Jasper and Roo highly encourage you to visit J4Nε the Pink Robot. The site features short animations that play when you hit any letter on your keyboard: D= Dance the Robot Boogie, F= Robots can Fly, etc. It sends both of my kids into hysterics while familiarizing them (I hope) with the letters of the alphabet. And robots, of course. I highly encourage J4Nε’s creator, Bradford Singley, to make an iPhone App version… seriously, it would make enrich my life in ways you cannot possibly imagine. As it is, I am having to dedicate a laptop to her 24/7. The giggles are infectious, by the way…
The Point is a sweet story with wonderful, amazing music by the wildly talented Harry Nilsson, about a boy named Oblio, who is the only person in the Land of Point to be born “pointless”. He is banished to The Pointless Forest where he learns much about himself, and, of course, that he does, in fact, have a point.
You may recall this album from your childhood, particularly if your parents were hippie-ish. You can purchase both the movie and the CD on Amazon, and they’re cheap! I highly recommend both. Wonderful message & great music-go get yourself a copy!
As someone who grew up with Sesame Street & Mr. Rodgers, I’m a big supporter of public television and the great children’s shows that they offer. One of the top new shows for kids to premiere this past year is “Sid the Science Kid”, the hit, Emmy-nominated PBS series that is produced by The Jim Henson Company and KCET-LA. These two DVDs released nationwide on August 4. Each DVD contains four episodes from the TV show. For more information on this great program, watch the slideshow, which will explain everything “Sid”.
In September, FIVE all-new episodes of “Sid the Science Kid” will debut on PBS stations nationwide! Sid is well-loved by Noel, and helps him to learn scientific principals using every day things that kids encounter, like eating cereal, cars, even an example of digestion using lemon juice!
Another great new PBS series is Dive Olly Dive, which follows the adventures of Olly, a young submarine-in-training, and Beth, his best friend and fellow sub-in-training. Stationed at the Special Underwater Research Facility (S.U.R.F.) under the guidance of Diver Doug, the young subs explore their spectacular underwater world.
Joining Olly and Beth are Skid, Doug’s sleek transport vehicle; Brandt, a cantankerous hermit crab who imagines himself as a pirate; UMA, an eight-appendaged Underwater Maintenance Assistant; Ranger, a tiny cowboy seahorse who wrangles his herd of squid; Shankley, the Scottish sea crane who spins tales of the deep seas; Suzy, the awesome aerobatic seas plane; and Luseal, the fun-loving, athletic seal.
Whether carrying out a research assignment for Diver Doug, playing in spectacular Lava Rock Park, or evading the dangers found in Dark Trench, there’s never a dull moment in Olly’s world.
WIN IT!!!
Mums wants to offer one lucky reader a chance to win 3 DVDS: “Sid the Science Kid: Change Happens,” “Sid the Science Kid: The Bug Club” and “Dive Olly Dive: Ship Shape Sub”. Enter HERE and tell us your favorite television show from childhood! GOOD LUCK!
The short answer is YES, and I don’t mean just take picnics to the park. While those are GREAT, and always fun, it’s not practical for us Texans to journey out to the park with our kids in Summer. Why? Well, if you’ve ever been here, you know the heat is almost unbearable in the summer. Of course, though, with children, if you stay inside, you are bound to be driven out of your tree, right?
My advice? If you live in a city, then you probably have museums, galleries, zoos, botanical gardens & arboretums all at your fingertips. Most every one of these facilities will offer a yearly membership-BUY THEM. We live about 10 minutes from our local zoo. When we first went, I had sticker shock (I guess when you’re voted the top zoo in the nation, you can charge whatever you want…). When I saw the 1 year membership prices, I thought it would be a great investment, and it has been! The cost of the membership has been paid back in spades. This is also true of our membership to the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens (which is free, except for the uber-rad Japanese Garden), and The Modern.
