February 7, 2012

Getting your Preschooler Ready for Kindergarten with PreK Scholars

It’s been really interesting to watch my second son learn his letters and sounds this year.  I find I’m more fascinated with it this second time around than I was with my oldest.  Maybe because I was chasing around a crawling baby the first time?

Whatever it is, I feel like I have this small window of opportunity right now to teach Cole (newly turned 5) some Kindergarten readiness.  He’s in his last year of preschool and will be off on the bus with his big brother next year.

What’s neat about right now is that I notice that he *wants* to learn to read.  He’s had letter recognition for a long time but recently he’s into sounding things out.  We’ll be walking to the bus stop and he’ll be talking to himself, “p-p-p, P!”

So because of this interest, I was excited to check out PreK Scholars.  This DVD program provides a 22-week preschool curriculum to help prepare your preschooler for Kindergarten.  It covers early reading, phonics, basic math, science, language arts, handwriting and fine motor skills.

What’s neat is that it comes with tons of printable and fun at-home activities to keep your little one engaged.  You can check out an online demo of week one here on the PreKScholars website.

I think it’s pretty neat and Cole has been having fun playing with it.  We’re working on a different letter of the alphabet each week.  It doesn’t start with A but rather starts with some of the easier letters to learn and works its way up.  (Week one is P, week two H, etc.)  Fun characters help keep the kids interested along the way.  (Each character lives in “Scholarville.”  For example, Baker Bob teaches B.)

What I really love is watching Cole’s confidence grow as he learns words and letters.  I know it encourages him to have an older brother who can read – he wants to do what his big brother can do!

PreK Scholars also has an iPhone app that you can download from the iTunes store for $3.99.  Get the DVD program for $39.95 on the PreKScholars.com website.

Disclaimer:  I was provided with a sample DVD of PreK Scholars to facilitate this review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Loving Our Colourful Sticky Labels from Mabels Labels

This time of year is always a whirlwind of labeling things for my kids for back to school.  After this year’s Style School, I’m using Mabel’s Labels.  Years ago, I had used Mabels Labels and I don’t know why I ever stopped!

I ordered my kids some Colourful Sticky Labels ($21). Love these!  They stick to just about anything – I have them on my kids’ backpacks, lunch boxes and inside their clothes. (They can go through the wash)

Each order comes with 45 Sticky Labels.  Aren’t they cute?  And so practical.  Avoid those mix-ups at school and label everything with Mabel’s Labels.

Disclaimer:  Mabel’s Labels was a sponsor of Style School.  As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Volunteer Spot: Supporting My School My Way #myschoolmyway

If you count preschool, I’m on my sixth year of school with my oldest and third year with my youngest.  I’ve always known how important it is to volunteer in my child’s school.  It helps them to see your face there supporting their school and it helps you by allowing you to get to know the right people at school!  I’ve been a room parent twice, coordinator of various fundraisers and more.

For me, it’s a fine line as I want to spread my time right between blogging and two kid’s schools this year.  It’s a busy schedule and it’s often tough to juggle all the various volunteer schedules!  But I know it’s important to be there for both of my kids in both of their schools so I give all I can.

When I was at Mom 2.0 last spring, I met a rep from Volunteer Spot.  This website is an awesome tool online that allows you to coordinate volunteer schedules.  I would have loved this when I was the Homeroom Mom for my oldest’s first year in elementary school!  Nothing’s more time consuming than having to go back and forth with emails and phone calls to various parents.  This website helps save you a ton of time and helps you stay organized.

free online sign up sheets with volunteerspot

I SUPPORT MY SCHOOL.. MY WAY! And I’m joining VolunteerSpot’s sponsored Back To School campaign to help raise visibility for parent involvement in schools.

Save time {and sanity} and get more parents involved at school with VolunteerSpot.com!

