A few months ago, I purchased the We Choose Virtues complete homeschool package after it was reviewed by several bloggers. I have to say, that knowing that no matter how much I try to remain neutral, I have a tendency to follow the old, “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all,” even when doing a product review. Since I purchased it with my own money, I don’t feel so bad pointing out it’s downsides.
First, the product details. I purchased the Faith-Based Homeschool Kit. They bill the kit as being useful for ages 3-18. It includes:
- The Kids Virtue Poster
- The Three Rules Poster
- 13 Parenting Cards
- 3 Kids of Virtueville Mini Posters
- 12 Flash Cards
- 1 pad/25ct Virtue User Review
- 1 pack/16ct Personal Virtue Chart
There are a few things that I DO really like about it. First, the posters are gorgeous!! They have bright beautiful colors and the characters are unique enough that my kids could keep the values straight based on the pictures and the catchy names. I also like the 13 parenting cards. We have them in our board in a page protector cut down to 1/2 size.
In the middle ground, I like that there is a coloring book to keep little ones busy while discussing the character trait for the period. However, I think the coloring pages are a little too busy. Fewer things going on in the background would be better, in my opinion. The flash cards are cute and colorful, but I haven’t used those yet.
The drawbacks. I read through the Teacher’s Handbook and there was nothing useful in it for homeschooling. Being that this homeschool virtues kit was $99.00 I would expect that the handbook might include some activities to go with the beautiful materials. Maybe some activities, some games, ANYTHING to reinforce the great message. Frankly, I want it laid out for me or I’d just try to create my own.
I think the thing that gets me the most is that this set of materials is SCREAMING for a book to go with each character to help cement the message. They put such work into unique characters, complete with names and all you have is their name on a card. Seriously. This package needs an awesome book with stories for each character, some easy worksheets, maybe some crafts or role-playing activities. It just has such potential.
Overall, I think the materials are VERY cute. Would I pay $100 for pretty posters/flash cards with no accompanying projects/activities? Not again. IF, however, you have a virtue study and want some pretty stuff to round it off for little ones, the We Choose Virtues materials would be good. Also, I probably wouldn’t use it for anything over 4th or 5th grade, TOPS. Ages 3-18 for cartoon-y figures is pretty silly. If you are looking for a detailed virtues program, this isn’t it, unfortunately.
Do you use We Choose Virtues? How do you add to it?
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