Edushape Magic Brix in Motion Review #MagicBrix

I received this product free to facilitate this review.

Magic Brix in Motion is a great travel set of 55 building blocks that interlock together with little plastic nubs. This set also comes with a board so that your child has a flat nubby surface to attach their creations to while on-the-go. This has the same pieces that you know and love in any Magic Brix/Travel Brix set, plus some new shapes that add more motion to your child's creations. These are easily washable and grip-able. You can easily store all the pieces in the box they come in. This box also comes with a handle to easily carry the pieces with you. You can take this set on: planes, trains, and automobiles. It can go with your child to the park, playground, Grandma's house or at home! Great for encouraging: creative thinking, hand-eye coordination, tactile sensory development, visual sensory development, socialization, fine motor skills, and logic & reasoning. Perfect for both boys and girls. Great for little architects, engineers, tinkers, and artists! Great for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) lessons. Recommended for ages 3 and up because of some small pieces and possible choking hazard.

Edushape manufactures quality children's toys and products that promote developmental learning through play. These toys and products help build Gross Motor, Language, Musical, Social & Emotional, Fine Motor skills and much more. Their main focus is for children ages Birth to 5 years old.

What Is Included In the Magic Brix in Motion set:

• 55 Brick Pieces: These are great for open-ended play just about anywhere. They are made from sturdy, soft, and flexible plastic. Two new shapes help create motion! They come in bright colors of yellow, green, blue, pink, purple, and orange. The colors and details of individual pieces may vary from the illustrations.
• 1 Travel Board: Use this to assemble creations to so they won't topple. This is 6"x8" or 15x20cm. Additional boards may be purchased separately.
• 1 Booklet: This shows 10 pictures of things your child can build with the Magic Brix in Motion.
• 1 Box: Sturdy cardboard box opens up to store all the pieces in. Closes securely and has a handle for easy travel.

What We Thought:
The Edushape Magic Brix in Motion set is great for learning more about motion. We used these to teach about Newton's laws of motion in our homeschool. We love the two new bricks: one is used to make things spin or roll forward and one has a joint to make the pieces rotate. The one that spins or rolls you can either wind up the opposite way to make it spin and pull back and let go to make it roll forward. We had fun watching the video above to see these new pieces in action before we constructed our own builds.

This set is also wonderful to take on trips. We love how fast it packs up to bring wherever. The box was the perfect thing to bring them in and had extra room for more bricks too if needed.

The pieces come in a lot of different shapes, sizes, and colors. There aren't just square or rectangular bricks either. There were some that let the blocks attached to them spin, rotate, or roll. My girls made the wind mill from the picture and after it was wound it turned on its own which was cool. We just had to really reinforce the base of it or hold it because the force of the movement made it tipsy. Teela made the triangle from the booklet with the bendy, rotating pieces. We even made the plane that you can pull back and it will go forward on its own if put together correctly. Some blocks had more surface area than others which made building a little more challenging because of how and where they interlock together. We also loved the bright colors the bricks came in.

Teela and Zari playing with the Edushape Magic Brix in Motion.

We liked how simple these were to put together. The pieces are safe and don't poke you while playing with them. My daughters didn't get frustrated at all by building their own things. I did wish that the little booklet of design ideas, which only had pictures of finished creations, had instead step-by-step instructions of builds. Some of the builds proved to be difficult just by looking at the picture to put together, even for me and so I ended up making up my own that was similar. Also, since the colors of the pieces in the booklet didn't match the ones we had it proved a bit confusing for my youngest who is 7 to put together the builds from the pictures. We also found that if you stack the pieces too high or if they are top heavy, they still topple even if attached to the board. Both my daughters still had a lot of fun building things of their own design though with this set.

We highly recommend the Edushape Magic Brix in Motion for ages 3 and older. I like that they are easily cleaned which is a plus and that they are a fun toy for the imagination. These are also well made. I see them lasting a long time. We also love that you can combine other sets of Magic Brix or Travel Brix with this one so you can make a larger collection of bricks to assemble from.

BUY IT
You can purchase this from Simplicity ABC.

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!

Edushape Travel Brix Review

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

Travel Brix is a great travel set of 32 building blocks that interlock together with little plastic nubs. This set also comes with a board so that your child has a flat nubby surface to attach their creations to while on-the-go. These are easily washable and grip-able. You can easily store all the pieces in the box they come in. This box also comes with a handle to easily carry the pieces with you. You can take this set on: planes, trains, and automobiles. It can go with your child to the park, playground, Grandma's house or at home! Great for encouraging: creative thinking, hand-eye coordination, tactile sensory development, visual sensory development, socialization, fine motor skills, and logic & reasoning. Perfect for both boys and girls. Great for little architects, engineers, tinkers, and artists! Recommended for ages 3 and up because of some small pieces and possible choking hazard.

