TOS Review - Activity Bags

Activity Bags are self guided activities in a bag - the idea is that your child can complete the work independently with little to no input from you : )

Nope you are not dreaming - some very kind homeschooling mums started Activity Bags as a way to keep their preschoolers learning while they were busy teaching their older kids. They came up with activities, put all the materials in bags and did a swap. It proved such a success that it has since grown from the original 'Preschool Activity in a Bag' to encompass Science, Reading, Math and Travel games.

Activity Bags are unique as they are designed both for individual use or to swap (there is a free coordinator handbook if you want to run a swap). A swap involves finding a number of other like-minded mums - making a number of the same activity bags and meeting together to trade. You end up with loads of different activities for your child while only having to make one type.

I was offered the Science Bundle: 3 ebooks containing 25 experiments each. Each experiment includes a supplies list (calculated for 1, 10, 20 or 30 bags), project label, instruction sheet, observations/questions sheet and a safety warning label.

Science 1 covers biology, nature and general science

 Science 2 covers human body, chemistry and general science

Science 3 covers chemistry

these books are aimed at k - 8th but my preschooler joined in (with help) and had great fun.

I also got Math games in a Bag - this includes 33 activities and is aimed at elementary students (although my preschooler again joined in ). I was once told that children understand math concepts best, not through drills but through games - this ebook is a perfect way  to cement math facts in a fun way.

I was so excited when these arrived - I looked through the activities to see which ones would be a good fit for us and got bag making. The good news is these activity bags are designed to use normal household items (although you will need to go out for a few special items - like Borax). I started small and put together a few bags and popped them in their work boxes. The girls loved them so much that I couldn't make them fast enough (I will hold my hands up and admit that demand exceeded supply and I ran out of bags, so I ended up popping the supplies directly into their work boxes.)

I know a product is a true hit when they use it during their free time - I caught Rose and Tulip playing regularly.

and Sunflower kept repeating the 'making glue' experiment.

These are fantastic learning activities and a really welcome addition to our homeschool. If I were organised enough and had all 108 activities bagged and ready to go just imagine how happy I would be (a girl can dream can't she).....I think its time I organised a swap : )

The science and math games ebooks are available for $15 each but there are discounts if bundles are purchased. They have the option of filling  out a quick survey to receive a free sample ebook so you can see how well they work for you.

You can see what my crew mates thought of the various Activity Bag ebooks over at the TOS Blog

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the Activity Bags ebooks in exchange for an open and honest review.