Forget princesses and pirates…today’s role playing comes in the form of real-world heroes, like doctors!  Little Medical School offers several different kits, such as My Little Sports Medicine, to give kids a chance for exploration and hands-on learning.  The kit includes a white coat, workbook, and ‘doctoring’ materials (such as gauze, bandages, skeletal posters, and more) – all designed to engage your child in learning about the field of Sports Medicine.

The Little Medical School created these kits as an offshoot of their Little Medical School programs, hosted at over thirty locations across the USA.  Their on-site program is designed for 4-12-year-olds.  At only $49.99, this home-study kit includes a great unit study-type curriculum that fits well with the push for STEM-related toys and educational products.  They also have kits that focus on veterinarians and pediatricians.

The kit comes in three different sizes, but the only difference is the size of the white doctor’s coat that is included.  Choices include 5/6, 7, and 8/10.  The materials arrive in a white, cardboard box (with Velcro closures) that is shaped like the traditional doctor’s kit, complete with carrying handle.  It is a fairly good size, and full of hands-on, role-playing goodies!

After taking the White Coat Pledge, students dive into their lessons.  The enclosed workbook teaches basic skeletal anatomy and first aid, such as how to treat a sprained ankle.  They spend some time learning the various bones of the hand, and even get to make their own model of types of joints.  The lessons culminate in pretend Tommy John surgery (used to stabilize the elbow), and course graduation.

We used this with my ten-year-old son.  While he is at the upper edge of the target age range (5-10), he still very much enjoys this type of hands-on play.  Additionally, we had a family member who has been in and out of Sports Therapy for over a year now, and this kit helped to bring all of those doctor visits down to a level he could understand.  We used it in a homeschool setting with only the one student, but it could very easily be adapted to a co-op setting with multiple students…and would probably be even more fun when completed that way.  The students could take turns being doctor and patient, and they could work on teamwork and cooperation as they ‘treat’ their patient together.

My son really enjoyed using this kit. Coming on the heels of several trips to an orthopedic surgeon for another family member, it was the perfect supplement to all of that time spent in waiting rooms.  He was able to use his workbook to study up, ask the doctor questions, and then ‘help’ with treatments.  We had a great doctor!  However, even if you are unable to take it into an office, you won’t miss out on any learning – this is such a thorough and well-put-together learning tool that your child will be ready to help with basic first aid on the soccer or baseball field!

-Product review by Holly Johnson, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, October, 2017