Testimonials: Logo Adventures

My son has so enjoyed Logo Adventures. I cannot get him to stop on most days. He is eating it up with much success. I love the fact that he can do this on his own since he is 11 years old. Thanks again for making learning fun!"

-- Nora Huggins, Indialantic FL

This is probably my favorite product out of all of the products that I reviewed through the TOS Homeschool Crew. Computers & Technology, no one doubts, is one thing that our kids should learn for their futures - and Motherboard Books will give your kids a headstart! ...Josiah used Logo Adventures with MicroWorlds EX software and has learned so much about what computers need as input to be programmable. Josiah said, 'My favorite part was that you could make it repeat it (the pattern you create) like 100 times!!'

"This set is a great combination of teaching material and fantastic software. I personally am so impressed by this set, that I will be purchasing the next level, when he is done with this one!"

--Zindra Nelson, Mt. Vernon, WA, reviewing Logo Adventures at Homeschooling4Life

It’s safe to say my kids are currently somewhat obsessed with Phyllis Wheeler’s Logo Adventures, available from Motherboard Books. I had never heard of the Logo computer language, invented years ago at MIT to teach children problem solving....

"The lessons challenge your child to think, sometimes by reading the commands and trying to figure out how the final design will look, sometimes by looking at a figure and writing code to make it appear...

"Logo Adventures contains 26 lessons that will take your child from the basics to creating fireworks and shooting stars. It teaches computer programming and logic in a fun and entertaining fashion."

--Dawn Camp of Atlanta, GA, reviewing Logo Adventures at My Home Sweet Home

OK. I admit it. Logo Adventures isn't exactly what I expected. Every time I reached for a product to review, Logo Adventures ended up on the bottom of the stack. Why? These words on the first page, in bold: "This book is designed for a younger child to work together with an adult." Translation: I have to figure it out first--definitely a disadvantage to busy moms struggling to keep up with the rest of their children's schoolwork.

"But was I ever wrong! Logo Adventures is a wonderful introduction to real computer programming for 8 to12-year-olds. Anybody can do this--even moms. I hunkered down, opened the first lesson, and found that the material is presented in fun, easy steps with plenty of repetition..."

"This is a great curriculum for the computer-loving kids in your homeschool."

-- Susan K. Marlow, writing for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

We LOVE Logo (Adventures)... it has been a wonderful part of our homeschooling. I have been spreading the word among my homeschool friends, too, because it is an area where there is a need for 'curriculum' and most of us are not equipped to teach these skills."

-- Christine Michaud, a military wife (Seoul, Korea, and Washington, DC) and homeschool mom

..Seeing such determination and passion in my son, I was determined to get him started in the right direction so that he can start his programming career. You know how we homeschooling moms are! I did a lot of research and found the best fit for our needs: Motherboard Books.

"There are a few options to choose from, but since my son was 9 (about to be 10 at the time), I wanted to start him on something that he could do on his own (well, mostly on his own). We started with the program: Logo Adventures. It’s designed for children between the ages of 8 and 12 and it uses an MIT software program called MicroWorlds.

"Phyllis Wheeler, the mama behind Motherboard Books, has done a tremendous job of breaking down the concepts of programming into steps that are easy to follow and understand. I program in Lotus Notes for my work and it’s difficult sometimes for me to understand what I’m doing. However, with MicroWorlds and Phyllis’ instructions, it’s a joy!!

"My son really enjoys programming. He’s been learning how to draw shapes, move the 'turtle' forward and backward, turn him around using angles and position him differently on the page.

"If your child is interested in learning how to program then Logo Adventures is a great place to start. I would highly recommend it for your child. It’s definitely been a winning experience for my son (who plans to start his own gaming company that he’ll pass down to his children and grandchildren). Those are his dreams and ambitions! Who am I to stand in his way? Check out Motherboard Books. You won’t be disappointed!

"In summary:

Logo Adventures, programming for children 8-12
Very understandable and easy to follow
Self-paced program
Uses MIT-created software

Overall: thumbsup"

-- Meredith Duke of Austin, TX, reviewing Logo Adventures at Heaven Bound

--Nora Huggins of Indialantic, FL

We are using both Computer Science Pure and Simple and Logo Adventures. Both my children love them! Thank you for the great books and all that you do."

--Debbie of Wilmington, DE

Geared towards younger children, Logo Adventures is the perfect way to get your eight- to twelve-year-old into the world of programming. Easy-to-read text, fun programs, and lots of review make this a great curriculum."

--Elliott Robinson, age 17, reviewer for www.HomeschoolChristian.com. Read the full review.

My son truly loved your curriculum, and honestly, it is his favorite subject by far! Something tells me we'll have to upgrade our computer before too long if he keeps it up! LOL I want to THANK YOU for taking the time to write these wonderful books! I have and will continue to recommend your wonderful program to homeschoolers, because it's fantastic! "

--Tracy Quebral, Amherst, NY

About a month ago I was praying for something new and exciting for my fifth grader who is homeschooling for the first time this year. I was struggling to make "school" fun so as to ease the transition from his previous school. I wanted him to feel like we have neat things "happening" here too. Seriously, in a dream I recalled my college Logo programming experiences and I woke up wondering, "Whatever happened to the Logo language? Kids would love Logo." (The only time I had ever seen it used was while student teaching in a school in England .)

"...Now that we own Microworlds and your easy-to-read and follow lessons, I think I have found the answer to my prayers. It is really a blessing as my son is so quick with electronics, as most children are, but has always struggled in school. We do not own or encourage video games so it is great to hear him saying, "Well now I can write my own, Mom!"

--Jeanette H.

From the very first lesson, we found this program to be well organized and easy-to-understand. ... My (12-year-old) son was able to work through the lessons with very little help from me. ... My son completed several lessons in one week. ... My son LOVED learning Logo! In fact, even if he didn't do any of the other lessons in the book, the exposure to MicroWorlds and the Logo language makes this book worth the price. ...

"I can't say enough about the MicroWorlds component - if your child is even remotely interested in programming/video games, this is the best way to give them a feel for what it is like to develop their own programs. The lessons for all of the topics are presented so well that most students can work through the course independently. I eagerly look forward to reviewing future products from Motherboard Books!"

-- Cindy Prechtel, Editor, Homeschool Reviews for You (from HomeschoolingFromTheHeart.com )

Computer Science Pure and Simple for Homeschoolers is an excellent introduction to three of the most common ways that people interact with computers: office skills, computer programming, and website design...

Computer Science Pure and Simple for Homeschoolers gets kids working immediately taking what they read and applying it. The instructional detail is just right, not over explaining and thereby confusing, nor skipping steps that may be intuitive to more experienced computer users.

-- Beverly Krueger for Eclectic Homeschool Online, an online magazine for homeschoolers, http://eho.org

...A decent introduction to how to use some of the applications on your computer, what programming is and how to design a web page, making it worthy of your consideration. ... The choice of MicroWorlds Logo programming is a good one. These sections will guide you through the basic steps of starting to program and give you a good basis for understanding what programming is."

-- Theresa M. Schultz-Jones in Practical Homeschooling Magazine's Issue Number 61 Fall/Winter 2004.