Lovable Labels and Tim Horton Children's Foundation Teaming Up for Camp Day on June 5th... Review & Giveaway

Have you had your child come home from school, summer camp, sports, or any other extra curricular activity, only to tell you that they lost something?

I had it happen the other day with Princess.

Well, now that I am one of those Moms, I have come to value the idea behind the reason for Lovable Labels, created by a mom of a little one, and she saw the need for a way to make sure items came home. And along came Lovable Labels. The labels are durable, tough personalized labels that can make it through whatever you or your child can throw at it. They are attractive, bright and eye-catching. The are safe to be put in the microwave or dishwasher, and they are UV resistent and waterproof. They have strong adhesives that make them stay where you put them!!!

Lovable Labels are organized into value packs, birthday party packs, stationary, and household, with the  "see a need fill a need" principle,  and with the value of the most purposes in mind. You get the greatest value for you money with the value packs, which are created for uses at summer camp, starter packs (newbie users), split pack (more than one child), sports teams (making sure equipment returns with the team), party favours (6 children per pack) and teacher gift set. They also have other wonderful lines available as well.

Now as the last few weeks of school winds down and we gear up to send our kids off to summer camps... the "Ultimate Camp Pack" from Lovable Labels comes to mind as the go to labelling for their things. This pack has a great variety of labels necessary to get your child's belongings back. Be it day camp, week away camp, Vacation Bible School or extra days at daycare or even trips to the grandparents, the "Ultimate Camp Pack" will make sure the belongings become a boomerang and always return home.

The "Ultimate Camp Pack" is a $44.95 value of a variety of Lovable Labels best. It includes 2 bag tags,   sticker labels, slimline stickers, shoe labels, clothing labels (Press n' Stick®, unique to Lovable Labels) and square labels. A total of over 150 labels to make sure your child's stuff finds their way home!!!

Peel and Stick, and things don't get lost!

The "Ultimate Camp Pack" is their best seller and has all the labels by Lovable Labels, able to be personalized and there are more than 20 designs and colours plus over 45 icons to choose from to best suit the child's character or personality. They will be unique to them! Also Lovable Labels just introduced 8 new designs to choose from which are very cute as well!!!

Sunny side of Labelling...

Now, I want to tell you about the wonderful things that are going on over at Lovable Labels this coming June!!!!  not only does Lovable Labels make sure your child's belongings don't get lost... they have just partnered up with Tim Horton Children's Foundation {THCF} (found in Canada and the U.S.) to help fundraise for the children's summer camp. The THCF has a Camp Day every year in June, this year it is June 5th, where they help send a kid to summer camp across Canada and the U.S., these children come from a financial challenged family setting. 

So in the Partnership on June 5th between Lovable Labels and Tim Horton Children's Foundation, for every "ultimate Camp Pack" sold that day, Lovable Labels will donate 20% of the sale to the THCF!!!

And Lovable Labels is gearing up each child attending the THCF Summer Camp with labels as well!!!!
Here is a link to the information on the partnership.. click HERE.

Here is a little bit more about the Tim Horton Children's Foundation...

The THCF is a charity that send financially challenged kids to summer camp and creating a memorable experience that enriches their lives. The THCF summer camp, allows these children to have the chances to grow into healthy individuals, with skills that last a lifetime. The camp motivates kids to strive for better futures, full of caring and responsibility. The kids come home with a more positive outlook, self respect for things, people and the environment, leading them to become contributors in their family, community and schools. And the kids are more empathetic to others and their environment.
if you would like to find out more information about the THCF, please click HERE!

So to help out the Tim horton Children's Foundation, on June 5th (mark you calendars for the date!!!), please click HERE!!! Or if you want the code to enter in at the Agent/ Fundraiser section of the checkout... enter: Tim Horton Children's Foundation.

Review:
We were fortunate enough to receive a "Ultimate Camp Pack" to review...
We chose one of the new designs for Princess. It is called "Whimsical Love Story", with Princessy themed icons (crowns, castles, frog princes, and more) that suit her to a "T".  They are bright and colourful! She set out to label her things. These labels went on everything from her recital costumes, sun hat, water bottles, and the bag tags have yet to find a home but will soon I am sure of that. I really like the bag tags and will most likely go on her travel bags for summer trip to Grampie and Nana's.

