Training Happy Hearts: Enjoy Problem Solving with Logic and Math {A Review}

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 compensated in any other way.

The world surely needs more people who can work through difficult problems and use logic, so I always appreciate resources that can help my children develop such skills.

Mastering Logic & Math Problem Solving by The Critical Thinking Co.™ is just such a resource!

What Is The Critical Thinking Co.™ and Mastering Logic & Math Problem Solving?

The Critical Thinking Co.™ is a family-owned business that was established in 1958 and now offers 600 titles in reading, writing, math, science, and social studies which aim to help students achieve success in life through developing critical thinking skills without drill and memorization.
One of the many helpful resources they offer is Mastering Logic & Math Problem Solving by The Critical Thinking Co.™, which is a 180-page softcover workbook that is designed to help students in grades 6-9 sharpen critical thinking skill through solving problems using logic and math.

The book is also available as an e-book.

The bulk of the workbook contains problems across a variety of topics:

Multicultural Logic Problems
Fun With Classical Brain Teasers
Number Theory Problems
Problem Solving with Sets
Ration, Proportion, and Percent Problems
Algebra Word Problems
Geometry Word Problems
More Algebra Word Problems
Probability Word Problems
Topology Word Problems

The book also offers:

an introduction that explains what problem solving is and how to help student with it

ideas for using the book with individual students, in groups, and in a classroom

general problem-solving strategies
answers/solutions

a printable rubric and portfolio pages
bonus activities

It is a wonderful collection of puzzles and problems that offers flexibility to use with individuals, small groups, or an entire classroom in a sequential order or by type of problem.

How Did We Use Mastering Logic & Math Problem Solving?

My soon-to-be-10-year-old, just-13-year-old, and I used Mastering Logic & Math Problem Solving by The Critical Thinking Co.™ together as a group or during 1:1 times. Sometimes, my husband joined us, too.

We started with Multicultural Logic Problems and Classic Brain Teasers, some of which we were already familiar with, but most of which were challenging for my children (and, sometimes, husband and me!)

Generally, I challenged my youngest child, middle child, or both together with a problem and let them work at it until they got it or reached a frustration level that was escalating too much. Then I offered a hint or called a break.

When my children solved problems quickly, we sometimes did more than one in a row. Other times, a single problem took more than one session together to solve.

As we worked, at times, there was discussion, laughter, and positive creative thinking. Other times, to be honest, there was frustration and quarreling.

Such frustration and quarreling, of course, was challenging, but it was good, in a way, for it made me recognize how much more I need to work on virtues in our household and how much more I need to emphasize that "we can do hard things" and that "hard" does not equal "bad".

For, most certainly, as I used this resource, I recognized just how frustrated and ornery one of my children can get when presented with a problem that is not easily/quickly solved. I also recognized just how creative and outside-the-box that child's thinking could be - almost too much so in the case of this resource, since, in trying to come up with solutions to the problems, that child often tried to add elements to the clear storylines presented in the book that diverged a bit too far from the intent of the problems.

When that child did so, I ended up restating/reclarifying what I felt were clearly presented parameters and reigning the realm of possible solutions back into ones that exercised logic or math rather than far-fetched storytelling.

This did not always get met with the best of attitudes, but it was all a part of the learning, and I appreciated how this resource did not just do what it sets out to - offer a wide variety of problems to be solved using logic and math - but also highlighted some areas of character growth that we need to work on here.

What Did My Children and I Think?

One of my children said:

To solve the problems... we sketched out on paper, used implements, and actually did things, like the cup one.

In the future, I would like to use the book, with just myself or maybe one other person (my mom), not with other people in my family, because one of my siblings that I do it with gets frustrated and mean, and I prefer quiet when I work things out.

I would recommend this book to people who need help with logic. When I did it with just my mom, I liked it.

My other child said:

The first time I used the book, it was a torturous time, because I could not figure the problem out. The next day, I had figured the problem out and challenged my dad to it. Then, we tried a few more problems. Sometimes, I hated it. Sometimes, I liked it.

Personally, I liked the resource and would recommend it, because:

1. It offers a wide variety of problems to encourage critical thinking. The classical brain teasers, problem solving, algebra word problems, geometry word problems, age problems, probability word problems, topology fun word problems, and more in this resource encourage you to analyze, think aloud, pause, rethink, etc. until solutions are found.

2. It highlights skill areas to grow in. People can do hard things. They can disagree but still be kind. They can be confused and push through. They can use different methods to come up with similar solutions or similar methods to come up with different solutions. They can strategize, visualize, verbalize, and work together or alone... and they can realize that doing all this need nor bring the nasties out. This resource not only highlighted for me and mine problem solving skills we could work on, but also where we could grow in character and virtue.

3. It offers meaningful math. Although we have not gotten to the latter portions of the book, even in the first few chapters, practical applications of math and logical patterns were used. I have also looked at the later chapters and see how more traditional math applications play in.

4. Flexibility is inherent in the resource. A generous copyright allow purchasers to reproduce the resource for a family or classroom use. Also, the workbook can be used individually, in groups, or in a classroom in order or cherry-picked to supplement other learning.

5. Parents can use it with no prior experience. The Introduction Teacher Notes, Answer Key, and Appendix material all ensure that any parent can use this resource easily with their children.

6. It focuses on skills our world needs. Few problems in life have cut and dry solutions and so an ability to analyze, think of all possibilities, and, then, use logic to come up with answers is important. This resource offers kids opportunities do do this.

7. It is not busy. Pages within the resource are not overly busy and have plenty of white space, which is helpful for kids with ADHD, dyslexia, and sensory issues. (We face all of these things here.)

Obviously, then, even though one of my children did not always favor this resource, I found it had merit and would recommend it to others with middle school age children. (Just be prepared for some behavior bumps if your child is easily frustrated or going through some tweenrage times.)

Learn More

We have used and appreciated other resources from The Critical Thinking Co.™ and you can browse our other reviews from this vendor here.

You can also click through here to find links to 65 video, social media, and blog reviews from other Homeschool Review Crew families who have recently tried out: