Timberdoodle Kindergarten Elite Curriculum Kit Overview (2020-2021 Homeschool Year)

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The day has finally arrived and we are so excited to unbox and dig into our brand new Timberdoodle Kindergarten Elite Curriculum Kit for the 2020-2021 homeschool year!

We received two large boxes to our doorstep packed with amazing games, art kits, workbooks, and learning tools that cover (almost) every aspect of learning!

We’ve previously used the Timberdoodle Preschool and Pre-K curriculum kits and love the hands-on, kinesthetic, and STEM-based learning approach.

A special thanks to Timberdoodle Company for sponsoring this homeschool series of posts by graciously sending us this complimentary curriculum kit to see what we think. All opinions are our own!

Homeschooling simplifies our life, but how you choose to homeschool is entirely up to you. We love Timberdoodle for hands-on, engaging, and multi-sensory materials. If the Elite kit feels like too many pieces for your family, there are also Basic, Complete and Custom kits that offer you core materials and more flexibility in choices. Check it out and find what works for your family! You can view Kindergarten Curriculum kit options here.

What is Timberdoodle?

If you’re not familiar with Timberdoodle, it’s a family owned company that offers both individual educational materials and homeschool curriculum kits for children birth through 12th grade.

They have an eclectic approach, meaning you’ll see pieces of traditional, Charlotte Mason (literature based), multi-sensory, classical and hands-on. Their kits cover basic subjects, complete subjects, and “elite” levels with all the extra bells and whistles.

As a second generation homeschooler, I’m knee deep in exploring and researching what options are best for my daughter and for me. Part of the homeschooling journey is figuring out what your child’s learning style is, and what your teaching style is.

For us, I love having the teacher’s materials all laid out for me to follow, and my daughter is extremely sensory and kinesthetic. Timberdoodle so far has been a wonderful fit. We are technically doing TK (Transitional Kindergarten) for the 2020-2021 school year, and will likely be spreading this kit over two years. I’ll be sharing all year how we are using this curriculum kit–what we like and what we don’t!

Language Arts

Kindergarten language arts is packed with learning to read and form letters.

Language arts is heavy on literature, reading aloud and does require the teacher to be pretty hands-on with the budding reader.

Math

While the curriculum kit defaults with Math-U-See, a manipulative based approach that includes a DVD with the lessons, student book, and instructor’s guide, there are other math options you can swap out when making a custom kit.

Math-U-See Primer Universal

Thinking Skills

Thinking Skills is one of my very favorite parts of Timberdoodle kits. We still use our games from Preschool and Pre-K thinking skills and the beauty is that most of these games are designed for age ranges–for instance 3-7 years old. They grow with your child!

Thinking skills covers logic, creative problem solving, visual perception, number skills, patterns and so much more!

History & Social Studies

History is the only part of the Kindergarten kit where religious and secular kits differ. Bede’s History of Me comes with the classic (religious) kit, but is not included with the secular/nonreligious kit. Since we are doing TK & K, I chose to also include Bede’s History of US with our kit.

For social studies, the beautiful picture book This is How We Do It features children all over the world and how their lives differ.

Bede’s History of Me (classic/religious kit)
Bede’s History of US (add-on)
This is How We Do It

Geography

Geography materials speak to every type of learner with a hands-on puzzle, visual (and tactile) maze book, and a colorful workbook.

Science

We are so excited about science this year! Timberdoodle hit it out of the park with a lift-the-flap read aloud learning about the body book, a coloring and activity workbook, and the hands-on experiment kit!

STEM

The number one reason I fell in love with Timberdoodle back when my daughter was only two years old was their amazing hands-on materials for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). I knew my daughter was kinesthetic and tactile and as she grows, it has become even more apparent that building models and engineering are a passion for her. We love this kit so much already!!

ThinkPlay Gears & Chains Extreme (with pulleys)

Emotional Intelligence

We started learning about emotional intelligence when my daughter was very young, and she’s always been very aware of her feelings. But kids are always learning about what’s socially appropriate and how to decode other’s feelings. These are fantastic resources!

Art

I used to think that buying art kits was a waste of money. I don’t think that anymore! These art kits are unique and worth every penny. I can’t wait to show you more in-depth — my daughter loved the painting so much.

Handbook + Learning Tools

Every Timberdoodle kit comes with a physical handbook that takes you through all the parts of your kit, a reading challenge/list, and a sample daily schedule you can follow. It also comes with an online custom scheduler that you can add to and change as needed.

Learning tools were also things I thought were not needed, but I was blown away by the selections. They are absolutely fabulous for young learners. Write-Size pencils are perfect for little hands. We adore the Eco-Pencils with their dot grips and triangle shape, and the three-in-one sharpener (for eco pencils, regular pencils and crayons) is so handy. My daughter did not have a pencil case yet either, and she loves ocean animals.

Mad Mattr will get a more complete review, but let’s just say, my daughter asks for it all the time.

Watch the Overview Video to see flip throughs and more about what we are most looking forward to!

Final Thoughts on Timberdoodle’s Kindergarten Elite Kit Overview

Thank you again to Timberdoodle for sending us this amazing curriculum kit to review. Look for upcoming reviews and videos showing exactly what each of these subject areas contains, how we are using it, and what we like and don’t like about it! Check out all the Kindergarten Curriculum kit options here.