Balance Benders Review

Critical Thinking Company sent our family their beginning level Balance Benders book to review($9.99).  The subtitle on this book is ‘Logic and Algebraic Reasoning Puzzles’, and it is for grades 2 – 6.  We do not currently study logic in our homeschool, nor was I familiar with this company. 

When our book arrived I glanced through it and scratched my head.  Honestly, I did not see the point to what seems to be busy work.  I do not waste time and energy on subjects that my children do not have at least some interest in or need for.  I hoped it would be more appealing to my daughter.

On our first day using Balance Benders I copied two pages from the book, (this book is reproducible for one home or classroom), and handed them to my daughter with the explanation that they were fun puzzles.  Her reaction: crickets chirping.

She didn’t understand what to do.  The instructions simply said: “Circle the three answers that will always be true.” and had a mix of circles and squares with the equals sign between them.  Above the instructions was a balance with a circle on one side and a square on the other, showing they balanced.  Here is a sample page to show you what I mean:

For our family, it didn’t work.  My daughter was quickly frustrated, and I did not have the knowledge base needed to make these worksheets into a logic curriculum.  We tried them for several weeks, and by the end of it my daughter refused to even attempt the pages.  Looking at the rest myself, I was not able to solve some of the pages.  (An answer key is included.)

I think Balance Benders is useful for a family that already has a logic curriculum and studies the basic principles.  The book can then offer practice in applying those principles. 

Balance Benders does offer some tips on pages 41 and 42, that helped me do some of the pages, but it still did not help my 3rd grader, who was in the target age range for the book.

Critical Thinking Company offers other books, however, in many academic areas.  I would love to see their Word Roots curriculum. 

You can read my Crewmates’ reviews of this and other products from Critical Thinking Company HERE.

{Disclaimer:  I received one free copy of Balance Benders to review.  I received no other compensation and all opinions contained herein are my own.}