The Easter Story Egg: Colorful Nesting Toy with Resurrection Book Review

I received this free to facilitate this review. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

Star Kids Company was created by momprenuer, Natalie Ard, in 2014. She is a wife and mom to 3 kids. The first product she created was Star from Afar, a wooden game counting down to Christmas, then other products were born...including The Easter Story Egg. These children's toys and gifts help bring meaning to play. These also build good character and values.

The Easter Story Egg is a great tradition that is done with family around Easter time. It consists of 7 wooden eggs that nest within each other and a hardcover book. The Story Egg book begins on Palm Sunday and ends on Easter Sunday. Each egg has a coinciding story that rhymes in the book and pertains to one of each of the seven days of Holy Week. This shares the story of Jesus' final days on Earth in a thoughtful and meaningful way to children as they open each egg and read the corresponding story. This can be done daily throughout Holy Week or all at once. You can choose.

The Story Egg Nesting Eggs include:

• Palm Sunday (largest egg with a palm leaf painted on it)
• House of Prayer Monday (next largest egg with a temple painted on it)
• Teacher of Love Tuesday (next largest egg with a heart painted on it)
• Give and Take Wednesday (next largest egg with a jar filled with perfume painted on it)
• Last Supper Thursday (next largest egg with the Last Supper painted on it)
• Good Friday (next to smallest egg with a cross painted on it, Jesus died on the cross for all our sins)
• Holy Saturday (smallest egg that is painted grey like the stone rolled away of the tomb)
• Easter Sunday (open the smallest egg to reveal emptiness, much like the tomb of Jesus because He is Risen!)

Zari with The Easter Story Egg Kit.

What We Thought:

The Story Egg is a ostrich size egg that opens up like a Russian nesting matryoshka doll. Each egg is panted with a different picture to help tell the true meaning of Easter throughout Holy Week. It comes with a lovely hardcover book with rhyming words and colorful pictures.

We received The Easter Story Egg and proceeded to try to open the egg to see all the littler eggs inside. I had major trouble getting the first egg open. I looked at their website and they have an instructional video on how to do this. They say not to twist, but to pull the egg apart. They made it look pretty simple. Zari and I had much difficulty with this and I had to get my husband to pry it open. The egg was very hard to grip and it was slippery. He tried to pull it apart like it said and he couldn't even do it...then he used a razor blade and went around the seam with it, then tried again. He rocked it slowly back and forth until it finally popped open. Some of the eggs inside were just as difficult to get open. I feel like if some wax was applied to each lip inside the seams then they would come apart much easier, but I do not think that with as much trouble we had, a small child could do this on their own. It says on their website that because the eggs are brand new, hand carved, and made of natural wood that still has some moisture they might be hard to open at first. We let them set out to dry for a few days while they were closed like they said to and after a few more times opening and shutting the eggs, they started loosening up.

The Easter Story Egg apart.

The book is a wonderful addition to The Story Egg. Zari loves reading the rhyming pages and looking at the pictures. It starts out with a poem about why we celebrate Easter and what the egg is for. Then it goes through and tells the story of Jesus' final days on Earth. At the end of every story it has a scripture from the Bible associated with it written in New International Version, NIV. The book is multicultural as well as it shows multiple skin tones throughout the book. It ends with the resurrection of Christ.

Resurrection book, showing how it is multicultural.

I love the idea of this product. I hope that the eggs loosen up after using more so that they can be enjoyed. I would love for this to become a tradition in my home for Holy Week. We like the idea of it counting down to Easter Sunday, much like an advent calendar does for Christmas. It seems like a wonderful way to help teach the true meaning of Easter in the home or at Sunday School. This would be a great addition to an Easter basket or as an Easter gift.

BUY IT
Buy The Easter Story Egg on Amazon.



DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this product for free to facilitate this review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

Kong Wobbler Toy for Dogs Chewy.com Review

We received a large Kong Wobbler from Chewy.com free to facilitate this review.

The Kong Wobbler Toy for dogs is a great way for your furry friend to play. This treat dispenser has a small opening that when pushed, rocked, wobbled, or rolled can release a reward for your dog. The Kong Wobbler will keep your puppy dog occupied for hours. It is a wonderful toy for playtime providing both mental challenge and physical activity for your dog. Not only is it an engaging activity for your dog it is also entertaining for the whole family to watch the Wobbler in action.

Kong Wobbler Features:

• Easy to fill and clean; twist open dispenser; top unscrews from base
• Dispenses food and treats for hours of fun; prevents rapid eating
• Use as a mealtime feeder for dogs that eat too quickly and scarf food
• Entertaining wobble action
• Give IQ-building fun time to your doggy genius
• Made of FDA food-approved high strength plastic polymer
• Recommended by vets worldwide
• Dishwasher safe; top shelf
• Comes in two sizes: Small (fits ½ cup of food) and Large (fits 1 cup of food)
• Large measures 7 x 6 x 10.5-inches; suitable for dogs weighing 25-pounds or more
• Small measures 6-inches tall by 4-inches wide; suitable for dogs up to 25 pounds
• Made in the USA
  

How to Use:

1. Twist off top to open.
2. Fill Wobbler dish with dry dog food, small Kong snacks or your dogs favorite small treats making sure your dog notices you doing so. Make sure the snacks or food is small enough to fit through the opening easily.
• For treat dispensing fun, add a handful.
• For mealtime feeding, feed normal amount, up to 1 cup per filling.
3. Twist top on tightly.
4. Encourage dog to rock Wobbler to dispense reward. Let them sniff the opening. Demonstrate to them how to push it until it dispenses some treats. Make it fun and exciting for your dog. They will quickly learn to use their nose and paws to move the Wobbler around. When they get the toy to dispense treats, praise them. Repeat as many times as needed. (for better motivation use toy when dog is hungry)
5. Discourage chewing.