With a membership, I don’t feel obliged to spend enough time at the establishment to “make it worth it”. When we go to the zoo, particularly in the summer, my kids make it about 2-3 hours max. With a membership, I don’t feel obliged to stay from 10-5 to get our money’s worth. Instead of being frustrated when the kids only want to play in the giant sandbox (so cool) and then go home, I’m ok with it because I didn’t just spend $30 for my kids to play in a sandbox for an hour.
Memberships generally come with other benefits too, like discounts on food, in the gift shop, classes, camps and discounted or free entrances into similar establishments. So, when you’re traveling, you will continue to save money…and couldn’t we all use a little extra cash in our pockets these days???
I never thought I would see a black President in my lifetime. I didn’t expect to see a woman come so close to becoming President but the concept is certainly plausible after last year’s primaries. It’s definitely a new political era, no matter where you stand on the issues. I think change is good, especially when it seems to come with a new sense of hope and possibility.
Obama: The Historic Journey: Young Reader’s Edition is a book that captures the story of our 44th President’s path to the White House. Photos and text culled from the venerable New York Times are presented in an engaging style for younger readers. (A version of Obama: The Historic Journey is also available for grown-ups.) I remember reading books like this about JFK when I was little but I don’t recall any other President garnering so much adulation from the media or even from average Americans. Especially not one who grew up in Hawaii, the older brother of one of my classmates… (No, I didn’t know him. He was a lot older than us!)
It is so inspiring to see young kids in the White House. It’s nice to see a swingset in the yard and to watch Barack and Michelle dealing with school drop-offs and pick-ups. It definitely makes them more relatable. One of the most popular sections in Obama: The Historic Journey: Young Reader’s Edition is “The New First Daughters.” I love seeing Malia and Sasha interact with their dad because it gives me hope that he is watching over our country with the same protective, loving spirit: “If at the end of four years, just from a personal standpoint, we can say they are who they are – they remain the great joys that they are – and this hasn’t created a whole bunch of problems for them, then I think we’re going to feel pretty good.”
Obama: The Historic Journey: Young Reader’s Edition is a great way to share the story of the President with children and, hopefully, to let them know that if they work hard enough, anything is truly possible!
Thanks to MotherTalk for giving me the opportunity to review this book.
When I was pregnant with Lennon, I knew I had all the answers when it came to mothering a baby. What I was most sure about was that he’d be a great sleeper, and be sleeping through the night within weeks…a couple of months at the most! Noel was a suburb sleeper, and the book that we went by to keep him calm and comforted as an infant would work with Lennon too. I know, I know…all babies are different, but they couldn’t be that different, right?
I’ll give you all a moment to compose yourselves…stop laughing already!
Remember all those months I spent not blogging? It might have had something to do with the fact that not only did I now have the responsibility of two babies (if they’re both still in diapers, they’re still babies!), but we had the overwhelming responsibility of a baby that catnapped, had reflux, and didn’t want to be very far from his mama…for TEN FREAKING MONTHS. Ok, the reflux only lasted a couple months, but the clinginess and crappy sleeping habits lasted a very long time.
Just when I was reaching the point of desperation, who should step in but Elizabeth Pantley, author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution. The No-Cry Series of books offers comforting, soothing ideas for getting your children sleeping soundly without the freak-outs, the drama, and the heartbreaking method of “crying it out”. Pantley gives you tools to assess what your baby really needs when they cry. We had let our situation go on so long, that I believe it had just become habit for Lennon to get up 3-4 times a night to nurse (yes…every, single night for 10 months). We took a leap of faith, and started enacting Pantley’s methods, and lo and behold, within just a few days, we had our boy sleeping through the night!
Now, clearly, I am not going to say that The No-Cry Sleep Solution will work for everyone, but it has worked for us. I like the gentle approach to getting your baby to sleep, and The No-Cry Sleep Solution has been a good solution for my family. We’re all better rested, and definitely happier! Next on my list from the No-Cry Series: The No-Cry Potty Training Solution. I will keep you posted…
Scholastic’s Storybook Treasures is a collection of DVDs that will make you feel slightly less guilty about using the TV for a babysitter. All kidding aside, these DVDs are the closest thing you’ll find to reading aloud. The narration is slow and steady and purposeful, which is very useful to try and coax kids into reading along if you happen to have the book that it is based upon. Luckily, the titles available in Scholastic’s Storybook Treasures series are all tried and true classics. In fact, the laid-back pacing of these adaptations reminds me of the old classroom filmstrips from my youth, the ones that required you to hang on every word until the beep told you to advance the frame. Such a difference from the frenetic style of today’s action-packed cartoons!
