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Children’s Book Review ~ Switching on the Moon: A Very First Book of Bedtime Poems

Posted by Professor on March 9, 2011
in Books, Education, Family Stuff

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

switching on the moon

This is another wonderful book that I have been privileged to review! I am glad this book is hardcover because it is one I hope to pass down to my children and keep in our libraries for years to come! The book is packed full of short bedtime poems and illustrations to delight both children and adults alike! I LOVE that the poems are short little snip its, making it easy to choose a few to read at bedtime and save more for a later time! We found that this book was a wonderful ending to our nightly reading routine… we read our selected books then end with one or two pages (poems) from this book to end our story time! This wonderful compilation of poetry introduces children to both classic and modern bedtime poems a must for nighttime readers!

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Movie Review ~ MOST (A Short Film)

Posted by Professor on March 8, 2011
in DVDs & CDs, Education, Family Stuff, Movies, Uncategorized

Most, Deluxe Edition DVD -

Most is a short film (only 33 minutes long) ~ although this move is in Czech there are subtitles that are easily read. I personally watch many foreign films so the subtitles did not make a big difference to me… but just thought I would mention it if you are not too keen on subtitles! The movie tells the story of sacrificial love in a wonderful modern parable! You can learn more about the movie and even catch a glimpse of the trailer at http://www.providentfilms.org/most/

The DVD also includes a study guide for those wishing to take the lesson further. Along with the study guide there are bonus features on the disc including extended ending and more!

End note: I love movies that boast family friendly viewing, although this movie is not rated and has a wonderful theme, some of the scenes may be disturbing to young viewers. I did watch this movie by myself and decided not to let my children watch it, as they are all less than 7 years old. But again, this is an individual choice.

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Children’s Book Review ~ The Thump in the Night

Posted by Professor on March 8, 2011
in Books, Education, Family Stuff

This book is an imaginative story about Freddie the Frog who lives on Treble Clef Island! The book has an accompanying CD, which has tracks for each of the pages in the book! In the book Freddie lives on the island with his parents and throughout the course of the story is searching for the “thump” he hears… In the book Freddie is not only introduced to different animals that inhabit his natural habitat but also to music by way of songs and music staff, notes and clefs! This is truly an interesting way to combine music, illustrations, and a story line! But do not take my word for it, check out the book and the authors website and get a sneak peak of the book here http://www.freddiethefrogbooks.com/thumpbook.html. This is only the first book in the series of Freddie books and the website http://www.freddiethefrogbooks.com offers more products and resources for children and adults!

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Nature – Ultimate Playground for Kids

Posted by html404 on February 24, 2011
in Education, Guest Post, Thrifty Thursday

This week’s Thrifty Thursday includes a free playground: Nature – The Ultimate Playground for Kids.

Every year parents spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars on toys and activities for their kids. While many of things are great for keeping young minds and bodies active, many of them are unnecessary. Sure kids need structured play, but they also need “free” plan and this is easy to do when the world’s largest playground is right outside your back door. Why not let them play outside? After all, what else are we suppose to do with all the snow we have in the Midwest?

Every toy, book, and TV show that comes out has been designed and redesigned several times in order to make it educational and entertaining for children. The great thing about nature is that, while being entertaining and stimulating to the imagination, it is also educational. Nature can teach children the basics of science, economics, and creativity.

It is cheap. Depending on where you live, exploring nature is usually pretty inexpensive, if not free. It may mean going out in your backyard, local park, or perhaps going to the local nature center or state park (which usually have low cost fees or memberships). This way, you do not have to pay for expensive toys, jungle gyms, or memberships to expensive entertainment centers, but you still get the benefit of stimulating and educational play.

Nature makes children think. Lately there is been a trend in education towards inquiry based learning. Researchers have found that if students explore and experiment to figure out answers on their own, they are going to learn better, and retain more information. It also helps them develop skills to be able to learn things on their own later. What better environment to learn things than out in nature. There are lessons for kids of all ages to discover about the world around them.

Everyone these days is trying to be more green and more environmentally conscious. What better way to help do your part than to get your children interested in their own planet than right now when they are young and impressionable? What might be a fun time for them now, might be a future hobby, career, or world saving invention.

