The Big Fat Notebooks you’ll want on your shelf this year
Written by Jamie C. Martin of Simple Homeschool
I first heard about Big Fat Notebooks from LeVar Burton of Reading Rainbow (you guys know I am a fan!), who tweeted a photo of them. I was immediately intrigued, drawn to their bright colors and concept.
So when the opportunity came my way to partner with Workman Publishing and share them with you in this space, I gave it a definite yes. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this series, and now that we’ve had them in our home for a few weeks, I’m just as excited!
Since my kids hit double-digits, more than once I’ve looked nostalgically at our shelf of encyclopedia-type titles (like the Core Knowledge Series/Childcraft books), wishing there was something similar for older ages. Well, the folks behind Brain Quest have created it!
Here’s an overview:
“It’s the revolutionary study guide series just for middle school students from the brains behind Brain Quest.
The BIG FAT NOTEBOOK series is built on a simple and irresistible concept—borrowing the notes from the smartest kid in class. There are five books in all, and each is the only book you need for each main subject taught in middle school: Math, Science, American History, English Language Arts, and World History.
Inside the reader will find every subject’s key concepts, easily digested and summarized: Critical ideas highlighted in neon colors. Definitions explained. Doodles that illuminate tricky concepts in marker. Mnemonics for memorable shortcuts. And quizzes to recap it all.”
Just as bright and interesting on the inside as on the outside, my kids will go back to these reference books again and again, and I can consult them as a teacher when covering specific topics or answering their questions.
Here are the titles and what’s in each one:
Everything You Need to Ace Math . . . covers everything to get you over any math hump: fractions, decimals, and how to multiply and divide them; ratios, proportions, and percentages; geometry; statistics and probability; expressions and equations; and the coordinate plane and functions.
Everything You Need to Ace Science . . . takes readers from scientific investigation and the engineering design process to the Periodic Table; forces and motion; forms of energy; outer space and the solar system; to earth sciences, biology, body systems, ecology, and more.
Everything You Need to Ace American History . . . covers Native Americans to the war in Iraq. There are units on Colonial America; the Revolutionary War and the founding of a new nation; Jefferson and the expansion west; the Civil War and Reconstruction; and all of the notable events of the 20th century—World Wars, the Depression, the Civil Rights movement, and much more.
Everything You Need to Ace World History . . . kicks off with the Paleolithic Era and transports the reader to ancient civilizations—in Egypt, Greece, India, China, Africa, Rome; the middle ages across the world; the Renaissance; the age of exploration and colonialization, revolution and imperialism, and the modern world and the wars and movements that shaped it.
Everything You Need to Ace English Language Arts . . . covers everything to get you your best marks: grammar, including parts of speech, active and passive verbs, Greek and Latin roots and affixes; nuances in word meanings; textual analysis, authorship, structure, and other skills for reading fiction and nonfiction; and writing arguments, informative texts, and narratives.
To earn a coveted spot on Jonathan’s crowded couch of books is no small feat!
When our Big Fat Notebooks arrived, it wasn’t long before my oldest two, Trishna and Jonathan, disappeared with them.
Since Trishna has a visual impairment, it can be tough when most books for her age (13) are in tiny print. She was excited to see that these use a larger, colorful font that is more comfortable for her. And Jonathan immediately went straight for the science volume, to check out how much information they had about weather inside. (Answer? A whole chapter!)
This week Workman Publishing wants to give a set of Big Fat Notebooks to one of you as well!
Note: This giveaway has ended; thanks for your interest!
The Prize
One Simple Homeschool reader will win an entire set of Big Fat Notebooks as well as school supplies including highlighter/pen combos, a notepad, and jigsaw sticky notes!
To be entered to win, leave a comment on this post answering this question: How old are your kids, and which installment of the Big Fat Notebooks do you think would interest them most?
Note: This giveaway is open to those with US addresses only. So sorry, international readers.
(If you’re reading this via email or reader, you must click here to leave your comment on this post at Simple Homeschool. Comments or emails left elsewhere don’t count as entries.)
This giveaway has ended; thanks for your interest!
This post is sponsored by Workman Publishing. All opinions are my own!
My kids are 13, 13, & 8 and they would all love the history books!
My boys are 9, 7 and 4 years old and since they are bookworms, they would just LOVE the Science, World History and American History Big Fat Notebooks!!
My son Kyler is 10 (11 in 3 weeks) and he would love the science and the history books!
These are so cool! My kids are 10 & 12 and my 10yr old would totally be into the Science one and my 12yr old….well, she’d appreciate anything but Math! lol
My kids are 12,9 and 6. We would love the history and science books!
These would be a great addition to our homeschool library!
My oldest girl (12) would love the science one, my middle child (10) would probably like the American History one best, and my youngest (6) would go for science. I would like the World history one because that’s what I have the hardest time teaching in our homeschool! Thanks for the heads up on these books! I hadn’t heard of them before!
My kids are 16 and 12. My 12 year old daughter would love the science book!
My kids are 12, 14, and 14. It’s hard to choose – either the world history or the American history.
My kids are 16, 12, 9, 7, 5, 3 & 1. I’m certain they would love these especially Science and World History.
My kids are 9, 7, 5, and 3. The science book would definitely be the favorite around here!
My children are 12 and 15. I think my youngest would probably like the World History and Science volumes the best.
My kids are 9, 10, and 13. I think they would like the History ones. I’ve never seen these before.
I have 6 kids, pre- kindergarten through early high school ages! These would be awesome for our family, thanks for the chance.
Oh, and I think the science and history books would probably be the most used around here!
The two kids that I have left to homeschool are soon to be 10 and 12 this year! I believe they would thoroughly enjoy the Science. But honestly, we would be thankful for any one of them. Thank you!
My kids would love them all!!! Wow.
One child is out of the house, but of the ones at home, the 15yo would use the english most, but like math best; our 13yo would use the math most but prefer the us history; the 10yo would like the world history best; and the 8yo would love the science most! It looks like a great resource!
My kids are 14, 12, and 9. They would love all of these books, especially the history ones!
these are so cool,,,just one child,,,girl age 11,,,who has a very hard time learning,,,,many many health and learning problems. but we keep trying,,,,not sure if she would like these or not,,,,but would love to try,,,
My 11 year old would love the Science book!
My son Van, is 10 and he would love the Science book and my daughter, Annalisa is 6 and she would love the History book. We are new to homeschooling and would love to win these books!!
My boys are 12, 10, and 8. They would love the science and world history books!
Oh I think I’m more excited than my kids! These are really neat! My kids are 5, 3 and 1. Even though we would have to use them now but it still would be fun and a start to learning to have before needed. Kids are always asking questions! 🙂 I think we would enjoy the science best but I’m interested in all the history too!
My 12 and 9 year old boys would love the science and history Big Fat Notebooks, but I think they would benefit most from Math. My 5 year old would just be happy to be a “big kid” like his brothers.
My kids are 3,5,9,12, and 14. They would love the math book. They are constantly grabbing whatever resources that they can to help them understand math. I love the whole series.