The wide-eyed recognition, the coo of understanding, the hoot of triumph as your baby makes a new connection - it’s amazing to observe our children as they discover the world around them.
We go on walks to the park, trips to the science center, and attend story time at the library. Even a baby who’s not yet walking or talking can benefit from outings like these. What seems commonplace to us is brand new to them.
The new Baby IQ DVD - “The World Around Us” - from The Brainy Baby Company is a great complement to actual exploration. It introduces basic concepts - animals, colors, seasons - in a non-narrated format that encourages parent-child interaction while watching.
Ten of our bloggers viewed this DVD with their children, and over the next two weeks, they’ll report back as to how well they and their children enjoyed it. And if you miss their individual reviews, check back here for the mid-campaign post and round-up reviews where we’ll include sound bites from bloggers.
“In this age of video games and cell phones, there must still be a place for knots, tree houses, and stories of incredible courage. The one thing that we always say about childhood is that we seemed to have more time back then. This book will help you recapture those Sunday afternoons and long summers - because they’re still long if you know how to look at them.”
From the moment this book arrived in our mailbox, my husband and I have been reading and reminiscing. Climbing trees, splashing through creeks, catching toads and crayfish…those were good times. Dirty, rough, and a little bit dangerous.
Finally, we’ve got a tremendous giveaway in honor of this book and its back-to-basics message: A Vector 22 two-man tent from The North Face! Share your own childhood adventure stories in the comments of this post or the upcoming mid-campaign post, and you’ll be entered to win! Winner to be announced in our round-up review on May 22.
I’ve realized that I’ll be lucky if my daughter leaves the house with her clothes on the right way out let alone whether she’ll be prepared enough for what has become quite a challenging Kindergarten curriculum. It’s both refreshing and scary to know that our kids are attacking more difficult skills more than we ever did; it’s nice to know our kids might have a better edge, but sometimes it seems as though their little brains could just use a little more play.
And so, now more than ever, the need for books like Stacey Kannenberg’s “Let’s Get Ready Series” — two books for children entering Kindergarten and First Grade that help teachers, parents, and kids prepare for what lies ahead. And as we all know, familiarity breeds comfort — and with everything else they have to deal with at school, it would be nice to know that the academics were the least of their worries.
The parents who tried out these books during the first half of the campaign were raving about the wide range of skills addressed, the wipe off pages — perfect for making mistakes and erasing, and the fun friendly characters. So, let’s see how our final group of bloggers felt about these books.
Since using the book for over a month, one little boy has gained invaluable skills.
BEFORE we got the book… Malachi had trouble counting, did not know his address or phone number, had trouble with the alphabet… But NOW after about a month with the book, he can count to 100… he can name all the numbers mixed up, he knows his alphabet, he knows his phone number, and almost has his address down. SERIOUSLY. He LOVES the book SO much, he carries it with him EVERYWHERE…he even took it to school to show his preschool teacher and all his friends. I am amazed. Truly.
The best testiment for the Let’s Get Ready Series has to be that one parent loved it so much, she’s taking it to her principal to see if they’ll use the Let’s Get Ready series instead.
At the end of the school year, the school my kids go to sends home a huge ditto book that you can buy to practice things over the summer to get your kids ready for the next grade. I find the current ditto book extremely overwhelming, and because of that we buy it and then it sits on a shelf all summer because we don’t want to begin something we can’t finish. I am going to meet with the principal to see if we can change the book that gets sent home to this one. I was really impressed with it. It isn’t overwhelming like the current book they send home, and since it is dry erase, the kids can practice as much as they want on the parts they need help with.
The winner of the set of these amazing books is Avalon. Congrats! Drop us an email to claim your prize. And if you’d like to purchase these books, you can find them here.
While I don’t look forward to diaper changes - and based on her behavior during the process, my toddler doesn’t like them much either - the diaper stage is fairly predictable. Apart from the occasional blowout or budding artistry (using excrement as the medium), the waste is confined to the diaper. Bathroom searches in unfamiliar locations are not classified as POOPCON 1 emergencies.
Not so once potty training commences. Even if we parents are relaxed about it - “Oh, he’ll use the potty when he’s ready” - the kids may be really eager and instigate the process themselves.
Much of potty training hasn’t changed over the years. Manufacturers have added bells and whistles - new potty chairs may play music when waste is produced (Pavlov, anyone?) - and upgraded the color schemes (I had an avocado-colored potty chair myself, thirty-something years ago), but the basic idea remains the same: Make the process as easy as possible on the toddlers and the parents.
Not only does the show make the point that using the potty is a major step toward being a big kid - which is an excellent motivator in itself - but it helps toddlers understand and remember all the steps associated with using the potty properly.
Fifteen of our parent bloggers received a copy of “Go Potty Go!” Some of them are just beginning the potty training process, some are smack-dab in the middle of it, and some are looking for some reinforcement of what their kids already know and usually do. But all of them were extremely eager to check out this DVD.
