This month, we are reviewing the Mother Goose Time curriculum and are excited about the Blast Off to Space theme! The curriculum arrives in a "yellow school bus" box and includes basically everything you need for a month of themed learning including project materials: pre-cut cardstock, glitter, sequins, paper plates & craft sticks. The kit also includes a Welcome Kit with parent/child materials, classroom displays, teacher guide, planning journal, calendar set & a monthly music CD. This research based preschool curriculum is very simple to follow and offers options to differentiate for various levels and can be customized for your needs: 1 child or 100+ children!
-SD

3…2…1… Blast off! Children will pretend to be astronauts and fly off in a homemade rocket ship. They will count the stars, create constellations and explore rock and gaseous planets. Children will make their own stargazers as they play with light and look up into the sky during this incredible space adventure.

Weekly Investigations
Week 1:What can I see in the sky?
Week 2:What are rock planets?
Week 3:What are gaseous planets?
Week 4:What would it be like to be an astronaut?

My boys( 2 & 4 years old) love technology and have limited use, so when they are allowed "screen time" I like to make sure that they are being engaged, entertained and learning a thing of two. They love PAW Patrol and I love when they are able to enjoy learn from shows/characters they like. The Paw Patrol Rescue Run app ($6.99) is a great educational and entertaining app for preschoolers. My boys love playing alongside their favorite PAW Patrol characters all the while strengthening their problem-solving and social skills. There are a number of missions to be completed that require each pup to use their skills to beat obstacles to help save Adventure bay and after each task completed successfully the player(s) receive Adventure Bay badge awards for their hard work. I love hearing my 2 year old shout "Do the Pup Pup Boogie" & dance when he completes a task, plus I know that he has been practicing essential skills.
-SD

This summer, my kids are attending “Mommy Camp,” so, having fun activities ready for them is essential for the kids’ continued development and for my sanity.  I had no specific plans for my children this summer and was concerned I would run out of things to do with them.  There are lots of neighborhood parks and activities to engage in, but its also nice to be able to just enjoy some quality time at home.  I was lucky enough to have an opportunity to try out Ivy-Kids Kits, a monthly educational subscription box for children ages 3-8.  

The green box that arrived in the mail was filled with numerous activities that has kept my kids entertained for a lot longer than I thought was possible.  Inside was the book,  Jump, Frog, Jump by Robert Kalan along with plenty of activities that is related to the subject of frogs.  We learned about frog habitats, the kids built on some fine and gross motor skills, they enhanced their academic skills and acquired a new appreciation for the development of frogs.  I was also able to incorporate some of my own activities  and a book that was easy for my 2 year old that complemented the skills that were being introduced.  

I have to say that the Ivy-Kids Kits not only help the kids, it also serves as an invaluable resource for the adults in developing the skills necessary to teach your children new things in an exciting way.  My kids looked forward to trying out a new activity each day and repeating some of the ones they completed already.  The kids looked forward to hearing the instructions Mommy was prepared to give and looked for guidance as they navigated a new activity.  It was a great learning experience for both the kids and myself.

I sincerely recommend Ivy-Kids Kits for homeschooling moms, for parents who want to supplement their children’s education with creative activities or for those parents that want to spend some good, fun quality time with their kids.  


MRM

The BOOST “My First Human Body” Coloring Book ($3.99) is both fun and entertaining for children. The interactive book both illustrates and answers many of the mysteries of the human body such as: What does my skin do? What makes you muscles move your bones? The “My First Human Body” coloring book offers fully detailed descriptions along with illustrations and easy to understand captions. The book features 28 coloring and activity pages all about the muscular, skeletal, nervous, digestive, respiratory and immune systems. The ready-to-color illustrations are accompanied by vocabulary, facts, questions as well as its coordinating Common Core State Standard.

I used the “My First Human Body” Coloring book with my soon to be Kindergartner and he was captivated by the moment we opened the book. I read the text to him and he followed along, pointing out the
different body parts and systems. He was especially excited to learn more about the senses and how the brain is the control center for them all. I really like that the book is not so packed with information that young children may be discouraged; there is a great balance between text and illustrations that keep young learners interested and engaged.  
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BOOST: Specially designed for specific grade levels/ages, the Boost series features a wide variety of entertaining and educational books for children. Each title includes a FREE Teacher's Manual filled with reading, speaking, listening, and language lessons.

The Tabletop Scientist “The Science of Water: Projects and Experiments with Water Science & Power”($6.99) contains explanations of the scientific ideas and the processes that make them work. The projects are clearly labeled with symbols that identify if sharp tools are necessary, ask an adult to help you, project is to be done outdoors and if a
work surface should be prepared because the project is a messy one. The topics covered include the water cycle, curved water, water force and water propulsion,
just to name a few. Each project/experiment also contains simple easy to follow step by step photographs and instructions. The hands on projects include detailed instructions and complete material lists for “Make A Rain Cloud”, “Melt a Mini-Iceberg” “Make Dirty Water Clearer” “Build A Water Wheel” and many more. The book also includes an index, glossary as well as a “History of Water” timeline.

I like The Tabletop Scientist ‘the Science of Water” book especially because it encourages independent hands-on learning with actual photographs and easy to understand language. The book also asks
interactive questions as well as challenges the student to try different
variations to experience various outcomes in the experiments. This book would be a great tool for any elementary/middle schooler.
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Table Top Scientist: Encourage young minds to explore the principles of science with this captivating book series of experiments for water, light, air and sound. Simpledemonstrations and complete photographs illustrate how to topics.

We received a copy of the Putumayo Kids Presents: American Playground CD to review and we love it! This CD is perfect for BBQ's, picnics and summer sing-alongs! It is filled with American classics including: "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain", "You are My Sunshine", "This Little Light of Mine" and "This Land is My Land". We enjoyed the bluegrassy All American folk music perfect for the whole family. The CD also includes 20 pages of informative liner notes, historical kid friendly information about the songs as well as the featured artists. This CD will be on our summer playlist and a permanent album in our growing collection of wholesome family friendly music.
-SD

I am always looking for new and interesting ways to continuously expose my little ones to the arts, so I was extremely delighted to have the opportunity to receive a copy of the Listen to the Birds An Introduction to Classical Music book/CD set to listen and review. Since "T" has been taking Suzuki violin lessons now for almost a year, he gets excited to hear classical music. He loves distinguishing the instruments he hears and trying to "play" the songs on his violin.

The CD features snippets of 20 both well-known and not so well-know pieces from a variety of composers including Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi, Janequin, Rautavaara, Profiev, Saint-Saens, Vaughan Williams, Mussorgsky, Pasquini, Handel, Messiaen, Schubert and Stravinsky. The storybook features amazing illustrations, a short biography of each composer, a glossary of musical terms as well as a short description of each bird that is mentioned or evoked on each composition.

"T" enjoys listening to the music on the CD and we have had some great conversations about what we hear and read in the storybook. His favorite part is acting out the bird mentioned while listening to the musical excerpt. This is truly a great book to get children interested in and more appreciative of classical music while encouraging their imaginations!
-SD