childrens books

Holiday Gift Guide: Big Book Of Science Experiments

- brandy3 2 Comments

This new book, with more than 100 experiments provided by Mad Science and step-by-step instructions, shows kids how simple experiments can help them better understand the world around them.
“Following the success of Super Science Book, we created Big Book of Science Experiments to offer kids a supplement to everything they love about science. Annual science fairs continue to grow in popularity. This book provides a myriad of ideas to bring science directly to your home,” said Bob Der, Editorial Director, TIME For Kids. “We filled the book with incredibly cool experiments for kids to explore in a fun, family friendly way.”

**** My husband is a scientist and is always trying to get my kids excited about science, They are so young though that it is hard to find an age appropriate experiment. Big Book of Science Experiments is full of fun and easy experiments you can try with the kids. One that my kids just loved is “Get Your Heart Pumping” you make a chart and then have your child
watch TV for 5 minutes, then record their temperature and heart rate. Play soccer for 5 minutes, then record temperature and heart rate, and last have them do jump top for 5 minutes, after you have written everything down. compare the different exercises. My kids were excited that the more they did the faster their heart would beat. Another fun one is Family resemblance, take a picture of everyone in your family then compare what people have in common. All my kids found out that they have daddy’s eyes and eyelashes.
This book has so many great experiments and information for small kids. My kids are determined to do every experiment in this book!

Retail: $17.95 but you can find on Sale at Amazon for $12.95
Release date: December 6, 2011
Rating:9

Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post, a product was provided for my review. All opinions are my own.

What To Expect When Expecting Giveaway open To US and Canada Closed

- brandy3 40 Comments

 

When I was pregnant with my first child, I was totally lost on everything. We lived so far from everyone in my family, I could only ask for advice over the phone. So I turned to books, What to Expect When you’re expecting was a great guide. I felt like I was learning everything to be prepared for my daughters birth.

Then when my daughter was born it was an extreme challenge, because my husband was deployed to Iraq. I was all on my own raising a baby for a year. What to expect the first year really helped me understand, why she was doing certain things and when to start on solids etc.   I felt that I got all the information that I needed.

Then of course I moved on to What to expect the second year, but by that time I had an almost 2-year-old and a baby.  It was a great book to help me explain to her, about a new baby in the house.

The great people at What To Expect When Your Expecting is offering A lucky US or Canada reader.

  • What to Expect When You Are Expecting
  • What To Expect The first Year
  • What To Expect The Second Year

To enter:  Tell me one thing you wished you learned before the birth of your child?  EX: I wish I would have learned/researched more about episiotomy.

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Contest ends 12/16/11

Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post, books were provided for the giveaway. All opinions are my own.

Holiday Gift Guide: Spongebob Mission Cookbook

- brandy3 2 Comments

 

 

Will it be SpongeBob’s Sponge Cake and Fruit Shakes orSquidward’s Fancy Fondue? Sandy’s Karate Chop Suey or Mr. Krabs’ Million-Dollar Mac and Cheese? In SpongeBob’s Kitchen Mission Cookbook,the whole family can join the ultimate culinary showdown! With more than 50 kid-friendly recipes, this easy-to-use book has dishes perfect for breakfasts, beverages, snacks, dinners, and desserts. So all hands on deck . . . and let the battle begin!

 

****This cookbook has fun and easy recipes for kids. My kids want to try all the recipes in the book, they also think the names are hilarious. So we decided to start out with Patricks Pasta salad. The recipe is mainly made up of penne pasta, cucumbers, olive oil, grape tomatoes, Chicken and feta cheese. We made ours without chicken and feta cheese.

It was good but a bit plain.  The book has so many more recipes though, like faces cupcakes, Sandy’s intergalactic fruit basket, Gary’s Speedy spirals, and so much more.

Rating:9

Retail:$16.99 but you can find on Amazon for $11.55

Disclosure: No formal compensation was received for this post. Product was provided by Nickelodeon for my review.

Top 100 Pasta Dishes: Easy Recipes Kids Will Love Review

- brandy3


Filled with color photos, simple instructions, and clear notes on cooking and preparation times, plus symbols throughout to show which recipes are suitable for babies and younger children, and which recipes are suitable for freezing, this is the ultimate pasta cookbook for families everywhere. With Annabel’s help, dinnertime can finally be fuss free!

**** This book contains recipes designed for baby, toddlers and young children. It is devided into different sections, saying what recipes are best for what age. To be hnest though majority of the recipes my kids wouldn’t touch or eat. My kids are very picky though.

