LitWits Kits - Crew Review

I recently had the privilege to review four LitWits Kits from LitWits – Carry On, Mr. Bowditch,  Anne of Green Gables, Black Beauty, and Charlotte’s Web. These are digital products that encourage students to read for fun. They are not asked to read with an assignment in mind. Students can get lost in the story, and feel as if they’re there, instead of looking for answers to complete a classroom assignment. After students read the selected story, the LitWits Kit guides their comprehension through tangible, engaging ways – prop ideas, hands-on fun, book bites, takeaways, great quotes, handouts, and learning links.


The prop ideas generate the “aha” moment. Teachers choose props that are unique to the setting and props that are symbolic of the theme. These props are objects from the story that make it more real for the students. My daughter and I used an old lamp, compass, and ship models to learn more about the book Carry On, Mr. Bowditch.


The hands-on fun projects provide a variety of projects that enhance each story. The “Gloomy Gus” activity from Carry On, Mr. Bowditch was a fun skit where we were able portrait Ben and Nate and really feel the value of a positive attitude and perseverance. From all the projects available, we especially enjoyed our “collaging” project. The search for images that reminded us of the Anne of Green Gables story and its characters is like a treasure hunt. This time of hunting, clipping, and gluing provided the perfect space to talk about our favorite scenes from the book.

Book bites help students taste the story. Teachers choose a food right out of the book that is important to the plot, has thematic significance, or is unfamiliar for reason of culture, era, or location. We chose to eat jerky with the book Carry On, Mr. Bowditch; and we tasted plum pudding with the book Anne of Green Gables.


There are many takeaways in each story. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch is full of many topics to explore, from American history and geography to navigation and mathematics. This LitWits Kit narrowed the focus to three “takeaway” topics – perseverance, attitude, and directions. Anne of Green Gables is also full of wonderful topics to explore, from the history of Nova Scotia to the nature of friendship. This LitWits Kit narrowed the focus to three “takeaway” topics – art imitates life, self-discipline, and imagination. These takeaways are hands-on connections to each story.


There are handouts included in each LitWits Kit, along with any necessary answer keys. These academic handouts include narrative arc, vocabulary, geography, characterization, essay writing, and creative writing. Here is the handout from the narrative arc in Carry On, Mr. Bowditch where we learned about the different points of the arc and how they help the story move along.

Learning links are provided to supplement your reading experience, research points of interest, and prompt tangential learning opportunities. Students will learn more about the book and author, as well as story supplements that go beyond the book. This is where we found the link to purchase the Anne of Green Gables Cookbook.


Each LitWits Kit uses the senses to see, smell, touch, taste, and do things from the story. This gives students a full comprehension of the story. LitWits makes great books fun for students of all ages! Visit the Crew Blog to read what the Homeschool Review Crew has to say about the LitWits Kits from LitWits.