Fun, Creative Game for Toddlers

GAMES FOR TODDLERS: Use with your child for sorting, color recognition, patterning, learning basic math skills such as counting, adding, subtraction and graphing. The best part about this Montessori set is that your little ones won't even notice that they are learning as they "play".

MOTOR SKILL DEVELOPMENT: The pegboard stacker set is great for building fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, develop and strengthen visual perception skills, visual motor coordination, making patterns and more.

EASY STORAGE & TRAVEL TOYS: It comes with the Skoolzy drawstring backpack to easily store all the pieces and for your child to carry their peg board set at home, in the car or airplane. Makes for quick and easy clean up.

INCLUDES:

• 1 Skoolzy peg board (8.5")
• 30 pegs (2") 6 colors
• 1 Skoolzy storage backpack (12" x 8")
• Downloadable parent activity guide for the toddler toys.

My Thoughts 

I am not going to lie at first I was very confused. I got the game and when I opened it there was a drawstring bag, a peg board, a bunch of pegs, a string, and a colored block. I looked for directions on how to play the game and could not find any. I assumed it had been a packaging mistake. So I went on the website and realized that it is not a structured game. I was so thrown. I looked at my father like, huh? Well he took over and then I realized the magic of this game. They were making up all sorts of games. There are also tons of different sets that you can choose from with different levels of add ons like blocks, and different colors. They have many versions to choose from.
The put the pegs on strings, pegs stacked on pegs, color coded pegs, rolled dice and then that was the only color peg that could move. There was so much freedom to make up their own games. By the end of a half an hour, my dad just looked at me and said, "I get it now. This is actually pretty ingenious." Declan, my three year old, was making up all sorts of games. He loves to go in and string the pegs on to the a long black string. He also likes the bag. It is such an easy thing to grab to bring places. The downloadable activity book. There are so many cognitive and creative skills that can be flourished from this game. It can teach colors, counting, coordination, patterns, etc. It is actually ingenious. I love the vibrancy of the colors as well. 

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WriteReader Gives Your Kids a Head Start on Reading

I was always taught that you needed to learn to read before you'd be able to write, but WriteReader is changing the way we think about learning. This new Scandinavian app encourages children to learn to read by telling their own stories.  For two years, Scandavian scientists studied the Write to Read method, and they have taken what they learned and made it easy for everyone to access in the exciting WriteReader App.




The WriteReader app works by allowing children to create their very own books, turning them into authors instead of  just consumers. This opens up a whole new world of imagination and gives young children the encouragement they need to learn. First, the kids use the recording function to record the story they want to tell. WriteReader's speak to text feature will turn their story into words on the screen. When they see their spoken words turn to written words, it makes it easier for them to recognize written language.  There is also a phonetic keyboard and an interface allowing the parent, teacher, or older sibling to write the text in conventional writing below the child’s version.

The WriteReader App just launched in the United States a few weeks ago, and already it's a huge success.  If you have a child who's struggling with reading or if you simply want to give a preschooler a head start, this a great app to try. To learn more about WriteReader, you can visit their website or check them on their social. The app available to download now on iTunes 

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"Astroblast!" takes off with out-of-this-world new episodes - this January on Sprout!

Are you ready for an out-of-this-world adventure this winter with 17 new episodes of Astroblast!. This show is the hit CGI-animated series for preschoolers from Scholastic Media and Sprout! The fun blasts off beginning Monday, January 19, at 1pm on Sprout with the debut of two back-to-back, smoothie-powered stories – and kicks-off more than two weeks of brand-new Astroblast! escapades!

Astroblast! follows the zany adventures of Comet, Halley, Sputnik, Radar and Jet, a crew of animals who run the Astroblast Space Station, the coolest hangout in the galaxy, all under the watchful eye of Sal the Octopus. Along with a constantly changing cast of quirky visitors from other planets, the Astroblast Space Station gang cooks up the perfect recipe for promoting positive relationships, self-esteem, good nutrition and physical activity.