They are secured by a ball chain and link that you close with pliers for tightened closure.
The clothing labels (Press n' Stick®) are my favourite by far in the "Ultimate Camp Pack" because they stay on the clothes through the washer and dryer (yes we did try it). And trying to remove them off clothing is not an easy deed at all. in fact it is quite a struggle to remove them, so I gave up for fear of destroying the clothing.

And the same goes for the shoe labels... they are amazing and stay where they are put, gripping the surface with an incredible strength.

I have to say that the adhesive backing on the labels are very very sticky, when you are applying them, which is great and makes them a trustworthy product. The labels make me feel confident that the items will return with her. The labels stay where you put them, making each item like a boomerang and they will be sure to come back to us everyday.

To be honest, the price point of the "Ultimate Camp Pack" is very reasonable and we will most likely be ordering some for the Monkey as he is to begin his own educational journey this September. And at $44.95, with all the labels you receive in the pack, they have you covered to be confident that the items won't get lost!

Princess rated the Whimsical Love Story labels by Lovable Labels as "Awesome!" and "Pretty!". Her favourite icon was the tiara!

We Love, LoVe, LOVE our "Ultimate Camp Pack" by Lovable Labels!!!!!

Now for a BONUS...

Lovable Labels has generously offered one lucky reader of AM2CW, their own "Ultimate Camp Pack" valued at $44.95, to get their little one set for summer and all the activities!!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Winner will be chosen on June 11th through Rafflecopter.com, and notified via email. The winner will have 24 hours to reply to the email to claim their prize, or another winner will be chosen. Entrants must be 18 years of age or older to enter and residents of Canada or U.S.

Thank you Lovable Labels for sponsoring this giveaway!

****Please do not forget to mark you calendar for 

June 5th, Camp Day, 

to help raise money to send a child to the 

Tim Horton Children's Foundation Summer Camp!!!!****

*****Disclaimer***** The product in this review was provided to me free of cost for the purpose of conducting this review. All opinions expressed in this review are my on and not influenced by monetary compensation.
A Mama's Two Cents Worth... is not responsible for undelivered product not received by the winner, please take that up with the company involved with sponsoring the giveaway.

OOKA Island... A Learning Resource Review

I found Ooka Island after I received an email from my mom one day about an episode of Dragon's Den, which gives exposure to new business in Canada, similar to the Shark Tank show in the U.S., and sometimes funding in exchange for various different forms of investment and involvement. I approached Ooka Island for an opportunity to review the program and showcase a learning resource that would help children learn to read with confidence. They agreed to give me the chance to try the Home Edition of their game program out with both my kids, 5 and 3, for 2 months, in exchange for a review here on the blog.

What Is Ooka Island?

Ooka Island, is a learning to read game geared at kids between 3 and 7 years of age.  They are from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Ooka island was founded by Dr. Kay MacPhee and Jim Barber and with the Ooka Island team have hit the road to better learning full tilt. Ooka Island is available in 3 editions: Home, School and Homeschool. Each with their our processes and purpose that serve the needs of the children involved in a setting that is both progressive and technologically advanced in the use of computers in the classroom.

The Ooka Island approach to learning is science-based reading using technology to making it fun for kids and enticing them to want to learn more. It is a learn-to-read game geared for Pre-K to Grade 2. The adventures played out on the game teach phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. The child is unable to move on to the next level until the present level has been accomplished. Ooka Island uses Eye/Ear Reading method, a scientifically based learning method which allows each child to learn the 5 basis of learning to read: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. The basis around which the Eye/ Ear Method works is to use the child's visual cues paired with auditory skills in order for children to achieve the ability to read. This Eye/ Ear method to learning to read has been embedded throughout the Ooka Island game through the activities in phonic, a built in e-reader, and the levelled and sequential e-books. There are a total of 85 e-books that used in Ooka Island's learning to read game. The words are being learned in the game with the introduction of their individual sounds and blending them to create words. And the end result is the child learning to read through the use their eyes and ears.
Ooka Island uses ReaDirect™ in the program's game, which makes use of algorithms created for the best learning processes to lead the child making use of the Eye/Ear method. It adapts to the needs and learning stages of each child based on their strengths and weaknesses as they go through the game. ReaDirect™ makes Ooka Island a phenomenal learning experience which is unique and one-of-a-kind learning for each child. The pace of learning for each child is at their own pace and it creates positive self-esteem and motivation as well.

