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Timberdoodle 8th Grade Curriculum Unboxing

Are you looking for an 8th grade homeschool curriculum? The Timberdoodle 8th grade curriculum is a great place to start.

Are you looking for an 8th grade homeschool curriculum? The Timberdoodle 8th grade curriculum is a great place to start. #homeschool #8thgrade #curriculum #edchat

Timberdoodle 8th Grade Curriculum Unboxing

My daughter Emma is super excited that we were picked to review one of Timberdoodle’s curriculum kits this year! Emma picked the non-religious 8th grade kit to review. She’s written her own review of this kit on her own blog, Maker Emma.

Emma is technically in seventh grade this year, and Timberdoodle’s age recommendations are generally spot-on. But she is pretty good at school, and last year when we followed the sixth grade recommendations she didn’t feel as challenged as she hoped to be. So this year we jumped a grade. We’re only a few days into the school year, but this seems to be a better fit so far.

What Comes In a Timberdoodle Curriculum Kit?

Timberdoodle 8th grade non-religious curriculum

Timberdoodle curriculum kits are designed to provide everything you need to homeschool your child for the year. Curriculum kits include a curriculum handbook to help parents get organized for the year.

Here’s what came in Emma’s curriculum kit

Language Arts Homeschool Curriculum

  • Easy Grammar Ultimate Grade 8 Teacher’s Guide. This book breaks grammar into 10-minute daily lessons. It’s a bite-size way to reinforce grammar rules.
  • Mosdos Press Literature – Gold – 8th Grade. This set includes 26 short stories, one novella, 23 poems, one play, 9 nonfiction essays, one complete novel, and brief author biographies. The teacher edition includes detailed guides to lead discussions.
  • The Writing with Skill 1 Workbook uses literary excerpts to teach different writing techniques.
  • Graphic Shakespeare. This graphic novel condenses Hamlet, Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream into bite-size, illustrated pieces. I’m a fan of reading the original Shakespeare, also, but I’m fine with this as a companion piece.
  • Word Roots Level 2. I really love this series, even though it can feel dry at times. The book takes words back to their roots and teaches kids to look at their knowledge of word roots to figure out the meanings of words.

Mathematics Homeschool Curriculum

Math-U-See Algebra 1 is going to be a stretch for Emma; she is still finishing the pre-algebra curriculum she used last year. My daughter Anna LOVED Math-U-See for kindergarten last year; hopefully Emma loves it too.

Science Curriculum

Emma is looking forward to Focus on Middle School Astronomy & Geology. This series is new to us, but we’ve heard good things about it.

Social Studies Curriculum

People, Places, and Principles of America 1 comes in a big box. It looks like a pretty standard fill in the blanks, facts-learning curriculum, but it is also pretty detailed. I’m curious to see how Emma likes it as the year goes on.

Engineering Curriculum

I love the way Timberdoodle builds engineering into their curriculum kits. STEM education is a hot topic these days, and Timberdoodle makes sure STEM learning is hands-on and deeply engaging. This 8th grade curriculum kit has a strong aviation focus, which ties in perfectly with Emma’s interest in someday getting a pilot’s license. Her dad is a third generation pilot, and she wants to carry this tradition onto the fourth generation. My 10-year-old son is also incredibly interested in this part of the curriculum kit. The kit includes:

  • Intro to Aviation Course. This class teaches the aerodynamics of flight, how to read aviation charts, how navigation works, and so much more. The FAA is forecasting a shortage of people ready to pursue aviation careers, so if your child is interested this is definitely a field to explore. My husband Mike hasn’t flown a plane in years now, but he uses the aviation knowledge he gained during pilot training every single day in his job as a professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
  • Mechanics Lab Plans and Helicopters. This lab set teaches kids about propellers, cogs, pulleys, and universal joints as they build 10 different models

Art

Emma enjoys Archi-Doodle City so far. It gets kids drawing and thinking creatively, while teaching about vanishing points and perspective. I will probably supplement with other activities to teach non-drawing-based art techniques.

Critical Thinking

Timberdoodle always builds critical thinking into their curriculum kits.

Test Taking Skill Building

Spectrum Test Practice – 8th Grade is a widely used test taking practice book.

Just for Fun

I love that Timberdoodle includes some things that kids consider mostly fun.

Timberdoodle 8th grade curriculum unboxing #edchat #homeschool #8thgrade

And that’s the 8th grade curriculum kit from Timberdoodle that Emma will be using this year! What did you think? Is there something you would add or take away? Share recommendations and feedback in the comments below, on my Facebook page, or by tagging me on Instagram

MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.

6 thoughts on “Timberdoodle 8th Grade Curriculum Unboxing”

  1. What a fun box to open! This looks like a great year is ahead. I can’t wait to follow along and see how it works. I have a few years before another 8th grader, but always looking for what we will use :-)

  2. natalie planetsmartypants

    It looks like Emma is going to have a very fun year of learning. These materials look great! Great to see you joining grade skipping club :)

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