Nature is fun. While it is easy to forget, childhood is not just for learning about how to be an adult, it’s also about having fun. Nature gives kids a chance to use their imagination and be free to just be kids.

While unstructured play outside is great for kids, you can also find a lot of places offering structured classes and learning sessions for kids that focus on the natural world. Check your local park, zoo, or museum. There is a good chance they have classes you can sign up for, and since many of these places are not for profit, they’re usually affordable as well as informative.

Across the world, there are millions of dollars being spent to help promote sending your kids outside to learn from nature. That’s because spending time outside is so important for developing minds. It can also be a great escape for you as well.

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FREE ABC Mouse App

Posted by html404 on February 17, 2011
in Education, Technology/Electronics

How many of you have an iPad, iPhone or iTouch? Our family has not ventured into the world of Apple products, but want to, a MAC laptop will probably be our first investment. Lord willing in the next year. Those of you who have an iPad, iPhone or and the iTouch will be interested in this FREE app. If you try it, please let me know how you like it. The information is from an email we received:

Join ABC Mouse™, 1•2•3 Mouse™, and Do–Re–Mi Mouse™, on their adventure through the Grand Canyon!

• Complete 35-page storybook
• Professionally voiced and
• beautifully illustrated
• Includes a full-length song
• about the Grand Canyon
• Available absolutely Free for your
• iPhone, iPad, and iTouch!
Download Free from iTunes Today!
(Click Here)

Click Here to download Search and Explore: The Grand Canyon from iTunes. Or search “ABCmouse” in the app store!

ABCmouse.com – Over 3,000 Educational Activities – First Month Free – Click here!

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Bilingual Education Starting Young

Posted by html404 on January 24, 2011
in Contributing Writers, Education, Guest Post

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post. While we appreciate our guest writer’s submissions, this does not constitute endorsement or agreement to the opinions expressed in the articles featured.

Bilingual Education Starting Young

For the past four years the economy has been struggling, the unemployment rate has been on a steady increase, and families all over the U.S. are feeling it in some respect. It seems that even though the economy has finally started to improve there is no guarantee for the future. Having an education may be the only way to stay ahead in this cut-throat society.

What the Future Holds for Language

The existence of a diverse, global society seems to be a trend that is going to stick, this is especially prevalent in the U.S. The U.S. has been known as the land of immigration for a large portion of its history, and while the “melting pot” has been an interesting theory, it has not happened in practice. On the contrary, most major U.S. population centers have become more of an ethnic and linguistic checkerboard; Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese and Chinese speakers represent some of the fastest-growing segments of the immigrant U.S. population.

Being Prepared

Wisdom, traditionally, has been to start teaching a second language in middle school, or even high school. However, numerous studies clearly demonstrate that the optimal period in a child’s life for multilingual education is during the preschool years – at exactly the same time they are learning their first language. Yes, it is possible to learn a second and third language later in life, but it is more difficult, because that neurological “window of opportunity” – when the brain is most malleable – has passed.

Dr. Fred Genessee, Professor of Psychology at McGill University in Montreal believes it’s as easy for young children to learn two or three languages as it is for them to learn one. He’s not alone; educators throughout the world (in countries that often have two or even three official languages) have understood this for decades.

The way a child learns a second language is by actually speaking it in a total immersion environment. You may recall an episode of the animated series The Simpsons in which young Bart gets trapped on a farm in France – and by the end of the episode, finds he’s actually speaking the language. While this was a fictional scenario, the phenomenon is real; anyone who has taken young children abroad to stay with relatives in a foreign country for any length of time has observed this happening.

Enrollment in a preschool program that offers immersion in other languages is the best way to get your child started. This investment will make him/her much more competitive in the job market later on.

Co-written by Emily Patterson and Kathleen Thomas

Emily and Kathleen are Communications Coordinators for the Atlanta day care facility, a member of the AdvancED® accredited family of Primrose Schools (located in 16 states throughout the U.S.) and part of the network of day care preschools delivering progressive, early childhood, Balanced Learning® curriculum.

