Critical Thinking -- Do we need it? Why or why not?

[Sahamamama]

Obviously, the catalog came again. ;) Every year I look through this and wonder what we're missing.

 

This year, I've been looking at Building Thinking Skills Beginning (for the four year olds) and Building Thinking Skills Primary (for the 6 year old first grader) -- and I keep wondering, "Do we really need that?" :confused:

 

 

• Couldn't we just make puzzles and play with the math manipulatives?
  
• Couldn't we bring out the puppets, costumes, story board felts and simply tell stories?
  
• Couldn't we go on field trips, do projects, sew, crochet, and build real things in order to solve problems?
  
• Couldn't we read aloud, listen to audiobooks, and engage in conversation in order to learn verbal reasoning?
  

 

What do you think? :bigear: Pros? Cons? Good experiences? Waste of time? :bigear:

 

(IOW, please help the newbie sift through the marketing of the product to find the actual value of the product).

[Sahamamama]

:lurk5:

[RahRah]

:lurk5:

 

I was looking at their website earlier today and thinking the same thing!

[Barb_]

It's a fun extra, but no you don't really need it, IMO. I did it when my oldest kids were younger but those books were the first to go when time or money became a factor. I think in general homeschooled kids have time to develop in a naturally richer thinking environment filled with imaginative play, large stretches of free time and fewer electronic distractions. I still do formal Logic with them about 13-14, but the Critical Thinking stuff can safely be left behind. Maybe keep it in mind as a Christmas present? You could use it as a fun extra rather than feeling the need to make time for it on a regular basis.

[EKS]

I think that the Building Thinking Skills books are a waste of time unless you want to use them to prep for tests like the CogAT.

[Jumping In Puddles]

I don't think they are necessary at all but they can actually be fun for kids. My kids will sometimes do a workbook, but I don't consider it part of homeschool, just something they like after school or while waiting for their turn. If your kids don't like workbooks then they would be a total waste of time, IMO.

 

One benefit I see to using a logic type workbook with my 2nd grader is that it seems to sharpen his sense of following directions... because you know, he "knows" what to do with his schoolwork, so why read the directions? LOL But with the logic books, the directions are the puzzle in a lot of circumstances.

Edited March 14, 2011 by Jumping In Puddles

[Mommy22alyns]

LOL, I just got that catalogue too! Of course I was looking through it and feeling nervous that my girls might be missing out on something. I have the first 2 levels of BTS, but they're just collecting dust. :glare:

[texasmama]

We have used several levels of the Mind Benders puzzles. These are grid logic puzzles, and my kids really enjoy them. They do teach critical thinking in a way that I think is valuable. It is a good introduction to informal logic.

[TexasRachel]

At that age, no you don't need it. I started doing logic problems in my gifted 5th grade program. That's about when i started with dd. We did do building thinking skills but it's a huge book that dd didn't need all of. I think the stuff they covered is important. I remember doing some of it on the SAT. But I would wait and do it as enrichment in the elementary ages.

[Sahamamama]

I think that the Building Thinking Skills books are a waste of time unless you want to use them to prep for tests like the CogAT.

 

And that's part of it, too, because here in New Jersey, we do NOT have to test.... :hurray: So, at this point, it seems that to get BTS for test prep would be pointless, since we do not test and don't plan to do so.

 

Thanks to everyone for their perspectives on this.

[Sahamamama]

We have used several levels of the Mind Benders puzzles. These are grid logic puzzles, and my kids really enjoy them. They do teach critical thinking in a way that I think is valuable. It is a good introduction to informal logic.

 

Howdy, Tex! :seeya:I have a pot of coffee that my husband left for me, to help with the time change. Wanna come over and have a cup?

 

Okay -- back to the post. At what ages did your students start using Mind Benders? :bigear:

[Sahamamama]

At that age, no you don't need it. I started doing logic problems in my gifted 5th grade program. That's about when i started with dd. We did do building thinking skills but it's a huge book that dd didn't need all of. I think the stuff they covered is important. I remember doing some of it on the SAT. But I would wait and do it as enrichment in the elementary ages.

 

So, maybe 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades to start BTS Levels 1 and 2? Have you seen BTS Beginnings and BTS Primary? What do you think of those products?

[czny]

My 3rd grader dc just started to do logic (mindbender + logic countdown/liftoff/... etc.) several weeks ago - once a week. A little frustration at the beginning with mindbender (I think maybe the grid format), otherwise he's fine.

[Emmy]

I started mindbenders with my kids in first grade or so. I prefer not to start until they can read the problems well enough themselves - otherwise it's just one more job for mommy lol. :)

 

I wouldn't say they are a necessity but I've never had time fitting them in for time and the kids love them. I consider it a productive seatwork option for them that they can do independently.

 

My oldest is a 4thish grader and he is using the Building Critical Thinking book (level 2 I think) and grid perplexors this year.

[Kathleen.]

:iagree:

 

I love their books but I feel the same way....do I really need to buy this...are my kids missing something. You can always look at sample pages to get ideas and make up your own problem. I think you can even download a sample book.

[texasmama]

Howdy, Tex! :seeya:I have a pot of coffee that my husband left for me, to help with the time change. Wanna come over and have a cup?

 

Okay -- back to the post. At what ages did your students start using Mind Benders? :bigear:

YES! Coffee would be wonderful. :) I started mindbenders with my boys (working side by side with them) when they were first and third grade. They loved them and always begged to do them. I used it to teach logical thinking in a gentle and fun way.

[Satori]

We've used similar critical thinking workbooks since Kindergarten. My daughter enjoys doing them and they only take a few minutes a week. The earlier ones require no reading, but now she's doing ones that do require reading.

