The Sportos™ Build-a-Sport blocks from Rosie Hippo owner Kimberly Bloom seek to engage kids’ minds and bodies by building designs of their favorite sports as well as those that will be seen in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London.
Help Support First Book
We’ve enjoyed being a part of the Random House Read & Play Summer Fun Community and chatting with moms about their favorite books, how they encourage their children to read and the way they can use books to discuss difficult topics like bullying. We also talked about how much we treasure the time spent reading with our children– whether it’s snuggled up in bed, cuddling on the couch or sitting at the kitchen table. Reading with our children sets them up for educational success, but moms treasure children’s books because they strengthen our bond with our children.
Celebrate Pretend Play with The Costume Trunk
At the Book Blogger Convention this year, I met the founder of From Left to Write, an innovative online book club. Every month, they select a book and ask bloggers to share their thoughts about how the book inspired them. This month, the selection is The Costume Trunk by Paddywhack Lane creator Bob Fuller
How Do You Make the Most of Quality Time?
This summer, we’ve really greatly enjoyed being a part of Random House’s Kids Read & Play Summer Learning Community. It has been such a refreshing and engaging way to connect with mom’s across the country. Last night, some of the community leaders hosted a live chat during which they discussed how they’ve been making the […]
Educational iPad Apps for Kids from WordWorld
While I am a great believer in “unplugged play” and limited screen-time for young children, I recognize that technology and even television shows can enhance learning. One of my favorite educational television shows is WordWorld, and I recently had a chance to test their new iPad apps for kids.
Spring Break Camps
Finding high-quality childcare during school vacations is incredibly stressful for working parents. Stay-at-home parents don’t have to scramble for childcare, but they still struggle to find fun, affordable and educational spring break activities.
I was thrilled to hear about KinderCare’s week long Spring Break Camps. When your local public school is on break, KinderCare’s Spring Break Camp will be in session!
You’ll Know Plenty ‘Bout Geography: LeapFrog Tag Map USA (12 Days of Giveaways)
The LeapFrog Tag Map USA offers a fun new way to learn geography through play.
Our kids love maps. On a recent family vacation, we visited The Map Spot a Mystic Seaport and my two loved all the interactive map exhibits. We’ve been looking for innovative ways to extend the learning and we’re loving the LeapFrog Map. As a former history teacher, I can tell you that map reading is an important life skill that also builds spatial thinking and is an essential building block to success in geography and history…
Little Pim Review and 12 Days of Giveaways
We are huge Little Pim fans in our house. And now, the Little Pim Panda has some new friends to help children learn new languages! My two and four year old frequently request the new Little Pim DVD, In My Home: Spanish for Preschoolers, Toddlers & Babies.
Little Pim Volume II: DVDs 4, 5 and 6 is now available in Spanish, French and Chinese! Bob the Bobcat and Lola the Elephant join Little Pim to teach children new vocabulary for “In My Home”, “Happy, Sad and Silly”, and “I can count!”…
Educational Toy Awards
As a mom and an educational consultant, I believe in the power of play. A few carefully chosen toys can boost creativity and problem solving–here are a few of our top picks this year. With the best educational toys, your children will not even realize how much they are learning!
LeapFrog Adds Up to Educational Fun
Kids love tracing. My daughter will set there filling page after page, tracing numbers and letters. In an attempt to save a few trees, I got her a dry-erase book for copying her letters and numbers. Which works pretty well until she forgets to clean it or the pen dries out or her baby brother gets ahold of the marker and tries to eat it.
Even better? The LeapFrog Scribble & Write…