Check out what they have to say about “Go Potty Go!” And if you’re in the throes of potty training yourself (potty training your toddler, that is), leave a comment on this post or the upcoming Mid-Campaign post - we’ll throw your name in the hat to win a copy of “Go Potty Go!” (winner to be announced in the Round-Up Review).
Based on the glowing reviews and enthusiastic comments generated by our recent “Blink and It’s Done” campaign, these products are sweeping the continent and leaving clean cars in their wake. But if your car is a disaster on wheels, and yet you still haven’t tried Blink products, we’ve got a great opportunity for you.
After reading this last series of reviews for Huggies Overnites, I have to wonder if the Huggies execs are blushing with pleasure - or perhaps they’re issuing restraining orders against our bloggers who have shamelessly confessed that they “may be in love with a diaper.”
Parents have enough to keep track of these days, so anything to help make life easier would be a welcome addition to any household. And with the computer being the central gathering place for many families, it makes sense to find a service that allows parents to create calendars, schedules, and even grocery lists all from their lap or desktop.
Enter Cozi Central, a free service for both Mac and PC users that helps families get organized. No more double scheduling, worrying about paper grocery lists, and keeping track of 500 pictures. Families can leave messages for each other, upload and create picture collages, and maintain a family calendar.
Our bloggers tried out this system for the past week and here’s what they had to say. And if you’re organizationally challenged, or made a resolution to get rid of the post-it notes and scrap papers (and find a better system), you might want to give it a try yourself.
But overall, it seemed like a great service with something for everyone.
I’d recommend Cozi for any family who has little time at home, a lot to do, and has at least one or two techno-geeks with a computer attached to them for a significant part of their day. But even the non-geeks in the house can use this simple, intuitive software to manage the family calendar.
If you’re interested in learning about more of the features (including the messaging as well as interfacing with a PDA) as well as getting more feedback, check out our next set of reviews. And remember, it’s a free service, so why not give it a try?
After you get over the shock of your child being old enough to get on the bus all on his/her own, you realize that you might not have prepared them as best as you could.
Ah the pressures of parenting. Do they ever end?
It seems as though there are a plethora of educational toys — blocks with French words, and bath toys that prepare kids for the SATs. And that’s all great, but when it comes down to it, it’s nice to know what they actually need to know for Kindergarten and First Grade. And as you might have already figured out, it’s not just their name and their address; the skills of a 5 year old entering school are much more involved.
So mom and educator Stacey Kannenberg created two books “Let’s Get Ready for Kindergarten” and “Let’s Get Ready for First Grade” — both a means in helping teachers and parents know what to expect as well as prepare their kids. These bright colorful books were tested out by our bloggers all last week and here’s what they have to say so far.
My favorite teaching tool in this book is color. For example, the two page spread about vowels and consonants colors each vowel green and each consonant blue. This is particularly useful for explaining how “y” can be a vowel or a consonant. “why” and “happy” color “y” green, but for “yes,” the “y” is blue. Similarly, in a different section of the book, “even” and “odd” numbers are colored differently to visually drive home the difference.
Stay tuned this coming week for the rest of the reviews!
And win your own copies of both books.Just leave us a comment about why you’d like them (in this post) and we’ll pick one winner at random at the end of the campaign.
I’m not going to tell you how many times I’ve said “I wish I spoke another language.” And I’m not talking three years of high school Spanish so I could ask someone to direct me to the bathroom. I’m referring to actually becoming fluent in another language so that I could carry on a conversation for longer than, well, asking where the bathroom might be located.
I imagine I’m not alone. Like playing an instrument, research shows that starting children young is the key to their success as well as longevity. It’s a valuable skill that can assist children in a variety of ways — from relating to others, to understanding other cultures, to finding a job later in life. Other benefits include the following:
Read sooner than monolingual children
Score higher on standardized tests
Become better problem solvers
Most often speak the language with native pronunciation
And while many parents are fortunate to speak another language themselves, many of us speak only one English — and on many days, not very well.
So, I admit to being very interested in Boca Beth’s Program — a fun and easy way for children (birth through eight) to be exposed to and learn Spanish. Beth Butler, a mom and educator, created this Nationally Acclaimed and highly lauded program to provide parents with access to an affordable language program. Her series includes coloring books, dvds, cds, a puppet, maraca, and more, all of which appeal to children without any Spanish exposure as well as those currently taking a Spanish language program (formal or via their parents or relative).
As you might have guessed, our bloggers with children of a variety of ages and backgrounds were excited to check out Boca Beth’s program. Check out what they have to say and share your thoughts about bilingual education.
If you’d like to win a prize package (worth $45) for yourself, leave us a comment and let us know why you need one. We’ll pick one winner at random on our FINAL ROUND UP. Good Luck!
Our bloggers are directed to write frank and honest reviews assessing their personal experience with a product or service. Their reviews may include both positive and negative feedback.
For more information, please refer to our Disclaimer.
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After you get over the shock of your child being old enough to get on the bus all on his/her own, you realize that you might not have prepared them as best as you could.