Ooka Island has a way for parents to track their child's learning progress. They use a section called "Lighthouse" where access can be gained through online account (created when you setup your program and download your game) as well as by clicking the lighthouse on the map of Ooka Island in the game. Lighthouse creates online reports based on reading comprehension (scores comprehension and vocabulary learned), accuracy analysis (breakdown of every question posed to the child during game time and how the child responded), and book progress (number of books read). Lighthouse gives parents a real-time look into their child's reading abilities, with a score that based on correct responses in the game during present activity level. The scores meaning are: 75% or below shows the child needs more practice; and 75% and above shows the child is on the right track and doing well.

The Learning Flow Cycle for Ooka Island is

Guided Play: this is where skills are built with a play- phonetic activities

E-reader: the game centres around word concepts, vocabulary, fluency, and reading comprehension in   the activities.

Free Play: this is where the child takes the reins and uses the activities accomplished thus far in the game and plays around the island.

Ooka Island is laid out in an Island map where the child progresses around the island in various levels of learning activities and does not get advanced into the next level until the present level is achieved in the game. They are motivated with cheers and awards in the Mist Mart with points. The characters on Ooka Island are also motivating and helpful in their roles.

In the beginning, entering into the game your child will create an avatar of themselves, then meet Miss Kay, Zobot, and the Ooka Elves; and after a certain level Zopet is unlocked to play with in the Pencil Playground. 

When the child reads 5 books in the Popcorn Library, they free an Ooka Elf to also join them in the Pencil Playground. As well as the e-book characters, twin siblings, Kayla and Jayden, and their friend Boo the bear; who are in the first 15 e-books of Emergent I.

All the activities in the game are point and click and available for Mac and PC. There are also iTunes downloads of sing-a-long songs from the game to make it easy to take Ooka Island on the go, called Ooka Tunes, the pdf lyrics are available HERE. 

REVIEW:

I am complete awe of principles behind Ooka Island game, the fact of using entertainment to enhance the skills of reading amaze me. But as the weeks passed and I watched my kids with this game, I saw the confidence of Princess, once a reluctant reader and now a confident lover of the word. Monkey is starting to gain enjoyment in the game and at almost 4 he will be starting to use Ooka Island more as the 

school year approaches. I was so amazed by Ooka Island, we purchased a year subscription. Princess' improvements have been noticed by her Kindergarten teacher. She is very confident in reading various written forms, be they books or signs. 

Above is Princess B choosing her next book for the popcorn Library to read as Cheeky Monkey observes. 

Reading her book #16 of the second level of the Emergent I 

Playing 'Pop Drop' activity associated with the book #16 she just read.
A great reinforcement to comprehension of the e-book.

'Pop Drop' is a wonderful way to see if there is reading comprehension of the e-books from the Popcorn Library. The achievement of the next book for reading is a huge happy movement for Princess. She loves seeing how many books she has read.

This is the activities about matching and word recognition where Zobot
calls out words in a sentence and clicking on the correct word.
Shells are associated with where the book was found in the sea.

This is the Matching game you play against Zobot
the words are from the same sentence of this entire activity
from the book. And the game is part of vocabulary and recognition.

Princess really enjoys the activities in Ooka Island. And I really like the progression of the game which doesn't allow advancing until the level is accomplished correctly. In the beginning, Princess was just starting the reading process and was very much a reluctant reader. She hated reading because it was taking time out of her play time. She stalled reading and would always ask me to help her even though she knew the sounds of the letters. But since starting Ooka Island, I can say she enjoys reading very much and reads with confidence. She has lately been reading things I was surprised she is reading at a level 6 reader at school at the beginning of May, right on target for where she needs to be for Grade 1. The words I am surprised she is able to recognize are 'follow', 'river', 'princess'... and she is getting better every day at reading. 

