Box Of I.D.E.As : A Schoolhouse Crew Review

Wow!!  Allow me to cut to the chase here. We. Absolutely. Love. This. Box!! It is filled with so many great Hands on Activities. Never in my life did I think I would enjoy learning about WWII Pearl Harbor. I can remember very clearly my high school teacher writing the words on the board, asking the students to turn to page __. I turned to the page and then I think the bell ranged. I am not sure maybe I was daydreaming or sleeping, One thing is for sure, my teacher needed this Box of I.D.E.As.

The Box of I.D.E.As. has ten modules( and sometimes more) that come with everything you need to teach the particular module. You can add to it if you like, but they can stand alone. The modules are separately packaged and labeled with a quote that may be used for copywork. Each module has a portfolio piece to record your student's progress. Also included in the BOX is a summary test at the end that you may use that is consistent with the practice for SAT/ACT type of exams.There are tons of suggestions and well researched links that help you create extension activities if you desire to do so. The materials can be used in a home school group with children ranging from 9 to 16. Every Module is Hands On. 

I received the World War Two box and I was impressed with the quality of  the materials. I felt that my children were working with souvenirs from the War. I do plan on laminating them later, but after much use the material is still in top notch condition.

The pictures above shows some of the contents of the module Day After the Attack. While working with this module Michelle learned that newspapers were the backbone of the information highway in the 1940's, also that Newspaper reporters prided themselves with sticking to the facts.

The hands on activity pulled Michelle into also learning more about the war.

 Michelle matched the cards with pictures and questions to the newspaper article that provided the information.                                                                        

    After completing the hands on activity she was able to tackle the portfolio piece.

The answers to all of the portfolio pieces and summary test are included in the package, which I used since I was daydreaming when I was suppose to be learning about World War II:)

My Final Thoughts: I love the brilliance behind the Box of I.D,E.As!! There were several games for Michelle to play and she played them with her younger siblings ages 8 and 11. They learned a lot as well by just playing the games with her. There is absolutely no preparation that needs to be done!!  The only additional supplies you need are pencils, pens, and scissors. This material offers independent learning to the child(ren). I was thrilled with all of the extension activity ideas. For example for the module Day After the Attack one of the extension ideas were; For one day carry a memo pad and pencil around recording facts only, then write an objective report the next day of the previous day's events. A major bonus while implementing this was the convenience of the modules being packaged separately, this allowed  learning about World War II to be done anywhere, anytime. I especially liked having something educational based and fun to give to Michelle when she asked me " Do you have anything for me to do because I am bored!". There are so many opportunities for learning experiences to happen in this Box of I.D.E.As.

The cost of the physical box that I received for this review is $79.00, it is also available as a PDF download for $49.00. For all of your students to have their own consumables it is just an additional cost of  $4.00 per student. You can purchase your BOX of I.D.E.As here. There are other topic focuses available like Salt, Quilting, and Laundry. I am seriously looking into purchasing Pigs.

To read what other crew members thought about their Box of I.D.E.As go here www.schoolhousereviewcrew.com/786447/
As a member of the Schoolhouse Crew Review I received the physical BOX of I.D.E.As with the topic focus Wold War II  in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.