Astroblast! is inspired by the Scholastic books of the same name by award-winning author/illustrator Bob Kolar, and every episode offers fun stories with age-appropriate messages about friendship and self-awareness. Like many of Scholastic Media’s popular TV series, Astroblast! is also a perfect choice for kids and families to tune-in to together – and its humor will have viewers of all ages laughing along.

Review: Learning is fun with Star Wars Workbooks for kids!

Learning is tedious and sometimes, for some kids, just not fun. If you are a family that does a lot of at home teaching, and you like the Star Wars movies, these books are just up your alley! While my son is a bit older, so this is a lot of review for him, he still enjoyed all of the pages filled with Star Wars characters and phrases. 

Preschool ABC fun: This work book does just that, it makes learning your ABC's fun! From letter recognition to writing upper and lower case words and beginning phonics, your little one is sure to enjoy all the fun pictures and games! Not your typical ABC words. For example, the letter Rr is associated with Rebel troop and reek, while Jj is Jar Jar Binks and jet pack. 

First Grade Math is your typical Math book, but yet you are counting X-wings and Jawa's. You get to travel to Nabu and Tatooine. Light saber graphs make this book exciting to help them learn the basics. Word problems, addition and subtraction, and place value are just a few of the topics covered. 

Second Grade Writing teaches story construction, spelling vocabulary, and creative writing. Write a Review asks you to pick your favorite of the Star Wars movies and write your own review of it. Practicing your letters and cursive writing encourages your child to write neatly. Your child can also create their very own Star Wars species by drawing a picture and writing out the details. 

Second Grade reading encourages comprehension and vocabulary. Filled with stories about Ewoks and Podracing your kiddo is sure to go to new heights. Cross word puzzles and learning how to alphabetize are just a couple of the exercises. This book just shows that reading can be fun, and that it starts early!

We have really enjoyed these work books, and I am thrilled to have them in my arsenal. 

Check out their Website to see their other workbooks and learn where to order.

LeapPad3 Makes Learning Fun!

 I have a four-year-old daughter and she is always trying to grab her older brother and sister's iPods. I tried to let her play some learning games on my iPad and she wound up sitting on it and cracking the screen. After that experience I was thrilled to get the opportunity to test out the LeapPad3. Its a sturdy handheld tablet designed just for kids and its tough enough to put up with all they can throw at it. Right off the bat, I can tell you ours has been dropped, thrown and kicked more than once and its none the worse for wear. Even the stylus is fixed securely with a string to prevent it getting lost. But lets move on to some of the other features.

 The LeapPad3 comes complete with one game already installed and thousands of apps and cartridges you can purchase for an additional content.The game that comes with the LeapPad is a virtual pet game called PetPadParty. You can choose between cats, dogs, bears, penguins, robots and more. You can give them names and set them up in a virtual world. You can choose its name, colors, and care for it. Its definitely a cute game and my daughter is an animal lover so she really enjoyed it.

In addition to the game that is already installed, you can also go online to the store to find hundreds of other game options. You get one game for free with your initial purchase.  My daughter picked out Escape of the Sillies. When they get away they bring happiness to our world.  This game teaches counting skills and is perfect for preschool age.  I also allows you to add your own pictures to the faces of the Sillies. This free games feature generic characters, but you can also pick from many of your favorite personalities including Cars, Team Umi Zoomi, Magic School Bus, Dora, Sponge Bob, and tons more. They have a great selection, but given the price of the device, it would have been nice to have one or two more games included at no additional cost, even if it was a few more generic ones. I would also like to see as least one book or coloring pages included in the initial package.

In addition to all the fun games, there is still way more this system has to offer. There is a built in Wi-Fi system you can connect to the internet to download right onto the tablet. There is a camera, you can film videos, listen to music, and pretty much everything  you'd find on a adult tablet, just made simple to use so kids can handle it independently. The touch screen is receptive and the battery is rechargeable which is a really big plus.

 The LeapPad3 is  perfect for home and travel.  You can take with you in the car, to the doctor's office, or just about anywhere. The best part is that while your kids are having fun they are also learning. Every single game from LeapPad is educational. There is no violence, no mindless activity--just reading and counting and challenging kids' cognitive abilities. It challenges them again and again and can continue to do so well into their grade school years because the games and books automatically adjust to your child's level of learning. Whether you are trying to teach a preschooler basic letters and numbers or encourage an older child to improve their reading skills, you are bound to find something for everyone with the LeapPad3.