Monkey playing the Alphabet Mountain,
learning his ABCs

I am thoroughly impressed by the fun she has while playing and learning! I also love the  fact that she wants to learn- play with great excitement. It has become the alternative to her off school days and will be wonderful for her when she is in her French Immersion program. I love that it has made her want to read with great intensity to where she reads to me and her dad and Monkey.

Monkey has been a little slower at starting Ooka Island, he has been showing less interest right now with the game, he would way sooner play with his trains and cars. But we will be making use of it over the summer for sure to prepare him for the school year.  He really liked watching Princess in the beginning as she went through the activities he kept her company. He also likes the Bubbly Trubbly fountain activity. He is really good answering the Pop Drop questions about the books he reads in the popcorn library. 

Monkey in the Cave of Sounds,
learning phonemics and phonics

On a side note: Hubby and I decided to purchase the year subscription for the kids for many reasons: Princess is starting French Immersion in the Fall; Monkey is beginning Junior kindergarten in the Fall; they really loved playing the game and watching each other play the game; and it is a great educational game that has the potential to expand their learning potential to make them well prepared for school.

Princess' thoughts on Ooka Island: "I like it when I unlocked Word Ball!"  "Ooka Island is Fun!" 

Monkey's thoughts on Ooka Island: "I like playing the bubbles and in the roller coaster"

Ooka Island has graciously offered our readers a discount link to get the game for your self. Please check out the game if you have a reluctant reader because from experience with Princess, it makes a huge difference in a little over 2-3 weeks. Mind you she had already started reading in school but the difference is amazing. Her reading is no longer robotic like with stops and starts, it has become fluid and smooth and should she have to sound out a word she rereads the entire sentence to make her reading smooth with practice.

Here is the link to get a 30% discount off the Ooka Island... click here (Valid until June 1st, 2013)!!!

Thank you to Ooka Island for the opportunity to try out  your game and tell people about the wonderful program you have!!!

Educents Review: Actual Size Book: Science

Educents approached me with an opportunity to review a great new addition to their daily sales this week. The review was for the Actual Size Books  from SunflowerEducation.net. The Actual Size books are currently part of their National Deals, with a savings of 32% off. From the two versions available from the Visual Learning Books, we chose the Science book. The book is amazing, it cam with 72 different curriculum lessons and plans to bring science to life. I really wish when I was in school that these were around it would have made learning science more fun! I liked the idea of being able to bring this into any current setting in the classroom for even the younger ages because it can actually help you put things into perspective when it comes to different ages. My kids are 3 1/2 and 5 years of age and they were amazed at the size in comparison to themselves. I  really liked that variety of plans available in the book that would be useful to introduce kids to science that is hands-on and 'outside the box' so to speak when it comes to the classroom. If I was a science teacher I would so use these in every unit that I was teaching so that the mundane everyday classroom life would be more than just sitting and being in the classroom. It would be great for group projects where the kids would have to do a presentation on the various plans and draw them out for all to see. It would definitely make science more enjoyable to bring in the big guns like the periodic table and formulas so that they would be able to bring science to life.

With this review opportunity, I had the kids choose the plan that they liked the most out of the ones that would fit in our driveway. They chose the Polar Bear. So off we went with our materials (chalk, plans and measuring tape) outside to draw out our plans for a Actual Size Polar Bear. As I drew out the Polar Bear referring to the specs in the plans, with my daughter calling out the numbers to draw, we drew out our Polar Bear. Don't laugh at my drawing I don't claim to be an artist that is for sure. After we had the Polar Bear on the driveway, we then discussed the habitat it lived in, what it would eat, how it hunted, how it could swim in the icy Arctic Ocean. Also, with Earth Day having just passed and her Kindergarten class discussing recycling, and pollution we talk about what was happening to the Polar Bear's habitat with Earth getting warmer and how this once majestic animal was losing it's home. I also brought in that Polar Bears are a protected specie here in Canada and that they were once hunted almost to extinction and now we are losing them to the melting of the Polar Ice. We really enjoyed creating the plan and will most likely use the Actual Size book as a means to bring learning into their summer. They love using sidewalk chalk, so getting a little education sneaked into their fun is a bonus. It would be fun to take the plans to the Zoo and draw one out at the different exhibits we have here, like the polar bears, and buffalos. What a great way to take learning on the road too!!

our Polar Bear

Kids walking the length of the Polar Bear
to get an idea of its size

Thanks to Educents for the opportunity to introduce the Actual Size Book: Science from SunflowerEducation.net to you. If you are interested in checking it out or picking up a copy should you be a teacher in the traditional school system or homeschool, getting while it is on a special discount over at Educents.

