Right now my kids are loving my blogs. That is because I got a chance to review the not yet released Veggie Tales: Abe & the Amazing Promise
My 7 year old’s favorite part was the silly song Sneeze If You Want To! It was completely adorable. The part I absolutely loved was the musical Blunders in Boo-boo-ville about how fast isn’t always best.
If you love VeggieTales you have to check out Veggie Tales: Abe & the Amazing Promise
(FRN Review)
American geography is important. There I said it. But the question is how do we teach it. Previously I have worked with flash cards. Now that has seemed to work as long as the kid is just looking at the shape of the state but placement doesn’t really fit into this plan. Well, The Little Man in the Map book seems to have some solutions.
This award winning book has beautiful illustrations that emphasis the rhyming system. It has separated the US into regions and then has rhymes that help you remember each state individually and as a region. My kids absolutely loved it! You can use this book in conjunction with the wall map to make an entire US geography unit. How we are going to use it is with a lot of reading. The kids think it is such a fun book they keep wanting to read it.
Right now Schoolside Press is running some great deals. First of all they are doing free shipping for the holidays. The book by itself is $19.95 and the map is $21.95 but you can get the combo pack for $35.00. You can even get the book autographed!
My kids and I definitely recommend this book for families with kids under about 5 grade. Go check it out!
Many of you who read my main blog (NerdFamily Blog) know that I am a huge fan of Meal Planning. I am constantly asked by people about how to start. Well, I found a great e-book called A Month of Meals that can get anyone started down the road to successful meal planning. Jamie Ussher does a great job of explaining how to plan, pricing, recipe rotation and she even gives some really good recipes. With 70 pages she also looks at nutrition and how to make sure that you get all your family needs. If you don’t meal plan, know someone else who needs to start or are just not happy with your system, go check out A Month of Meals.
(FRN Review)
My 5 year old NerdPie has some new favorite shoes, her new new Polliwalk kitty shoes in lilac! She is also looking forward to wearing the new Fish Lip shoes more in the spring and summer!
Now it probably isn’t a surprise that I was a bit critical when I opened my box of Polliwalks to review them. Usually you have to choose between really cute things and really well made but not this time. These shoes are well made, out of a waterproof molded soft foam. The company is enviromentally conscious using recycled material and these shoes are completely vegan.
On the practical side they are really well fitting. NerdPie thinks the faux fur in the Kitty’s are so soft on the inside that she doesn’t want to wear socks with them. They are also washable. No, I don’t just mean that you can use the hose on them but the shoes with out the faux fur can go into the washer on gentle. Just don’t put them in the dryer! Another cool thing is that the brand new Fish Lips have a detachable back strap so if you have a kid that needs it (like mine) you can just put them on. Then if you need them with out (like for the pool) just pop it back off.
Not only do these shoes have the cute little faces but when the kids walk on something that takes a footprint it leaves the cutest little footprints of whatever animal you have on your shoe. This is the one of the most unique thing about these shoes.
Polliwalks has been smart in their over all plan because they have Polliwalks for all seasons. They have the fuzzy faux fur that are great indoor/outdoor slippers or just run around shoes. They also have pull ons that have a tightening cord and they also boots. Then the new shoes for spring and summer rock. Right now they are only available at Dillards and Zappos but the cool Fish Lips (the lips change color in the sun) and the Firefly (tail lights up with movement) will be available through other retailers in the spring.
Win it!
How would you like to win a pair of Polliwalks (choices are limited to Puppy, Kitty, Gator, Duck, Frog and Ladybug) for your little one?
To enter:
* Stop by the Polliwalks before Wednesday December 10th and check out the cool shoes they have.
* Then come back and mention in comments which of the shoe choices are your favorite. That’s it!
* A random winner will be selected and notified on Dec 11th.
* The winner will then have 3 days to claim their prize.
To earn extra entries, you may do one or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra ticket but you must leave a separate comment for each one.
* Subscribe to my feed.
* Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here and to Polliwalks.
This giveaway is open to addresses within the US. Please leave a way to contact you in case you win.
(This is a FRN post)
I have just read the cutest book that would make an awesome gift for a new grandparent! You Can Call Me Hoppa! The Grandparents’ Guide to Choosing a Name that Fits
So it boils down to I love this book! Not only do I plan on giving it as a gift, I am planning on using it myself. We have Grandma “so and so” and Grandpa “so and so”. I much prefer to have a sweet personal name for each! So go get this book for any first time grandparent in your life!
(This is a Family Review Network review!)
