal pages. While I understand the thought behind it, and can appreciate the helpful reminders/discussion questions, they are printed on regular printer labels and simply will not look nice for very long if the book is used frequently.
In addition, a few of the stickers in the book I received were not very neatly placed (crooked) on the pages (including the one on the cover), which drives the detail-oriented person in me a bit crazy. I tried to scrape off the sticker on the front cover, but it will not come off without the sticker shredding, leaving the book cover sticky and damaged from the adhesive.
Other than the stickers, this DiscoverLit Kit is definitely a worthwhile learning investment for any family with kids ages PreK to 3rd Grade. I would recommend it to any of my friends and certainly think it could definitely hold its own on an academic level to just about any kit out there designed for the same age group.
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If you are interested in winning one of these kits for your child(ren), please visit EngagewiththePage.com, where you can enter for your chance to win a FREE DiscoverLit Kit.
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OMSH/Heather L. Sanders is “Momma” to three kids, Emelie, Meredith and Kenny. When not homeschooling, or writing about homeschooling, Heather is busy designing websites or going on dates with her husband Jeff, the love of her life.
Thinking of Home Schooling? Read mine and 24 other homeschooling families’ stories shared in the new book, You Can Do It Too!