Chewy.com is a great place to find items for your dog or cat. They have a great selection of food and treats, bowls and feeders, health and wellness products, flea & tick products, toys, cleaning and potty training products, grooming products, leashes and collars; beds, crates and gear, litter, etc. They conveniently ship 200+ brands of pet food and other stuff direct to your doorstep, anytime of the day. They have competitive prices and offer free 1-2 day shipping on any order of $49 or more. They have 24/7 customer service, just call and ask your question(s). Chewy.com is also dedicated to supporting non-profit organizations that help animals in need.A portion of sales are donated to these great causes.

Prince playing with the Kong Wobbler.

Our Thoughts:

We received the large sized Kong Wobbler for our dog. We used this treat dispensing toy with our large dog, Prince. We followed the directions and waited when he was hungry to try the Kong Wobbler out. He was fairly interested in the whole process and what we were doing. We tried some small treats at first that we had around the house that would easily fit through the opening. The toy was simple to fill.

We then showed Prince the Wobbler in action and how it worked. He got pretty excited when it released the treats onto the floor. Then he decided it was his turn to try and nudged it with his nose. It wobbled back and forth and he jumped back in enthusiasm. It was highly enjoyable for the whole family to watch! My daughters were giggling uncontrollably at the sight.

The Kong Wobbler is a great toy for dogs! It helps your pup get both physical and mental exercise. We recommend the Kong Wobbler to anyone with dogs. Chewy.com is a great place to find the Kong Wobbler and other great items for dogs and cats!

BE SOCIAL
Website: https://www.chewy.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/chewy
Twitter: http://twitter.com/chewy @chewy
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpWl2nwLDQQI4TTa1kJgxrg
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/chewy
Instagram: http://instagram.com/chewy


BUY IT
Get the Kong Wobbler at Chewy.com. The large is $15.91 and the small is $13.49. (prices are accurate as of the date of this post)

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received product for free to facilitate my review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

Learning Resources STEM Code & Go Robot Mouse Activity Set Review #learningresources

Learning Resources STEM Code & Go Robot Mouse Activity Set is a fun toy that teaches sequencing, coding, and programming. This toy challenges players to sharpen their analytical thinking, critical thinking, logical thinking, and problem solving skills. For ages 5 and up and grades Kindergarten and up.

STEM

• Science: exploring the science of coding and programming with hands-on activities!
• Technology: building and using tools for amazing discoveries!
• Engineering: designing solutions for real-world problems!
• Math: measuring, recording, and comparing data to draw conclusions!

83 Piece Set Includes:

• 1 Robot mouse named Colby: has a switch on the bottom with 3 positions (off and two speeds: normal to use on plastic maze base grid pieces and hyper for use on carpet and other more uneven surfaces). Colorful buttons on top make him do things in the order they are pressed and are: forward (blue arrow that points towards his nose, makes him move forward 5"), rotate right (purple arrow that points right when he is facing away from you, makes Colby rotate right 90 degrees), reverse (yellow arrow that points towards his tail end, makes him move backward 5"), rotate left (orange arrow that points left when he is facing away from you, makes Colby rotate left 90 degrees), action (red circle that makes him either: move forward and back, squeak loudly, or chirp 3 times with lit up eyes), clear (yellow circle clears all coding if you make a mistake or want to do another sequence, has confirmation tone), go (green circle that is the last command to be pressed when the sequence (up to 40 steps) is completed and Colby is set down on the maze). Takes 3 AAA batteries, not included.
• 16 Plastic maze base grid pieces: connect together to form a larger board or any configuration that goes together.
• 22 Plastic maze walls: to be placed around the grids in the crevices so that the mouse can go through the maze to get to the cheese.
• 3 Plastic tunnels: can be placed on the grid or surface for the mouse to go under and through.
• 1 Plastic cheese wedge: to be placed at the end of the maze for the mouse to find. This is magnetic and sticks to the mouses nose when touched by it.
• 30 Double-sided coding cards: have one side with just the arrow and the other side with the mouse and the arrow. These help you plot and track the mouse's path and order in which the code needs to be pressed on Colby for him to get to the cheese in the maze.
• 10 Double-sided activity cards: help you build the mazes from pictures on the cards. These are made in order of difficulty, 1 being the easiest and 20 being the hardest.
• 1 Multilingual activity guide: is instructions and directions for how to play.