We recently received Make Way for Ducklings…and more delightful duck stories. Robert McCloskey’s sweet story of nesting ducks always makes me smile. And Jasper especially likes this DVD since “duck” is one of the words he can say understandably. Lucky for my little duck lover, this extra-long (76 minutes!) disc also features The Story of Ping, The Ugly Duckling, and Angus and the Ducks, as well as two stories that have non-duck birds in central roles.
If you have a dog lover, Harry the Dirty Dog…and more playful puppy stories may be more your style. There are six canine-centric tales on this 73 minute DVD. Roo loves the one about Harry trying to lose his new sweater from grandma.
The Storybook Treasures DVD I enjoyed most was Where the Wild Things Are…and 5 more stories. I have long been a Maurice Sendak fan and the title story is one of my all-time favorite childrens books. There is also an adaptation of In the Night Kitchen, and I am pleased to report that Mickey’s nethers are unretouched here. (I can’t believe that some libraries censor or remove this book for full frontal nudity… geez, it’s called a penis and half the world has ‘em, right?) The other fantastic thing about this collection is the inclusion of the Nutshell Library. I love reading these to Roo and Jasper, but I must admit that the Carole King versions pretty much blow me away. Duh. I vaguely remember these songs from my youth; they were part of the Really Rosie LP. I wish I still had that!
Click HERE to enter and tell us which childhood literary classic you would like to see turned into a Scholastic Storybook Treasures DVD. Contest ends Saturday, October 18th at 10 PM CST. Winner will be chosen randomly and notified via email. Good Luck!!
I consider myself green. Okay, maybe not green…more like sage. But I try to do my part, like replacing all my old school light bulbs with the new compact fluorescent ones, recycling cans and bottles and I try to buy the big gear for my kids from resale shops and stuff. I would like to do more but it can be very overwhelming to know where to begin. That is where HappyGreenBaby can help! HappyGreenBaby is an online baby boutique that selects only the best in eco-friendly and sustainably produced baby clothes and baby gear. They handpick only those products that are organic, natural and that have a commitment to lessening impact on the environment.
You will find clothes (like the I’ll Save the World Tee pictured left), blankets, sippy cups, furniture and more from great companies like Boon, Baby Soy and Little Twig. Still intimidated by all the choices out there? Never fear for HappyGreenBaby can help there too with their handy Learning Center that contains tips and guides for everything from how to start using cloth diapers to how to throw an “all green” baby shower! And to top all that off HappyGreenBaby is also committed to operating their business in a green, clean, eco-friendly way. Here are just a few of things they do to lessen the impact on the environment:
· They are a member of 1% For The Planet, in which companies, like HappyGreenBaby pledge 1% of their total annual revenue to benefit environmental charities.
· They reuse all of the boxes they receive merchandise in as shipping boxes for their customers (with the hope that the customers too, will reuse the boxes again).
· They print everything on post-consumer recycled paper … and then they reuse that paper, too! You might find a recipe or letter from a “previous life” printed on the back of your packing slip.
Want to start living that Green Life that you have always wanted to? Then shop HappyGreenBaby and know that you are not just buying quality for your children but that you are also helping to make a better planet for them too!
And to get you started HappyGreenBaby is giving away a $50 gift certificate to their store!
WIN IT!
$50 Gift Certificate
Click HERE to enter and tell us what you would choose from HappyGreenBaby if you won. Contest ends Friday, September 26th at 10 PM CST. Winner will be chosen randomly and notified via email. Good Luck!!
It’s out on the shelves now and Tag! You’re it! It’s time to head out to your nearest LeapFrog product retailer and pick up this brand new, sensational reading tool…for the kids of the next generation.
