Review: Studypod

Not everything we get to review with the Homeschool Crew is curriculum.  The Studypod is an example of a tool that doesn't teach anything by itself, but can make teaching and studying a little bit easier. 

When closed, the Studypod measures roughly 6 1/2" X 9" X 1 1/4" and can fit on the shelf with your other books.    When you open it up and set the "kickstand" to prop it upright, it can hold textbooks, cookbooks,  etc.  leaving you with free hands and more workspace.

On the day the Studypod arrived in the mail, I had to crank ice cream for the church social  that evening.   (The Toolman was working on other projects  so this was going to be done with arm power, not with the high torque drill).  The Schnickelfritz wanted to be with me, but he also wanted me to read to him.   We loaded a book into the Studypod and set it on a chair across from the churn.  I could read the pages and Fritz (with the important job of sitting on the churn) could reach over and turn the pages.

It didn't take us long to find other uses:

 

Here is our buoyancy test set up in the kitchen.  The manual is held open to the experiment and we don't have to worry about the pages getting wet by it lying on the counter.  

 Here is the "kickstand" to prop up the pod and book.

 

Of course I immediately  thought of using this as a cookbook holder.   This spiralbound book doesn't need the metal brackets to hold the pages back.   I just set this up for the picture, but if I were really going to cook, I'd use the brackets to hold a clear page protector up and keep the inevitable splatters out of my new cookbook.

The Studypod comes in black, blue and pink.  The Bookpod, also available from Genio comes in black, grey and tan.  It's really the same product with a different, more inclusive name  (someone worried the name "Studypod" makes it sound like it's just for students).    I think they need to expand the name beyond just books-- a musician ucould use it to hold sheet music .  I know several speakers at our county's Tea Party who would have liked it to keep notes from flying away.   It's really an Anytime-you-need-an-extra-pair-of-hands-to-hold-papers-upright-thingy (Ok, that's probably too long a name to fit on the box). 

Both versions of the pod retail for $19.95 on Genio's website .  If you order more than one ( if you have more than one student, they'll fight over it), the price drops to $16.95.  And here's a special bonus for Homeschool Crew readers: enter the code TOSBLOG5  to save $5 on your order. 

If you want to read other crew member's reviews or see other creative ways to use the Studypod, click here.