Wordless Wednesday International Talk Like a Pirate Day 2017

Teela dressed up for International Talk Like a Pirate Day 2017. My husband made the wooden sword.

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.

Follow Them on Social Media:
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...

Kitchenware Plus Extra Large Bamboo Cutting Board Set Review

I received the products below for free from Kitchenware Plus using Tomoson in exchange for my honest opinions. All opinions remain my own. This post contains affiliate links which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and make a purchase. Thank you for supporting my blog!

When I received the Kitchenware Plus Extra Large Bamboo Cutting Board Set in the mail they were both in a heavy duty box that fit them well. They were shrink wrapped together with information sheets attached to the back of the larger cutting board and the front of the medium cutting board. The front sheet had product information and the back sheet had care instructions.

The care of these boards is very simple. It says to wipe them clean with a damp cloth and to use hot soapy water. I would give them a quick pre-wash rinse with hot water after every use and make sure to rinse all the soap off after cleaning. I found that these cutting boards dry very quickly. Never immerse these in water. I have had other wooden cutting boards warp or split when left immersed in water and the porous surface could absorb the dirty dish water...yucky! Also, I would not put these in the dishwasher either. If you are worried about salmonella or other bacteria when cutting raw meat on these I would recommend making sure to sanitize these properly with diluted bleach as needed. You can also disinfect with 3% hydrogen peroxide and deodorize with white vinegar. I recommend removing stains with a sprinkling of coarse salt or baking soda on the area while the cutting board is dry and gently rubbing with a brush dipped in hot water. These are apparently heat resistant to 100 degrees Celsius/212 degrees Fahrenheit, but I would not be placing anything hot from the stove or oven on these...they are not trivets! It also says to oil them monthly with a food grade quality oil. This protects the bamboo from drying out and either splintering or cracking. I would recommend food grade: mineral oil or linseed oil (Not boiled linseed oil!!) because canola, corn, vegetable or other cooking oil might go rancid in time.

Kitchenware Plus Bamboo Cutting Board Thickness

I was very pleased with the size and thickness of these boards. This set of 2 cutting boards comes with an extra large 18" X 13" cutting board and a medium 13" x 8.5" cutting board. These are also extra thick, 3/4" so that they resist warping and cracking. When I first saw them I was taken aback slightly because I had forgotten the exact measurements and the larger one is rather impressive, especially up close. They don't lie when they say that this one could hold a large Thanksgiving turkey to carve! My kitchen right now is small, so I do my chopping with the larger board on my kitchen table. The larger board is a bit cumbersome and awkward to clean in my small kitchen sink, but it is still doable. I love that the larger board can handle everything from carving a turkey to cutting veggies. It has enough room where you don't have to have extra dishes to put things you cut up into to make room for more chopping. The medium one is great for the smaller projects, but still a really good size. Both are great for cutting bread, meat, cheese, vegetables and fruit on.

Kitchenware Plus Bamboo Cutting Boards don't dull my knives.

The Kitchenware Plus Extra Large Bamboo Cutting Board Set are better than my other cutting boards I currently have. Other than these cutting boards I have a tempered glass one and some flimsy flexible plastic ones. These won't dull my knives as fast as my tempered glass cutting board. They also stay in place while cutting and the items I am cutting don't slide off either.

Kitchenware Plus Bamboo Cutting Boards - deep grooves on one side.

Kitchenware Plus Bamboo Cutting Boards - back side has no grooves.

I love the quality, look and feel of these boards. They are both made from top quality compressed bamboo. They each have a groove all the way around them on one side so that juices can drain away from what you are chopping. My husband doesn't like grooves on cutting boards so he can just flip these over and use the back for a cutting surface. These cutting boards are very attractive. They are perfect to leave out as a showpiece in your kitchen. I love that they have a lighter colored bamboo on two of the alternate ends and that the grains of the lighter colored bamboo are the opposite direction than the darker bamboo. The grain of the bamboo is very pretty also.  These seem very sturdy, strong and durable. They are lighter than hard wood cutting boards, but have a good weight to them. They seem like they will hold up to a lot of use and also come with a 100% lifetime guarantee! I love when companies back their products.

Kitchenware Plus Bamboo Cutting Board - glue discoloration left over from product information sheets.

