Disclosure: I’ve partnered with Sphero to write this article. #sponsored #beyondcode Your kids can do SO MUCH with Sphero’s new app-enabled robot that inspires not just coding but also learning STEAM topics in creative ways. SPRK+ from Sphero caught my kids attention from the get-go and held it as they began to explore the various learning possibilities with it. This is creative technology … [Read more...]
Hands-On Journal: My Book of Beautiful Oops! #BeautifulOops
My Book of Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg is a hands-on, write-in, decorate-in, scribble-in journal based on the iconic Beautiful Oops! (affiliate link) book. I'm working with Workman Publishing to share this sweepstakes of My Book of Beautiful Oops by Barney Saltzberg! (Read the author's post on Imagination Soup about My Beautiful Oops and making your own "beautiful oops" here.) A … [Read more...]
The Most Comprehensive Reading App: Phonics Museum
The Phonics Museum reading app and reading curriculum for 3 to 7 year olds (preschoolers and kindergartners) is the MOST comprehensive and fun app I've ever seen. (And, I've played and reviewed tons of these apps.) It's a comprehensive, multi-sensory, classical education approach to reading instruction and practice for iOS platforms (iPhone and iPad) from Veritas Press. It's an interactive story … [Read more...]
Anti-Smoking Resources & Contest from Right Decisions Right Now
Attn: hardworking, busy middle school teachers! Grades 5 - 9 are the age group at the highest risk of trying tobacco, as you probably know. Research shows that kids between ages 11 and 15 are most likely to try smoking for the first time. Yikes! BIG GIVEAWAY!!--> To say thank you for all your hard work, Right Decisions Right Now, my partner on this post, is giving 4 WINNERS a $500 Staples … [Read more...]
New Summer Brain Quest Workbooks + Giveaway
Keep learning and prevent any summer slide with Brain Quest's latest super fun, game-like workbooks called SUMMER BRAIN QUEST for children kindergarten to 6th grade. Many students lose around two months of grade level equivalency in math, and many also lose reading achievement, over the summer. Yikes, right!? New Summer Brain Quest Workbooks That's where Summer Brain Quest workbooks can … [Read more...]
fit4Schools: Movement and Healthy Lifestyles in Schools
Research proves that movement is an important part of learning. Not only as a teaching tool (kinesthetic learning), but as a way to stimulate the brain for improved learning. Now, a new, free website filled with teacher resources and lessons, fit4Schools, hopes to contribute positively to movement in schools and to educate students about healthy lifestyles. fit4Schools is a health activation … [Read more...]
Best Tips for Holiday Toy Gift Giving
Have you ever noticed that the best gifts are ones that kids play with over and over for years? And kids are happy to get them as gifts and play with them! If you're wondering how to find a meaningful, long-lasting toy gifts to give, here are my specific suggestions. Share in the comments your toy buying tips or the toys you're most excited to give this holiday season! Best Tips for Holiday … [Read more...]
Play with Green Toys Playsets
Guess what? Your favorite open-ended, eco-friendly toy company, Green Toys, now has two new and totally impressive Playsets! Both the Fire Station and Farm are brand new kid-approved Playsets that come with a building, vehicle, characters, and accessories for kids 2 - 6 years old. Scroll down for a chance to win a Playset! Play is linked with empathy according to play researcher Stuart Brown. … [Read more...]
Holiday Gifts From National Geographic Kids (+ 3 Book Giveaway)
Weird But True! 8, The National Geographic Kids Almanac 2017, and 5000 Awesome Facts (About Everything!) 3 will make great holiday gifts for kids this season. When we got the latest Weird But True! 8 in the mail last week plus The National Geographic Kids Almanac 2017 and 5000 Awesome Facts (About Everything!) 3, my kids POUNCED. Why? Because they're so interesting & well-designed! And, me? … [Read more...]
Kwik Stix Fall Art for Kids
Fall brings warm autumnal colors and lots of inspiration for art activities with kids. Well, add another inspirational idea to your fall list: Kwik Stix! Kwik Stixs, from The Pencil Grip, Inc, are solid tempura paint sticks that easily glide on and dry in 90 seconds. They're very much like oil pastels actually. The awesome thing about these is: NO MESS! (No cups, water, smocks, or … [Read more...]
Fire Safety Week with Sparky’s Firehouse App and Sparky Schoolhouse
It's Fire Prevention Week (October 9-15, 2016) and time to teach or review fire safety with our kids. Make it fun with the interactive Sparky's Firehouse app or the amazing resources and NFPA lessons online at Sparky Schoolhouse! *This is post is sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association and Sparky.org. Sparky's Schoolhouse Website Great for teachers and parents, Sparky's … [Read more...]
Guided Play with Picture Books
Did you know that with guided play, children learn to plan, communicate, and think critically? This is playful learning, the way that children learn best. And one of my favorite ways to begin guided play is with picture books. In guided play, the child is in charge of the direction of play but the adult supports with props, vocabulary, and new ideas. Green Toys, known for its line of simple, … [Read more...]