Thursday, August 25, 2011

Guidecraft ~ 3D Feel and Find World Icons Review & Giveaway

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We were recently sent a really cool to review, 3-D Feel and Find World Icons. This sensory toy is part of the eco-friendly toy line that Guidecraft offers.

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The Feel & Find World Icons come with 20 wooden disk and matching chunky puzzle-piece shape inserts as well as a cloth bag to store the pieces in. The pieces are made from rubberwood and then stained with a low VOC aniline dye.

We have played with this toy a LOT, you have probably seen it in my Tot School posts!

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One day we got it out as a whole group and played the game together with our own special “rules”. Each child got 7 disks, and had to find any of their 7 icons when it was his/her turn.IMG_0929

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I was on Ladybug’s team and found them mostly but she stacked them up for me…IMG_0944

This is one of those toys that can be used in SO many different ways and for so many different age levels. All 3 kids love it and I do too. The quality is wonderful!

BUY IT!

Feel and Find World Icons can be purchased directly from the Guidecraft website, via their NEW Facebook page, or from Amazon.

WIN IT!

Xenia is hosting the giveaway this month! Head on over to enter to win.

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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.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Betty Lukens Learning Fun with Felt Giveaway! CLOSED

Congratulations #480, Jay & Amy ~ You Won!!!

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I love beautiful felt learning sets! I don’t know what it is about felt, and colorful, fun designs…but I think all teachers love them! When Betty Lukens emailed me I was simply thrilled! Not only are they a sponsor of my blog now, they also sent me several sets to review and are allowing me to host this amazing giveaway for 6 sets!! Here are the sets I chose for my review items {click on the images to see them on the Betty Lukens website}:

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We have played with 2 sets so far, first the Fun in the Sun set, after returning from our beach trip…IMG_9987 IMG_9974

Currently we are loving the ABC set!!! Ladybug is really attracted to this one and has completed it herself several times and also with me. She doesn’t match them up by letter on her own, just likes putting the pieces in the squares.

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I sometimes have our neighbors over for some school time and one day these 3 were assigned the ABC board as a way to encourage teamwork so the older 2 brothers could help their younger brother! They all loved it!IMG_0754I am so excited to include these felt boards in our school time throughout the year. I chose my review items specifically for themes I know we have coming up and themes we just love.

I loved seeing a special part on their FAQ page about offering special discounts for missionaries!!

If you want to know more about Betty Lukens and the background of the company, you can read that here!

If you don’t “like” Betty Lukens on Facebook yet, be sure to jump over right now and do that. They are just beginning their Facebook journey, so you can be one of the first to show your “like” for them.

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BUY IT!

If you’d rather not wait to see if you win, you can use coupon code OnePlus for a 15% discount! Or if you join their Facebook page or follow on Twitter, you'll find the code for an even better discount!

WIN IT!

Betty Lukens-Learning Fun with Felt is giving away 6 Learning Fun with Felt play board pre-cut felt sets of your choice - over a $100 value.

Mandatory Entry: Visit the Betty Lukens website and then leave a comment telling us which set is your favorite!!!

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 subscribe via RSS or email to 1+1+1=1 , give yourself an extra entry!
  2. If you follow @bettylukens and @1plus1plus1 on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway, give yourself an extra entry! Sample tweet: @1plus1plus1 is hosting a giveaway for @bettylukens for 6 felt board sets, over $100 value! Enter here: http://bit.ly/olIENS
  3. If you sign up for their mailing list, give yourself an extra entry! Look for this at the top of their homepage:image

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 August 27, 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.

Linking up with Giveaway Day on Hip Homeschool Moms!

Monday, August 8, 2011

Scripture Lullabies Giveaway

Congratulations #196-Debbie, you won!!!


