• 5 Star Reads
  • Audiobooks
  • Books on Screen
  • Children’s Books
  • Christian
  • Fiction
  • Giveaways

5 Minutes For Books

  • Home
  • About
    • Who Are We? Reviewer Bios
    • 5 Star Reads
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
    • About Us
  • Join In
    • 5 Minutes for Books Bookclub
    • Children’s Classics
    • Kids’ Picks
    • What’s on Your Nightstand
  • Link To Us
  • Contact
    • Advertise

What’s the Big Idea? Workbooks, Review and Giveaway

August 31, 2011 by Dawn

Back to school time is upon us once again, and for many older children, this brings homework back into their lives after a summer lull. For families such as mine, with a significant enough age gap between kids that leaves one child doing homework while the younger one(s) look on longingly, workbooks sometimes come in handy as a special activity for a younger child to do while the older sibling works nearby. Mother Goose Programs has a new series of workbooks geared toward preschoolers and kindergarteners with six What’s the Big Idea? titles.

The math and science concepts covered are: patterns, counting (zero and 1-12), shapes (squares and triangles), measuring, maps and sorting, all important building block concepts to be learned in the early childhood years. The activities in the workbooks include both coloring and drawing on the pages, as well as working with cards to be printed out from the CD that comes with each book.

The best thing about these workbooks in my opinion, and what makes them stand out from the rest of the crowd, is the literature connection each workbook provides, for also on the CD is a full copy of a picture book that relates to the concept presented. For example, in the Patterns: What’s the Big Idea? workbook, the picture book included on the CD is the wonderful Pattern Fish by Trudy Harris, a fun and colorful book that introduces the concept of recognizing patterns. The big idea (couldn’t resist) behind these workbooks is that parents and young children sit together and read the picture books first, then children can practice with the concepts presented through the workbook’s activities. If looking at the picture book on a computer together isn’t feasible, parents could also check the books out from their local library. I opted to do this, and my younger children have frequently chosen to look at the books on their own since we first read them together, reinforcing the concepts even more!

In complete honesty, I’m not the biggest advocate for straightforward paper and pencil activities for preschoolers and kindergartners. As an early childhood educator, I advocate for hands-on activities and experiences for young children, working with materials that can be manipulated and explored as their primary way of learning. That being said, I know that there are situations in which some young children crave workbook-type activities, especially in the older sibling scenario I described earlier. The What’s the Big Idea? series impresses me with the literary connections and the more interactive component of using printed cards to create one’s own patterns, etc. I feel confident that these activities will appeal to some young children, and I encourage parents to take a look at the series as an option for supplemental exposure to some basic math and science concepts.

We have two complete sets of 6 workbooks to give away! Leave a comment here if you’d like to win (U.S. and Canada addresses only, please), and we’ll announce the winners on September 14.

    The winners of our recent giveaways are

  • Racing in the Rain — #18, June
  • One Day book and gift pack — #18 ibeeeg
  • Her Sister’s Shadow — #30 Lanna

Check out our current giveaways. Subscribe to our feed. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter or on Facebook.

Preschool teacher Dawn keeps busy with her students, her own children, loads of books, and blogging at my thoughts exactly.

Filed Under: Children's Books, Dawn, Fun and Games, Learning

« Reel Life Starring Us
Floors »

Comments

  1. Katy says

    August 31, 2011 at 10:57 am

    My preschooler daughter would have so much fun with these! She loves workbooks! 🙂

    • Dawn says

      September 15, 2011 at 8:22 pm

      Hi Katy! You’re one of our lucky winners! Please email me your mailing information– [email protected]

  2. Pam ( says

    August 31, 2011 at 11:08 am

    My son (3.5) is obsessed with workbooks! They make plane rides and long waiting times at dinners so much easier.

    • Dawn says

      September 15, 2011 at 8:22 pm

      Hey Pam, you’re our other lucky winner! Please email me your mailing information– [email protected]

  3. Carolyn says

    August 31, 2011 at 7:54 pm

    I’d love to check these out!

  4. tennille says

    August 31, 2011 at 9:52 pm

    looks like a good series

  5. Cindy E. says

    September 1, 2011 at 7:50 am

    please include me in your giveaway my daughters would love these.

  6. Vilmarys says

    September 1, 2011 at 9:22 am

    Would love this for my niece who is in preschool. Thanks for the chance!

  7. Kristin G says

    September 1, 2011 at 7:55 pm

    I would love these workbooks for my daughter

  8. Diane says

    September 1, 2011 at 7:56 pm

    I would like to have these around for my grandchildren

  9. June says

    September 2, 2011 at 7:11 am

    My little neighbor boy who is three would get allot of use out of these. He has a hard time cutting things. But he still loved going to pre-school!

  10. Beth C says

    September 2, 2011 at 3:07 pm

    I’d love to win these books. Thanks!
    pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

  11. Christine Jensen says

    September 3, 2011 at 9:34 am

    Thank you, I would love to win a set of workbooks!

  12. MamaGames says

    September 3, 2011 at 2:09 pm

    It looks like these workbooks are at a perfect level for my daughter, who is asking to do more “school” like her 9-year-old brother! 🙂

  13. Jennifer B. says

    September 3, 2011 at 5:52 pm

    My daughter (5) is always asking for ‘one more page mommy’ so I can use all the workbooks I can get!

  14. Sarah says

    September 4, 2011 at 6:37 pm

    Ooh, my preschool daughters would love these!

  15. Patricia says

    September 4, 2011 at 10:47 pm

    This would be oh-so-perfect for our little dude!
    patricia dot mariani dot esq at gmail dot com

  16. Liz says

    September 5, 2011 at 12:10 pm

    Seem perfect for my greatnephew.

  17. Anne says

    September 6, 2011 at 6:47 pm

    whether we “workbook” depends on the day – we’re more often learn through play kind of people, then my son will go through spurts of pages upon pages of work! would enjoy checking these out!

  18. Megan says

    September 13, 2011 at 10:12 pm

    I’d love these for my daughter!
    mearley1979 at gmail dot com

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Welcome to 5 Minutes for Books. We are a team blog dedicated to sharing reviews and information about children's lit, fiction, memoir, and more. Read More…

Reviews

5 Minutes for Books

Jennifer Donovan
Managing Editor

MEET OUR TEAM



Connect With Us


Pinterest

Community

Cybils Logo Draft 3

Disclosure:

Find out about our relationships with publishers and affiliate networks in our full disclosure statement.

Recent Posts

  • The Color Line
  • Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun
  • The Greenleaf Murders
  • Chaos at Carnegie Hall
  • The Confessions of Matthew Strong

Categories

Privacy Policy    |     Disclosure Policy
Terms & Conditions
© 5 Minutes for Mom

Let’s Socialize

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Pinterest is Our FAVORITE!

Find and Follow Us at
pinterest.com/5min4books

Copyright © 2023 · Tasteful theme by Restored 316