Another Homeschool Year - Logic Edition

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Polly is in the 5th grade this year. Which means: she's moved from the Grammar stage to the Logic stage. (Don't let these titles confuse you. Education and learning are very fluid things. I personally prefer the "stages" to grade levels but both may be necessary things depending on the situation.)

Moving up a stage means that Polly now studies Logic as a formal subject. Following some of the Well-Trained Mind suggestions we are using the following books this year:

1. Mind Benders Warm Up. This is a book from The Critical Thinking Co. It contains very simple logic problems. Polly is breezing through this. I have a few more of the Mind Benders books on my Paperback Swap wishlist. {smile}

 2. Logical Thinking Skills. I picked this book up at a library sale. (Tip: watch yard sales, used books stores, and library sales for educational material on the cheap. It may not be exactly what you were going to order from Rainbow Resource but it'll work.)

This may be the first year that "Logic" is on our schedule but it isn't the first year we've tried to teach logic or critical thinking. Here are some fun ways to encourage critical thinking:

Sudoku. Polly and I have been working some (easy) Sudoku puzzles together. Also, my grandparents gave me a Reader's Digest puzzle book (the citron edition) that we've been working through.
Guess Who. Yes, this childhood staple actually encourages critical thinking. So pick it up at Wal-Mart and let it fall under your "homeschool budget".
Royal Rescue or Castle Logix. My girls love the Royal Rescue game (now, sadly, out of print but watch at those used curriculum fairs!). Castle Logix is a similar, but simpler game. Both are fun logic puzzles with increasing levels of difficulty.
Cathedral. Another family favorite. This two player game will encourage spatial reasoning.
Clue. Yep. You can count this one as educational too. (Don't tell the kids.)
Forbidden Island. Philip insisted I include this one. I haven't actually played it but, according to him, it's a great logic game.
Blokus. I debated whether to include this one here or under "Math" but it doesn't really matter. Either way it's a great game for encouraging critical thinking.

Do you study logic in a formalized (or not) way? Share your resources in the comments!

All links in this post are Amazon Affiliate links. Opinions are my own.