Edushape manufactures quality children's toys and products that promote developmental learning through play. These toys and products help build Gross Motor, Language, Musical, Social & Emotional, Fine Motor skills and much more. Their main focus is for children ages Birth to 5 years old.

What Is Included In the Travel Brix set:

• 32 Pieces: These are great for open-ended play just about anywhere. They are made from sturdy, soft, and flexible plastic. They come in bright colors of yellow, green, blue, pink, purple, and orange. These colors and details of individual pieces may vary from the illustrations.
• 1 Travel Board: Use this to assemble creations to so they won't topple. This is 6"x8" or 15x20cm. Additional boards may be purchased separately.
• 1 Booklet: This shows 9 pictures of things your child can build with the Travel Brix.
• 1 Box: Sturdy cardboard box opens up to store all the pieces in. Closes securely and has a handle for easy travel.

Teela and Zari playing with the Edushape Travel Brix.

What We Thought:
The Edushape Travel Brix set is wonderful to take on trips. We love how fast it packs up to bring wherever. The box was the perfect thing to bring them in and had extra room for more bricks too if needed.

The pieces come in a lot of different shapes, sizes, and colors. There is even some that let the blocks attached to them turn around and around. My girls made the wind mill from the picture and it really turned which was cool. There aren't just square or rectangular bricks either. My kids made the cat from the picture and it has triangle ears. Some had more surface area than others which made building a little more challenging because of how and where they interlock together. We also loved the bright colors the bricks came in.

We liked how simple these were to put together. The pieces are safe and don't poke you while playing with them. My daughters didn't get frustrated at all by building their own things. I did wish that the little booklet of design ideas, which only had pictures of finished creations, had instead step-by-step instructions of builds. The flower proved to be difficult just by looking at the picture to put together, even for me and so I made up my own. Also, since the colors of the pieces in the booklet didn't match the ones we had it proved a bit confusing for my youngest who is 6 to put together the builds from the pictures. We also found that if you stack the pieces too high or if they are top heavy, they still topple even if attached to the board. My daughters still had a lot of fun building things of their own design though with this set.

We highly recommend the Edushape Travel Brix for ages 3 and older. I like that they are easily cleaned which is a plus and that they are a fun toy to take traveling. These are also well made. I see them lasting a long time.

BUY IT
You can purchase this from 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 can be found in this post. Thank you for your support of this blog!

Brick Fest Live! LEGO® Fan Experience is Coming to Portland Oregon!

Brick Fest Live! LEGO Fan Experience is coming to Portland Oregon and I can't wait! My family is planning on going as a fun filled homeschool field trip. I love that LEGO is so educational as well as fun. There is so much going to go on to help entertain all of us while we are there and you can save $3 with the promo code below!

August 19-20 LEGO lovers rejoice! The Brick Fest Live LEGO Fan Experience is filled with hands-on attractions and activities built to inspire, educate, and entertain.

DATE AND TIME

Sat, Aug 19, 2017, 9:00 AM - Sun, Aug 20, 2017, 6:00 PM

Portland Expo Center
2060 N Marine Dr
Portland, OR 97217

MY READERS SAVE! Save $3 off tickets with promo code USFGTHREE

Enjoy an amazing LEGO world where you can marvel at giant creations and even build some of your own.

The Brick Fest Live LEGO Fan Experience provides a venue for LEGO lovers of all sizes to celebrate, build new creations, and see some truly mind-blowing LEGO sculptures to help set the imagination free.



Attractions Include:

• The Brick Show Experience: Meet popular YouTube LEGO show hosts from The Brick Show and be featured on in an upcoming video.
• Brick Fest Derby: Build and race your custom built LEGO derby car down one of our 35-foot long timed tracks!
• Collaborative Building Activities: Contribute to large-scale mystery floor mosaic.
• Inspiration Stations: Add to existing LEGO cities and make them your own by building custom creations.
• Video Game Arena: Have a favorite LEGO video game? Come challenge your family or make new friends in the Brick Fest Gaming Arena playing your favorite LEGO title head to head.
• Mini Golf: A miniature golf course built to inspire! Take your game to the next level on the Brick-Links.
• Brick Fest Theater Trivia & Entertainment: Participate in LEGO trivia all while taking a break from what will be an overwhelming amount of awesome!
• Mosaics: Using a colorful variety of LEGO bricks, build a piece of art to proudly display for other attendees.
• Shopping: Find new, vintage, rare, and custom LEGO sets and merchandise from one of the many merchants in attendance.

MY READERS SAVE! Save $3 off tickets with promo code USFGTHREE

Get more info and tickets HERE.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Because I am posting about the Brick Fest Live! LEGO® Fan Experience I am getting free tickets for my family to go. Thanks to USFamilyGuide.com for providing me this promotion information and free tickets. 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 promo.