I’m still amazed at how far technology has come even in the past five or so years. I sit and watch my toddler run this over-sized pen along a sentence in the accompanying book and it actually READS the story to her. She taps a word on a page and the pen SAYS the word. Pretty fantastic, in my opinion.
The Tag is quite easy to set up and use. Load the software onto your computer (disc included/Mac and PC compatible), connect the Tag to your computer via USB (cord provided) and follow a few simple instructions to load the books onto the pen-like reading device. The Ozzie and Mack book (our favorite) comes with your Tag. You can also connect the Tag to your computer and use it online at LeapFrog’s Learning Path.
“The Tag Reading System is the first handheld learn-to-read technology that interacts directly with real books. Audio for the stories, as well as the fun-filled games and activities spread throughout the pages, offers early readers an entirely new and captivating reading experience. By simply touching the Tag reader anywhere on any page of a Tag-enabled book, children can bring their favorite stories to life, easily skipping from page to page or book to book.“
So, we’re totally digging this new product and highly recommend picking one up for your kiddo or purchasing one as a gift for someone. The Tag retails around $50 dollars and can be found at most major retailers that carry LeapFrog products. Additional accessories for the reading system, like books, retail around $14/ea. There are quite a few books in the LeapFrog library to choose from right now. I can’t wait to pick up more!
WIN IT!
Of course, we’d love to give THREE of our loyal readers a LeapFrog Tag Reading System! Shucks, isn’t that swell?
TO ENTER:
Leave your entry comment on this post and let us know which of the books made especially for the Tag Reading System your child would love. Click HERE to browse the LeapFrog library.
This giveaway ends on Wednesday, July 9th. Three winners will be chosen randomly (not based on comment) and notified via email. After winner’s confirmations, we will update this post with the winner’s names. Bloggers and non-bloggers are welcome to enter.
Good luck!
PS: I highly recommend checking out the live Tag Demo by clicking HERE and scrolling down the left-side of the page to “Try the Tag Demo”.
My toddler, Hailey, using Tag on her new Tag Cars “Tractor Tipping” book:
I’ve always loved to read, and I’ve always wanted my children to develop a love for reading early. Noel has already begun to show a lot of interest in books, which is awesome. Last summer, I told you about a set of DVDs that we received; Your Baby Can Read! Well, unfortunately we were not persistent with the DVDs (but Noel does recognize a few words thanks to this set, so I know with some gumption, we would have a little reader on our hands). Now, Your Baby Can Read! offers books to go along with each DVD. The great thing about these books is that the pages are water & TEAR proof (why don’t they do this with all kids books??)!! The Lift-a-Flap Books show a word, then the correlating object behind the flap. Within a couple days of having these and looking at them, Noel could pick out the right words when we’d ask him. I am convinced that these books and DVDs do work. We’re going to start over with the DVDs and see what happens.
Another book we received will help steer your child in the direction of green living early. My Bag and Me shows how even the littlest among us can help protect the Earth by doing something as simple as bringing your own bag to the grocery store. This book includes a pint-sized bag just for your child! Check out Penton Overseas for more great choices for kids.
Naomi on October 7th, 2009
I just posted about
Joining Olly and Beth are Skid, Doug’s sleek transport vehicle; Brandt, a cantankerous hermit crab who imagines himself as a pirate; UMA, an eight-appendaged Underwater Maintenance Assistant; Ranger, a tiny cowboy seahorse who wrangles his herd of squid; Shankley, the Scottish sea crane who spins tales of the deep seas; Suzy, the awesome aerobatic seas plane; and Luseal, the fun-loving, athletic seal.
The short answer is YES, and I don’t mean just take picnics to the park. While those are GREAT, and always fun, it’s not practical for us Texans to journey out to the park with our kids in Summer. Why? Well, if you’ve ever been here, you know the heat is almost unbearable in the summer. Of course, though, with children, if you stay inside, you are bound to be driven out of your tree, right?
If you have a dog lover, 
It’s out on the shelves now and 
Last summer, I 
