Animal Train Sort and Match {Guidecraft Mom Review}

I am always searching for fun, versatile, learning toys that will hold my son’s attention.  We received the Animal Train Sort and Match from Guidecraft, which helps teach color-matching, shape-matching and pattern-recognition, but would it keep the attention of a busy four year old? 

Animal Train Sort and Match comes in a wooden storage case that holds 43 animal and train piece, six double-sided pattern cards,  and a magnetic building board that props up inside the back of the box.  The animal pieces have a small magnet in the back to help them stay on the board.

Our Thoughts

Aiden really enjoyed duplicating the patterns on the cards.  My daughter also enjoyed playing with the set, although I did have a hard time keeping her from “helping” Aiden. 

We also found lots of other uses for the animals.  Sorting

and making an animal train.

We played zoo keeper ~ taking turns rolling a dice and counting the number of animals we each added to our zoo.

Aiden liked to see how many animals he could knock down each time he rolled the dice.

Since my little man likes to add some action to his learning, we also played jump over that animal.  I would call out a colored animal and he would find it and jump over it. 

I really love that the sturdy wooden box holds all of the pieces.   Overall, this is another high quality, educational toy from Guidecraft that definitely kept Aiden’s attention!  They also carry a Construction Truck set and a Flower set.

Find Out More

The Animal Train Sort and Match is available from Guidecraft or Amazon.

Carissa at My Life on a Taffy Pull is hosting a giveaway for an Animal Train Sort and Match.  The giveaway is open until midnight, Sunday, November 14th!

~Cindy

As a Guidecraft Mom blogger, this product was given to me for review purposes. I do not have to return the product to the vendor and I was not paid for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Voting Has Begun for the Homeschool Blog Awards!!

A GREAT big ole’ THANK YOU to all of you who nominated me for the 2010 Homeschool Blog Awards!  I am shocked, surprised and very thankful to be nominated for Best Crafts, Plans & Projects Blog and Best Blog Design!  Jolanthe from Relevant Designs did a fantastic job helping me redesign my blog and deserves the credit for the look of my blog!  She is truly talented and we had so much fun redesigning my blog {I’m not just saying that because she is one of my good friend}!

In addition, Totally Tots, which I am a contributing writer for, was nominated for Best Family or Group Blog, Best Crafts, Plans & Projects Blog, and Best Variety Blog!

There are some amazing blogs nominated in all of the categories.  Have fun checking out all of the blogs that have been nominated and cast some votes! Thanks again!

~Cindy

Preschool Corner ~ Pumpkins

We have enjoyed a very relaxing week ~ filled with long walks, lots of reading, trips to two different pumpkins patches, and pumpkin carving!

Over the weekend we went to our favorite little pumpkin patch ~ which has become an annual tradition.

 

On Tuesday we headed to another pumpkin patch with Jolanthe from Homeschool Creations. There were lots of fun activities for the kids.

Big Wheels,

an airplane

So many photo ops and this is what I get ~ my sweet son!

 

Since I’m the one who snapped the pictures of Jolanthe and Kaleb on the go-cart style bikes, I just have to share them!  They were having so much fun!

 

Tea Party

The kids helped make pumpkin bread and then ate almost all of it while having a tea party.  Notice the level on the table?  I showed Aiden how to use it this week ~ that counts as math, right?

 

Carving Pumpkins

Aiden was not a big fan of scooping the pumpkins.

 

Not sure why he has no problem playing in mud but he makes this face when he touches the inside of a pumpkin?

Here are some of the books we read this week:

Not much traditional learning going on, but it was still a great week!

 

For more Preschool Corner posts, head on over to Homeschool Creations.

 

~Cindy

Our Pumpkin Patch Tradition

Every year we visit a small pumpkin patch, out in the country. 

It is owned by a local family who still relies on the honesty system for payment.  Going to this pumpkin patch has become a family tradition, which we started when Emily was one. 

I went past this pumpkin patch everyday on my way to work, before I had kids, and I always dreamed of the day I would be able to take my own kiddos out to find the perfect pumpkin. 

Emily loves going because she has fond memories of us tramping around look at all the different pumpkins.  If you ask her I’m sure she will say her favorite memories are when it was just her and I  ~  before her brother came along. 

 

Aiden loves going because they provide loppers to cut the pumpkins free from their vines, and small wheelbarrows.

I love going because now I have two kiddos to take.  Six eyes all searching for the perfect pumpkin to take home and carve!  Three people with entirely different ideas on what the perfect pumpkin is.  

 

Do you have a favorite pumpkin patch that you like to visit?

~Cindy

PG Key {Review}

Why would I need PG Key?  My kids are always supervised whiled on the internet!  That is what I thought until I came home late one night from a meeting and found my daughter playing a game on the computer.  What if she had accidently typed in the wrong address and pulled up something she really shouldn’t see?  We had a serious talk about when she can use the computer! 

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a simple way to monitor your kids computer use and set limits on the amount of time they use the computer?  There is with PG Key.

About PG Key

PG Key is easy to use!  Plug it into your USB Port and once it is installed, you create accounts for each person using the computer.   You can set up the following controls for each account:

• Time allowance
• Content filtering
• Site blocking
• Activity tracking
• Activity notifications
• Monitor chat and email use
• Allow access to only specific websites
• 60 hours of video recording ~ you see what your child sees!
• If the key is removed from the computer it can’t be used by the kids.  NOTE:  If you should lose the key, you can still access the computer by using your password.  Contact PG Key’s support department and if you’ve activated your PG Key and registered the product they will ship you a new PG Key for only $10.00 plus shipping and handling.