Learning Resources Mental Blox 360° 3-D Building Game Review

Learning Resources Mental Blox 360° 3-D Building Game is a game of 3-D shapes that the player tries to stack and place in formation to resemble a 2-D picture. These brain-boosting puzzles challenge players to sharpen their spatial visualization, critical thinking, logical thinking, and problem solving skills. It takes concentration, attention to detail, logical thinking, abstract thinking, analytical thinking, and precision to build and solve 3-D shape puzzles from the different visual perspectives and points-of-view. You can play by yourself or with friends or family members for even more fun. For ages 5 and up.

Everything included in the box.

What Is Included:

• 15 colorful plastic blocks: These blocks are best played with on a hard flat surface is optimal with these so they stack well. These are sized well for little hands to grasp.
• 40 double-sided cards: These feature the puzzle on the front and the solution on the back. The picture cards show a 2-D viewpoint to be built in 3-D. The cards are language-free so players who do not read yet can still play. 3 levels of play: green cards are easy, yellow are medium, and red is difficult. Top right of the card has a cube that is representative of which point of view or angle is being shown (top, front, behind, sides). Left of the line on the card is all pieces needed t make the build. Right of the line is how the structure looks when completed from the point of view indicated in the above cube. Check accuracy on the back of each card.
• Activity Guide: This is the instruction booklet. It describes how to play the game.

Teela and Zari playing with the Mental Blox 360° 3-D Building Game.

What We Thought:
My daughters who are 5 and 8 tried out the Mental Blox 360° 3-D Building Game. This game makes them think outside the blox :) My eight year old daughter could do the green and yellow cards without difficulty. She was challenged on the red cards, but quite willing and up to the challenge without giving up. My five year old couldn't quite grasp the concept of the different viewpoints so she instead stacks the blocks in fun ways. Mental Blox 360° is a great boredom buster. It helps expand my kids' ways of thinking. I am quite amazed at how much attention they pour into this game. It keeps them very occupied for quite a while.

Mental Blox 360° is fun and educational! I recommend it to people that love brain games, puzzles, and other games! This is also a great addition to any homeschool environment. It is a great family centered game 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!

jollyphonics4u.com and just2ducks LLC Can Do Cubes Review

My family had the privilege of trying the Can Do Cubes from jollyphonics4u.com and just2ducks 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.

jollyphonics4u.com provides products that help to teach literacy and reading. They have a product called Can Do Cubes as well as Jolly Phonics and Jolly Grammar. I just reviewed Jolly Phonics and Jolly Grammar on my blog here. The Can Do Cubes are wonderful to use by themselves or with a synthetic phonics and grammar program like Jolly Phonics and Jolly Grammar.

Can Do Cubes Stage 1 & 2.

Can Do Cubes is a multi-sensory way of teaching synthetic phonics, a simple to complex approach to teach and learn alphabetic code. They are small wooden cubes that you can hold in the palm of your hand. These are six sided and most have a phoneme laser engraved onto each side. These are very hands-on and tactile-kinesthetic. These can be used for teaching: spelling, letter recognition, letter sound awareness (phonemes), blending, digraphs, building words, and later building sentences. Each letter, blend, or digraph has a very faint line under them so the child knows how to position the letters even if they are not yet reading. Each block in Stage 1, which represents simple alphabetic code, has a small number in the lower right hand corner to signify where to put them back into the cardboard tray when they are done being used. Each block in Stage 2, which represents complex alphabetic code, is put back easily where they go in the cardboard tray by looking at each individual block and matching the code on the tray.

Can Do Cubes Starter Set

We Received The Can Do Cubes Starter Set Which Includes:

• 1 Tray of 27 Cubes in Stage 1 which represent the transparent (simple, basic) alphabetic code
• 1 Tray of 30 Cubes plus 2 cubes connected with a string to represent split digraph sounds in Stage 2 Cubes which represent the opaque (complex, extended, advanced) alphabetic code
• Handbook for Stage 1 and Stage 2
• DVD: Teaching, learning and 'sounding out' with Debbie Hepplewhite
• DVD: of PDF files for Teacher's Guide and Template Book
• Phonics Chart
• 2 At-a-Glance Word Charts

The cubes themselves come with all sorts of extras in the starter set we received. There is a spiral bound Handbook for Stage 1 and one for Stage 2. These help you teach synthetic (systematic) phonics at home with Can Do Cubes. One DVD goes through an introduction of Can Do Cubes, a demonstration for teaching with Can Do Cubes, Hepplewhite 'sounding out' the simple alphabetic code, an introduction to synthetic phonics, synthetic phonics for Can Do Cubes Stage 1 and Stage 2. It is all introduced in a British accent. The other DVD has PDFs of Teacher's Guides and Template Books. These have fun workbook pages for Phonological Awareness, Phonemic Awareness & the Alphabetic Principle; Blending, Segmenting, Dictation, Handwriting & High Frequency Words. The Phonics Chart teaches a simple and complex alphabetic codes overview. There are also two At-a-Glance Word Charts showing a cumulative word chart for the Stage 1 Can Do Cubes: one for 1-5 and another for 6-8.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