How To Play:

1. Pick an activity card with one of the challenge mazes.
2. Build your maze from the picture on the card or just build your own: by connecting the maze grid pieces together and adding the walls, tunnels, and cheese.
3. Use either side of the coding cards to create a step-by-step path for Colby to find the cheese.
4. Program the sequence of steps with the buttons on the mouse.
5. Set Colby down where he is suppose to start in the maze, press go, and watch Colby race to find the cheese.

Teela and Zari playing with the Code & Go Robot Mouse Activity Set.

What We Thought:
My daughters who are 6 and 8 tried out the Code & Go Robot Mouse Activity Set. This is a neat toy. It teaches some very important skills and I love that it is educational and that my girls enjoyed it so much. We love bringing this toy out for when we need a break from book work during homeschooling. The girls liked making their own mazes and figuring out what code to program into Colby, the mouse. They also thought that it was funny that the mouse made little sounds occasionally and loved that you could program an action into it to make the mouse do random things. Someday we'd love to get the purple mouse, Jack, that is sold separately, so we can have even more fun with this set and race the two!

The Code & Go Robot Mouse Activity Set is fun and educational! I recommend it to people that love games, puzzles, and educational toys! This is also a great addition to any homeschool environment. It is a great family centered toy and wonderful to teach and improve STEM and mental skills.

BUY IT


DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this product for free to facilitate this review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review. Affiliate links can be found in this post. Thank you for your support of this blog!

ZOOB Glow Dinos: The Moving Mind Building Modeling System Review

I received ZOOB Glow Dinos free to facilitate this review. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

ZOOB, from Alex Brands, is a fantastic toy that is based on a natural and living system. It lets your child or inner child create neat jointed 3D structures, geodesic shapes, and organic formations. This toy is so versatile that you can construct unlimited designs and make them able to move. There are 5 separate pieces that snap, click or pop together 20 different ways to form joints that rotate, axles that spin, limbs that extend, and so much more! It is truly an interactive engineering experience. Sets are recommended for ages 6 and up. Let your imagination run wild!

The ZOOB Glow Dinos Kit has instructions with it to build 6 distinct dinosaurs. It comes with 250 pieces total, 239 classic colored ZOOB pieces and 11 glow-in-the-dark ZOOB pieces. Learn to put together Baby Raptor, Mega Raptor, Z-Rex, ZOOBasaurus, ZOOB-Dactyl, and Stegosaurus. It has a cardboard carrying case with a handle and Velcro closures that stores all the pieces neatly within it.

Teela playing with the ZOOB Glow Dinos.

When I got this out for my children to play with they were excited, as was I. We had seen this toy on the shelves on display at the store, but never before seen it in action. My daughter Teela, who is eight on the 15th of April, (this is an early birthday gift for her) started building a Baby Raptor. She had a bit of trouble on the very last section where the head and neck pieces came together, but up until that point the instructions were very clear to her.

My kids playing with the ZOOB Glow Dinos.

After she made her first dinosaur my other kids joined in the fun and started creating their own ideas. My boys have awesome engineering expertise that they have acquired from their father who is going to school right now for mechanical engineering and all my kids love building and construction toys. They were fascinated by this toy, played with the set for hours, and just kept building these really fantastical things. My husband also played with the ZOOB Glow Dinos pieces and gave the toy a huge thumbs up which is something amazing from him because he likes to be a critic.

You can build all kinds of extraordinary things with this set because of the amount of pieces that comes with it. Also, we absolutely love that some of the pieces glow-in-the-dark. It makes things like the Dino eyes so much more eerie when they are looking at you. I think this set would look so cool under a black-light. Even though this set is all about dinosaurs you can make just about anything you can imagine with it. The possibilities are limitless.

BUY IT
Right now you can purchase this toy for only $34.45 on Amazon.com! That is more than half the retail price of $79.99 that Alex Brands has it listed for!




Zoob Glow Dinos are also available at Discoverystores for $44.95.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this product for free to facilitate this review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

HelpTeaching.com Pro Plan Review

My family had the privilege of trying the Pro Plan of HelpTeaching.com for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool curriculum. This is a Schoolhouse Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

HelpTeaching.com Landing Page.

Whether you homeschool, tutor, are an elementary educator, or just want to have an educational activity for your kids to do after school this year, HelpTeaching.com has got you covered with their vast selection of printable worksheets, printable activity pages, lesson plans, online quizzes, and self-paced online lessons. This website offers hundreds of online printable pages in PDF format and other educational resources accessible through their membership database. This database covers a huge range with subjects in: Arts, Early Education, English Language Arts, Life Skills, Math, Physical Education, Science, Seasonal and Holidays, Social Studies, Study Skills/Strategies, Common Core English Language Arts (ELA), and Common Core Math. They also have Math Worksheet Generators, Printable Game Generators, and Test Maker. They offer content for Pre-K through 12th grade.