I recently read a novel called The Missing Link: Found by Christina and Felice Gerwitz. One of the things I liked about this book before I even opened it was the fact that it was written by a homeschooled teenager with the help of her mom. I also like the fact it is about creationism and features a homeschool family. But now onto a review of the actual book;).
The book is a very easy read that is aimed at preteens and teens but I am thinking that my 7 year old will enjoy it. It is a fast paced action mystery that deals with evolution issues. I found the plot to move quickly and it really draws you in. It is a book that is a fun read that is great for kids who love to read or ones that find it a struggle. I love the fact that it give a great amount of factual knowledge that can even be a jumping off point for research or a unit (There are even study guides that go with the series). I also like the fact that there are 2 other books so far in the series.
The only down side is that there are some editing errors but I have been told it is going to be re-edited. Overall I really recommend this for the pre-teen or teen in your life either as a gift or just because!
When NerdDad and I got married, broke and straight out of college, I started thinking of getting a nativity set. Originally I wanted one of those real nice porcelain sets but then I realized that isn’t any fun. I wanted something that my kids (whenever they would arrive) wouldn’t break. Now I have kids (boy howdy do I have kids;) and still needed a nativity. Well you can imagine then how happy I was to receive Tales of Glory Nativity Play Set to review.
At 17 pieces I was amazed what a large set this is for only $18 at Christian Book Distributors. My older 3 kids (7, 5, and 3) immediatelyy started playing with it. And when I say immediately, they took each piece as unwrapped and started playing with them. There are enough groups of characters that each one of them could be responsible for a group in the role play. This set also looks great up on my piano.
I know you may be asking about down sides. Some people may have issues with the fact that it is made of pvc and in China but these aren’t issues at all for us (but I wanted to put it out there for the rest of you). My only issue it that there are some pointy party that are hard so I can’t let the 1 1/2 year old play will them. But that isn’t a big deal beacause it is almost impossible to find a good set for under 3.
One2Believe also makes a variety of other toys that kids love. It is nice to see action figures that are Biblical and the P31 dolls are adorable. 1 thing to watch. The nativity set is $24.99 at the One2Believe site and only $17.99 at Christian Book Distributors. I personally go for the deal so don’t shop on their site unless you can’t find any of the other toys anywhere else.
I highly recommend this Nativity Set and I urge you to pop over pick this up for Christmas, the sooner the more play time you have!
You know that title has to be the start of something good! I just read the most delightful book to my preschooler and my kindergartner by Gena Suarez.
Little Splish is dealing with the same issue that my kindergarten NerdPie has. He can’t read, others around him can and this makes Splish very self conscious. This wonderfully illustrated book kept both of my young kids enthraled and encouraged them. It was also great to see a book that focuses on a homeschooling family and one that is sweet and caring. You know that it is really special when the mom reading it walks away encouraged and inspired.
When you order this book from The Old Schoolhouse Store you also get a free pdf activity guide. It is 36 pages of different activities that you can use for different grade levels. There is simple copy work(single sentences about the books), more complex copy work (about about frogs and their life cycle), coloring pages, alphabet maze and ant body diagrams.
If all this isn’t enough there is more. Right now when you order you can have the book autographed by the author. You just tell her who to sign it to.
This is a great gift (especially for under $10) to that child you want to encourage and with Christmas coming up……
For those who haven’t gotten the hint. I like books. No…I love books. NerdDad loves books. A great date for us is dinner and going to the book store (dorks we know). So when I was sent information on Homeschool Library Builder I was quite interested.
This site rocks! They have all kinds of books including many that are homeschool necessities. They also have some out of print books and ex-library copies. The site has a revolving inventory so they may not have every book you want and you need to check the condition (they carry both new and used books) of the books but the deals and customer service make up for it. For example they have a 99 cent copy of The Christmas Stories by Charles Dickens and a 75 cent copy of Caddie Woodlawn in the clearance bin. Also, if they don’t have a book you need just ask and they will go looking for it.
They also have a free membership program where you can get a frequent buyer program and referral program (so if you sign up please use NerdMom as your referrer). They are also very charitable. They have a holiday section where all the proceeds go to the Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child.
So go check out this great site and maybe get a little bit of your Christmas shopping out of the way for the child you always want to encourage to learn.
Shannon over at Rocks at My Dryer asked for a list of great gifts. So here are a few we at the NerdFamily love!
First up is Blokus Classic
We are also huge Mega Bloks
SET Game
Quadrilla Marble Railway
I also love giving books like Usborne Encyclopedias
So there are just a few gifts I love! Click on my gift worthy category to see a few more.