Amazon.com Widgets

June 2010 | Vol. IX - No. 6

Tools:

Roundtable Reviewers Find Easy Daysies Instills Confidence and Routine

Magnetic Schedules Stick With Active Families

By: Susan Ledford
6/1/2010

“[Griff (4)] felt empowered over his day and was more self-confident as a result.”—Susan Ledford, mother

TDmonthly Magazine’s Grade School Roundtable got organized with Easy Daysies Magnetic Daily Schedules Starter Kit, Chores & Rewards Kit, and Special Times & Clocks Kit. Can letting children see the day’s events be fun and helpful? Find out why Easy Daysies Magnetic Daily Schedules earned a positive rating from our panel of five families.

Name: Easy Daysies Magnetic Daily Schedules For Kids - Starter Kit
Company: EASY DAYSIES
Other products by EASY DAYSIES
MSRP: $24.99
Age: 3 to 12
Gender: Boys And Girls
Category: Educational

TDmonthly rating:

What It Is: Easy Daysies is a line of magnetic schedules for children. Created by a mom/schoolteacher and packaged in the creator’s own home, each kit is designed to help children have an easier day.

The Fold & Go Kit folds to a portable size (8” x 8”) and comes in two designs (apple tree and daisy). This kit includes the same 18 magnets in the original Every Day Kit. Examples are: get dressed, breakfast, school, brush teeth, and more. Magnets can be placed down the middle or under the To Do heading on the left and, when completed, under the Done heading on the right. Unused magnets can be placed on the back of the fold-and-go board.

The Chores and Rewards Kit can be used with other Easy Daysies kits or alone. Nine magnets cover chores such as feed pet, clean bedroom, and help set table, along with two blank magnets parents can use to fill in tasks or behaviors not preprinted. Individuals use a dry erase marker to put a check in one of the white boxes on the magnet to show completion of that particular chore.

The Special Times & Clocks Kit includes 12 magnets; six feature clock faces without hands, five specific activities (computer time, family time), and one blank for personalization. A dry erase marker can be used to draw hands on the blank clock faces. This kit can be used alone or with other Easy Daysies kits.

All magnets are made from 70-percent recycled materials, and 5 percent of the profits from every kit goes to the International Justice Mission (a global charitable organization). Many of the magnets feature appropriate pictures, so reading skills aren’t necessary for a child to understand the day’s schedule. Nine kits are available.

What the Moms Thought: All the moms reported having made similar charts at times and have found them useful. Estes told TDmonthly, “As a parent of four, it is a helpful tool for my younger children (ages 5 and 8) since they could visually see our daily routine on the fridge.” She liked being able to store unused magnets on the back of the fold-and-go board.

Pauley, McGervey, Estes and Ledford liked the graphics, which McGervey called “cheery, simple drawings.” Pauley enthused, “I loved all the options they included!” Ledford agreed, and also found the blank magnets in the Chores & Rewards kit perfect for activities not pre-printed. She loved that a marker (complete with mini-eraser) was included.

Tong liked that the kits were simple for children to use and understand. “This product gives the ownership to the kids because they can move the magnets to the ‘done’ side,” commented Tong. Ledford said, “It helps a child know what to expect from his day and it makes transitions from one activity to the next less stressful.” She added, “A less stressed child is much more cooperative.”

McGervey found the packaging inviting and noticed the small touches, such as bows. Ledford liked that the packaging is minimal and portable. Tong enjoyed the creativity of the name — it’s “easy to remember,” she said.

Estes and Ledford liked the eco-friendly construction of the magnets, and Ledford also appreciated the company’s charitable connections.

Estes raved about the thought creator Elaine Comeau put into designing and explaining the kits. “[Comeau’s] attention to detail is impressive and makes the set(s) user friendly,” Estes said.

What the Kids Thought: “This is cool!” exclaimed Preston (8). He and Parker (5) liked seeing their day’s activities. Parker (6) said, “Let me put the magnets on the fridge; I know what comes next.”

Max (7) and Oscar (4) enjoyed putting the magnets on the fold-and-go board. Lucy (6) liked the pictures on the magnets and called the apple tree graphic cute. “She wanted to read all the words of all the magnets,” reported Pauley, adding, “She loves magnets.”

Erik (4) liked that the magnets didn’t require reading skills to understand the activity. He and sister Lexi (7) “liked knowing what the schedule was for the day and being able to move the magnets themselves,” observed Tong.

“Griff (4) liked planning his day out and adding his free time activities (watching television, for example) to necessary activities, such as brushing teeth,” Ledford said. “He felt empowered over his day and was more self-confident as a result.”

What the Kids Learned from this Toy: Although the McGervey household has general morning and bedtime routines, the rest of the days aren’t as planned out in advance. “I learned that my older son may actually prefer a bit more routine, although I was unable to implement that with this set,” reported McGervey.

Ledford noticed that having activities visually available helped Griff (4) make transitions from one activity to the next. She and Tong could tell that the magnets will help a pre-reader with sight word recognition, and Ledford knows that when Griff (4) is a bit older, the blank clock face magnets will help him learn to tell time.

Lucy (6) knew what to do to get ready for school each morning by using the chart, Pauley noted. Estes said, “I think a visual schedule that is so user friendly is helping them to see how to plan and organize.” Tong listed ordering the day, time management and scheduling as skills her children learned from the Easy Daysies kits.

How to Improve It: Estes, McGervey, Tong and Ledford would like to see the fold-and-go board in a larger size. Estes suggested it fold into thirds so the packaging could remain the same. To solve the problem of the board being too small, Lexi (7) made a ‘To Do’ and a ‘Done’ label for the refrigerator and the Tong family put magnets under the appropriate heading.

McGervey found the kit prices a bit high, especially if buying more than one, although Pauley thought they were “very well priced.”

Tong and Ledford would prefer to hang the fold-and-go board on the refrigerator. Estes and Tong recommended a set with age-appropriate graphics and subjects for children over 7, as these graphics (although pleasing) appeal most to younger children.

Tong suggested including duplicates of some magnets for activities that need to be done several times a day, such as washing hands. Pauley would like to see a box on each magnet that can be checked when that activity is completed.

Would You Want Another Toy Like This? “I highly recommend this product to families with preschoolers, and especially to any family with a child who has difficulty with transitions,” raved Ledford, adding it is also useful when a sitter comes to your home. McGervey is interested in the ReStickables kit for dresser drawers.

Roundtable participants are Katie McGervey with Max (7) and Oscar (4); Mildred Tong with Lexi (7) and Erik (4); Susan Ledford with Griff (4); Penelope Pauley with Lucy (6); and Audra Estes with Preston (8) and Parker (5).

Writer's Bio: Susan Ledford is the writer, editor and publisher of the "Homeschool Resources Directory for S.C." She has been evaluating toys and games for TDmonthly's Roundtable reviews since 2005. She also is a homeschool veteran of seven years. Read more articles by this author