The Basics of Critical Thinking - A Review

We've been privileged with the task to review a few quality products from The Critical Thinking Co. over the couple of years we've been doing reviews for The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew, and The Basics of Critical Thinking is no exception.  I volunteered for this product because critical thinking skills are something that really need sharpening for the resident 10 year old.  To be honest, working side by side with her through this engaging workbook I've learned that my skills aren't exactly as sharp as I thought they were either.  

Despite the target age group of fourth through ninth grade I think this is a great resource for young adults and adults as well.  The exercises are short allowing time for discussion and contemplation without a great deal of direct teaching required.  I like that you don't have to work through the book from beginning to end.  As you well know by now, I just love resources that are modifiable and easily adapted to our unique makeup here at The Zoo Crew.  

With the stage of growth that we're at The Basics of Critical Thinking is a perfect tool to aid in the stretching of our thinking processes.  The exercises and processes presented in this book provide a foundation that can only help to serve the reader for the rest of their life.  Topics like evaluating evidence, facts and probability, advertising, and fallacies, just to name a few, are covered creatively and effectively.  All answers to the exercises are thoroughly explained in the back of the book allowing for review and discussion of any areas that pose a particular challenge.

Working with products from The Critical Thinking Co. makes it very clear why they have won so many national awards for their books and software.  I may be just a little partial since the author, Michael Baker, is a graduate of the University of Michigan with a major in philosophy.  The products that he produces are nothing short of excellent.  In The Basics of Critical Thinking his experience and dedication to the sharpening of young minds shines brightly.

This timeless workbook is flexible enough to be a perfect fit with any educational style.  It is an easy accompaniment to about any subject and can be used as a stand alone resource or to build upon a different lesson within a separate course of study.  The possibilities for application are only limited by your creativity and inspiration.  In this mad world of deception we can all benefit from a little discernment.  The Basics of Critical Thinking provides just the road map we need to guide our young people through the trains of thought that protect us and help us to make quality decisions throughout life.  

I am happy to have such a valuable resource at my fingertips.  We will surely be implementing the exercises within our homeschool throughout the year as well as applying the principles throughout life.  If you'd like to learn more you can get social with The Critical Thinking Co. on Facebook, Google+, Twitter and Pinterest.  There's nothing to lose and everything to gain!

The Critical Thinking Co. - A Review

My four-year-old loves to sing the ABC song.  She actually taught it to herself.  I still remember the first time I heard her singing it and wondered how in the world she had learned the song.  Then I discovered that one of her little toys that sings song was the "teacher".  I've seen this with her when it comes to a lot of so called learning things.  She learns them on her own.  Naturally, I really thought The Alphabet Song Game by The Critical Thinking Co. would be a natural fit.  Sometimes our preconceived notions have a way of getting in our way, and that happened for us this time around.

See, I thought The Alphabet Song Game would be something that I could just let her run with.  So, I kept trying to get her to play the game on her own.  That worked once or twice.  Then she wasn't interested.  The game was awesome, and I couldn't figure out why she didn't want to play it.  What it boiled down to for her was that she wanted me to sit with her while she played the game.  She didn't want to do it on her own.  Once I adjusted my idea of how the game was "supposed to" fit into our routine all was well.



Her favorite way to play The Alphabet Song Game is with the laptop hooked up to our television.  When we do this even the five-year-old joins in.  Each level begins with an animated teacher singing the ABC song for you to sing along.  On the first level each letter is given in order, and you are asked to click on the correct letter with what is being said.  There is an option to have the letter repeated.  As the levels progress choosing the proper letter becomes more and more challenging.  The little kids get competitive with each other, and have a lot of fun trying to be the first one to identify the correct letter.  The five-year-old even likes to pull out our ABC puzzle to match the letters from the puzzle to the letters in the game.  They like having the option to repeat the game they just played or move on to the next game.  Each level increases in difficulty of challenge, and you can play using all uppercase letters or all lowercase letters.  We began with only uppercase and have "graduated" to learning the letters in their lowercase form.  However, a high enough level of accuracy must be achieved before the next level becomes available.  The kids really do have a lot of fun, and the nine-year-old even gets caught up in it sometimes.

We were given the computer license download for Windows as part of this review, but The Alphabet Song Game is also available as a download for iPads, Android Tablets, and Win 8 and Win 8.1 Tablets.  My kids LOVE playing on Tablets.  It's a new experience for them that we just recently added to our homeschool.  So, I am certain that The Alphabet Song Game will get even more use via our nook which I just downloaded the app to today.

The Critical Thinking Co. stands behind their products with a full satisfaction guarantee.  Their quality products have been around since 1958, and their mission is to empower the minds of our young people.  They offer wonderful customer support, and provide wonderful articles and advice via their website.  You can learn more about The Critical Thinking Co. and The Alphabet Song Game by following them on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and Pinterest.  Their website is set up to search by grade, subject, or product type making it simple for you to find just the right product to meet the individual needs of your family.