Wisdom Wonder Review: A Gentle Kindergarten Program for Every Child

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

I haven't done much of anything formal for my kindergartners over the years, but it was pretty clear from the first week of school this year that Peter (6 in November) needed something separate from the work I'm doing with the older children. He's not quite ready for their level of reading, and he's such a hands-on kid, always eager to listen to stories, that when I saw the Wisdom Wonder Project and their Little Wonders (Preschool-Kindergarten) collection, I knew it would be the perfect fun, gentle, wholesome approach for him. Wisdom Wonder Project has multiple levels within their Little Wonders collection, so I could have chosen anything from Preschool, Junior K, or Kindergarten, all of which are slightly different and are really tailored to that developmental level. I decided to focus on Kindergarten and let my preschooler come along for the ride, and she really enjoyed what we worked on, as well! As you can see below, the older kids couldn't help but join in for some activities... It really became a family-focused experience!

I was intrigued by the Block Play Collection - Peter is such a tinkerer, and he loves to build and "invent" whenever he gets the chance. I knew this would be right up his alley, and I loved that the September book the activities were based around was The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton, one of Peter's all-time favorite authors. We already owned the book, so I got our materials ready (which Wisdom Wonder Project lists conveniently at the beginning and end of each downloadable bundle), and went to find the book... Only to find it was missing! We were already reading it nearly every day! Luckily I was able to find it at the library, and I'm so glad I did - we had been reading the board book version we've owned for so many years, and the real version has a lot of details the board book left out. Peter was overjoyed to be able to read the longer version, and everybody ultimately decided they prefer the full version to our board book copy. Looks like I'm adding another book to our wish list!

The block play activities are simple, with lots of room for more exploration. We didn't do every single activity, since we ended up going on vacation and taking a week off of school, but we were able to do several activities from the block play bundle and it was perfect for filling Peter's bucket and engaging him in creative play over a period of several weeks. Peter made skyscrapers out of blocks, built an elevated train, using masking tape to add windows to his skyscrapers, and we talked about changing seasons and the colors we find in each season, culminating in an art project that was almost completely independently completed. 

The Little Wonders program reminds me somewhat of another popular literature-based preschool & kindergarten program I've seen used, and while I've never used any others, I think this is a terrific way to add structure to a young learner's day and make learning a family experience. I so appreciate the thematic ideas to go along with each book, because I'm rarely one to take books outside of their covers - we tend to read, sometimes discuss, and that's the end of it. Being able to draw more ideas from the books we read expands our world and allows for so much more creativity!

Peter and Edith are both incredibly proud of their seasonal art projects that they made to go along with The Little House and Peter keeps asking when we can do more! If you're looking for more ideas, you can find a la carte offerings on their website, and lots of bundled offerings for preschool through kindergarten, as well as a full curriculum for 1st and 2nd grade, with upper grades coming soon. If you're a classically-minded educator, or are interested in literature-based education, definitely give Wisdom Wonder Project a look!

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