My complaints about this product are few and with a bit of effort they can all be remedied. As is the case with all of my reviews I feel that honesty is the best practice. The first picture they have of the product on Amazon does not do it justice. It shows cutting boards that do not have a groove all the way around them. They don't show both sides of the products very well and I guess this could be the back they are showing with the sheets switched. I believe they should update their pictures to show both the back and front sides correctly as this is the first picture to be seen when searching for this product on Amazon. I have found that teeny tiny slivers come off of these boards. I would not want this to get in my food even though I do not think that these pose a huge risk if ingested. Maybe in the creation process these could be sanded with fine grit sandpaper so they come out smoother. I will be doing this with mine and I hope it doesn't ruin the color. In the instructions on the board I noticed that it said to oil the board with food grade quality oil monthly. Maybe this would solve the splintering issue, but the sheet didn't say how much oil to use or that I should do it right before use. This would be extremely helpful information to include in the instructions. Also, the instructions and product information sheets were attached by some kind of strong adhesive to the cutting boards. This proved annoying to get off. I had to rip the papers off into little bits and then run the cutting board under hot water to dissolve the rest while rubbing gently yet vigorously...little splinters coming off in my fingers too at this point. The adhesive also left a discolored mark on the cutting board where it was and the product information and instruction sheets were useless now. These are made in China (probably to keep costs down) I don't actually have an issue with this myself, but I know for some of you this will be a downside as well. If these issues are addressed then the product will be perfect in my opinion.

All in all I do love these cutting boards. I will be using them a lot, especially for the holidays! The size and thickness is great and I love that they are made from a sustainable, eco-friendly product. These would be great as gifts for the holidays!

Buy Them:

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure. This post contains affiliate links which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and make a purchase. Thank you for supporting my blog!

Tatutina Wooden Letters Review and Giveaway

Tatutina is a wonderful online store with unique products that are all very colorful and happy. Most of their products are hand painted and all of them that are, use paint that is certified non-toxic and lead free. They now can also personalize by hand painting a name in their own Tatutina style. They have such a fun and funky way of painting their designs! I fell in love with the colors and bright patterns.

We were asked to review their wooden letters and so I got to pick a name or word to have the wooden letters spell. My girls want an enchanted forest, woodland themed room. I picked the word ENCHANTED for the girls room because it basically encompasses the feel they want their room to have. I also chose pastel colors and mostly floral, rainbow/stripe, and hearts...with the occasional polka-dot.

Tatutina Pastel Wooden Letters: ENCHANTED

I picked these letters:
Wooden Letter E - Pastel Green w/Dots
Wooden Letter N - Pastel Pink w/Dots
Wooden Letter C - Pastel Rainbow
Wooden Letter H - Pastel Pink w/Heart
Wooden Letter A - Pastel Pink w/Flower
Wooden Letter N - Pastel Pink w/Stripes
Wooden Letter T - Pastel Pink w/Flower
Wooden Letter E - Pastel Pink w/Hearts
Wooden Letter D - Pastel Orange w/Heart

The letters you can pick from on Tatutina's website are painted in either pastel or bright colors. They are approximately 7" tall, with keyhole mount on the back for easy hanging. They are not heavy because they are hollow inside.

The wooden letters came all in one box and were individually wrapped. The box was fairly heavy, but held all the letters without leaving too much room for movement which is great so they wouldn't get broken in shipment. All of the letters arrived safe and sound to me.

I hung them all easily with thumbtacks above the girls window in their room. I didn't even have to get out any tools or hardware. I love how simple they were to put up and how they look in the room. These are a wonderful room decoration!

FOLLOW THEM
“Like” them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter!

BUY IT
You can purchase Tatutina Wooden Letters for $8 each on Tatutina's website. They also have a wide assortment of other fun things to buy there as well.

WIN IT
Prize: A word or name of choice in Tatutina Wooden Letters of choice of pastel or bright colors.

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: I received this product free to facilitate this review and post. Many thanks to Tatutina for providing the prize for the giveaway for free as well. Winners are picked randomly on rafflecopter. Opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation or altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review and giveaway. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

Novica $40 Gift Certificate Giveaway and New Premium Gift Wrap Review

Novica's Premium Gift Wrap

We received product free from Novica to facilitate this review and the opportunity below to giveaway a $40 Gift Certificate. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

NOVICA helps change the lives of artisans in developing nations, while offering us extraordinary handmade gifts, jewelry, apparel, and home decor. There are so many talented artists and artisans around the world. NOVICA provides these unique, hard-to-find items on their internet website at great prices. These services are all fair trade, meaning that they don't charge the artists and artisans any listing fees and the artists and artisans remain fully independent. They are free to raise their prices, lower their prices, or remove their items from their website whenever they please. This website is great to buy something from for your special somebody for the holidays, just remember since these items are coming all the way from the country they are made in, the shipping might take longer than expected.

NOVICA now has new premium gift wrap in 3 of their regions: Bali, Thailand and India; and they will be offering it to all of their locations soon. I was asked to get something from one of these regions with a $40 gift code that they gave me and also try out their new premium gift wrap. Most premium gift wrap is only $3.95-$5.95 per item. It is as unique as the gift you choose to have wrapped. The premium wrap has handmade elements, carefully crafted ribbons and beautiful brass plates.