I have been using Can Do Cubes with my daughter Zari. She just going into Kindergarten next year, is not yet reading, and doesn't know her letters or letter sounds very well. We have been doing one lesson a day in the Jolly Phonics book and using Can Do Cubes along with it. We also tried some of the PDF worksheets in the Teacher's Guide and Template Book and some of the other activities they recommend with them.

Can Do Cubes with Jolly Phonics

In the first Jolly Phonics Book Zari has been finding the cube phoneme that matches the phoneme being taught in the book. For example on the first page is has the letter "s". So I had her find the letter "s" in the tray and on the cubes and say the sound the letter makes as well as everything else it says to do in the book. When we got to page 4 in the book she found "t" and "s" and "a" and make those sounds. Then she would make the letters and words in the word bank with the Can Do Cubes, blend the sounds of the letters in the words together slowly...and then faster to make the word.

Can Do Cubes PDF worksheets in the Teacher's Guide and Template Book

We had some fun with these too. My eight year old daughter spelled some things and I spelled my nick name finamoon :) You can do all sorts of neat things with these cubes besides learning phonics. We liked that the Stage 2 tray had symbols for punctuation too so we could spell out whole sentences. We did wish these were laser-engraved darker, because some of the phonemes were very hard to read... especially since the letters were quite small already.

Fun with Can Do Cubes!

The Can Do Cubes are a fun multi-sensory, interactive way of learning phonics. We highly recommend them with any synthetic phonics curriculum. These are perfect for teaching literacy, phonics, and reading. Great for Pre-K and Kindergarten age students trying to master the English language.

Building words with Can Do Cubes

BUY IT (these are prices out of their current catalog as of this post)
You can purchase these from jollyphonics4u.com from their catalog. The Can Do Cubes for Synthetic Phonics STARTER SET is $95 + applicable tax & shipping costs.

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Twitter: www.twitter.com/jollyliteracy
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/jollyliteracy/ 
Hashtags: #hsreviews #literacy #reading #phonics #interactivelearning

Read other homeschool curriculum reviews for jollyphonics4u.com and just2ducks LLC Can Do Cubes...

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.

Zonderkidz Faith Builders Bible Review

My family had the privilege of trying the Zonderkidz Faith Builders Bible 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.

Zondervan is a part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. They are a world leader in Bible publishing and provider of Christian communications. For more than 80 years they have provided its bestselling Christian Bibles, books, curriculum, academic resources and digital products. Their products are sold in multiple formats, worldwide in more than 60 countries, and translated into nearly 200 languages. Zondervan is the North American publisher and licensee of the NIV (New International Version) Bible translation. Zonderkidz is the children's division of Zondervan. They provide Christian products for kids under 16. Zonderkidz is also the publisher of the NIrV (New International Reader's Version) Bible translation, the 3rd-grade reading level edition of the NIV.

The Faith Builders Bible is a bible for children. It is written in the NIrV bible translation at an easy to read 3rd grade reading level and 9 point font. This hardcover Bible combines the popularity of brick-building with the Word of God to make learning more fun and engaging. Includes 24 full-color pages of illustrations that coincide with the scriptures and is the complete NIrV of the Bible (from Genesis to Revelation). There is also a nice dictionary in the back and a list of great Bible stories with their scriptures that correlate.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

We usually work through the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible at our home Bible studies because we feel it to be the most correct translation, but I do love that the Faith Builders Bible is so easily readable for younger kids. My daughter Teela who is seven years old and in second grade was able to read it without difficulty and the pictures in it kept both my daughters occupied. Teela especially loves reading this Bible to her younger sister, Zari, who is five. The pages (except for the ones with pictures), like most Bibles, are a little delicate, so we encourage her to turn the pages with care. We now have been using this along with our KJV Bible studies and I believe it has helped my younger children understand the words and what is happening better.

My boys' collection of Lego pieces (Christmas 2013)

My family is a huge fan of building blocks of all sorts, especially Lego! The Faith Builders Bible brings the scripture to life with fun pictures of scenes from the Bible stories built with Lego like blocks. Scenes like Noah building the Ark, The Ten Commandments, Solomon's Temple, David defeating Goliath, the Birth of Jesus, the Last Supper, etc. Each illustration has a title, short description, and a "Building Block Verse" (a verse of scripture in the Bible to go along with the illustration that can be used as a memory verse). These pictures will get your little one's creative juices flowing.

