Master Innovations began with a simple concept – every child in the classroom should have a Master Ruler. Their ruler was such a great success that they developed additional measurement products. One of those products is the Master Clock, which I received for the purpose of this review.
The Master Clock is unlike any other clock manipulative I’ve ever seen. It combines both digital and analog time in a square booklet-style clock. The clock has three color-coded hands: red for hours; green for minutes; and blue for seconds. The digital portion of the clock matches with red for the hour selection and green for the minute selection. Gears at the top of the clock allow the user to change the digital clock with the numbers 1 to 12 for the hours and the numbers 5 to 60 (in 5 minute increments) for the minutes.
Along with the Master Clock, I received the Master Clock Workbook titled Mastering the World of telling time with the Master Clock. The workbook contains a variety of exercises for the student to master the art of telling time down to the second. It presents several historical methods of telling time and includes hands-on activities, such as building a water clock. It also presents time-related terminology, such as “now” and “later,” “quarter after” and “quarter to,” etc. Several exercises present the concept of schedules. At the end of the workbook, there is even a list of books about time, such as Anno’s Sundial and Teddies Tell the Time.
As soon as I received the package in the mail and opened it, my sons latched onto the clock like it was the best thing ever. I was afraid they’d break it before I even had a chance to look at it, but they didn’t. The clock is sturdy and has held up well. While we have not used the workbook (all of my children already know how to tell time), it looks interesting and thorough. The material is presented in a variety of ways and appears to avoid the monotony of teaching young kids how to tell time. How many workbooks have you seen that have the student fill out 20 blank clocks per page for page after page after page? This workbook is not one of those!
While I was assigned the Master Clock, other Crew reviewers were assigned different products: Master Fractions, Master Angles, and Master Ruler. View all of the reviews at the crew blog, TOS Homeschool Crew.
For more information about Master Innovations, click here for their online store. The web site contains many videos which demonstrate how the products work. The Master Clock sells for $14.95. A larger teacher’s version of the clock sells for $19.95. The workbook sells for $15.95. A Marvels of Measurement Poster is also available for $10.00.
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I am a member of The Old Schoolhouse 2010-2011 Crew and receive free products and services in exchange for a thorough and honest review. Though I am compensated with free products, I am not compensated in the form of cash for my reviews. My reviews will always reflect my honest opinions, findings, beliefs, and experiences on the products and services that I receive.
This review, and the reviews of all of the other crew members assigned to this product, will all be available at the official crew blog: The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew (Steering homeschoolers toward great products!)