HelpTeaching.com Test Maker

HelpTeaching.com Pro Plan is a very affordable option and gives you access to many great features. The price for a Pro Plan membership for teachers and parents is only $24.95 (U.S. Dollars) per year which gives you access to all grade levels. You can create up to 500 student profiles with the Pro Plan and have unlimited access to Test Maker, to create custom tests and worksheets. You can create them with multiple choice, true or false,  fill-in-the-blank, open-ended, or short answer. You can create the tests and worksheets with up to 100 questions and have images in them as well. You can select from their vast library of 1000+ images or upload your own. You can save the custom tests and worksheets as PDFs and have the ability to print them as well. Pro Plan also includes access to the HelpTeaching.com Test Room which lets you administer online tests and lessons. You also have access to premium pre-made content in the subjects above. Their library has over 20,000 Common Core State Standards (CCSS)-aligned questions by standard that you are able to browse and search with Pro Plan. HelpTeaching.com Pro Plan has all these great features for this affordable price.

HelpTeaching.com Tests & Worksheets.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

Since TOS wanted this review of the HelpTeaching.com Pro Plan to focus on the older materials I had my boys who are in 8th and 9th grades use it 3 days a week on average since we got signed up. The middle school and high school sections of HelpTeaching.com focuses on language arts, math, and science. Besides math, ELA, and science we also found tests and worksheets for other subjects too. All printables are listed by grade and subject so they are easy to find. We found a lot of content that went well with what they were already being taught and enhanced their learning even more with media and hands on learning. We were a little disappointed that the Math and English are Common Core Based though.

HelpTeaching.com Online Self-Paced Lessons.

The middle school and high school lessons are meant for self-directed online learning and are set up similarly throughout all subjects. You can easily assign lessons to your student(s) by emailing them. All you do is choose the lesson you want your student to learn, click on the Assign tab or the Share Link tab at the top and follow the instructions. Each lesson starts out with a short introduction. Some contain embedded videos from different sources. They also contain links to other free online resources to help explain the lesson better, online practice questions, and printable worksheets and tests. You can also see which students have taken the lesson if you click the Report tab at the top (of note you do have to set up your individual students through the Online Testing tab first to see this correctly). I love the ability to be able to have my boys work online or have the option of also printing out the worksheets, quizzes, and tests as well.

Since my sons and I are very visual learners we love videos and images that amplify this. We absolutely loved that a lot of the lessons on HelpTeaching.com have embedded videos to help visualize better what is being taught. These videos come from reputable sources like: Khan Academy, Educator.com, Flocabulary.com, Grammar Bytes, and Bozeman Science. They also have original videos from HelpTeaching.com too. If the lesson has media from these sources they have icons for each that easily tells you that they do and from where they come from. Also if they don't have videos the lessons sometimes have images to help visualize too. If you do follow a link off the site just be aware that there might be 3rd party ads.

I do want to point out that HelpTeaching.com doesn't host a complete curriculum of subject matter on their website, so it should primarily be used for supplemental content only. They are, however, adding new content regularly. We hope they add a History section soon to the lessons and more science! Also, you can create your own content through the Pro Plan as well which is a big plus if you don't see what you are looking for already.

Delbin doing a Biology Lesson on Fungi.

My son, Delbin, who is in 9th grade is in Biology right now so even though these lessons are listed for 10th and 11th grade we found them perfect for supplemental learning to go along with what we are teaching him. We didn't find much listed in the 9th grade section, but 10th and 11th grade stuff was more abundant. He loved playing the BioGames and watching the videos. We had him go from the beginning for review and online science practice. We found that their curriculum for Biology is fairly complete.

Jaedan doing a Earth Science Lesson on Igneous Rock.

My son, Jaedan, who is in 8th grade is in Earth Science. He loved the lessons on Erosion, Layers of the Atmosphere, etc. He especially loved the videos and virtual labs that were included with the lessons. There were a lot of interactive things to make the lessons more fun. We also let him go onto 9th grade lessons in Earth Science too because he advanced quickly through the 8th grade lessons.

HelpTeaching.com is great for online math, ELA, and science practice or use for supplement. They have a great selection of middle school and high school lessons, tests, and assessments. We enjoyed using HelpTeaching.com and will continue to explore its growing content.

BUY IT
You can try a limited amount of features out for yourself with a free membership. This gives you complete access to their Test Maker with up to 10 questions, but you are limited to a number of tests/worksheets you can store on their site. The Pro Plan of HelpingTeaching.com is just $24.95/year and gives you up to 100 questions with many other features too. You can pay with a credit card, debit card, or PayPal. They accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover. See more specifics here.

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Super Teacher Worksheets Individual Membership Review

My family had the privilege of trying the Super Teacher Worksheets Individual Membership for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool curriculum. This is a Schoolhouse Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

Whether you homeschool, are an elementary educator, or just want to have an educational activity for your kids to do after school this year, Super Teacher Worksheets has got you covered with their vast selection of worksheets and activity pages. This website offers hundreds of online printable pages in PDF format from their membership database. This database covers a huge range with subjects in: Math, Reading, Writing, Phonics & Early Literacy, Handwriting, Grammar, Spelling Lists & Worksheets (Gr. 1-5), Foreign Language, Music & Art, Health & Safety, Science, Social Studies, Holidays, Puzzles & Brain Teasers, Teacher Helpers, Pre-K & Kindergarten, and even Make Your Own Worksheets. The majority of these are geared towards Pre-K through 6th grade.