If you want to learn more about the LeapPad3 or any of the other great products from LeapFrog, be sure to visit their website. You can also follow them on face book to keep up with the latest  promotions. Give your kids a head start on reading and check out LeapFrog today.

Review: School Zone Workbooks for Kids

School Zone

The World's Best Workbooks, Flash Cards, & Software for Kids

Workbooks Make it a Great School Year!
Give your kids fun ways to enhance classroom lessons with School Zone’s award-winning workbooks. We pack them with challenging lessons that reinforce reading and math skills and give your kids an edge in the classroom. Shop and save on colorful, fun and engaging school workbooks that help improve math and reading skills, starting at $2.99!

The Workbook Advantage™

• Simple – Easy instructions help children understand and complete the exercises. A straightforward guide for parents suggests a natural sequence.
• Fun – Colorful, smiling, and funny characters feel like friends and motivate children to learn.
• Effective – Preparation and reinforcement of classroom skills can be used for working independently at school or at home.

New Workbooks from SchoolZone:

Little Thinkers, Preschool
Help sharpen your preschooler’s problem-solving skills. Dozens of quick, fun, and creative learning activities encourage looking--and thinking--carefully. Little Thinkers have to compare, evaluate, and imagine. This 32-page workbook combines skills and stretches abilities and makes it fun! A few examples: Check the animal that does not belong in the group. Color all the squares red. Check the traffic light that tells you to stop. Color to finish the pattern. Circle the rabbit that is going to the right. Draw a line to where the cow lives. X 5 things wrong in the picture. Match the cookie cutter to its cookie. Circle the picture that rhymes with frog. Whew! Thinking gets a world-class workout. Slip this workbook into backpack or tote as a super take-along for travel and appointments.
Features & Benefits
• 32 workbook pages
• Dozens of activities
• Easy directions
• Lively illustrations
• Affordable learning!
Skills: focus; following directions; shapes; problem-solving; counting; comparing; same and different; compare and contrast; matching; rhyming; sequencing; patterns; critical thinking; hand-eye coordination; perception; imagination

Little Thinkers, Kindergarten
Help your kindergartner be an A #1 problem-solver! Dozens of quick, fun, and creative learning activities encourage looking--and thinking--carefully. Little Thinkers have to compare, evaluate, and imagine. This 32-page workbook takes the basics, and with a whimsical twist, turns them into challenging adventures! A few examples: Circle the picture that shows why this happened. Circle the clock that shows 4:00. Write the missing number. Draw a line to match each letter pair (uppercase and lowercase). Circle the word that matches the picture. X the snake that is the longest; check the snake that is the shortest. Write the number that is between two other numbers. These strategic activities sharpen multiple skills fast! Slip this workbook into backpack or tote as a super take-along for travel and appointments.
Features & Benefits
• 32 workbook pages
• Dozens of activities
• Easy directions
• Lively illustrations
• Affordable learning!
Skills: alphabet; letters; uppercase letters; lowercase letters; coins; more and less; focus; following directions; problem-solving; counting; skip counting; comparing; matching; sequencing; patterns; opposites; compare and contrast; rhyming; counting; spelling; telling time; critical thinking; perception; imagination

Try-n-Spy, Places & Spaces
Help your child learn to read, and sharpen observation skills at the same time! Kids love finding picture clues, and this Try-n-Spy Places & Spaces workbook gives them plenty of practice, as they discover city life. Each colorful page is filled with cute characters and fun objects to find. By spying each one, your child will also develop attention to detail, perception, and problem-solving skills. Silly rhymes add to the fun and learning. “Read the rhyme and put a checkmark next to each picture you find. “Try-n-spy a gecko, a turtle named Hank, a tent, an egg, and a pink piggy bank.” Or “Try-n-Spy an otter, a long, crooked cane, a lightbulb, a cookie, and a tiny, toy plane.” The majority of the English language is phonetic, and familiar rhymes and patterns help build reading and language skills. Picture clues reinforce the meaning of the words. Choose from 32 whimsical adventure scenes that include a pet shop, a porcupine’s art studio, and library full of chickens. Take this book along anywhere, and turn restless wiggles into attention-grabbing giggles. What a great, learn-to-read adventure!
Features & Benefits
• 32 themed try-n-spy scenes
• Easy directions featuring clever rhymes
• Lively illustrations
• Affordable learning!
Skills: reading readiness; focus; observation; hand-eye coordination; perception; fine motor skills; following directions; rhyming; spelling; vocabulary; creativity



