Verified Review Skill

Write structured product/curriculum reviews from real OpenEd families. Reviews are practical, honest, and include enough detail that parents can decide if the tool is right for them.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• Creating product/curriculum reviews from podcast mentions
• Building review content from parent interviews
• Writing reviews for the OpenEd resource library
• A guest mentions specific tools, curricula, or platforms they use

Inputs Required

1. Product/Tool Name: What's being reviewed
2. Source: Who mentioned it and in what context
3. Usage Details: How the family specifically uses it (from transcript or interview)
4. Honest Assessment: Both what works and what doesn't

Output Format

Header Block

## [Product Name]

**Category:** [Planning & Organization / Math / Language Arts / Science / History / Enrichment / Tech & Tools]

**Ages:** [Specific range or "All (family tool)"]

**Price:** [Price point, include subscription costs if applicable]

**OpenEd Reimbursable:** [Yes/No/Partial - specify what's covered]

What It Is

• 2-3 sentences describing the product objectively
• Key features without marketing language
• What it includes (physical materials, digital access, etc.)

How We Use It

• Attribution: — [Name], [Role] ([State])
• First-person narrative of actual use
• Specific details: when, how often, what workflow
• Honest assessment of what works and what doesn't
• Tips and hacks they've discovered

What My Kids Think (Optional but valuable)

• Direct quotes from children if available
• What they like/dislike
• Observable engagement level

The Verdict

• Summary assessment
• Who it's best for / who should skip it
• Value proposition (is it worth the price?)

Best For

• Bullet list of ideal use cases
• Specific family types or situations

Link

• Direct URL to product

Categories

Planning & Organization

• Calendars, planners, scheduling tools

Core Curriculum

• Math programs
• Language arts / reading / writing
• Science curricula
• History / social studies

Enrichment

• Art, music, foreign language
• STEM / coding
• Life skills

Tech & Tools

• Hardware (tablets, displays, etc.)
• Software and apps
• AI tools

Tone & Voice

• Honest, not promotional
• Specific and practical
• Include both pros and cons
• First-person experience, not generic review
• Permission to skip if it's not right for them

What Makes It Work

1. Real attribution: Named parent, real location
2. Specific use case: Not generic - how THIS family uses it
3. Honest assessment: Includes drawbacks
4. Kid perspective: When possible, what children actually think
5. OpenEd context: Whether/how it fits with OpenEd funding
6. Actionable: Reader can decide if it's for them

Quote Integration

• Integrate quotes naturally as first-person narrative
• Do NOT have the reviewer quote themselves
• Polish for readability while preserving authentic voice
• Keep specific details and anecdotes

Length

• 300-500 words per review
• Enough detail to be useful, not so much it's overwhelming

Example Products to Review

From podcast guests, look for mentions of:

Curriculum:

• Teaching Textbooks, Beast Academy, All About Reading
• Write Shop, The Good and the Beautiful
• Veritas Press, Sonlight, BJU Press

Tools:

• Skylight Calendar, Homeschool Planet
• Google Sheets, notion

Platforms:

• Outschool, Synthesis, Khan Academy
• Prenda, co-op classes

Physical products:

• Manipulatives, art supplies, whiteboards

Example Review Structure

## Teaching Textbooks

**Category:** Math

**Ages:** 3rd grade through Pre-Calculus

**Price:** $43-$72/year per level (subscription)

**OpenEd Reimbursable:** Yes

### What It Is

Teaching Textbooks is an online math curriculum with video instruction, interactive problems, and automatic grading. Each lesson includes a lecture, practice problems, and a quiz. The program tracks progress, grades everything, and lets students re-watch explanations when they're stuck.

### How We Use It

*— Dalena Wallace, Homeschool Mom of 6 (Kansas)*

With six kids at different math levels, I needed something that would handle instruction and grading without me. Teaching Textbooks does exactly that.

The kids log in, watch the video lesson, and work through the problems. When they get something wrong, they can watch an explanation of how to solve it. I check their progress online, but I'm not sitting next to them teaching or grading papers.

It's not flashy. The videos won't win any awards. But it works. The kids understand the math, they do it independently, and I don't prep lessons or grade anything. For a family trying to outsource wherever possible, that's everything.

### The Verdict

If you need math off your plate, this is it. Affordable, effective, and requires almost zero parent involvement. My kids have used it for years and they're doing well academically - including the two who transferred to private school and had no trouble keeping up.

Not the most exciting curriculum out there, but sometimes you don't need exciting. You need done.

### Best For

- Parents who want to outsource math instruction entirely
- Families with multiple kids at different levels
- Anyone who hates grading
- Students who can work independently

**Link:** [teachingtextbooks.com](https://www.teachingtextbooks.com/)