Super Teacher Worksheets (STW) is a very affordable option for homeschoolers, teachers, educators, parents, and caretakers of children. The price for an individual membership is only $19.95 (U.S. Dollars) per year. This individual membership lets you easily navigate the whole website and download as many printables as you would like during that time to print them out or save them into your own STW Filing Cabinet so that you may download and print them out at a later time if you choose.

Navigation of the Super Teacher Worksheets website is pretty straightforward. Once you log in to the database you will see your name at the top and when your membership is active through. This is a great reminder of when you will need to renew your membership of your account. This along with the STW banner (clickable, to get you back to the homepage), account, renew, logout and filing cabinet buttons, and a search bar are always at the top for easy access. The homepage has some of the main subjects listed as headings with links for more specific categories under them. For example; for the Math heading it would have Addition, Algebra (Basic), Area, Counting Money, Decimals, and so on as the more specific categories with links that head to those pages. If you go to one of these pages you can find even more specific narrowed down categories within these pages, some having links to more pages and others having the view PDF link under them. From beneath most worksheet name, description, and grade level you can select the view PDF button (which will open the PDF file to be able to print it and/or download it), CC icon (if there will open a pop up that tells you about the common core standards alignment; including the code that goes with it and a brief description of what is learned), lang icon (if there will open a pop up that tells you other languages the worksheet is available in; English and Spanish), magnifying glass looking icon (which will open a pop up that lets you preview a tiny version of the file before you open the actual one), and file folder icon (which lets you add the file to your STW Filing Cabinet). Once you have saved a file to your virtual filing cabinet the file folder icon on the page you found the file on will be highlighted so that you will know that you have it already saved. It really is easier to find things than I just described and you can always use the search bar located at the top of each page too.

You can also make your own worksheets with the various worksheet generators. You can make your own: math pages, games (flashcards, BINGO), puzzles (crosswords, word searches, word scrambler, missing letters), quiz generators (multiple choice, matching, fill in the blanks, short answer/essay), and teaching tools (classroom newsletter, calendars).  Members can save their generated worksheets in their virtual filing cabinet too!

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

In my homeschool my youngest two girls are the only ones still in elementary school. My daughter, Teela, is in 2nd grade and my daughter, Zari, is in Pre-K. So I used the Super Teacher Worksheets website with them. They both love homeschool and enjoy doing worksheets and activity sheets.

Zari doing the autumn Super Teacher Worksheets I printed for her.

The Super Teacher Worksheets website has some seasonal pages on their homepage. These rotate depending upon the season that it is in the year. I found some autumn/fall ones that were age/grade appropriate for my daughters and printed them out for them to work on. I am so glad they list what grade level each worksheet is supposed to be for. Zari needed practice with her fine motor skills using scissors and cutting paper so I thought that the leaf and pumpkin mini-books would be great for her because she would be learning counting, colors, and cutting skills. She kept saying she loved her little books she made. I was happy she liked building them so much. She loves working on homeschool work when her siblings are also doing theirs. Zari also did the color-by-number scarecrow. She knows her colors well, but couldn't read the words for each color yet, so I colored each word the color they were supposed to be to help her. She is also working on learning her numbers by sight. The color-by-number scarecrow that I printed for Teela was slightly more advanced and had her subtract numbers to get the number that the section was supposed to be colored. I also printed out a color-by number squirrel that had her subtract numbers to get the answers. These were too easy for her, but she had fun doing them. I also printed out an Autumn is awesome crossword puzzle and pages for reading comprehension called Nature's Rainbow.

Teela working on some of the Super Teacher Worksheets for Autumn.

Zari working on her skills cutting with scissors with Super Teacher Worksheets.

Since Zari needed to learn scissor skills I found pages just for that for her under the Pre-K and Kindergarten section. She loves cutting out things and asked for more pages to cut out. She cut shapes, curvy wavy lines, zigzag lines, and straight lines. She did very well for her first time cutting on the lines.

Make sure to print preview before printing Super Teacher Worksheets.

I printed out an Alphabet Picture Book for Zari as well so she could color, trace uppercase letters and some words that begin with the letters. As I was printing the first page I noticed that it didn't print properly (just printed boxes where other things should have been), so I stopped the printing right away. I am glad I was watching because I would have printed out 28 pages of weird boxes instead of what it was supposed to be. I looked at the print preview and sure enough it wasn't liking something in the code. I instead downloaded the PDF instead of just opening the one directly from on the site, then I printed it and everything printed fine. I am not sure why this happened, but I wanted to make sure my readers knew about this. Before printing out something from Super Teacher Worksheets make sure the print preview is looking good for all the pages you are printing.

Zari working on the Super Teacher Worksheets ABC Book.

We love Super Teacher Worksheets! It is, like I mentioned above, very affordable and they seem to have a worksheet or activity page for everything for elementary school students right in one easy to access website. I love that you don't have to dig around and search the whole internet for something that goes with what you are teaching. We had so many more worksheets and activity pages that we printed for our girls to work on. I also love that most of their worksheets have a answer sheet with them so the teacher/educator can check the student's work easily and quickly. They have so many different worksheets and activity pages to choose from. We are going to use this a lot throughout the year. This is certainly a wonderful resource right at my finger tips.

BUY IT
The price for a individual membership for Super Teacher Worksheets is only $19.95 (U.S. Dollars) per year.