School Zone's Children's Tablet: Little Scholar

Little Scholar
More than 35 years in education have produced the world’s best in parent-trusted, teacher-approved learning materials. That legacy and expertise now deliver the best in mobile learning: Little Scholar. Bursting with great content, this tablet is uniquely designed for children in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade! Playful, powerful, and packed with learning, it will build readiness skills to last a lifetime. Kids will have a blast mastering math, reading, spelling, and more, with over 150 preloaded apps, videos, e-books, and songs. Progressive challenge combines with playful creativity. For example, both parents and kids will enjoy learning and singing 87 original, toe-tapping songs.
The learning—and the fun—continue with one-of-a-kind video programming. Enjoy family time with Charlie & Company, a new, interactive, educational video series with live action and animation. It stars Charlie the Golden Retriever and his best friend, Miss Ellie, who embark on educational adventures. The show also features performances and original music by Brian Vander Ark of The Verve Pipe. 
With Little Scholar, you avoid the risks and inconveniences of so many other e-products. The positive "no's" include: no registration or credit card required at start-up; no apps to download; no upsells for buying more apps; no expensive cartridges to lose; no lite or partial-version apps; no advertisements, and no worries about kids accessing objectionable content.
Turn on Little Scholar, and let the learning adventure begin! It’s ready right out of the box and comes with a 100% money-back guarantee. Shipping insurance is included automatically with your order.
Features
• Over 150 preloaded apps, videos, books, songs, and games.
• Exclusive, interactive, educational video series: Charlie & Company.
• Original content, in a kid-safe environment, with no additional costs.
• A+ Report Card app for viewing dynamic graphs and reports of children’s activity with each Little Scholar program.
• Audio praise and feedback.
• Rear- and front-facing camera.
• Durable construction designed for little hands and rigorous use.
• 100% money-back guarantee!
Skills: colors, shapes; patterns; counting; numbers; addition; subtraction; letters; ABCs; uppercase letters; lowercase letters; multiplication; telling time; counting coins; phonics; rhyming; beginning letters; letter sounds; short and long vowel sounds; letter blends; spelling; matching; same and different; vocabulary; critical thinking; memorization; problem-solving; fine motor skills; observation; eye-hand coordination; focus
(U.S. English language & math conventions)
Ages 3-7

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Our Thoughts
We love School Zone!  We already own at least eight sets of their flashcards.  And there's lots more sets on their website that isn't offered in local stores that I'd like to get for my son.

Although flashcards are still his favorite, we're starting to get into workbooks. School Zone sent us the Little Thinkers - Preschool, Little Thinkers - Kindergarten, and Try-n-Spy - Places & Spaces.   I'm planning to send my 5 yr old son to public school for, at the very least, the social aspect, however I will be implementing some homeschooling studies.  He deals with speech and motor apraxia, which means he is non-verbal and unable to sign.  I hate it when people assume he isn't smart because he has no functional means of communication - you just have to learn his language.  His attention span may be an issue in school, too, so I'll do whatever I can at home to expand his knowledge base.

I thought my son would be more interested in the Little Thinkers series, but he loves to look at the Try-n-Spy workbook the most!  He studies things in minute detail and there's a lot to look at in the Try-n-Spy series. I would LOVE to get my hands on their new children's tablet, the Little Scholar, but it's a bit (okay, a lot) out of my price range.

School Zone offers SO many different workbooks, flashcards, books, apps, software, & activities! If you haven't tried School Zone with your kids, give them a try - we are big fans here!!