Retail: $18.99 but you can find on Amazon for $12.11

Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post, a product as provided by the company.

Read. Share. Give. Book Sharing Program

- brandy3 1 Comment

 

KinderCare has launched the Read. Share. Give. Book Sharing program, help them reach their goals of a Summer of a million storytimes.

KinderCare believes all children should have access to books, both at school and at home. Spending just a few minutes each day sharing a story with children in their earliest years sets the foundation for future educational success.  It all starts with a book.  A book ignites a child’s imagination.  A book lays the foundation for future school success.  And a book can spur a child’s motivation, confidence and curiosity in the world.

  1. Two-thirds of 4th graders are below reading proficiency and 83% of low-income 4th graders are below proficient (National Assessment of Educational Progress).
  2. Some 42 percent of American children (31MM) lack the income to cover basic needs including child care and access to books (National Assessment of Educational Progress).
  3.  In some of the lowest-income neighborhoods in the country there is only one book available for every 300 children. (University of Nevada Study).
  4. 44 million adults in the U.S. can’t read well enough to read a simple story to a child. (National Adult Literacy Survey).

To get involved in the program:

Just pick a children’s book to read with your family.

Visit www.kindercare.com/read to download and print out a book label, enter your books code and start following your books journey.

Place the label on the inside front cover of the book, and pass it on to family and friends to do the same.

Disclosure: No formal compensation was received, I received a book that I will be passing along to others for this program. All opinions are my own

Summer Reading:Dinosaur Train Lift The Flap Book Giveaway Closed

- brandy3 63 Comments

 

Summertime is here and what better way to spend the summer with family and friends than on an adventure to visit one of our national parks and/or recreation destinations. July is Park and Recreation Month in the U.S., and the theme for this year’s celebration is “Rock Your Park.” The National Park and Recreation Association wants you to show the country how parks and recreation make your life extraordinary! Whether it is visiting your local park, a playground, swimming pool, or taking a family trip to one of our national park treasures, celebrate our country’s love of the great outdoors this month! Visit the organization’s website to find out ways to get involved: http://www.nrpa.org/jul

Turn your visit into a game with the dinosaur Train Geocache Challenge. Geocache is a family friendly outdoor adventure that blends technology, gaming and enviromental discovery.

To get your children in the mood to go outdoors, I am giving a Dinosaur Train Lift The Flap “Lets Go To Volcano Valley” book from Readers Digest.

Get ready to board the Dinosaur Train and meet some new friends! Buddy, the adorable preschooler Tyrannosaurus Rex, and this adoptive Pteranodon family are always on the move. Today, they are going to Volcano Valley. Along the way, the train is making stops at the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous stations to make dozens of dinosaur discoveries. With more than 40 flaps tolift, kids will want to explore Buddy’s world again and again.

To enter: Tell me what park you have visted lately (We love Caumsett State Park).

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Contest ends 8/8/11

Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post, a product was provided by Henson

Big Book Of How 501 Facts Kids Want To Know

- brandy3 1 Comment

Time Home Entertainment and Time Kids introduce a brand new book for adults and kids.  The Big Book Of How: 501 Facts Kids Want To know is loaded with answers to questions kids ask, and adults don’t have the answers.

The 192-page book, packed with vivid illustrations and comprehensive reporting for which TIME For Kids is known, helps kids ages 8 and up discover the answers to questions such as: How does a chameleon change colors? How was Mount Rushmore built? How to stay safe during an earthquake? How do you build a spaghetti bridge? How do diamonds form? How does an iceberg form? How do astronauts train for a space mission? How does a lock work? How does popcorn pop? Detailed explanations, more than 200 colorful photos and diagrams, and over 20 “How to” activities help to educate and engage young readers.

*** This book couldn’t have come at a better time, my kids have been full of questions I have no clue about. Lately it’s been about tornados (since all the devastation of the Joplin Tornado). Luckily there is a full spread of how to stay safe during a Tornado, and also explains how it is formed. Now some of the questions in this book, are very simple to answer, like how to make a paper airplane. Since my husband is a Scientist, he already knew the answers to a lot of questions, like how to make crystals or how a hybrid car works.  There are a few questions I think are really silly and I don’t think I’ve ever heard a kid ask like, How do you mark your territory and how do you make blubber.  This book is recommended for ages 8+, but my kids are younger and ask a lot of these questions. It’s a great book to have on hand for those tough to answer questions kids ask all the time.