My Thoughts on PG Key

I installed PG Key, set up my password, and started setting up basic controls for my daughter.  Set up was easy!  I blocked access to two websites and let my daughter try and access the sites.  It worked ~ she could not get to the websites!   I also set it to notify me when certain words were searched.  The program sent me an email each time I searched using those words, but it did not block me from the search or accessing sites with the words.  What does this mean?  If I wanted to block a site, I would have to have know the web address.  It does not allow you to block using a key word such as ~ all pornographic sites.

Overall, this product is a great way to monitor what your kids are doing on the computer.  For my kids, just knowing that we are monitoring their computer use would be enough! 

Pros:

• Peace of mind knowing that I can see what my kids are seeing.
• Being able to limit use of the computer ~ if I pull out the key the kids can’t even use the computer.
• Being able to limit the sites my daughter can use.

Cons:

• Not being able to block sites unless I know the websites address.
• Not being able to block access to sites based on a certain word ~ such as pornography.

Find Out More:

PG Key costs $49.99, and is available at PG Key or Amazon.  If you would like to see more  they offer a Free Trial here.

To find out what my fellow crewmates thought about PG Key click on the banner above.

This product was given to me for review purposes, and I do not have to return the product to the vendor. I was not paid for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are mine.

~Cindy

Brillkids Little Reader {Review}

Have you ever considered teaching your baby to read? I have and I have made and used flashcards with my children, so I was excited when I got the opportunity to try Little Reader Basic Software from Brillkids.  

How Does Little Reader Teach Kids to Read?

The program, which is designed for children 3 months to 3 years, engages children with words, images and sounds to teach them to read.  Unlike flashcards, Little Reader uses multisensory lessons ~  which provides the opportunity for visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning.

Each time a child sees a word it will be in a different color and font.  They will see a different picture, hear a different voice, see a different video, and be prompted to interact in a different way.   Not the same old boring flashcards!

Another feature Little Reader uses is the ability to personalize lessons by adding pictures and voices.  Imagine how exciting it is for your child to see her fathers nose! 

Little Reader uses something called Pattern Phonics to teach phonics. 

Pattern Phonics works by showing words in patterns that facilitate and accelerate a child’s natural ability to decode written language

After using the program for a year, your child will see over 1,000 words in more than 140 subject categories.

My Thoughts:

I’ll admit it, I really didn’t think Aiden would like the program, but I was wrong ~ he really enjoyed it!  We both looked forward to our time together watching the program.  The daily lessons can be broken into two session, each about 10 minutes.  The were short enough to keep Aiden entertained and engaged, yet he was learning!

I made and used flashcards for both my kids.  They never held their attention for very long.  This program makes learning words fun and exciting!  Imagine how much time it would take to make word cards in different fonts and colors ~ and add different pictures. 

Pros:

• Being able to personalize the program with pictures and voices.
• The program encourages the child to perform actions related to the word or phrase.
• Lessons are planned for you ~ just hit play!
• Teaches phonics in a unique and natural way.
• Free access to Brillkids Forum.
• Free downloads to extend your child's learning.

Find Out More:

Sign up for a Brillkids account and get a FREE 14 day trial of Little Reader and Little Math.  Take a quick tour of the Little Reader program here.

Price:

Little Reader Basic starts at $149.00.  The Deluxe Kit for $360.00 includes:

 

• Little Reader Software
• A ready-made Reading Curriculum - 6 or 12 months' worth of lessons
• Lifetime usage of the learning system
• 2 BrillKids Presentation Binders
• 40 Customizable Flap cards
• 20 Customizable Flash cards
• 160 sheets of word and picture prints: Content Printouts for 8 core categories
• 5 Little Reader Storybooks
• 2 Weekly Lesson Planners, one for each semester
• 10 sheets of Sticker Labels for playing the labeling game
• Everything You Need to Know About Teaching Your Baby to Read booklet (downloadable)
• Teaching with Little Reader booklet (downloadable)
• 8,000 BrillKids Loyalty Points

To find out what my fellow crewmates thought about Little Reader from Brillkids click on the banner above.

This product was given to me for review purposes, and I do not have to return the product to the vendor. I was not paid for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are mine.

Rainbow Blocks ~ A Guidecraft Mom Review

 

Wooden blocks are a favorite in our house.  I knew the 30 Piece Rainbow Blocks Set that we received from Guidecraft would be an instant hit!  They have been played with by everyone who enters the house ~ family and friends!

What Are Rainbow Blocks?

They are great wooden blocks, with a fun twist ~ colorful windows made out of plexi glass in red, yellow, blue or green!  The blocks have hardwood frames and soft, rounded edges.  The 30 Piece Rainbow Block Set includes rectangles, squares, semi-circles and triangles in various sizes. Our Thoughts:

The entire family has had fun building with the 30 Piece Rainbow Block Set (even Daddy)!  

We have sorted them by colors, sizes and shapes

and just had fun building colorful houses and towers.

I was concerned when we first got the blocks that they might not hold up to a very rough 3 year old, but let me assure you that he has put them to the test and they are definitely durable!  He has run across them and made towers that he karat kicked, without any damage to the blocks!

Shhh…don’t tell him, but Aiden is going to be getting either the Shimmering Water Blocks or Sand Blocks for his birthday.

Find Out More:

Rainbow Blocks are available at the Guidecraft website and also from Amazon. 

Want to win a set?  Erica at Confessions of a Homeschooler is hosting a giveaway for a set of Rainbow Blocks!  Head over and enter to win! 

~Cindy

As a Guidecraft Mom blogger, this product was given to me for review purposes. I do not have to return the product to the vendor and I was not paid for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are my own.