StudyPod Book Holder

Well, here's a fun item we were given to review~ It isn't a curriculum but it *is* an aid.

The StudyPod is a nifty little gadget with a variety of uses. This neat, compact "book" unfolds into a versatile tool that can hold a book, notebook (like right now, while I am transcribing my notes on this review to the computer), or paper in a vertical "Display Position" . This is ideal for transcription work at the computer, displaying art work, holding cookbooks open (Have you see "The Best Recipe" book? It's HUGE, and the StudyPod worked like a charm, holding it open for me!), and I imagine it would work well for holding a music book open as well, although I didn't have an opportunity to try that yet. Oh, and the "page support arms" that hold the pages open look quite "delicate", and treat your books well, but are sturdy enough to hold the book securely with the pages wide open.

There is a little net pocket which one could use to stash a pen, a small notebook, a usb flashdrive, etc... I will say that this wasn't as useful for OUR use at home, but I could see it coming in handy for those who are schooling "out and about" alot.

In addition to being able to hold my notebook, balanced on a stack of cd's and DVD's by my computer while I am typing this out, this nifty little book-holder has been used to keep my daughter's Saxon math text book up off the table, giving her more elbow room and helping to alleviate "hunched shoulders".

I've used it to hold our Mystery of History Volume II text open on a side table so that I could sit in the nearby rocking chair with my toddler on my lap while reading to the the olders. The StudyPod handled that large text admirably, and kept my toddlers fingers from crumpling pages. Thumbs up all around! (Even entire hands, since they are "Book-free"! :) )

I would say that my favorite benefits of the StudyPod are:

• The relief of neck/shoulder stress when bending over a text. It is so much better to be able to sit up straight and have easy visual access to the page. On the StudyPod website they mention that fact that when your posture is correct, the oxygen flow to your brain and muscles is improved, which can in turn improve your focus and attention span!
  
• There is also the relief of hand/finger stress, particularly when compared with simultaneously trying to hold a large text open with a wiggly child in one's lap.
• I appreciate the compact folding and storage feature. I have other "Decorative" book-holders, but they don't fold up neatly to sit on a shelf, or throw in a bag. I can see this coming in handy for those who teach in co-ops, and want to have their text open to display a certain page or chart for their students.

The StudyPod is 6.75" x 8.875" x 1.25" ~ The size of a medium paperback book. As I mentioned above, it can handle a rather large book with no problem. It comes in a variety of colors(black, blue and pink), as you can see in the picture above. There is an identical product on the StudyPod website called the BookPod, that offers the additional "neutral" color choices of gray and beige, so if you think you would like more than one, you can keep who owns which one straight by purchasing different colors.

Speaking of purchasing, I should let you know that the list price on the StudyPod/BookPod is $19.95. If you purchase 2 or more, they offer a discounted price of $16.95, and for readers of the TOS Crew Blogs, there is a special offer of $5 off your order when you provide the code TOSBLOG5 . That makes a purchase of 2 studypods run about $28.90 + shipping ($7 for 2, $11 for 4 were a couple of scenarios that I ran).

Do I think this is a MUST HAVE item for every homeschool? Well.... no, but I think that if your budget allows, it may make a difference in the amount of fatigue that is seen at the end of the day. Check it out! (And for more reviews and viewpoints, check out my TOS Crew Mates thoughts.)

Oh, one more note~ There is a fun little circular batch of quotes and tidbits of information inscribed on the StudyPod, from Thomas Edison to Woody Allen.... very eclectic, and a nice little touch that my daughter noticed long before I did!

Enjoy!