It is not common for me to instantly fall in love with music. It usually takes me a few listens and then I am hooked. Not the case with Hidden in My Heart Scripture Lullabies! I heard a sample on another blog and was mesmerized and hooked…instantly! I emailed the company within minutes and we began a conversation over email which leads to this giveaway! I am thrilled to share my absolute favorite quiet music with you…

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This powerfully peaceful music is helping children sleep soundly, free from nightmares, while also providing some much needed peace for mom and dad. It’s the perfect baby gift, but as you listen, you’ll understand why so many adults are buying their own copy or several to give as gifts to friends and family members. I personally listen to it alone more than with my children! We are also using it as background music during our morning school time just to help keep the peace.

One out of every 10 "Hidden In My Heart" CDs is donated to Pregnancy Resource centers around the country so by purchasing this CD, you are blessing more than just your family.

You can download a FREE sample song here!

Take a peek at this video also which features my favorite song on the CD!

Ifyou’d rather not wait, you can use coupon code SL2011 for a 15% discount!

WIN IT!

Scripture Lullabies is giving away a Hidden in My Heart CD to one of you!

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment telling us you’d like to win, and briefly why!!!

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 subscribe via RSS or email to 1+1+1=1 , give yourself an extra entry!
  2. If you follow @1plus1plus1 on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway, give yourself an extra entry! Sample tweet: @1plus1plus1 is hosting a giveaway for Hidden My Heart Scripture Lullabies, enter here: http://bit.ly/pAIKpT
  3. If you choose a method to stay updated with Scripture Lullabies, give yourself an extra entry! Look for this graphic on their right sidebar and pick email, RSS or FB!

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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 August 20, 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.

Linking up with Giveaway Day on Hip Homeschool Moms!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Guidecraft Crystal Beads/Shimmering Water Blocks Review {& Giveaway}

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We love Guidecraft’s Crystal Bead Blocks, and Shimmering Water Blocks.

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Actually we love all of Guidecraft’s wooden blocks, including the wonderful Rainbow Blocks we reviewed a few months ago. The kids actually saw the photos of the “special” blocks on the rainbow blocks package and asked me if we would be getting those too.  Thankfully we did a few months later and they all LOVE these wooden blocks!

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Both the water and the bead blocks are a hit and they all work well together with our Rainbow Blocks set.  Ladybug loves examining the special blocks…IMG_5392

 

Peeking through them is a favorite activity.  Here she is using the bead block, but she normally uses the water blocks as she tells me the color she sees.  IMG_5386

  

Of course stacking is always a popular use for any type of blocks!IMG_5381

She also enjoyed measuring her feet with the blocks!IMG_5399

I absolutely love these blocks and highly recommend adding any set of the special wooden blocks to your block collection.  I am very thankful that we had the opportunity to review these! They also have mirror blocks and sand blocks!

 

BUY IT!

You can purchase the Crystal Bead Blocks and Shimmering Water Blocks on the Guidecraft site.  They also sell them on Amazon: Crystal Bead Blocks, Shimmering Water Blocks

WIN IT!

Jolanthe is hosting the giveaway this month! Head on over to enter to win.

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, July 4, 2011

Roadtrip USA Review & Giveaway CLOSED

Congratulations #463 Kayla, you won!

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We love USA geography around here! I had the honor of reviewing Erica’s Road Trip USA curriculum and I love it!!! Currently we don’t have time to do it all based on our other curriculum, but there are aspects that we are already doing and some we will be working in for next year! I was blown away when I opened the 363 page file and read through what was included, SO thorough! You can visit her detailed post to read and see all that is included! You can even download a free sample.

Right now we are using and loving these…image

We are going through the states in ABC order as we do on my USA Geography PowerPoint {which you can see on the computer screen in this photo}IMG_3357

Each boy is coloring a different page to create one joint notebook.IMG_3361

Another fun thing we have added in is finding photographs of different items on the coloring pages. Before we begin I do a simple Google Image search and copy/paste the images into a document to display for the boys as they color. This is their favorite part and even I am learning a few things {OK, many things}.

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BUY IT!

You can purchase Road Trip USA for $18-instant PDF download, or $23 for a CD.

WIN IT!

Erica is giving away an instant download of Road Trip USA to 1 winner!

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment telling us you’d like to win!!!