Retail: $17.95 at www.timeforkids.com/bigbookofhow or retailers nationwide

Release date: June 7, 2011

Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post, a product was provided by the company. All opinions are my own.

Get Caught Reading With Dinosaur Train GiveawayClosed

- brandy3 100 Comments

Get caught reading this month with Dinosaur Train and Sid The Science Kid, This is the first time Sid and Dinosaur Train are participating in May’s Get Caught Reading. All you have to do is read, It’s that simple! For this campaign Sid and Dinosaur Train are in posters for caught reading, parents and teachers can get them for free to hang up from http://www.getcaughtreading.org (Shipping charges apply).

According to the Association of American Publishers, research indicates that early language experience actually stimulates a child’s brain to grow and that reading to children gives them a huge advantage when they start school. To that end, the members of the association hope to encourage people of all ages to enjoy books and magazines and to share that pleasure with the young children in their lives.

In honor of Get Caught Reading, I am giving away 3 Dinosaur Train books to one lucky US reader

  •  The Buddy & Friends board book, from Grosset & Dunlap, join Buddy as he travels aboard the DINOSAUR TRAIN to introduce kids to some of his friends. Packed with full-color images from the show, this simple book is a perfect introduction to DINOSAUR TRAIN’s many species!
  •  A Surprise for Mom!, from Grosset & Dunlap, is a beautiful picture book that follows Buddy and his siblings as they begin to plan something special for Mrs. Pteranodon on her special day. Read along as Team Pteranodon searches high and low for the best gifts ever!
  •  Tiny Learns to Fish, from Grosset & Dunlap. The first reader in the Dinosaur Train program follows Mr. Pteranodon as he
    takes the kids to the big pond to teach them how to fish. There’s just one problem. Tiny can’t catch a fish, and Buddy can’t fly, so they team up to catch fish together!

You can catch Dinosaur Train on PBS daily.

US only

to enter: Tell me your childs favorite bedtime story?

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Contest ends 6/13/11

Visit www.henson.com for all the latest on Dinosaur Train and Sid.

Disclosure: No Compensation was received for this post, giveaway is being provided by the Henson company.

Where’s Walrus Book Review

- brandy3 2 Comments

Description: Bored with life at the zoo, an adventurous walrus escapes to the outside world. With the zoo keeper in hot pursuit, Walrus cleverly tries on all sorts of hats to disguise himself.  Will a yellow hard hat point to a new life as a construction worker? or will a red swimming cap reveal his true talents? Follow this happy-go-lucky runaway as he hides amongst firefighters, businessman and even high step dancers in this wordless picture book.

***** I was kindof discouraged when I received this book, because I thought it was like a where’s Waldo book. My kids all seem to enjoy it though, and after watching them read it I realized that this book really does help with picture recognition. I woold say that this book would be better for ages 1-5. There are no words, and there are very few pictures that it makes it so easy to find Walrus.

Retail:16.99 but you can find on Amazon.com for $11.32

Release date: February 1, 2011

My rating:6

Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post, a product was provided by Scholastic.

America’s biggest Bedtime Story GiveawayClosed

- brandy3 98 Comments

Grab your comfiest blanket and favorite PJs and find a good spot in front of the computer. The nation’s largest annual bedtime story event, America’s Biggest Bedtime Story, is back for its fourth year and will feature one of the world’s most recognizable superstars. BOOK IT!, the reading incentive program sponsored by Pizza Hut, is teaming up with Justin Bieber, the Grammy Nominated R&B/Pop singing sensation, as this year’s celebrity reader to motivate children to read more and help them develop a lifelong love of reading. Children, parents and teachers alike are encouraged to join the online webcast of Justin’s reading at http://www.bookitprogram.com/on Feb. 15 starting at 8 a.m. CST.

Justin will be reading his favorite book, Dr. Seuss’s Cat In The Hat. Plus if the attendance this year surpasses last years 215,000, Book It will donate $25,000 to the Pencils of Promise charity.

To join all you have to do is log on www.bookitprogram.com on February 15 starting at 8 a.m. CST. The webcast will be available online until 11:59 p.m. CST on February 18. Besides the story there will be activities, a chance to win prizes and tips on how to raise a reader.

I have a PJ prize pack to give one reader.

You will win a $10 Pizza Hut gift card, Dr. Seuss’s Cat In the Hat book, and a pair of Justin’s 3D purple sunglasses.

To enter: Tell me your favorite storybook

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Contest ends 2/10/11 at 2pm est

Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post, giveaway is being provided by Pizza Hut.

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