VolunteerSpot’s FREE online signup sheets make it easy to organize parents and signup to help for just about anything: classroom helpers, snack schedules, carnivals, library volunteers, parent-teacher conferences and more….  No more ‘Reply-All’ email chains or clipboard sign up sheets! Please share with your room mom, teachers and parent leaders…

Plus there’s a huge Sweepstakes on VolunteerSpot’s Facebook page!
Win $500 worth of school supplies for YOUR School! Enter here

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post from Volunteer Spot, but the above story and all thoughts are, as always, my own.

Eco-Friendly Lunch Boxes for Back to School

My oldest starts kindergarten in a few days which has a few significant changes from preschool last year.

1) He’ll be going to school every day.

2) The school day is 2 hours longer than preschool.

3) He’ll need to bring a lunch.

It’s this last one I’ve been thinking about recently. Though we have a few random lunch bags that we use for park picnics and lunch playdates, my son doesn’t have a good lunch box. I especially was interested in one that wouldn’t require 5+ plastic bags every day to wrap up the assortment of snacks and nibbles inside. I wanted it to be compact, be able to hold a variety of types of foods and be good for the Earth.  And turns out, there are a number of good options. I’d like to introduce you to a few of them (plus give you some discounts!): Easy Lunch Box, Lunchopolis, and Goodbyn.

Easy Lunch Box

The name really says it all for the Easy Lunch Box. Each set comes with a four BPA-free plastic storage containers that each have three compartments – one large, one medium and one small. I love the simplicity of not having to worry about separate containers for packing, washing or storing. Just load the different compartments up, press on the lid and throw it in the included cooler bag. You can even fit up to three containers in one bag making it ideal for bringing lunch for multiple children. If you’re just using it for one child, a single container leaves plenty of room in the cooler for a drink, ice pack, silverware and a piece of fruit. The lids are not leakproof (though they do have a handy trick for carrying foods like yogurt), but they are easy for small fingers to open – important when choosing what containers you send with your child to school. The set is also pretty darn affordable.

Love: Simplicity of packing, clean-up, storage; cooler bag has room to allow for other things beyond containers; vivid color selection; also love their slideshow of great lunch ideas

Price: 4-pack of containers $13.95, cooler bag $7.95 at www.easylunchboxes.com (free shipping on orders over $25 when you order them through this link)

Lunchopolis by New Wave Enviro

Lunchopolis keeps it simple – one lead-free cooler, 4 color-tinted BPA-free modular containers (p.s. they nest inside themselves for storage), and one color-tinted drink bottle. I really like how compact Lunchopolis is. It fits well into my son’s backpack and is easy for his little hands to hold.

Knowing how much running and playing my son tends to do during the day, I like that the drink container holds 15 oz (compared to Goodbyn’s 8 oz). The insulated interior of the bag keeps the food cool with the help of an ice pack (not included) slipped into the inner pocket and even with the 4 containers and drink container, there is still room to hold an apple or kiwi.

Love: compact; larger included drink container; color-coded containers keep lunches for multiple kids separate;

Price: $29.99 for the whole set; get 10% off Lunchopolis at www.healthylifewater.com with the code “MWS10″ (also currently offering free shipping!)

Goodbyn

Goodbyn‘s lunch containers are like an eco-friendly, compartmentalized, sturdy Tupperware and lunch bag in one. The molded plastic unit comes in two sizes (Bynto and Original) and each has multiple compartments, a drink container and a built-in handle so you don’t need an additional bag to carry the lunch box. One less thing to get dirty or lose! Goodbyns come in 6 colors and each includes a collection of dishwasher-safe stickers to turn your Goodbyn into an animal, alien or just a personalized design.

My 5-year-old had no problem opening the lid (though on the larger Original Goodbyn, it took some practice to get him to effectively reseal the lid all the way around when he was finished). He was thrilled with discovering what surprises filled each compartment and loved being able to decorate the outside as he saw fit. And these aren’t just for kids – Goodbyn are a great option for bringing your lunch to work too.