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Dynacraft Launches Experiments in Fun with Family Oriented Whimsical Events

Dynacraft is an industry-leading importer and distributor of bicycles, scooters and battery operated wheels for the entire family. They offer such fun designs as: My Little Pony, Tonka, Transformers, Marvel Avengers, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Hello Kitty, Minions, and Monster High to choose from. My girls who are 4 and 7 would absolutely love their My Little Pony line!

Experiments in Fun is Dynacraft's ongoing celebration of the endless creative ways kids and families can enjoy their bikes, scooters and ride-ons. All the fun is kicking off this summer with a series of community-focused events across the country, designed to help families rethink what’s possible with their favorite wheels.

If you live in St. Paul, MN consider yourself very lucky! Dynacraft is hosting an Experiments in Fun Color Ride (think color-powder fun run meets scavenger hunt on wheels) on June 13th. If you live in or around this area you can sign up now to participate!

They already did a Ride-In Theater in Atlanta, GA and the participants had a blast! Here is a fun little recap of that event:

COMING SOON, CLOSER TO HOME...
Also, if y'all are looking for some fun action that is closer to my home, just you wait. The next Experiments in Fun Dynacraft will be putting on is in, none other than, Portland, Oregon!!! It will be a Biker Juice Bar The Kickstand on July 30th June 27th at Pioneer Courthouse Square from 12pm-3pm. Participants will experience a pop-up juice bar for active families, with biker-themed fun and decor. Games, test rides, giveaways & refreshments provided by Dynacraft. Yay! I cannot wait for my family to be a part of it!

****Heads up, the Portland, Oregon Event has been moved up to June 27th!!!

Can you think of another unique activity for summer that you can have your kids do with their favorite wheels? 

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I am posting about these events because I wanted my readers to know about them. Thanks to a public relations email for providing me this promotion information. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any compensation for posting this promo and event information.

Orkin Fact or Fake Back-to-School Scientific Prize Pack Giveaway and Blog App

I have the opportunity to give away a Orkin Scientific Back-to-School PRIZE PACK below free for posting this information. All information and giveaway prizes are provided by Orkin and PartnersHub.

"Daddy longlegs are poisonous."
"Mosquitoes prefer adults over children."
"Ants can survive underwater."

You've heard the myths about bugs before. Do you know what’s fact and what's fake?

Take Orkin's Scientific Fact or Scientific Fake™ Quiz to test your knowledge, and be sure to watch every clip for the scoop on these infamous bug myths.

Orkin uses the latest technology and unparalleled training to develop a treatment that's right for your home and your needs. To learn more about pest control that's based in science or to schedule an inspection, visit orkin.com or call (844) 503-8251.

@AskTheOrkinMan
Facebook
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Blog App:

• You’ve heard the myths about bugs before, now it’s time to debunk them. Take the Scientific Fact or Scientific Fake Quiz to test your knowledge!
• Watch every episode of Scientific Fact or Scientific Fake and find out the answers to these age-old bug myths.
• Tweet using the #OrkinMan hashtag on Twitter.
• Pin the Scientific Fact or Scientific Fake PDF on your Pinterest.
• Share on Facebook!

WIN IT
Prize:  The Orkin Scientific Back-to-School PRIZE PACK includes:
- Clip-on Fisheye Lens (iPhone, Galaxy, Android compatible)
- Orkin On-the-Go Drink Tumbler
- Orkin Drawstring Bag
- Orkin “Field Notes” Notebook w/ Pen

Giveaway open to the U.S. Each household is only eligible to win 1 ONE Orkin Scientific Back-to-School PRIZE PACK via blog reviews and giveaways. Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

I am trying out Rafflecopter on my blog. Please click on this post link if you do not see the script for it below. Also, if there is anything that is wrong with it let me know by emailing me: finamoon AT gmail DOT com I will try my best at fixing it. Thanks for being awesome readers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Because I am posting about The Orkin Fact or Fake App I am getting a Orkin Scientific Back-to-School PRIZE PACK free for my readers as a giveaway and one to keep for myself. Thanks to PartnersHub for providing me this promotion information and free product. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for posting this blog app and giveaway.

Orkin Bug Wisdom Backyard Explorers Kit Giveaway and Blog App

Summer is here and Orkin some amazing “Bug Wisdom” to soak in and a “Backyard Explorers Kit” to keep the kids busy at home!

When life hands you dung, just roll with it.

At Orkin, we never stop learning. Our new “Bug Wisdom” video series is a reminder that some of life’s biggest lessons come from small places. Bugs are smart, curious creatures – we humans can learn a lot from their ways.

Take the quiz to discover your “Spirit Bug,” and check out all the GIFs to soak in every nugget of wisdom that these bugs have to offer!

The Orkin Man always knows what to look for when he shows up at your home. If you want to get exploration down to a science, be sure and enter to win Orkin’s Backyard Explorers Kit!

@AskTheOrkinMan
Facebook
YouTube
Website



Blog App:

• Take the “What’s YOUR Spirit Bug?” Quiz and find out which smart, curious creature you are most like!
• Click through all the GIFs and soak in every nugget of wisdom that these bugs have to offer! 
• Tweet using the #BugWisdom hashtag to share your “Spirit Bug” and bug wisdom.
• Share on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest!