My children love building all sorts of things with Lego, but they hadn't thought of creating scenes from the Bible before. This is a great way to teach Biblical concepts because it is even more hands on. It is wonderful family together time if you build with your kids. I love to use it with our Legos for Family Home Evenings at our family scripture study. It is really amazing that with as many Lego bricks and figures as we have we found that our set could use more pieces to be able to build different Biblical scenes. Still it was quite fun to see what we could do with what we had.

Zari built a cross out of Lego bricks.

We do wish there were more pictures with builds and more prompts with activities to do. There were no instructions on how to build the things in the pictures, either. The Faith Builders Bible really wasn't jam packed with activities or devotionals like some children's Bibles I have seen before. It had a few prompts for things to do, but it was a bit lack luster in this realm. Even though this was the case, I still would recommend this to anyone who: wants their younger children to understand the Word of God better and have kids that love building things.

BUY IT
The Zonderkidz Faith Builders Bible is just $24.99.

Follow Them on Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Zonderkidz/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/zonderkidz
Hashtags: #HSReview #FaithBuilding #Bible #NIrV

Read other homeschool curriculum reviews for Zonderkidz Faith Builders Bible...

LEGO FRIENDS: Girlz 4 Life Blu-ray And Lego Set Giveaway & Blog App

**Warner Bros. Home Video provided me with some of the materials I used in this Blog Post/Giveaway. The opinions I share are my own.**

There are few things as important in life as your friends. No matter how old you are, your friends are there to help you when you’re down, support you when you make mistakes, and be your rock when the going gets tough.

The new movie, LEGO® FRIENDS: GIRLZ 4 LIFE, is all about friendship, trusting yourself and standing up for what’s right no matter what the cost. All set to an awesome rock soundtrack you’re going to love! Join Olivia, Stephanie, Emma, Mia and Andrea as they learn that fame isn’t important, it’s your friends that count!

LEGO® FRIENDS: GIRLZ 4 LIFE brings to life (in animated form) the LEGO construction based toy LEGO® Friends. LEGO ® Friends invites girls into a universe, Heartlake city, and inspires them to use their imagination to build and role play their own stories with fun-loving relatable characters.

About LEGO FRIENDS: GIRLZ 4 LIFE and Lego Set:

True Friendship in the Glamorous World of Pop!

Join Olivia, Stephanie, Emma, Mia and Andrea, as they learn about friendship, fame and pop star fun in Heartlake City.

The girls’ friendships are tested when mega pop star Livi comes to Heartlake City. When our friends’ hit song “Girlz” is stolen by Livi’s manager, it’s time for a cunning plan.

As the girls try to tell Livi the truth about her latest hit single, they all learn that fame isn’t everything and sometimes friendship is the most precious thing in the world.

Own LEGO® FRIENDS: GIRLZ 4 LIFE on digital HD 1/19 and on Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD 2/2

Also be sure to visit the official L2M website to stay updated with all things L2M! www.L2MOfficial.com

The LEGO® Friends Pop Star Dressing Room allows children to role-play and become their favorite popstar. The set opens up to create different areas with a mirrored vanity and unique accessories to play dress up. Includes Emma and Livi mini-dolls, dressing room with swivel chair, sofa, dog with his bed and much more.

Blog App:

• Grab your pop star microphone because it’s sing-along night! Click the play button to watch the special sing-along music video for Girlz by L2M. 
• Listen to the song High Tops by L2M and click to watch the “Meet L2M” video that introduces the next girl-pop power sensation. 
• Download the “Girlz 4 Life” Activity Pack and to unlock your inner pop star! Kit includes Selfie props, a “Spot the Difference” game, making the Band DIY pop star instruments, Friendship Card and more!
• Click on LEGO® FRIENDS: GIRLZ 4 LIFE Blu-ray Combo Pack for a link where the film can be purchased!
• Use the #Girlz4Life hashtag in your social media posts

WIN IT
Prize:  A copy of LEGO® FRIENDS: GIRLZ 4 LIFE on Blu-ray and the LEGO® Friends Pop Star Dressing Room Building Kit!

I run giveaways with 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!

Each household is only eligible to win LEGO FRIENDS: Girlz 4 Life Blu-ray & LEGO FRIENDS: Pop Star Dressing Room 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.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Because I am posting about the LEGO FRIENDS: Girlz 4 Life Blog App I am getting a LEGO FRIENDS: Girlz 4 Life Blu-ray And Lego Set free for my readers as a giveaway. Thanks to TetherGroup a.k.a. PartnersHub and Warner Bros. Home Video 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.

LEGO® KidsFest in Portland - My Experience

We received free media passes from US Family Guide and free product from Bissell to facilitate this review and post.

