Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.
Have you reached that point yet when your kids are bored? Mine certainly are! And while we definitely try to slow things down a bit in the summer, I still want to keep honing their skills so they don’t forget all they have learned. But continuing to do math day in and day out is no fun! And that’s where the The Critical Thinking Co.™ comes in!
My twelve-year-old really took to the Mastering Logic & Math Problem Solving. We did some of it as a family, but she was the one who would take it off by herself to work on some of the problems alone.
The problems in the book tap into a part of the brain that I don’t think gets used very often in elementary math. There are several steps to each problem, and each chapter focuses on a different type of logical thinking.
Take this example from “Kin Problems” in Chapter 1:
1. From Brazil
Two mothers and two daughters sleep in the same room. There are only three beds and each one sleeps on one of them. How can this be? (Draw a diagram to help).
The chapters in this book include:
- Multicultural Logic Problems
- Fun With Classical Brain Teasers
- Number Theory Problems
- Problem Solving with Sets
- Ratio, Proportion, and Percent Problems
- Algebra Word Problems
- Geometry Word Problems
- More Algebra Word Problems
- Probability Word Problems
- Topology Fun Word Problems
Each chapter has word problems that make the student think deeper than if they were just given a dry equation. Instead of trying to solve for n in an algebraic problem, the question becomes:
Use Paolo’s June 2022 calendar from Problem 2 to find the 4 days that make a square that the sum of the days is 104.
Mastering Logic & Math Problem Solving is geared toward grades 6-9, and I believe that to be accurate. My nine-year-old and six-year-old were completely confused by the questions and had no idea where to even begin. While we did work on some as a family, it was definitely my twelve-year-old who was solving the problems for the most part. In fact, I had to refer to the answer key myself a few times to make sure we were on the right track!
According to the author, Terri Husted:
The goal of this book is to have students approach all types of problems with a sense of fun anticipation and confidence.
I think that book accomplishes this. My daughter has thoroughly enjoyed solving the puzzles and has definitely approached this curriculum with a much better attitude than our regular math curriculum.
I had never heard of The Critical Thinking Co. before this, but I have looked into their products, and I love how they encourage critical thinking at all ages and educational levels. They cover an array of subjects, too.
I believe that one of the most important skills we can teach our children is how to be critical thinkers. We have thoroughly enjoyed this curriculum, and I hope to be able to purchase more of their products as our budget allows.
Check out what my fellow Homeschool Review Crew teammates are saying:
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