Customer Reviews

Mind Benders- Verbal: Deductive Thinking Skills

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"Mind Benders Warm Up" is a collection of 78 logic tests that may remind you of the GRE (only much easier!). It is a workbook with about 30 consumable or reproducible pages printed in black and white on lower quality paper. (The inside title page gives copyright okay for reproducing the pages for a single classroom's use.) There are approximately four problems per page with about two inches between each problem for making notes or diagramming the problem.

The publisher's home page provides an image of one page of four problems, including the following:

"18. Rocky and Terrible are a bird and an elephant. Rocky weighs more than Terrible. Who is what?"

This book also includes math "word problems" along the lines of, If this thing is ten inches long and that one is five inches longer, how long is that one? (not a direct quote).

Although the problems are quite easy for adults (and if there are any that do have you scratching your head, there is an answer key in the front geared towards parents or teachers and a strategy guide in the back for students), they are useful for introducing logic problems to younger children. They are easy enough to prevent extreme frustration, but they allow a child to build up skills in deductive reasoning.

Susan Bauer in "The Well Trained Mind" recommends that parents or teachers start their children off with this level no matter what their ages. I disagree with that; I believe most older children would find these problems much too easy. I would advise parents to look at the problems on the publisher's website and determine whether their children are at or beyond that level before purchasing this book.

It is a good, simple workbook to introduce young children to skills that will help them on many tests for years to come.

This workbook has been great in preparing my homeschooled children for logic courses and subsequent Mind Benders workbooks. The problems appear easy for adults, but children under eight or nine find them challenging and interesting. I strongly recommend this workbook before starting higher level logic books.

This book was recommended to use first NO MATTER WHAT grade level your child is. Then, you could skip to the appropriate level book for your child. ***Please note, that I'm sure the book is fine for the K-2 that it is recommended for. However, I believe it is a waste of money for the 4th and up grades, and therefore not necessary to use first.

This is a great primer for developing thinking minds. Every kid should have it to unleash his talents. The 78 activities are well designed and fun. My child's problem solving ability soared with this book. He likes to think and solve problems since then. His extra interest and energy prompted me to find additional material for him. I found GT books and Beestar (www.beestar.org) online exercises are good for practicing the skills. His grade in school is outstanding. Thanks to this mind bender primer!