We got to go to  LEGO® Kids Fest 2013 in Portland on Friday, October 11, 2013 as a family. We are huge LEGO® fans and so it didn't surprise us when our kids loved going.

There are tons of hands on activities and things to look at while you are there. There are also activities your kids can participate in to win free LEGO® prizes. As you come into the convention center you will see a Lost Parent Zone off to the right where you can tell your kids and other family members to meet in case they loose track of you. Also they have a lost and found there in case you loose something other than kids. My daughter, Zari, misplaced her rain jacket and we found it there moments later.

LEGO® Model Museum: dozens of life-sized models made entirely from LEGO bricks. Here is Superman with my good friend (of 16 years) and fellow Cascadia Connect Blogger, Erin of Connected2Christ, and her daughter with me and my daughters (taken by Erin's husband).

When you look straight ahead you will see the Model Museum, where life-size models of characters and other things from movies and TV are completely made out of LEGO® bricks! My favorite was a life size model of Iron Man! His eyes and arc light reactor even glowed. I wanted to get a picture of my son, Jaedan (the Iron Man fan), with him, but he is camera shy, so it never happened. There were all kinds of others though too: Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Sponge Bob, Batman, Lightning McQueen, Superman, Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, LEGO, Toy Story characters, etc.

One of the many Construction Zones at LEGO® KidsFest

My kids had the most fun at the Construction Zones where they could build anything their minds could fathom with LEGO® bricks that were provided in bins and on tables. My husband and my kids spent the most time there.

Creation Nation: My boys both added their LEGO® creations to the huge map of the USA

Zari in the Brick Pile: a gigantic pile full of LEGO bricks for creative play and enjoyment.

LEGO® Galaxy Squad: Zari firing missiles at aliens.

Challenge Zone: Jaedan's space ship that he made.

Jaedan raced against others to build something space related at the Challenge Zone and got a LEGO® Batmobile from the LEGO® DC Universe SuperHeroes as a participation prize to take home.

Zari at the LEGO® Friends zone.

Zari and Teela loved the LEGO® Friends zone. These LEGO® sets are made especially with girls in mind. Both Zari and Teela loved to build with these bricks and sets in this construction zone. I loved the cute deer, dolphins, and horses that come with some of the sets. I am placing these in the girls' wishlists because they liked them so much. They even had a LEGO® Friends photo booth to get your picture taken in.

Activity Area: Delbin's team built a bridge.

In the Activity Area Delbin competed as a team with other teams to build a bridge with Duplo LEGO® bricks. They then put each of their bridges on pier columns that were spaced apart on either side and placed weights in the middle to see how much stress it could take before it buckled. Delbin's team took a good 20lbs, but a previous competition we watched there was a team that took on almost 50lbs of weight! It was amazing to watch! All the kids who participated got a LEGO® Star Wars fighter to take home.

Delbin trying out the Bissell Perfect Sweep Turbo that actually sucks up small LEGO® bricks. WOW! A smile while doing a "chore".

Zari trying the Bissell Perfect Sweep Turbo out too. The handle can also accommodate kiddo size.

The kids got their hand at trying out the Bissell Perfect Sweep Turbo. It actually picks up small LEGO® bricks and has a clear viewing compartment that holds the stuff it picks up. I received one free to review later, so watch out for my post about it!

Honest Tea: Free Drink Samples.

We visited the Honest Tea booth to get some free Honest Kids drink samples and we also watched as Honest Kids drink pouches were made into friendship bracelets for kids. We tried both the Berry Berry Good Lemonade and the Super Fruit Punch. These USDA organic drinks are sweetened with only fruit juice and don't contain GMOs. I am so glad they were there to quench our thirst along with the drinking water fountains stationed around the floor.

Some of my fellow Cascadia Connect Blogger friends. From left to right Me, Mary Ann of A Cloth Life, Carol of All Mommy Wants, and Beeb of Beeb-Log, Contest Corner, and Super Coupon Girl (taken by Jai).

I saw some of my blogger friends from Cascadia Connect and their families at the LEGO KidsFest too! I also saw Maryann of Coupon Savvy in Cowlitz Co. and Jana of Merlot Mommy that are not pictured.

