PandaParents – Preschool Curriculum Review

Drewdle was so excited to have something to review all on his own when we received three lessons of MESSYLEARNING FOR PRESCHOOLERS AND KINDERGARTNERS from PandaParents to for him to try.

So what does “M.E.S.S.Y. Learning” mean exactly?

Mixed subjects & activities for integrative learning
Engaging activities that challenge minds
Simple 1-2-3 steps: READ, LEARN, CREATE
Smart designs for creative learning
Yeah, a new way to promote preschool STEM & early brain growth!

The idea behind M.E.S.S.Y. Learning is that young children (preschool and kindergarten age) need a multifaceted approach to learning, using all the areas of the brain together (visual, auditory, and fine motor) so the subject matter is learned easily and effectively.

Each month of M.E.S.S.Y. Learning includes a story book and a workbook (currently only available as a PDF downloads), and one or two videos to watch that go along with the story. We received the following three months to review:

“Scotty Skunk Hears a Scary Sound”

This one was Drewdle’s favorite. He loves animals so this one was right up his alley.
The topic of this one is home and feeling safe
Covers the letters S & H
Also touches on sequences and numbers, feelings and emotions, as well as nature

“A Jolly Jingling Journey”

It being May and almost summer, Drewdle struggled to be interested in a Christmas theme, but I thought the story was pretty cute. We also don’t celebrate Christmas with Santa so he had trouble being interested in this one. He did enjoy the worksheets though.
This month teaches curiosity and good habits
Covers the letters J, F & R
Also touches on sequences, patterns, counting & simple addition

“Mommy’s Baby”

I felt this one was very babyish, but he liked this one more than the Christmas one.
The main focus of this one is shapes and colors
Covers the letters B, P, T, & K
Also touches on counting, nature & science

There are currently a total of 4 sets but they have many more “coming soon”. You can see them all here on the PandaParents website.

My first impression of the PandaParents curriculum is that it is VERY colorful and bright. Some of the illustrations are very basic and odd looking to me as an adult, but Drewdle didn’t mind at all. He did grow bored with some of the repetition in the videos and asked to move on, so I let him do some of the worksheets while he watched.

While the colorful graphics are great for catching and holding a preschooler’s attention, they are hard on the printer. I would much rather see these done in a printed format rather than a PDF download I have to print. PDF documents are great and very useful for printing extra pages or pages the child needs more practice, but the lovely “stickers” and other graphics in the workbooks are wasted with us since I can’t print using that much ink. I personally prefer printed books over the eBooks because its easier for me to read (Am I getting old? Wait, don’t answer that!) and my kids love to flip through paper books on their own too.

It is worth mentioning PandaParents plans to have physical books available near the end of this year. If you prefer PDF downloads or would like more information on when the physical books will be available you can check out their website. They offer a subscription service as well where you can receive one kit every month.

Overall Drewdle enjoyed using the PandaParents M.E.S.S.Y. Learning courses and I would recommend them immediately if you think the PDF format would work for you, or in the future if you want to wait for the physical books.