WIN IT
Prize: Orkin Backyard Explorers Kit
Includes:
- The Orkin 9-Page Activity Bug Book
- Orkin Bugview Bug Catching Tool and Magnifier
- Red/Black Summer Wayfarer Sunglasses

Giveaway open to the U.S. Each household is only eligible to win 1 ONE Orkin Backyard Explorers Kit via blog reviews and giveaways. Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

I am trying out Rafflecopter on my blog. Please click on this post link if you do not see the script for it below. Also, if there is anything that is wrong with it let me know by emailing me: finamoon AT gmail DOT com I will try my best at fixing it. Thanks for being awesome readers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Because I am posting about The Orkin Bug Wisdom App I am getting a Orkin Backyard Explorers Kit free for my readers as a giveaway and one to keep for myself. Thanks to PartnersHub for providing me this promotion information and free product. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for posting this blog app and giveaway.

Teach Your Child Herbs With Herb Fairies!

Herb Fairies is a magical tale of plants and their remedies as told by wonderful storytelling and fairies that look like the plant they are named after. These 13 interactive e-book stories were written by Kimberly Gallagher, the creator of Wildcraft! An Herbal Adventure Board Game. These help young and old alike learn herbs in a fun way. I love to use these in homeschooling! Both my sons and daughters love these.

Kimberly's husband, John of LearningHerbs.com will be releasing some really cool FREE recipes, coloring sheets, posters, activities and information packs along with information about how you can join the Herb Fairies book club along the way. So, make sure to sign up so you won't miss any of the fun!

Sign up here at HerbFairies.com to learn more and get instant access to the FREE stuff :)

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You can download the new Herb Fairies Cookbook and make some recipes and remedies like Dandelion Flower Cookies, Candied Violets, Lemon Balm Popsicles, Chickweed Grilled Cheese, Chocolate Elderberry Syrup, Pine Tea, and many more! There are 13 recipes total in the cookbook that use the plants from the Herb Fairies books.

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Also, I received a really neat kids activity pack free to give to my readers that goes right along with the Herb Fairies. This activity pack introduces you to Stellaria, the Chickweed fairy and gives you information on chickweed, a coloring sheet as well as a yummy recipe to use the herb in. Go ahead and download it and share it with your kids, Grandkids, or Godkids.

Activity Pack PDF

(right click to download)

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Sign up now to get instant access to more free downloads and information on how you can join the Herb Fairies Book Club!

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I wrote this blog post because I thought you might be interested in knowing this information and taking part of this deal. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any compensation for doing this post. Affiliate links can be found in this post. Thank you for your support of this blog!

Preschool Rocks Curriculum Bundle Educents Deal and Sand & Water Sensory Activities Review

My girls, Zari and Teela, playing with water in the Sensory Table.

We received products free from Educents to facilitate this review.

Right now Educents is having a deal for the Preschool Rocks Curriculum Bundle! Get 19 Downloadable Products (982 pages) for only $29.99 (regularly $106)! That's a discount of 71%!

If you are doing Preschool with your little ones you should really check out this bundle on Educents for the awesome savings! These instant downloads cover letters, sounds, numbers, counting, colors, shapes, phonemic awareness, math, literacy, and much more! You will get printables, games, centers, and interactive activities you are sure to love! This is great for preschool teachers, homeschooling parents, and/or parents looking for supplemental activities.

I got to download the Sand and Water “Sensory” Table Task Cards and More by The Fun Factory for this review for free. These activities encourage imagination, observation, exploration, discovery, higher level thinking, problem-solving skills, building vocabulary, scaffolding learning, and small motor building. Retail price of $5 and 25 pages are included.

When Tatiana was still with us we received the Sand & Water Table we have now from a wonderful donor and now good friend of ours. Because Tatiana was blind she needed sensory activities to desensitize her of less desirable touch sensations: like gooey, sandy, or wet things. She was a bit tactally hypersensitive, but finally got to love bath time, eating yogurt, and the beach. It was a process of trial and error with the Sensory Table, but we are so very glad we had it to help her. I also made up a website of activities for totally blind babies, toddlers, and children while she was still alive to share what things worked well for my daughter.

The activities and ideas in the Sand and Water “Sensory” Table Task Cards and More are great to help you think of more ways than just water and sand to use with the "Sensory" Table. Some of the activity cards are categorized according to season, holiday or theme. I love themed activities and think that they are wonderful in teaching because they make learning more fun. These cards can be easily printed onto card stock and laminated for use over and over again with the table. We loved the hands-on ideas of filling the table with things to find and match with words or letter. The table could be used much like one of those eye spy games. We also loved the ideas of using small brooms/dustpans and mops so the littles can clean up their own messes when they are made. They also had ideas on what to use if you don't have a commercial sensory table. My kids love playing with the sand & water sensory table. It is great because you can use it so many ways. It is so versatile. You can also use it both indoors and outdoors too. I can't wait when the weather gets nice so that I can fully incorporate these into my homeschool lessons!