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 subscribe via RSS or email to 1+1+1=1 , give yourself an extra entry!
  2. Subscribe via email to Confessions of a Homeschooler
  3. If you follow @ericahomeschool and @1plus1plus1 on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway, give yourself an extra entry! Sample tweet: @1plus1plus1 is hosting a giveaway for @ericahomeschool for Road Trip USA, enter here: http://bit.ly/muJ3sy

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 July 17, 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.

Linking up with Giveaway Day on Hip Homeschool Moms!

Sunday, June 26, 2011

MadeOn Hard Lotion Giveaway CLOSED

Congratulations Joyce #74, you won!!!

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I am excited to share a unique and wonderful product with you…Hard Lotion!!! I had heard of it, but never tried it. When Renee emailed me I was thrilled to be able to try it out and share with my readers! I do not suffer from dry skin myself so I can’t speak on that, but I was very impressed with this strange little lotion bar! It comes in a cute little tin as shown above and honestly looks like a bar of soap! I have been using it on my heels at night and love it. I personally don’t like how it feels on my hands but I can imagine someone who suffers from dry cracked skin would love it. I am anxious for my husband and PacMan to try it out in the winter months as they both suffer from severe dry skin.

What exactly is hard lotion & why did Renee begin making it?

Hard lotion is lotion that is solid at room temperature. It is designed to specifically protect hands and feet from cracked skin and extreme dry skin. Ingredients are shea butter, coconut oil and beeswax. It also relieves skin that suffers from eczema and psoriasis. Renee began making it when she was searching for a recipe online that could help her cracked fingers that hurt from frequent hand-washing, and heels that split every summer from walking barefoot. The business took off in 2010 and now her husband joins her full-time in running the business while raising and homeschooling their 8 children in Northern California.

Renee also sent me the lip balm to test out and I am in LOVE with the peppermint flavor! The lip balm is a bit trickier to find on the website, look for this near the bottom of the home page: image

They also make diaper rash cream, goat milk soap, and hair butter. They look amazing!!! You can even do it yourself with much help from Renee’s tutorials! There’s also a blog filled with amazing information. I love natural products and this website was a gem to find!

WIN IT!

MadeOn is giving away 3 Pack Dry Skin Care: 1 Family-size lotion bar, 1 Pocket-size lotion bar, & 1 lip balm.

Mandatory Entry: Visit MadeOn, browse around and then simply leave a comment telling us you’d like to win!!!

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 have a particular skin condition that would make this product very useful to you, give yourself an extra entry!
  2. If you subscribe via RSS or email to 1+1+1=1, give yourself an extra entry!
  3. If you follow @hardlotion and @1plus1plus1 on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway, give yourself an extra entry! Sample tweet: @1plus1plus1 is hosting a giveaway for @hardlotion enter here: http://bit.ly/lUzmnL

This Giveaway is open for USA Only!

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!

Giveaway ENDS July 10, 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.

Linking up with Giveaway Day on Hip Homeschool Moms!

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Guidecraft Fraction Cups & Board ~ Review & Giveaway!

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Guidecraft has amazing math toys! Wooden toys that introduce math in a fun playful way are ideal in my boat!  We love the Fraction Action Board and Fraction Cups!

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These have been an awesome tool to use for introducing concepts and vocabulary to Krash and Ladybug.  Ladybug is especially drawn to these, they are the perfect challenge for her.

IMG_4341I use the proper terms with her while she plays, so down the road they won’t be as strange when she hears them and it’s actually time to really learn fractions!IMG_4065

 

I love seeing her try different combinations out and also perfecting her “try again” or “help please” skills!  This fraction board gives her more trouble and we have really worked on those 2 phrases a lot when working with it!IMG_6420

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I love these math toys and know my kiddos will get years of play out of them!

 

BUY IT!

You can purchase the Fraction Action Board and Fraction Cups on the Guidecraft site.  They also sell them on Amazon: Fraction Action Board and Fraction Cups

WIN IT!

Mama Jenn is hosting the giveaway this month! Head on over to enter to win.

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.