Brain Quest Workbook: Grade 3

I ordered this after seeing the fourth grade book in a local bookstore. My daughter is in 3rd grade, the store was out of that level, so I came to Amazon. I originally was interested mainly in the math section, as she has struggled in that area and, so far, it has really helped. The activities have been a good a match for her school curriculum: evens and odds, addition and subtraction with regrouping up to 3 digits, rounding, multiplication and division, fractions and decimals, measurement, time and money, and word problems. There are other one page and two page exercises thrown in (graphs and charts, lines, signs, etc.) that have been helpful, as well. We follow BrainQuest as she moves through her curriculum and it definitely helps.

What has pleasantly surprised me is how great the other content areas of the book are. When she was struggling with alphabetical order and dictionary skills, the BQ Workbook had activities for her. When she had a test on common and proper nouns, the BQ Workbook had a page we could use as test review. When she needed more study on main ideas, topic sentences, and supporting details, the BQ Workbook had activities for us to use. When she was studying the human body or the US Constitution or animal habitats or maps ... this Workbook has not yet disappointed.

The absolute best thing about this Workbook is that my child (age 8) *asks* to use it. She thinks it's fun. When she's "bored" either at home or in the car, she'll turn to this Workbook. I really cannot recommend this highly enough. (*Note: my pre-schooler also loves his Pre-K BQ Workbook!)

After having worked with several different series I think I've finally discovered one to stick with. We homeschool. I am always looking for the best curriculum and a great "guide" for general education.

Brain Quest is well written, colorful and engaging. My son asks if he can spend extra time working in it! (As my jaw hits the floor.) The writing section is especially awesome.

My niece was very happy to get a copy of this book for her sons. She is home schooling them and the store she normally bought for closed. She said the book arrived in good time and was just exactly what she needed.

This is one in a series of workbooks, each of which offers an abundance of learning activities, exercises, and games that are presented with superb production values. Appropriate to the given age level, much of the material focuses on basic subjects such natural science, mathematics, history, and social studies while enabling children to strengthen their reading, reasoning, and writing skills. The editors of Brain Quest believe that:

"All kids are smart - though they learn at their own speed

All kids learn best when they're having fun

All kids deserve the chance to reach their potential - given the tools they need, there's no limit how far they can go!"

I agree, while presuming to add that children will learn more and have more fun meanwhile if, when completing various exercises, adults are involved. As a parent of four and a grandparent of ten, I can personally attest to the pleasure an adult will also have. Each volume in the series is a WORK book. Exercises are completed with crayolas or pencils on the page on which it appears. Correct answers are provided. One caveat: Resist the temptation to control the learning process as a child completes an exercise.

This volume, Grade 3 (ages 8-9), was written by Jan Meyer, with Anna Shults serving as consulting editor. It is worth noting that Shults was a 2004 National Teacher of the Year Regional Award Winner. The material consists of organized curriculum-based exercises that help children to gain an understanding of spelling and vocabulary, language arts, reading, writing, math skills, addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, fractions and decimals, measurement, time and money, word problems, social studies, and science. Also included are more than 150 stickers, an all-new Brain Quest Mini-Card Deck, and a fold-out "Times Table" poster.

Here is a representative selection of exercises:

There's an Ant on My Aunt!
Complete each sentence with the right homophones. (Page 27)

Whatever Do You Mean?
Write what you think each highlighted idiom really means. (48)

A Native American Myth
Read the story.
[Then] fill in each missing cause and effect. (82 & 83)

That's the Point!
Read the persuasive paragraph. Then answer the questions.
Now it's your turn to write a persuasive paragraph.
First think about an issue you feel strongly about.
Use some of the persuasive words from the Word Box to strengthen your writing. (124 & 125)

Multiplying by One
Find the product of each multiplication problem. (178)

Rosie's Restaurant
Read each fraction problem.
Write the equation in the box.
Then write your answer on the line. (214 & 215)

It's About Time
Write the time below each clock.
[Next] Answer the questions. (240 & 241)

What Came First?
Use the time line and your knowledge of history to answer each question.
Circle the correct answer. (277)

Each of the volumes in this series (pre-K through Grade 4) would be an excellent book for parents, grandparents, and others to purchase and then share with a child at an appropriate stage of her or his development. No doubt there are precocious children who will prefer more challenging material associated with later grades but I think it would be a mistake to rush the learning process. Worse yet, to indicate little interest in it.

Congratulations to the Workman Publishing Company and especially to the editors of Brain Quest. How pleased they must be to know that their materials have already helped to nourish so many young minds and to delight so many young hearts and, fortunately, will continue to do so for the development of other children in months and years to come