Oakabooks Topic Packs Review

Reviewed by Deborah Banasko

I think it’s fair to say that due to lockdowns and home schooling, many people feel more involved in their children’s learning and a need to provide more support at home. I was delighted to be offered the opportunity to review five of the Oakabooks Topic Packs. The packs are broken down into specific subjects and Key Stages on the website, making it easy to find the best options for your child. Subjects covered include Maths (KS2 fractions), Science (some KS2, with an amazing choice on KS3-4), History (KS1-3), Geography (KS3) and French (KS3).

My two older children, aged 7 and 10, tested these packs out. My 7 year old will enter into KS2 in September and is advanced for his age so I let him test the Key stage 2 packs with his sister. I chose some Key Stage 3 packs for my 10 year old, partly as she will use them in the future but also to see how much challenge they presented for review purposes as she is also really bright for her age. The KS3 packs are suitable for children with a reading age of 10.5 years and follow guidelines from the British Dyslexia Association. However I noticed that the same reading age was stated on KS2 packs so these are perhaps intended as a parent and child activity.

We reviewed KS3 History The Black Death, KS3 Elizabeth I, KS2 The Stone Age, as well as two Science packs KS2 Our Bodies, How They Grow and Move and finally KS3 Variation and Classification.

The packs include three main features; a Topic Booklet, an Active Learning Game (with dice and counters) or a Learning Map and finally a booklet for your own notes. The instructions are clear and it feels very professional.

The topic booklets have a clear format, with a glossary (and where appropriate for the topic there may be a labelled diagram or a memory mat) at the front. The main information is laid out in numbered and titled sections, with the principal features and details that you need to know. The accompanying pictures are really helpful and appealing to children.

Again depending upon the subject, at the back there may be a recap, timeline or map summary. In one of the packs there was a list of all the Kings and Queens of England which is great to have as a reference. It doesn’t feel like an overload of information due to the way it is laid out, which keeps it interesting. Yet it is packed with facts and fascinating knowledge in a way that children can understand, with key words in bold.

The KS3 packs were naturally more detailed and required a couple of read-throughs for my daughter, but this is understandable given her age and the level so we had a chat about the information in these. Based on this I would determine that the information in the packs is certainly pitched at the correct level.

The Active Learning Map requires children to use character cards inserted into plastic holders to act out the events on the map and re-tell the story. There are questions to answer on the map, which you can use the Topic Book to help you with. It’s such a fun idea, as your child gains confidence re-telling you what they have learned, and we found taking turns helped.

If your pack contains a game instead, this is a case of rolling a dice in a race to the finish whilst answering topic-based questions along the way. This is such a fun way to learn and my children loved it, particularly when I kept getting the answers wrong because they wouldn’t let me read the information first (as apparently I learned all of this in school 25-30 years ago!) These questions can also be used alone to test your child.

I like that some of the packs have games and others the Memory Map, as it could otherwise become a bit repetitive if you purchase more than one pack at a time so this feels well thought out.

The “write your own notes booklet” is fantastic as it is laid out with the glossary, memory mat and numbered sections (with title prompts) in the same format as the information booklet, but your child fills in the blank spaces where the information is missing, including the glossary definitions. We found that working through the information and games once, then completing the booklet to the best of our ability worked well if we then repeated the whole process again to see what extra bits we could add into the booklet that we may have missed.

The feedback from my children was very positive, which I think speaks volumes about the quality of these packs. My children love to read both fiction and non-fiction, but the house rule is that only school work is essential and if any other reading isn’t enjoyable then they should find another book. They honestly did not want to put these packs down.
My 10 year old said that the initial reading part took her about 15-20 minutes, but my 7 year old took perhaps twice that amount of time. My youngest felt that the information and pictures really complemented one-another and helped him to understand and visualise the information. They both agreed that the amount of pictures and writing were just right.

I love how learning is consolidated for different types of visual learners; those who like to read information, visual learners who need pictures to help them to understand, those who like to re-write information in their own words (and revise from their own handwriting) and also children who learn kinaesthetically through carrying out an activity in the form of a game or memory map. Perhaps an audio accompaniment would work well in the future for these packs.

My children enjoyed reading the information in bed then looked at it again the following day to complete the tasks, so I do feel you get your moneys worth. Each pack costs £7.97 which is a bargain.

One minor suggestion for improvement would be the inclusion of a better storage wallet. We could keep the booklets and game pieces in the original plastic packs provided that we opened them correctly and didn’t turn them upside down so I do like the fact that packaging isn’t wasted, but would perhaps prefer a zip wallet or press stud.

I would add a note of caution to check the pack contents before allowing your child to read them alone. Whilst most of the information did feel age appropriate, I was a little surprised with some of the information included at Key Stage 2 level Science, “Our Bodies, How they Grow and Move”. There is a small section which briefly introduces the idea of recreational drugs, glue and paint sniffing, smoking and alcohol. There was very little detail given, but I wasn’t ready for questions about glue sniffing from my 7 year old. My 10 year old is in year 5 and this hasn’t be covered at school, so I am unsure whether this is an upper Key Stage 2 topic or more Key Stage 3. Either way, I would advice that you check you are happy that all of the information is suitable first.

I think these packs scream “subscription”; I would happily subscribe to one pack per month for a chosen Key Stage. I have two Science and History lovers so these are great for their love of general knowledge, and to give them a head start. Equally if your child struggles with a subject then these are a more friendly way to work on and secure their learning with the quiz and game. Focusing on one short concise topic at a time is much more learner-friendly.

I cannot describe how much of a fan I am of these packs! I have to score them 5 stars out of 5.

Rating: 5/5 stars

RRP: £7.97 per pack

Oakabooks Topic Packs can be purchased from Oakabooks here.