Downloadable Files Included in the Preschool Rocks Curriculum Bundle

• A Dab of Learning
• ABC and 123
• ABC Necklaces
• Frogs & Toads Letter Matching Game
• Getting Ready for Kindergarten
• I Can Read the Alphabet
• Kitty Cat Numeration & Ordering
• Letter Books
• Math Game and Math Centers
• Mega Sorting Bundle
• My Personal Information
• Name that Shape Geometry Games with Shapes
• Preschool Math
• Real or Not Real
• Rhyming Mega Bundle
• Sand & Water Sensory Table
• Time to Rhyme

Go get this deal at Educents now and save up to 71%! Click on the Educents button below and find the Preschool Rocks Curriculum Bundle deal! Hurry! It is only here for a limited time!


DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received products for free to facilitate my review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review and promo. Affiliate links may be present in this post. Thank you for supporting my blog.

American Girl Bitty Baby House Party

We received products free from American Girl and House Party to facilitate this House Party and review.

My daughter Zari turns 3 years old on the 19th of October. I was fortunate enough to win a spot as a host for a American Girl Bitty Baby House Party. The Party was set by House Party to be on October 5th. I thought this to be fortuitous. The party day and her actual birthday were so close in dates. She was so thrilled when she opened her gifts from American Girl and House Party.

Exclusive American Girl Bitty Baby Party Pack

The party pack looked like so much fun! So many neat things were included. All the activities we did at the party were big hits!

Host Gifts

For me (the host):

• 1 American Girl Bitty Baby Doll Set (hair, skin and eye color based on my selection when I applied)
• 1 Additional picture story book (We received the hardcover Bitty Baby at the Ballet picture book.)
• 1 doll outfit (We received the Prima Ballerina Set: which included a tiny ballet dress, tiny ballet slippers, and pink tights.)
• 1 plush animal (we received Bitty's Hoppy Bunny)

Guest Gifts

For our guests:

• 15 American Girl $10 off coupons
• 15 Variety packs of Bitty Baby coloring sheets (45 sheets total)
• 15 Bitty Baby Wish Stars and 15 decorative sticker sheets
• 15 Bitty Baby puzzles
• 15 Bitty Baby bookmarks
• 15 American Girl bags
• 15 Tip sheets for Moms 
• 15 Keepsake illustrations and frames

Party favors and goodies: (sparkling pink lemonade, sandwiches, and sugar cookies)

Jaedan and I made sparkling (lemon-lime soda mixed) pink lemonade with real lemons and flower shaped ice cubes, heart shaped sandwiches, and homemade garden sugar cookies.

Zari's and Bitty Baby's first meeting

Hug

The all new American Girl Bitty Baby doll is a lovely 15" tall baby dolly that has a soft huggable cloth body with head and limbs of smooth vinyl. The eyes open when upright and close when put to bed. We picked a Bitty Baby with dark brown hair, brown eyes, and light skin because dark haired baby dolls are hard to find. It came with a white sleeper with scattered pink stars and a mock-wrap neckline trimmed with a ribbon ruffle, a soft cloth diaper, a hardcover Bitty Baby and Me picture book, and a sparkly wishing star that is just like the one from her book. We loved the Bitty Baby and Zari named her Maple because the dark brown color of her eyes reminded her of dark colored maple syrup.

Zari with the picture book that came with the doll.

These picture books that either come with Bitty Baby or you buy separately are beautifully illustrated by award-winning artist Sue Cornelison. The stories are written by Newbery Honor winner Kirby Larson to inspire girls to get over fears and struggles by problem solving. Each book includes a "For Parents" section that provides insight and tips that have to do with the story. I read the stories to the girls at the party.

Lemonade and sugar cookies with Bitty Baby

Zari and Teela loved their sparkling pink lemonade (lemon-lime soda and pink lemonade) and homemade sugar cookies. Even Bitty Baby joined in and had a "tea party" with them.

Zari said that the Bunny (not pictured here), which she named Violet, was hopping around looking for carrots and spinach. The Bunny is featured in the Bitty Baby and the Ballet picture book. The bunny is super soft and great for snuggling. Her fur is purple with fabric accents on the ears. She has an embroidered star shape with a heart cut out in the center of the bottom of her paw. She has a weighted bottom to help her sit.

Wish Star activity

The Wish Star activity involved the girls to, with the help of their moms, write a wish on the back of the provided star and then decorate it with the provided stickers. These wish stars could be punched out of the surrounding paper. They could then take their wish star home and hang their wish star in their bedrooms as a decoration.

coloring activity

The girls enjoyed coloring the American Girl Bitty Baby coloring pages that were provided. There were 3 different pages that they could pick from. I love the cute illustrations from the books that were on them.

Bitty Baby Ballerinas

The Bitty Baby Prima Ballerina Set is very well made. It is a fancy dance dress for the doll that is adorned with 10 rosettes and a silver ribbon tied in a bow with a puffy attached tutu. Includes pink ribbed sweater tights and satin ballet slippers with criss-cross straps. It is so adorable on the doll and is easy to get on and off. The slippers are made so that one will fit on the left foot and one will fit on the right.

Thank you American Girl, House Party, and everyone who came to her party for making Zari's day so special! :)

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received product for free to facilitate my House Party and review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.