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Box Tops for Education®

Posted by html404 on January 20, 2011
in Education, Food and Treats

About Box Tops for Education

Box Tops for Education was created by General Mills in 1996 as an easy way to help make a difference for kids and schools. Since then, schools have earned more than $375 million through the program to help get the things they need-from books and school supplies to playground equipment and computers. Help make a difference in schools by clipping Box Tops from more than 240 brands, including Cheerios, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Hamburger Helper, Kleenex, Ziploc, Hefty, Juicy Juice, Avery, Welch’s, Land O´Lakes and Brita. Find out how much your school has earned and learn other ways to earn cash for your school at www.btfe.com.

Become a fan of Box Tops for Education on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BoxTopsforEducation

Follow Box Tops for Education on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BTFE and if you tweet about the program, please include the #myblogspark hashtag.

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Health & Garden Tuesday: Educational Classes

Posted by html404 on November 16, 2010
in Education, Health & Garden Tuesday

This new Health & Garden Tuesday will encompass all things related to health, nutrition, gardening and even our wee beginning farm adventures, as they relate to our family’s interests. It may just include an article that we read and liked or it may be what we are learning or experiencing in every day life. Please feel free to chime in with your own thoughts and ideas as well.

I have been going to some free educational classes this year. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate Audrey as a person and as a teacher. The first meetings were held at the beginning of the year and the last few were held just this fall. The topic: pure, therapeutic grade essential oils. The classes are very informative, not to mention interesting health education, especially if you do not know a lot about essential oils and how helpful they can be. I attended all of her classes she held this year, which was between 10 and 15, I believe. During the spring classes, I took our two older girls to many of them. They enjoyed them as well. Audrey switches a couple of classes each session so there is some new material covered as well. We are hoping to enjoy gleaning from them again in the new spring session.

This past weekend was the last class, which was on Healing Oils of the Bible. Extremely interesting and so much information to absorb! I should have been posting about each class as we had them, but didn’t think of that until now. I loved learning more about these oils that I had heard about all my life as I was taught the Bible or read it for myself. It was interesting to learn about their life giving properties and how using them can benefit our health. Truly enlightening to say the least. I still haven’t sorted out everything in my brain, so I plan to read over our notes and continue learning and absorbing this great health education.

Audrey’s classes are held in a building on her property called The Oil Drop Inn…. It’s the top of their barn! Is it ever cozy though. Very homey and inviting. It’s like her own workshop. I felt a wee bit spoiled as she would always save her big comfy chair for me since I was the only nursing mama in attendance.

I am already looking forward to her spring classes. The amazing thing is that Audrey will travel to teach her classes. She just loves teaching and has been using essential oils for over 10 years. She is also an independent distributor, but has only been one for about 4-5 years. I feel privileged to know her and now have the opportunity to work as part of her downline in the business side of Young Living.

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Time4Learning.com

Posted by html404 on September 20, 2010
in Education, School

Editor’s note: For Christian readers, we have discovered some evolution in the section about dinosaurs. Just wanted to alert you if you decide to take a look at Time4Learning.com

About Time4Learning.com

Time4Learning is a new approach that takes advantage of today’s technology. It’s a convenient, online home education program that combines learning with fun educational teaching games.

The online language arts and math comprise a comprehensive program for preschool, elementary school, and middle school. Science and social studies programs are provided as a free bonus for most grades.

The Time4Learning educational teaching program gives students independence to progress at their own pace.

Time4Learning tracks progress and helps students advance along individualized learning paths.

Time4Learning Members Get Access To:

Online Curriculum for Preschool to 8th Grade
1,000+ Student-Paced Animated Lessons
Math Exercises & Printable Worksheets
Language Arts from Phonics through Reading
Science & Social Studies In Most Grade Levels
Automated Reporting for Easy Record Keeping
Detailed Lesson Plans for Parents
Lessons Correlated to State Standards

Time4Learning is proven effective, has a low monthly price, and provides a money-back guarantee so you can be sure that it works for your family, Satisfaction Guaranteed!