Love: all-in-oneness; included stickers to decorate and personalize; one-piece lid effectively separates food; durable plastic; internal space to hold drink container

Price: Original $25.95; Bynto $16.95 but special for MWS readers get 15% off your order when you use the code “MWS2011″ at checkout. Good through September 30, 2011.

I’ve got the lunch box. Now to figure what to pack in it everyday….

What’s your favorite lunch box?

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Disclaimer: Companies provided product samples to facilitate this review.

Wow! What a Day! Short #StyleSchool Recap & Thanks

So I’m still reeling from my amazing event with Colleen from ClassyMommy.  Our back to school event, Style School, was a huge success!  I’m sure I will be bringing more photos and specific posts this week but I wanted to share some photos from the amazing day.

Here I am with Colleen at the start of the event at our Style School with 77Kids Step & Repeat:

Truly, 77Kids just rocked it with their punk booth.  They were giving mohawks to the kids (and adults!), treats & goodies and the vibe was all hard core rock, punk and fun, as their clothes are for back to school and the fall.  With Colleen in front of their amazing booth:

We had some other amazing sponsors – here’s a list of who helped make Style School happen and a big thank you to each and every one of them!

Motts was samping their new Snack N Go Applesauce packs.  Apparently they are amazing – I wouldn’t know because my kids ate them all on the car ride home before I could try them!  I’m definitely going to have to go buy some more and save some for myself.  A lot of the Moms were saying they liked them for THEM (forget the kids!)


Another popular booth was Remington, who was there doing different hair styles for the Moms and kids using some of their products including the new Wrap to Waves.  Check out how amazing my 14-year-old niece looks in this photo after she had her hair done.

I’ll share more later for sure but for now I have to play with my kids and recover!  Thanks again to everyone who came out and made it such a great event!  Here’s to Style School 2012!

For Team Umizoomi Fans: Math Kit For Preschoolers

What’s not to love about the release of this product from Nickelodeon:  Team Umizoomi Math Kits.  Since most fans of the Nick Jr. show Team Umizoomi are preschoolers, these educational kits are aimed at their age group.

The product teaches them about sorting, counting, measuring in the following: a 48-page workbook, a 24-page math adventure storybook, 24 cards with math adventures and challenges, a 48-page activity book with games and activities and a “Team Umizoomi” DVD with one episode on it from the tv show.  It also comes with two pencils and an eraser.

The kits will be out in July, will cost $19.99 and will be available at Toys R Us and Babies R Us.

Geared Up For Summer: Backpacks and Sleeping Bags

Although summer days are still months away, if you’re like me, your June-August calendar is probably pretty filled up. Between vacations, summer camp, out-of-town friends, overnights at grandmas, family events and camping trips, the calendar is booked with upcoming adventures. One thing I’ve learned about adventuring with kids:

The right gear can make all the difference.

This summer we’ll be adding two new pieces of gear for our 5-year-old adventurer – the Junior Backpack from Deuter and the expandable Big Dipper 30 sleeping bag from Kelty.

Deuter Junior Backpack – Whether it’s beach toys or library books, clothes for an overnight or a mountain of Legos, it’s an exciting phase when your kids get old enough to start carrying some of their own stuff. The Deuter Junior backpack is the perfect starter backpack. The 17″ x 9.4″ x 7.5″ frame is big enough to be useful but not so big as to overwhelm your child. Other features of the Deuter Junior include two mesh side pockets, two zippered front pockets, a “secret” zippered top pocket, chest strap, 3M reflector tape and S-shaped padded shoulder straps. Available in blue or green, my son is thrilled to be able to wear a “big boy backpack” and I’m thrilled that my bag just got lighter. (Available at Deuter for $39)

