The Study Pod Review (Or How Swiper the Fox(es) Moved into My Home)

Who would have thought that an innocent looking little package would cause such an uproar in my household?  I opened it up and was immediately enchanted by this simple, yet elegant solution for my many book reading endeavors. But then I went and got the children's opinions -- boy was that a mistake!

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At first glance it looks like a small hard-covered book. When you open it up there are two areas where you can store pencils, pens and other small items. There are two wire page holders attached which fold easily into the casing. You simply open the wire holders and add your book of choice.

Now the really cool thing about the Study Pod is that it can hold books of all sizes. I experimented with oversized books (i.e., 100 Lessons to Reading), cookbooks, paperback books (i.e., children's books, adult mysteries, etc.)  and the Study Pod had no problem handling the varying page sizes and page counts. And it easily stood up with the smaller books even when with my forgetting to put the stabilizing leg (located in the back of the Study Pod) in to keep it stationary.

The Study Pod is very compact and stores easily on my bookshelves. Since my home has a few "space issues" this is a great feature for us. I also like that there is a place for us to put pens, paper, crochet hooks, and other supplies that might be needed to get the assignments done -- it saves a lot of time

Meet Swiper the Fox(es)

Jade was my first test subject. Once she realized I wasn't going to have her do any actual homework, really liked the idea and the way it was easier for her to do copywork (in our mock copywork session). She also liked how it held awkward books -- you know the large paperback books that just refuse to stay open when you're trying read it unless you put bricks on either end -- and freed up her hands while helping her maintain her place.

Alaya -- also leery because she thought this was a trick to get her to do more schoolwork -- liked not having to hold her readers in her hand. She was actually more intrigued by the construction of the Study Pod. She found the stabilizing lock that keep the Study Pod open and stabilized (no book avalanches with this product!) something that I totally missed in my first inspection. She also told me that it was easier to read the words with the Study Pod.

Michael found the open spaces inside the Study Pod to be a really cool place to hide his toys, my keys and his sister's video games.  And since we are sampling the black Study Pod, he discovered that if he picked the darkest corner in our home he'd be sure that none of us would ever find it again. (Unfortunately for him, I happened to notice him glancing over his shoulder looking to see if anyone was watching him!)

And then there's me.  Before Children (B.C.) I was an avid crocheter and craft-type person. One of my greatest frustrations came from the inability for the books to stay open by themselves while I was trying to get the hang of a new pattern. The same thing applies to trying out new recipes. I don't know who makes those books, but they must enjoy torturing others. So, the StudyPod is like my new best friend.  I am really happy with it's versatility.

So, now the fun begins.  Alaya swipes it so that she can play with the different ways that you position the wire page holders and see which book is too big for it to handle ... and that explains the piles of books I discovered. Michael swipes it from Alaya because he has more important documents and wallets to hide from the rest of the family. I swipe it from Michael and put it on top of the bookcase because I don't want these yahoos to break it before I get to use it. But I forget that Jade is quite tall for her age, and she swipes it from the bookcase and hides it in her bed. See, this way she can play her DS and read a book at the same time ...

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So I guess you can say that my family really likes the Study Pod which is the wonderful invention of  Phil Rucinski, a self-avowed homework hater. Aside from creating kleptomaniacs, the Study Pod makes it easier for students to study by creating a more natural posture for writing, reading and studying. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes to have a hands-free reading experience.

You can pick up your Study Pods by visiting http://www.studypodbookholder.com/. The STUDYPOD is available in Black, Blue, and Pink. If you don't like those colors you can always purchase the BOOKPOD  (same product just different color schemes) which is available in Black, Gray, and Beige. They sell one unit for $19.95 and if you buy two or more you can purchase them at a discounted price of $16.95 each. You can mix and match STUDYPOD and BOOKPOD to take advantage of the $16.95 price.

Well I'm off to  go order two pinks and one blue Study Pod to end the Swiper Madness that's running rampant here. I mean, we all know that this one is MINE!

P.S. As a bonus for readers, GENIO is offering a $5 off coupon code for orders from the website.  Enter the code TOSBLOG5 when ordering to receive your additional $5 off!