Tin Man Press

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Thinking the Tin Man Way

Tin Man Press originates and publishes thinking-skills materials for the elementary grades. Our books and card sets are used in gifted programs and conventional classrooms, and also by home schoolers and parents.

Our goal is simple: Help children learn to think--and like to think.

How We Work

Tin Man Press is a small, family owned company that has produced outstanding teaching materials since 1979. We don't have a long list of publications to show for it. Instead, we choose to focus on just one or two projects a year. We keep our standards high because we want each one of our products to represent the very best that we can do.

Here's Our Philosophy

• We try to generate ideas that are truly unique. Every Tin Man product has its own "look" and feel." Since we are a small company, we can afford to take chances--and often do--by utilizing strategies that go beyond "inside-the-lines" thinking. For example, we might start by directing a student to pick up a pencil and look at it carefully. Then we might ask: "Where do the pencil marks go when you erase?" Or, "How do you think the lead gets inside the pencil?" Or, "How is the eraser attached?" In other words, the pencil becomes the starting point for a variety of sophisticated thinking challenges.
• We make sure our activities are fun! After all, shouldn't thinking be a pleasure? And if children are thoroughly engaged in doing a project, they are more likely to learn something. For example, in one book, we ask students to look at a dozen zany little face drawings and decide which are Galoops and which are not. It's a problem-solving, deduction activity. But the children don't need to worry about that--they're just having fun determining what makes a Galoop a Galoop.
• Our materials are easy to use. We take great pains to work out all the "bugs" in all of our activities. Our directions to students are always very clear, and we're proud that teachers and parents can use our activities without saying, "Huh? What do I do with this?"