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)
We recently received the Nana Star doll and book to review and the NerdPie loved it! This soft doll is just precious and comes with her star and the twig he sits on. The book is sweet and well illustrated. The only bad thing that could be said is that is was a bit short. But it is so sweet and also comes with a cd. This is that perfect grandparent gift because NerdPie will have this doll and book for years! They also have a Moonman for boys and it is also very cute!
So go check it out!
We recently received Times Tales to help the NerdBug learn his times tables. This is a cute mnemonic based system that is full of illustrations to help kids memorize their upper times table. Everyone I have talked to loves it. Well, we aren’t those people. For us, this system is harder than just memorizing the facts themselves. Because we are focusing so much on teaching him the theory, by the time he understood the concept he memorized it. This would be perfect for the person who isn’t working on the concept but is just trying to memorize. I am just not sure what kind of recall speed you would have if you have to recall the picture and translate it to numbers. At $29.95 you really have to figure out if you have the kind of child who would benifit from this system.
My Nerdlings and I recently got the opportunity to use the Time for Learning. Basically this is an online educational service. You sign your kids up individually and enter their academic level. Then they log in and complete lessons that are organized by subject. Time for Learning tracks time spent on each lesson, score and activity type so parents can go in and review the basics of what their kids are doing. You even have the option of printing a report for your academic records.
The price basics are:
Subscription Costs:
$19.95/month
$14.95/month per additional child
14 day money-back guarantee
No contracts
Cancel at any time
So what did we think? The kids liked it well enough. It was a centralization of academic activities but was it worth the price? Not for me. I could look at the subject and basic details of what an assignment was but when my kids didn’t score 100 I would have liked to look and see what they got wrong so we could correct it. You can’t see any of the actual work they did. Also, and this isn’t a big deal, NerdBug did the playground time (a reward for getting their assignments done) and it took him to PBS Kids. I don’t have a problem at all with PBS Kids but it was the fact it took him outside the system that bothered me.
The user interface was a bit clunky because the kids had to listen to every explanation (“Click here when your done”, for example) before they could do anything. My kids who have been on a computer for years found that a bit annoying.
Frankly, if you are friends with your Google I think you can collect enough sites to not need a service like this. But if you are not real internet savvy or don’t want to spend the time, it is a nice service.
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!
Ever wanted your kids to help out around the house but they once again seemed to forget what they are supposed to do? What you think about a system that lays it all out for them so you don’t have to be there telling them what to do every step of the way? I can say that especially as a homeschool mom, I had to get a system because if I had to do it all…well, we would all be in trouble.
I recently got the opportunity to review a collection of Clean ‘N’ Flip charts from Trigger Memory Systems and their Laundry for Kids, Bedroom Cleaning for Kids and Zone Cleaning for Kids do just that. Each chart goes through step by step and tells kids what they need to do. It sets out to teach kids the logical way of attacking these jobs. The Laundry for Kids has check boxes where you can point out the jobs you want your kids to do (not erasable). The Zone Cleaning chart is dry erase chart so you can personalize with any extra jobs that go with each room. You also have a spot to assign a job to a specific job and a time of day to do.
Overall, I think this is a really great idea for anyone who doesn’t have an effective chore system. But at $30 for all 3 it is a bit pricey for the convenience of having it all laid out for you. But if you want to check them out for free….
Win it!
How would you like to win Laundry for Kids?
To enter:
* Stop by the Trigger Memory Systems before Saturday December 20th and check out the cool items they have.
* Then come back and mention in comments what you think is the best. That’s it!
* A random winner will be selected and notified on Dec 21st.
* 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 Trigger Memory Systems.
This giveaway is open to addresses within the US. Please leave a way to contact you in case you win.
This week I am only giving away Laundry for Kids but I will be giving away another chart next week!
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)
For those of you who have been living under a rock and without a calendar….. Christmas is coming!!! In the spirit of Christmas I have a Nintendo Wii game to giveaway!
The Game Factory has published a great family friendly game called Build-A-Bear Workshop: A Friend Fur All Seasons. This is the perfect family game because it is for ages 3+ and can be for anywhere from 1 to 4 players. Build-A-Bear Workshop® entertainment experience allows up to four players to name, groom, feed and dress their bear using the revolutionary Wii™ remote. The game allows players to join their customized bear on adventures to explore islands, meet inhabitants and help furry friends.
Build-A-Bear Workshop: A Friend Fur All Seasons allows full interaction between the player and her/his furry friend in a variety of 20 fun mini-games, from throwing Frisbees to ice-skating. Four islands season-themed wait to be explored and six treasure spots hold magical chests! Developed for children and families, Build-A-Bear Workshop: A Friend Fur All Seasons packs fun for the whole family and allows players to take full advantage of the unique features of the Nintendo Wii™ game system. It is available at Amazon
Charity and Cool Stuff!
Build A Bear will be auctioning off celebrity-built Build-A-Bear Workshop bears, along with autographed copies of the Build-A-Bear Wii game. These bears and signed games will be on eBay’s Giving Works to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California. These one-of-a-kind bears were built by celebrities like Tori Spelling & Dean McDermott, the Jonas Brothers, James Gandolfini, Melissa Joan Hart, Bonnie Hunt, Mitchel Musso, Meaghan Jette Martin and more.
Win it!
How would you like to win a copy of Build A Bear Worshop: A Friend Fur All Seasons for your family? To enter:
* Stop by the Build A Bear Auction before Dec 3rd and check out the cool bears they have.
* Then come back and mention in comments which bear is your favorite. That’s it!
* A random winner will be selected and notified on Dec 7th.
* 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 The Game Factory.
This giveaway is open to addresses within the US and Canada. Please leave a way to contact you in case you win.
(This is a FRN post)
I saw this cute toothbrush cover in Parents magazine. It protects the toothbrush from any flying germs and then suctions to the mirror to hold the brush upright. You can get cute decorative/painted animals or a solid color in a 6 pack. They also travel great!
Yeah I know, that is a lot to expect from a book but I think I may have found it. Kid Who Named Pluto: And the Stories of Other Extraordinary Young People in Science
This book has about 9 different profiles on young people who did great things in science, not all of which are scientists. It covers Isaac Asimov and Philo Farnsworth and many more. It even has a list for further reading! As a science dork it is great. As a mom who wants her children to dream it is great. And as a homeschooler it is phenomenal! It seems that many of the world’s young geniuses were in spite of public schooling and not because of it (a full blog post on this is coming;). This book happens to highlight a few of those specifically.
So for $8 it is a great deal and a great present for any child. Or get it from your library for an even better deal;).