Sunday, January 23, 2011

Education Cubes ~ Review & Giveaway! CLOSED

Congratulations Jamie, you won! I have sent you an email!

Education Cubes
My long time blogging friend, Jenn from Mama Jenn has launched an awesome new learning idea!! I am thrilled to be a part of her Grand Opening Celebration this month for her new site, Education Cubes. You have probably already seen me feature the Education Cubes in action on my blog and I am excited to share more and giveaway a membership to one of you!
To see ideas already on my blog, click on the images below to be taken to the blog post featuring the idea…
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Jenn has added many new inserts recently and I haven't had a chance to print much lately. Here are my favorites that are on my list to prepare…

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AND…she made an entire set all based on my Raising Rock Stars Preschool program! I will be printing the 2nd review unit for Krash this week!!

At first glance the idea of cubes and inserts seems simple-but remember that simple is often AWESOME! Just the addition of a cube can turn a once boring review or learning activity into something completely new for a child. As an adult, I could care less if it’s in a cube-but for children, there’s something about the cube that makes it more fun. All 3 of my children love our cubes and our inserts, I highly recommend adding this learning tool to your homeschool!

Learn all about joining Education Cubes here! The membership is only $10 right now! Remember this is not only a membership but also a way to support a fellow homeschooling mom. Jenn is so generous and talented, I am honored to call her friend!

Want to win an Education Cubes membership?

Mandatory Entry…

Visit www.EducationCubes.com and tell me a set of cube inserts that you like after you browse around their site a bit.

After you do that, you can gain some extra entries by any of the following, remember to leave an extra comment for each item so they will count as entries...

  1. If you follow/ subscribe to 1+1+1=1, give yourself an extra entry.
  2. If you Follow/Subscribe to Totally Tots give yourself an extra entry.

This Giveaway is open for anyone.

I will select a winner using Random.org, so be sure you leave a separate comment for each entry, I will also be moderating comments to check that your entries are valid-please be honest!

Contest ENDS January 30, 2011. Winner will be announced here, and emailed (your email MUST be in each comment/or enabled in blogger). Winner must reply to my email within 48 hours or another winner will be chosen.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Guidecraft Construct-It Review

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Guidecraft has amazing building toys. We were sent the Construct-it Early Builder set back in the fall and my kids have been enjoying it ever since! image

Once again, the child this toy would normally be intended for {Krash} liked it the least. He definitely likes it, but not as much as Pac Man and Ladybug. The age recommendation is 4+ which means it is perfect for both boys. I don’t doubt for a second that this will be a toy Krash grows into.IMG_6319

Pac Man is my “builder” and seems to naturally enjoy open-ended toys like this. He will follow the plans included sometimes, but mostly come up with ideas of his own, like this wagon…

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He comes up with some very interesting creations, my favorite being a beach chair for Phineas ;-).IMG_5268Phineas also got a car…IMG_5275

Ladybug enjoyed playing with {and eventually destroying} all of the creations.IMG_5283

While Pac Man was playing I asked him to give me his thoughts for my review. I asked him to tell me what he liked the best about this building toy, he said that the pieces go together easily and aren’t frustrating to hook together. I also asked him to tell me what he didn’t like about it. He hesitated a bit {because I think he really does like it}, and said that sometimes the pieces fall out and he didn’t like that. He demonstrated how some pieces slip out and then some don’t. I too noticed this and it was a bit frustrating for me also. I wondered if maybe I was “using it” wrong. We are still exploring the set and overall we really enjoy it. I am actually anxious to read the other Guidecraft Moms reviews to get more ideas!

BUY IT!

You can purchase the Construct-it Early Builder set we reviewed here on the Guidecraft site, or here on Amazon.


WIN IT!

Jenn from Mama Jenn is hosting the giveaway this month! Head on over to enter to win, now through 1/21/11.

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.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Skylar and George Washington ~ Book Review

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We were sent an adorable and unique book recently to review.  Skylar and George Washington is unlike any book we have, in that it is both a fun picture book and an in depth book with awesome and accurate historical facts!  The book combines digital illustrations and photography in a unique way.  I love the combination of the two.

The book is laid out like this…image

You can read just the left side-which is written using a simple, rhyming text. For older kids, the historical information, including many famous quotes, is written on the right side.  Even I learned many new facts about George Washington, making him seem much more real.  I look forward to diving into the book even more as we study George Washington in our homeschool. You can preview the book yourself by clicking here.

We really enjoyed this book and are hoping the author writes more.  What a neat way to learn about history!

Another cool fact-Skylar is actually the author’s dog!  You can see the real dog here in a video where the author, Matt Burgess, explains the book and it’s purpose for your family.

You can order a copy of Skylar & George Washington here on their site

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You can also purchase this book on Amazon!

 

Matt has provided my readers with a generous discount code for those of you who would like to order 2 or more copies.  Use the code 1+1+1=1 to receive 23% off when buying 2 or more!  What a unique gift to give, especially to another homeschooling family!  Look for the discount code box on the order form to enter the code…image

Thanks Matt for providing our family with this awesome book free for review!  We greatly appreciate it and are continuing to enjoy the great book!