This month, five homeschooling families evaluated three new toys (rating them on a scale of 1 to 10, with “1” being the best and “10” being the worst), but just couldn’t agree. Some toys got straight 10s from one family, then averaged a “5” from another. Some kids just wanted to play, whereas others were happy to learn, too. To view more detailed responses to the toys, please click here.
Products:
- Teaching Physics With Toys by Terrific Science Press
- Ultimate Rocket Kit by DK Publishing
- Weaving Loom by Corps of Re-Discovery
| Mom’s Homeschooling Roundtable Questions |
Products |
| 1 |
2 |
3 |
| How appealing is the packaging? |
7.6 |
9.4 |
6.8 |
| How likely would you be to buy this product in a store, based on packaging alone? |
7.6 |
8.5 |
7.4 |
| Once the product is open, how appealing are its contents? |
8.4 |
8.75 |
9 |
| How easy are the instructions to understand … for Mom? |
9.2 |
9 |
9.4 |
| How easy are the instructions to understand … for kids? |
8.4 |
8 |
7.2 |
| How satisfied were you with the amount of time it took to set up or prepare the toy? |
7 |
7.75 |
7.8 |
| How excited were the kids about the prospect of using this toy? |
7 |
10 |
9.2 |
| How involved were the kids when getting ready to play with the toy? |
8.2 |
10 |
9.4 |
| How interested in the toy were the children once play began? |
7.8 |
8 |
8.8 |
| How much fun did the kids think it was to play? |
7.6 |
7 |
8.4 |
| How much did the kids think they learned while playing with the toy? |
7.4 |
5.25 |
7 |
| How much did you think the kids learned while playing with the toy? |
8.2 |
6.25 |
8.2 |
| How appropriate an addition to a homeschool curriculum is this toy? |
9.4 |
6.75 |
8.6 |
| How appropriate a learning tool outside of the classroom is this toy? |
7.4 |
7 |
6.8 |
| Knowing what you now know about the toy, how likely would you be to buy it for your children or recommend it to other parents? |
7.8 |
6.5 |
9.2 |
| Knowing what they now know about the toy, how likely would your children be to buy it, request it or recommend it to other children? |
6.2 |
7 |
8.6 |
| TOTAL SCORE |
7 |
7.8 |
8.21 |
Writer's Bio: ALISON MAREK is an award-winning writer, director and cartoonist whose work has been published by Fairchild Publications and DC Comics (Piranha Press), broadcast on Showtime and other cable networks, and viewed worldwide in film festivals. See her short films and print work on www.alisonmarek.com. Watch her nefarious villains in the web series www.MuggsMovers.com. Get inspired by her cartoons "Daily ARFFirmations to Unleash Your Inner Fido" at www.ARFFirmations.com. Phew! And then ...
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