When is it dumb to argue? Do your students know the five rules of brainstorming? Who has a good reason to lie? This entertaining and enlightening book turns logic from dry to delightful as it equips kids with tools for critical thinking, developing opposing viewpoints, and scientific investigation. Features end-of-chapter exercises and an answer key. Ages 13 and up. 234 pages, softcover from Christian Logic.

If you think studying logic is going to be laborious and boring, then you haven’t seen these refreshingly clever volumes written by homeschool graduates Nathaniel and Hans Bluedorn. In The Fallacy Detective, students are guided through 38 short lessons designed to help them pay attention to details, listen carefully, and recognize faulty reasoning, deception, and propaganda wherever they encounter it. Many of the examples are taken right out of the headlines of the liberal media, so the book is timely as well as practical.

Each of the 35 short lessons in The Thinking Toolbox with accompanying exercises can be completed in about 30 minutes. The beguiling illustrations—such as “The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral,” “The Moon Landing Hoax,” or a little crime drama where evidence is analyzed to catch a thief—made it difficult to keep from reading ahead to the next lesson! Some topics cleverly woven into this often-amusing text include: When is it dumb to argue? How do we use the scientific method, and what is pseudoscience? Who has a reason to lie? How do we go about analyzing evidence, sources, and opposing viewpoints, and listing reasons why we believe something? Students who master the skills of solid reasoning gain a whole lot more “common sense” than others, exercising better stewardship in making decisions, earning money, saving time, and investing resources wisely. For ages 12 to adult. Both include cartoons and answer keys. Approx. 220 pages each, softcovers from Christian Logic.

—Dean

Average Rating:

5 of 5 Reviews Showing:

Reviewed by Patti Caro (Ballston Spa, NY), March 04, 2009

This book is so much fun to use. I only gave it 4 stars because it needs to be longer. The exercises are a lot of fun, and the explanations are great. We use it with a child who had a hard time determining the difference between debating and arguing. No issues there now.

Reviewed by Teri Walker (Redmond, WA), September 13, 2007

This is a great TOOL to help children engage their brains. It is also fun at any age; I even learn something new. It is filled with common sense and the keys to think! Great investment.

Reviewed by Karen Woodward (Alabama), February 27, 2006

In our world today where children are content to sit and watch every shallow program the media throws out, I am pleased to discover a book that challenges us to exercise our brains. The Thinking Toolbox: Thirty-Five Lessons That Will Build Your Reasoning Skills by Nathaniel and Hans Bluedorn targets ages 13 through adults. It includes three major sections: Tools for Thinking, Tools for Opposing Viewpoints and Tools for Science. I am reading it to my children each day and they enjoy the lessons which are written in laymen’s terms and laced with humor. Included at the end of each chapter are exercises. Sometimes the answers are obvious and sometimes we really have to analyze the possibilities. At the end of the book there is a section with projects and games and also an answer key for the chapter exercises. We live in a time when knowledge is literally at our fingertips with just the click of a mouse. Contemplating, evaluating and musing seem to be left to those who came long before us. We have forgotten the words written by Solomon in Proverbs 4:7, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” The Thinking Toolbox is just what the title says, a toolbox for building reasoning skills. This is a book on my list of “must haves” for any homeschool or classroom library.

Reviewed by Sheryl Rogrob (Nor Cal, CA), February 18, 2006

The Thinking Toolbox is not a quick read. It's something to be shared one bite-sized chapter at a time. And each "bit" provides plenty to chew on. Prepare to be stretched mentally. Prepare to find yourself thinking about and looking for the truth while sorting through the morass of information that daily assails you and your family. Prepare to be better able to live truth and to share truth with others in confidence. After all, isn't that really our purpose in life?

Reviewed by K. Davis (Rochester, N.Y.), August 30, 2005

Logic, fun? Oh yes, when it’s The Bluedorn Brothers teaching it. Their fantastic, and colorful book The Thinking Toolbox is one of the most inviting, entertaining and useful books on logic I’ve yet to find. Similar to The Fallacy Detective in format, The Thinking Toolbox takes you even further into the exciting world of logic. Building upon introductory logic, it can be used independent of or as a companion to their previous book, The Fallacy Detective. The book is a toolbox, with thirty-five lessons and exercises acting as “teaching tools” to help in thinking tasks. These invaluable lessons cover things like when is it dumb to argue, the five rules of brainstorming, analyzing opposing viewpoints, and how to list reasons why you believe something. The book is versatile, and would work well in a classroom or homeschool setting. Our family has enjoyed doing the exercises together, and I was presently surprised at how much I personally learned about logic and reasoning. Everything in The Thinking Toolbox is useful, vital knowledge, and necessary for preparing your children for life on their own. Give your children a blessing; use The Thinking Toolbox and teach them how to think. "Education means developing the mind, not stuffing the memory." ~Anonymous

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