Some of the free swag we took home from LEGO KidsFest

Sessions:
Friday, October 11, 2013 4 pm - 8:30 pm
Saturday, October 12, 2013 Session I: 9 am – 1:30 pm Session II: 3 pm – 7:30 pm
Sunday, October 13, 2013 Session I: 9 am – 1:30 pm Session II: 3 pm – 7:30 pm
(Note: Each session offers the same exhibits and activities)

Where:
Oregon Convention Center
777 NE Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard
Portland, OR 97232
Halls C, D & E
(503) 235-7575
www.oregoncc.org

Other notable things to see and check out that aren't mentioned above:

• LEGO Art Gallery: display your LEGO works of art
• LEGO Master Builders: live demonstrations and activities from the crew who get paid to play
• Race Ramps: build your own custom car, then race it down the ramp against friends and family
• LEGO Games Arena: roll the dice to play LEGO board games
• LEGO DUPLO®: younger visitors can explore imagination through building
• LEGO Retail and KidsFest Marketplace: purchase LEGO merchandise and official KidsFest tour goods
• LEGO KidsFest Theater sponsored by Cartoon Network: watch cartoons while you rest
• Monochromatic Builds: bricks of a single color to foster group creativity
• LEGO Mindstorms: build and program robots
• Reading Rest Stop sponsored by DK Publishing and Guidecraft: sit comfortably and read books about LEGO
• And More!!

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received free tickets for my family to go to LEGO® Kids Fest 2013 in Portland to facilitate this review. Thanks to USFamilyGuide.com for providing me this promotion information and free tickets. I also was contacted by Bissell and given a free Perfect Sweep Turbo to review later at my leisure because I went to the event. 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 promo.

Portland LEGO® KidsFest WINNER

US Family Guide provided me with this promotional information and provided me with a giveaway and the winner to share with my readers. I am getting something for free in return for posting this information.

Congratulations Susannah Krug, you won (2) tickets to for the opening night session of the Portland LEGO® KidsFest on Friday, October 11, 2013 (4-8:30pm)!! Winner was randomly chosen by USFG on Thursday, Sept 26.

There is still time to get in on the savings. For a LIMITED TIME, Everyone Pays Kids Prices! Use a UNIQUE US Family Guide $AVINGS - USFG13 Details: http://portlandfamilyguide.com/coupon.php?bid=11334&dealid=1412®ionid=213 Expires Friday 9/20/13

Five identical sessions are available. Tickets are $19 for kids and $21 for adults. This event can sell out fast in all promotions and so I urge you to buy tickets in advance online if you would like to go!

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Because I am posting about the LEGO® Kids Fest 2013 I am getting free tickets for my family to go and 2 free tickets to giveaway to the winner. Thanks to USFamilyGuide.com for providing me this promotion information and free tickets. 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 promo.

LEGO® KidsFest is Coming to Portland, Oregon Giveaway and Savings Offer

US Family Guide provided me with this promotional information and giveaway to share with my readers. I am getting something for free in return for posting this information.

LEGO® Kids Fest 2013 is coming to Portland Oregon on October 11th!! I cannot wait and neither can my kids! This will be a great hands-on educational learning experience and fun for all ages!! There will be millions of LEGO bricks covering 3 acres of space.

Dates & Sessions:
Friday, October 11, 2013 4 pm - 8:30 pm
Saturday, October 12, 2013 Session I: 9 am – 1:30 pm Session II: 3 pm – 7:30 pm
Sunday, October 13, 2013 Session I: 9 am – 1:30 pm Session II: 3 pm – 7:30 pm
(Note: Each session offers the same exhibits and activities)

Where:
Oregon Convention Center
777 NE Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard
Portland, OR 97232
Halls C, D & E
(503) 235-7575
www.oregoncc.org

Activities:

• LEGO Model Gallery: dozens of life-sized models made entirely from LEGO bricks
• LEGO Master Builders: live demonstrations and activities from the crew who get paid to play
• Creation Nation: build your own creation to add to a custom map of the U.S.
• Race Ramps: build your own custom car, then race it down the ramp against friends and family
• LEGO Games Arena: roll the dice to play LEGO board games
• Construction Zones: creative free build, play and display areas
• LEGO DUPLO®: younger visitors can explore imagination through building
• LEGO Retail and KidsFest Marketplace: purchase LEGO merchandise and official KidsFest tour goods
• Brick Pile: a gigantic pile full of LEGO bricks for creative play and enjoyment
• Monochromatic Builds: bricks of a single color to foster group creativity
• LEGO Friends: fantastic displays that combine lots of LEGO and DUPLO sets 
• And More!!

WIN!!
One of Eccentric Eclectic Woman's followers will win (2) tickets to for the opening night session on Friday, October 11, 2013 (4-8:30pm).

To enter click on this link... http://www.usfamilyguide.com/LEGO_KidsFest/?blogid=354
Winner will be randomly chosen by USFG on Thursday, Sept 26 and then announced on my blog at a later date.

SAVE!!
For a LIMITED TIME, Everyone Pays Kids Prices! Use a UNIQUE US Family Guide $AVINGS - USFG13 Details: http://portlandfamilyguide.com/coupon.php?bid=11334&dealid=1412®ionid=213 Expires Friday 9/20/13

Five identical sessions are available. Tickets are $19 for kids and $21 for adults. This event can sell out fast in all promotions and so I urge you to buy tickets in advance online if you would like to go!