Kelty Big Dipper 30 – say sayonara to the kids growing out of this one for a while. The unique Big Dipper 30 sleeping bag fits kids from 4’4″ up to 5’4″ with an additional zip-out 12″ extension at the foot of the sleeping bag. While this mummy-style sleeping bag has many of the same standards as their adult sleeping bags (zipper draft tube, sleeping pad security loops, two-way zipper, pillow pocket), the Big Dipper 30 also comes with some kid-focused features like an integrated compression sack that won’t get lost and an elastic (instead of drawstring) hood for safety. My son is measuring almost 3 1/2 feet tall, so this sleeping bag will fit my son perfectly for the next year – and come the following year, when he’s probably shot up another two foot, I’ll be glad to know I just have to unzip the extension instead of buying a whole new bag. Available in blue and pink. (Available at Kelty for $69.99)

What gear makes traveling with your kids easier?

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Disclaimer: Kelty and Deuter provided samples for this review.

Never lose a thing again with Name Bubbles

For years now I have been labeling my kids clothes and belongings (cups, hats, shoes, etc) with either permanent marker, or what I like to call “boring” labels (simple white labels that I need to iron or stick on that have their name on them).

Recently I was super excited to come across Name Bubbles, an incredible, durable product to easily label anything your kids use and lose. The labels are not only diswasher, laundry, and microwave safe, but they are colorful and cute and actually enhance the look of your belongings! They have a simple press-and-stick application, so there is no ironing and no mess!

I got to try their camp pack for each of my boys, which is perfect for the upcoming camp season. The camp pack includes 109 labels in a variety of styles and colors, and all of the labels resist sunscreen and bug spray. I can easily label my boys clothing with the Bubble Itz, adorable and colorful circular labels that stick on to clothing tags or directly on the clothes. Bubble Toes are great for making sure my kids water shoes and sneakers come home with them each day. And the variety of sizes of other labels are perfect for backpacks, lunch boxes, and other gear.

The best two things about Name Bubbles that set them apart from other similar types of companies is their variety of great looking and colorful styles to choose from, as well as the opportunity to put your phone number or address on some of the smaller clothing labels. When I use the Name Bubbles on my kids clothes, I actually feel like I am enhancing their clothes instead of marking them up with something ugly or something hard-to-read.

You can also use Name Bubbles to alert others of allergy or medical needs, on your luggage instead of a traditional luggage tag, and on your baby bottles and sippy cups (check out the adorable designs!)

Now is the perfect time to stock up on these fun and super-functional labels which you will find yourself using all of the time… from sports to school to camp and everything in between! Place an order of $50 or more and receive free shipping! No code necessary.

I received complementary samples for this review from Name Bubbles, however, as always, all opinions are my own.

Send Messages to Your Kids at School with Talkatoo, Plus Coupon Code

Earlier in the year, I started putting little notes into my son’s lunchbox.  I went with a variety of messages like “I love you” and “I’m proud of you.”  Besides the fact that he was sometimes embarrassed, I could tell he actually really enjoyed getting a message from me every day.

Then we started using a Talkatoo.  These cute little charms are small recorders.  You can record your voice saying a short message to your child and then send them off to school.  You get up to 30 seconds of recording time and you can then lock it so it doesn’t get accidentally recorded over.

Each Talkatoo can be a charm on a backpack or be worn as a necklace.  They have several adorable designs available.  It’s $16.99 for one; use coupon code save10 to receive a 10% discount.

Back to School Shopping with Staples

Image and video hosting by TinyPicI’ve had to start thinking about Back to School shopping earlier than I had planned — since I’m having a baby any day and my oldest child enters Kindergarten in September. When I was offered a chance to shop at Staples for Back to School, I jumped at it. This week, they have some really fantastic things on sale, plus a $5 off of a $50 purchase and clip and save coupons. I love that the weekly ad is online, so I was able to plan out what I was going to buy.