 

I don't think they're a crucial part to our homeschooling, but I had a math teacher who kept giving us logic worksheets, saying that challenging our brains made us smarter. That was in high school for me though... I figure since they make them for young ones, and my daughter enjoys them, we might as well take advantage of the extra brain exercises. :)

[Sahamamama]

We've used similar critical thinking workbooks since Kindergarten. My daughter enjoys doing them and they only take a few minutes a week. The earlier ones require no reading, but now she's doing ones that do require reading.

 

I don't think they're a crucial part to our homeschooling, but I had a math teacher who kept giving us logic worksheets, saying that challenging our brains made us smarter. That was in high school for me though... I figure since they make them for young ones, and my daughter enjoys them, we might as well take advantage of the extra brain exercises. :)

 

Thanks, Angela! What do you use?

 

Satori is about half a year older and that much farther ahead of my oldest (Sarah), so I always pay attention to what you two are up to. :D You save me so much work lining everything up, LOL.

[Kathleen.]

Logic is one of the main components in a classical education and it's loads of fun. So why not introduce them to the young ones.

 

There are similar "Building" books out there. We love the mind benders as well.

Here's our list:

-Mind Benders Deductive Thinking Skills Verbal K-2 (really fun, e.g. Levi is Sarah's brother. Naomi is Levi's sister. How is Naomi related to Sarah?)

-Mind Benders Deductive Thinking Skills Beginning Book 2 Gr. 1-2 (easy and fun - using a chart to match up clues about people or things)

We also do for fun:

-Balance benders Beginning (fun but more challenging since the book is for grades 2-6 and all are based on algebra concepts - you're given shapes balancing on a scale and you select correct possibilities)

-Math Analogies Beginning K-1 (really fun and easy (it's a mix of pictures, words and numbers e.g. picture of a little bird : picture of a big bird :: picture of a little fish: draw what comes next here)

-Complete the Picture Math Book 2 Gr 2 (answer the math word problem and complete and color the pictures for the of it)

 

And I have to add these two from Mindware.com - you have to check out their site

-Math Perplexos Level A Gr 3-4 (they fun but take a while since they're more involved)

-Code Breakers Level A Gr 3-6 (My 7yo really likes these, they're fun and easy to do. You given an addition problem with colored circles and an answer O + O=10 then O + O + O = 12 you match the colors with numbers. Sometimes I make my own up using shapes.

 

These books are all reasonably priced and even more so with a coupon.

 

Hope this helps. :)

[Satori]

I know we started with Lollipop Logic at age 4. It's meant for grades K-2. From there we did a few analogy books. Now we're doing those logic grid puzzles. She loves them. I only have her do one a week, which really only takes a few minutes, so she often does more. We have Mindbenders software but haven't used it yet, I forgot I had it. I think it would be perfect to show her this spring.

 

I'll have to get that catalog.

[MissKNG]

I know we started with Lollipop Logic at age 4. It's meant for grades K-2. .

 

Just a note on Lollipop Logic:

 

Sahamamama- I would definitely recommend this book for a PreK/K student but it seems like it would be way too easy for 1st or 2nd graders. That was even one of the "complaints" on the Amazon.com reviews. My 4 year old completed the entire book in two very short sittings. I would make sure you check out samples since your kiddo is 6. Amazon.com has sample pages available to look at.

Edited March 15, 2011 by MissKNG

[gardening momma]

Dd7 did the Mind Benders book 1. I could tell a big difference in her ability to do the puzzles (and therefore her ability to do the critical thinking needed) from the beginning of the book to the end. She enjoyed them also. :001_smile:

 

I remember doing those kinds of puzzles on a larger and harder scale in my teens, and I really enjoyed them. I thought dd would like them too, just on a level she could handle. And while I'm not going to really delve in to teaching logic yet, sometimes she really does need some help thinking logically. ;)

[Sahamamama]

Thanks, ladies. I am starting to be convinced that it might be a good idea to incorporate some sort of logic/critical thinking workout into our routine, as a piece of what we do each week.

 

Still thinking.....

[lulubelle]

I started using them as part of our daily school work. We (will) have our kids tested. My oldest had his first SAT 10 test last year for first grade. We use the Building Skills, Math, Language, Mind Benders, and a few others. I want my kids to build up their logic skills gradually. I think it also reinforces things they are learning with their other work. It also allows them to see things in different ways than their usual work. My oldest has a hard time with directions and he is learning better and better to follow written direction. The long term goal is to be prepared for the SAT in the high school years. Instead of taking the crash course right before, Critical Thinking books help to start it very early.

[Mom0012]

My kids did those BTS books when they were K age and looking back, it was a complete waste of time. I do have them use some of the CTC's products now, but only one at a time and I honestly am not expecting anything great to come of it. Both my kids have enjoyed the Reading Detective software beginning in 4th grade and my daughter really enjoyed the BTS software in 2nd. Did they get anything out of it? I think they benefitted from Reading Detective, but I can't really say about BTS. I do know that most of their programs are designed for increasing test scores.

 

Lisa

[FO4UR]

I was just leafing through my CT catalog yesterday.:001_smile:

 

I like the Mind Benders. I've not tried much else. I tend to think the irl experiences are the better choice most of the time.

 

Tinman Press has lots of great things for little ones. I bought an enrichment pack about 2 years ago, and my dd5 is loving them right now.

[gardening momma]

Tinman Press has lots of great things for little ones.

Thanks for posting this! I haven't bought anything besides Mind Benders from Critical Thinking, because their other products weren't quite what I wanted. But Tin Man looks like it'll fit the bill.