LIKE and Follow LEGOKidsFest on Facebook, Twitter for all the latest ticketing updates! 

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Because I am posting about the LEGO® Kids Fest 2013 I am getting free tickets for my family to go and 2 free tickets to giveaway. Thanks to USFamilyGuide.com for providing me this promotion information and free tickets. 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 promo.

Holiday Gift Guide 2011 UncommonGoods Review and $50 Giveaway

UncommonGoods is a unique online store with some very unusual items (some handmade) that you don't find in every day shopping usually. Their products make great gifts for the holiday and Christmas season! They also have some really interesting facts or what they call "Uncommon Knowledge" posted around their website and feature some of the artists and designers of their handmade goods in highlights on some of the pages on their website and their print catalog. They are committed to the environment and print their catalogs on recycled paper and there is also products in their store that are made of recycled materials. In their Better to Give Program they donate a portion of each order to your choice of non-profit organizations: American Forests, AmeriCares, City Harvest, and the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN).

I know my husband and most other men are the hardest to shop for during the holidays, but UncommonGoods has a selection of great gifts for him on their website that he would love. They also have this great guitar pick punch that I thought was very cool for someone that plays guitar. My favorite section on their website is the gifts for kids because I love shopping for my children. This is where I found the two gifts for them that I got for free to review on my blog. I got the Periodic Table Building Blocks and the Pita Pockets Lunch.

The Periodic Table Building Blocks are awesome for homeschooling! I got them for my boys and as soon as they opened them they were looking up YouTube videos about each scientific element and learning about them. They also like taking some of the ones they know about and combining them to try and make new elements or see what would happen if combined. These are great for teaching chemistry. My younger children loved stacking them to build sky scraper towers and knocking them over. They come in a set of 20 brightly colored basswood blocks that contain the entire periodic table. The six sides contain a unique element's name, atomic number and symbol in bright blue, purple, green, red, orange or pink. Handmade in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The Pita Pockets Lunch I got for my daughter Teela because she loves to pretend play in her little fold up kitchen. I had never seen this set of play food before and was thrilled to have found it at UncommonGoods. I try to get play food for her that doesn't have fast food or unhealthy choices in it. This set is wonderful because it is all healthy. My daughter loves to mix and match the contents of the felt pita pockets stuffed with soft felt slices of lettuce and cheese, and wooden tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and green peppers!

WIN IT:
Rocky at UncommonGoods is generously giving one lucky reader a chance to win a $50 Gift Card to use in their store.

Mandatory:
Go to the UncommonGoods website and tell me which product(s) you would pick if you won.

Additional entries:
1. Tweet a link to the UncommonGoods gifts for him page, here.

2. Sign up for the UncommonGoods email list.

3. Vote on a product with the UncommonGoods voting tool ** Note – Please only post comments pertaining to the products.

4. Subscribe to my blog by feedburner or by email and let me know which way. (3 extra entries each)

5. Fan/Like me on facebook and write something on my wall. (1 extra entry)

6. Follow me on Google Friend Connect (GFC) on the right sidebar and/or Networked Blogs Let me know what your user name is. (2 extra entries each)

7. Blog about this giveaway on your blog and provide me with the link. Make sure you have the link to this post and UncommonGoods in your blog entry or it won't count. (2 extra entries)

8. Give me a brief POSITIVE review on Alexa and provide me with your user name. (3 extra entries)

9. Grab My Button (see sidebar to the right) AND/OR Put My Blog URL in Your Blogroll - Leave Your Link. (1 extra entry)

10. Technorati my blog and let me know your link. (1 extra entry)

11. Fave me on Momfaves. (2 extra entries)

12. List this giveaway on any giveaway listing website or blog Linky/Link-up and tell me where you listed it. (2 extra entries)

13. Write about this giveaway with a link to this post on your Facebook wall, Kirtsy, StumbleUpon, Google+ or other social media website besides Twitter. Let me know where. (2 extra entries for each)

14. Comment on my regular (not giveaway) posts. Let me know which one. (1 extra entry per post you comment on)

15. Follow me on Twitter. (1 extra entry)

16. Tweet this: @finamoon: @uncommongoods #WIN A UncommonGoods $50 Gift Card http://bit.ly/tP8Bm6 (Daily Extras are Available)

17. Fan/Like UncommonGoods on Facebook. (1 extra entry)

18. Follow UncommonGoods on Twitter. (1 extra entry)

Make sure you leave me your email in all posts so that I can contact you. Don't forget to leave a comment for each task and the correct amount of entries for each task. This contest ends on Friday January 13, 2012 at midnight (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada). This Giveaway is open to all 18 years and over in the U.S. only!!

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to UncommonGoods for sending me products for free and a gift card to give away for free. 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.