Some of the Back To School deals I scored at Staples are

  • Crayola Washable Markers for $2
  • Filler Paper – 120 sheets of 8 by 10 1/2 for 1¢ (available only through this Wednesday)
  • Multipurpose Computer Paper – 500 Sheets, 96 bright for $1 (rebate – you’ll get $3.99 back) – this is valid til Aug 14
  • Staples Stickies Notes – 1-3/8″ x 1-7/8″, 100 sheets per pad – FREE after rebate ($5.29)
  • Pencil Pouch for $2
  • Scotch Pop- Up Desk Grip Tape Dispenser – FREE after rebate ($3)
  • Pentel Ultraslim pen-style retractable highlighter – FREE after Rebate
  • in assorted colors: fluorescent yellow, fluorescent pink, fluorescent orange, fluorescent blue
  • Expo 8 by 11 double sided white board for $2 (which will be great for practicing writing with my child at home).

They’re also offering between 25 and 50% off backpacks and lunch packs. I also found these great folders for my son, with the fasteners inside. At $1.99, they were a little more than I wanted to spend, but they are durable and will last the school year. As a customer, I also appreciate Staples Price Match Guarantee — which states “if you find a lower price anywhere else on a new identical item, just show us the lower price when you buy the item at Staples and we will match the price, or within 14 days of your Staples purchase and we will give you the difference.”

Tip – try to get the flyer mailed to your house or included in your weekly paper — when I went the Staples, they had the deals, but not the $5 off coupon. I loved that you can do the rebates online, or simply fill out the rebate form on the bottom of the receipt and mail it in.

In the 6 years I was an elementary school teacher, I always shopped at Staples, because they made it a point to be good to teachers, with teaching supplies and a Teacher Appreciation Day.  I also liked that they were offering 20% off teaching supplies (I picked up some things because I will be subbing this year, but going back full time next year). Got to Staples.com/teacherday to find out the next Teacher Appreciation Day.

A $50 Gift card was provided by MomSelect and Staples. This review contains my own opinions.

Nickelodeon Slimers Chromamorphosis Sneakers by Stride Rite

I thought we’d be able to make it until the end of the school year without my 4 1/2 year old son needing new sneakers, but you can’t contain little feet! Stride Rite came to my rescue with their awesome Nickelodeon Slimers Chromamorphosis Sneakers (was $49, on sale for $39.99 ). These playful and durable grey, silver and black sneakers are made of leather and mesh and have design accents with liquid crystal color shifting technology – which means the colors change when you walk or touch them. They look great and I know that the shoe is quality because they’re from Stride Rite. The hook and loop closure is convenient for little hands to on/off, which my 4 1/2 year old loves to do himself. We love the fit and the flexible outsole! Available in boy (size 7 to 12) and big boy sizes (12.5 to 5). Comes in a medium or wide width.

Now is also a great time to stock up on water shoes or sandals for summer — we like the Gus ($38) or the Sperry Top-Sider Boys Lagoon ($34). The Gus offers a Leather upper, Hook-and-loop closure for easy on/off ,  have fast drying uppers for in and out of water play and have an antimicrobial footbed! The Lagoon offers a hook-and-loop closure, a 30% recycled rubber outsole  and a leather and neoprene upper to keep feet dry.

Stride Rite is offering free shipping if you order two pairs or more (any shoes, sneakers or sandals).

Thank you to Stride Rite for providing a sample pair.

Sight Word Cards from Frecklebox with 15% off coupon code

Love this product for the summer.  I’ve heard how easy it is for kids to learn a lot of what they learned over the course of the school year during the summer months.  These Sight Word Cards from Frecklebox are great for a child entering or just coming from Kindergarten.

Personalized fun and educational: each pad is $24.95 at regular price; use coupon code FBFriend for 15% off your order of this or anything on Frecklebox.

Disney Store spreads the Earth Day love

As a part of their Friends for a Change – Save Planet Earth campaign, Disney has come out with a line of Save Planet Earth products that are being sold at the Disney Store.