Songbird Haven Rosewood tea light holder made by Reshma Anand in India

I chose the Songbird Haven Rosewood tea light holder made by Reshma Anand in India. It came wrapped in the premium gift wrap which is basically brown (or white) paper, pretty fabric, ribbon, and a brass plate that says NOVICA on it. Inside the wrapped box is another box that is blue with a lid and stamped with what looks like a partridge in a pair tree. The tea light was wrapped in white tissue paper to protect it while traveling. The Songbird Haven Rosewood tea light holder was just what I thought it would be. I love the birds nestled in the leafy branches of the shady tree that is carved in low relief and hand painted. I love the rosewood this is made out of. The wood has such gorgeous figure in it. This candle holder can be placed on a surface, like a table or shelf or hung on the wall like a sconce. It comes with a tea light that has an aluminum casing for safety.

The Songbird Haven Rosewood tea light holder can be hung on the wall.

WIN IT
Prize: Win a $40 Gift Certificate from Novica (Expires 2/20/14).

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: Thanks to NOVICA for sending me a $40 gift certificate for free to review an item off their website and one 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 of their website. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

ImagiPLAY Review and Giveaway

I love eco-friendly products! My favorites are simple toys made that let my children's imagination soar. ImagiPLAY has wonderful toys, the majority of which are made of rubberwood. The rubberwood that ImagiPLAY uses comes from rubber trees that are done with their rubber producing, harvested, then made into toys and other things with its splinter free hardwood. Other rubber trees are planted and the earth-friendly cycle goes on. Others of their toys are made with wood from managed forests. ImagiPLAY also has its factories close to the places where its craftsmen live so that many can walk or ride their bikes to work each day.

I was given the chance to test and review the Tumblin Tree EcoBalancing Game for free. The great thing about this game is that everyone can play with it in my family. It is such a fun game! You take turns adding leaves and branches to make the tree grow. The leaves and branches are placed onto a unsteady, uncooperative trunk. A player who causes any part of the tree to tumble must pick up the felled pieces. The object of the game is to be the first to get rid of all your pieces. Trunk can be adjusted to increase or decrease difficulty, making this fun for many ages. It is recommended for ages 6+, but my daughter Teela who is only 2 and a half enjoyed it tremendously and had no trouble placing the leaves or branches on the trunk. It is made from all natural, managed-forest basswood. I love the simplicity of this game. My kids love it because it challenges them when the trunk is adjusted to an increased wobbly setting. I also love that it brings the family together to play and can accommodate 1 to 6 players.

BUY IT:
Use the coupon code Play420 to receive a 20% discount from ImagiPLAY. (U.S. Only).

WIN IT:
Tammi at ImagiPLAY has has generously offered another Tumblin Tree EcoBalancing Game to one of my readers to win.

Mandatory:
1. Go to the ImagiPLAY website and tell me by commenting on this post what other item(s) you would love to have.

Additional entries:
1. Subscribe to my blog by feedburner or by email and let me know which way. (2 extra entries each)

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

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

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

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

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

7. List this giveaway on any giveaway listing website or blog giveaway linky and tell me where you listed it. (2 extra entries)

8. Post this on your Facebook wall, Kirtsy, and/or StumbleUpon. (2 extra entries for each)

9. Comment on one of my regular (not giveaway) posts. (1 extra entry per post you comment on)

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

11. Tweet this: @finamoon: @imagiplay WIN An ImagiPLAY Tumblin Tree EcoBalancing Game #giveaway http://bit.ly/bxeIkc (Daily Extras are Available)

12. Fan/Like ImagiPLAY on Facebook. (1 extra entry)

13. Follow ImagiPLAY on Twitter. (1 extra entry)

Make sure you leave me your email in all posts so that I can contact you. If you subscribed, blogged about this, listed it, commented on another post, or faved me on Momfaves leave 2 entries saying you did. This contest ends on Friday October 1, 2010 at midnight (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada). This Giveaway is open to all 18 years and over in U.S. Only!!

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to ImagiPLAY for providing me with the Tumblin Tree EcoBalancing Game for free to try out and review. This giveaway is also provided free from ImagiPLAY. 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.

Ebeanstalk Fagus Wooden Mini Truck Review

Ebeanstalk is a website dedicated to selecting great baby toys and toddler toys. They rely on the opinions and feedback of bloggers and moms around the country to continue selecting great toys to sell. Their team of child experts also helps them pick out learning toys to make sure your child gets the most out of his or her playtime!

I received a Fagus Wooden Mini Truck to test and review from Ebeanstalk toys for free. Fagus makes wooden toys of exceptional quality. Fagus toys are made of beech wood. The Latin word fagus means beech. All their toys are made in Germany. I love toys like this that are simple and beautifully made. They invite active creativity, imagination and discovery in children. Fagus toys are interlocked, doweled and glued together. No staples, nails or screws are used. My kids love this wooden truck and now play with it more than their plastic toys. I believe this mini truck will last and will be cherished as one of the toys my kids end up keeping for many, many years.

DISCLAIMER: I received this toy to test and review for free from Ebeanstalk. 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.