Our Review

As a busy homeschooling, work-at-home mother I like it when educational products streamline things for me and make my life easier and Time4Learning.com has done just that during these busy newborn days as we adjust to a new normal. The offer to review Time4Learning.com came before Sir Eats Alot arrived and it served to be one of the most helpful things to come across our path. While I wouldn’t consider Time4Learning.com a complete curriculum by any means, it definitely provides supplemental material to go along with or add to whatever schooling a family may be using – public, private or homeschool.

A couple of our children were the type to drag their feet when it comes to their school work, but Time4Learning.com actually made them want to do school on weekends too!

One of our sons says that he likes Time4Learning better than another online program that we tried (it was a freebie).

Time4Learning has enhanced the learning of our daughter who is interested in art as well as explain some Math concepts that weren’t clear to her in her regular Math curriculum.

I find that there is enough variety in Time4Learning that the material keeps children interested and eager for more. After a month, a couple of our children have only begun to say that they wish there were “new” lessons because they have done their favorites multiple times, even during their free time!

It is unanimous that our children think that Time4Learning is fun – exactly what we as parents want them to think! Learning should be fun, as we give our children the gift of a life long love of learning.

Time4Learning sites:

http://www.Time4Learning.com – Online interactive curriculum for home use, PreK-8th Grade.
http://www.Time4Writing.com - Online writing tutorials for high, middle, and elementary school students.
http://www.Time4Learning.net – A forum to chat with parents online about kids, education, parenting and more…

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Grasshopper Snip, Glue and Grow Preschool Kit Review

Posted by html404 on September 12, 2010
in Education, Product Guides 2010, Shopping

School has started and so has the back-to-school routine. But what about our preschoolers? What are we doing to prepare them for school? They are often interested in anything “school” related when they know older children who go to school. Yet so often kids get tired of workbooks and handwriting. Grasshopper Kits are a perfect activity for parents and preschool teachers to use with their preschoolers, not to mention FUN!

About GRASSHOPPER®

GRASSHOPPER® Preschool Prep Kits are designed to get kids ready for school all through play: no workbooks… no pencils… 100% fun!

According to The American Academy of Pediatrics, the average 3 year old is spending 3-4 hours with electronics such as television and video games each day.

The current recommendation states that parents need to introduce more active, goal-directed play into their children’s routine. GRASSHOPPER® Preschool Prep Kits are the answer. Children play games while achieving functional success. All GRASSHOPPER® kits are packed with exclusive materials and games to help create a smooth transition into the world
of education.

GRASSHOPPER® games are clearly laid out in full color guide books with straight-forward instructions and supporting illustrations. All of the materials fit easily into the custom GRASSHOPPER® no-spill carrying case which is designed with organized compartments, an easy snap lid, and a built in easel.

The games all have a ‘back to basics’ slant, with a clever edge so that kids feel like they are playing while they are building their foundation skills for school. Help your child get ready for school the GRASSHOPPER® way!

Grasshopper Kit

Our Review

There are four Grasshopper kits altogether, the ABC and Shapes is a combined kit ($49.95), Getting Hands Ready ($29.95), and Snip Glue and Grow (29.95), which is the one we received. I was busy with the Back To School Guide the day that we where going to test this kit, so I told two of my daughters to take the younger children down and use the kit with them. I was surprised that it kept the children busy for at least a hour and a half. This kit is filled with age appropriate activities for preschool age children. Although my 1st and 2nd grade boys found it fun too. The great thing about this kit is that we have used it a few more times since then. Therefore the kit is not just a one time use as it can be used multiple times over until all the materials are gone.

From the ten hands-on games and activities the children participated in from the kit include: gluing little colored pom poms to cards with different characters on them, being creative with a bit of play dough, practicing cutting with scissors and practice cards, blowing bubbles with the bubbles, making paper chains. Everything needed isincluded in the kit. No extra trips to the store or multiple stores, definitely a mom pleaser with that feature!

The Snip, Glue and Grow Grasshopper Kit ($29.95) gets a thumbs up from us. I hope to order the ABC and Shape kit for my little ones, so I will let you know how those are in the future.

For more information visit: http://www.grasshopperkits.com/allproducts.html