I came home last week to a neat little package full of a couple of the products – including a plush Toy Story Alien, who is the official mascot for this campaign.  With many of the items, Disney will donate $1 to the Nature Conservacy.  Just look for the little green button, like on this product pictured.

They have a bunch of stylish and sustainable products for sale including a Tree Making Kit, a reusable water bottle and shopping bags made out of recycled plastic water bottles.  Love the Mickey Cosmetic Bag!

yubo Lunch Box: A Creative Spin on the Lunch Box

Image and video hosting by TinyPicFor a new, super creative  spin on the lunch box, check out the yubo Lunch Box System! Choose from the Standard ($21.95) or Deluxe ($29.95).

The Standard comes in either pink, orange or blue, with the choice of one free set of designable faceplates — either School Rules in either green or yellow, Sharks or Peace (the containers or ice pack are not included). The Deluxe yubo includes a blank name tag, a standard faceplate set, a large container, 2 small round snack containers and the large, flat ice pack. Parents have the option of adding another faceplate set with either personalization (ranges between $6.95 to $9.95) or a photo ($12.95).

yubo is BPA-free, Eco-friendly, and anti-microbial.  It’s also top rack dishwasher safe and totally recyclable (when your child is finished with it).
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10% off at Oliver’s Labels

If you have any kids in school – preschool or beyond – then you know how important it is to label everything.  (And if you’re a Mom with a baby and you aren’t there yet – keep reading anyway as it will happen sooner than you think!)I’ve played with all sorts of different ways of labeling my kids things, from sharpies to iron-ons to personalized labels.

 

One product I recently tried that is working well for us is from Oliver’s Labels.  I’ve been using their Original Labels on clothing, their Shoe Labels and I’m especially loving the Mini Labels which I’ve been sticking on just about everything. 

They’ve have plenty of label options in both shapes and design.  Think beyond just traditional school items too:  you can use these to label a toothbrush for camp, your iPod or your kids box of crayons.

http://www.oliverslabels.com
Also – Oliver’s Labels has a cool little program they call Found-It. Opt to have your own special tracking code printed on your label and your item will be a part of a free online tracking system.  Imagine that your toddler dropped a favorite sippy cup in a parking lot. 

Presuming someone picks it up and looks at it, they will see the code on the label – which directs the finder to the Oliver’s Friends website and to key in the code.  You’ll receive an email saying the item was found.

Use coupon code “oliversfriends” to receive 10% off your order.

Back to school with the Royal NapMat

Many of our little ones are heading back to school this week or next (or for some of you, they may have already gone back… I am jealous!). For those that are going to nursery or day care programs, a morning or afternoon nap may be a part of your child’s day. Well, I recently got to try out an awesome product called the Royal NapMat, which is perfect for naps at day care, or also great for sleepovers, babysitters, or for lounging around the house.

This beautiful, functional, all-in-one product is perfect for toddlers and preschoolers. It’s made of plush, designer, quilted fabric, and personalized if you choose with your child’s name. I love that it easily rolls up and secures with velcro, and has convenient carrying handles to make transport easy. I also love that it comes with a small fluffy pillow (case is attached, the pillow is removable) and a pocket on the outside, perfect for a small lovey. It also has a built-in blanket, made of a soft fleece!

My kids absolutely love lying in the NapMat (they actually fight over who gets to use it) while watching TV in our living room or basement. It keeps them warm and comfortable and it is the perfect size for both of them (my kids are 2 and almost 5, and my almost 5 year old is very tall and fits in there just fine!)

It’s important to note that the Royal NapMat is machine washable and is made in the USA of very high-quality, heavy-weight, designer fabrics. We have the blue crimson stripe, which is beautiful. Check out the full selection of fabrics and products, and learn more about how the NapMat works. If you plan to make a purchase, please put “MWS” in the personalization field and you will receive a 10% refund through PayPal (after your payment)!

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