Thank you to Educents 

for the Review Opportunity!

Disclaimer: The opinion in this review is expressing that of the writer of this blog, A Mama's Two Cents Worth..., and it is that an opinion. We received the product reviewed here from Educents and did not make any monetary gain in the process of doing the review. Please use your own power of knowledge to develop your own opinion of the product. 

39DollarGlasses.com Review and Giveaway

We have been blessed to bring you another review and giveaway from the special people at 39DollarGlasses.com. This time it will be my hubby reviewing the glasses because her recently found himself in need of some specks, having not worn glasses since he was younger, I think he told me he was in his teens. He has been feeling his vision in the last few months getting blurring and finally after som coaxing to go to the Optometrist from me, off he went only to find he has bad vision and requires glasses. He was extremely interested in the chance to try some glasses that were not from the eye doctor. 

39DollarGlasses.com has giving us the opportunity to order and review a pair of glasses. They are a discount online website that offers great prices for stylish prescription glasses and sunglasses that young and old would be pleased to wear. In the process of checking out their website you will have to create an account to place your order and need the prescription from you Optometrist, along with the PD (pupil distance) measurement {the measurement from pupil to pupil... with the assistance of another person). Then all you will need to do is decide from the hundreds of options of frames 39DollarGlasses.com has to offer online. Whether you are ordering single vision, sunglasses, sport orientated frames, or for reading; you will not be disappointed by the choices, be they plastic or metal eyeglasses.

The prices of glasses on 39DollarGlasses.com are very reasonably priced and start at $39.00 and up. Shipping is very reasonable as well with it starting with basic at $4.95, with RUSH option available as well. They also offer free shipping to APOs & FPOs. And if you do not want your information on the internet you are able to call their toll-free number and place your order with them. 

Once you have chosen your frames you are able to print out the frame and try on the paper version to see if they are for you using their Exactfit®, you can try them before you make the investment but it also gives you an ability to be sure the choice is the one that best suits you. 

The Lenses that are used by 39DollarGlasses.com are top of the line, such as Transitions®, NuPolar®, and Seiko®, to name a few, in your discount glasses. When you get your order there are certain things that come standard with your glasses, such as a hard case, screwdriver keychain, cleaning cloth, 100% protection from UV rays, and a guarantee for your purchase that is completely worry-free coupled with great customer service. 

My Hubby's Review of his 39DollarGlasses.com prescription sunglasses...

He chose to order sunglasses because he constantly on the road every day and thought it would be safe for his eye when he drives. After searching through the choices of the sunglasses available he knew what style of frame he was looking for was the aviator. So he narrowed it down to 2 styles he liked: the Navigtor and the Aviator. We then printed out the frame styles and he tried them to be sure they would suit his face. He decided on the silver frame in the Aviator style. Then together we went through the ordering process of entering in his prescription, PD, and creating an account for him. This was a very fast process to complete. The hardest was having him narrow his selection down to 2 styles of frames. He was very surprised at first of all the great prices and secondly, by the selection available to choose from in the online store. He really like the idea of being able to print out the frame styles in the actual size you would receive to see what they looked like on. He chose the grey lens tint for the sunglasses because that best suited the style of the frame.

Once the glasses arrived, Hubby took them out for a spin. He was utterly surprised at the clarity of the lenses and exclaimed that they was clearer that his actual glasses he received from his Optometrist. He also liked the lightweight feeling on his face. He really liked the style he chose. He admitted that the overall process was very easy and the shipping was faster than if he had ordered from Costco® which gave him a timeframe of 15 days to receive the glasses and his 39DollarGlases.com came in 7 days. The Aviator frames were a great choice for him and he wears them daily...and always remembers to put them in the hard case that came with them. In his package from 39DollarGlasses.com included a microfibre cleaning cloth as well as a screwdriver keychain. Here are his in his new Aviator sunglasses.

NOW to the Giveaway from 39DollarGlasses.com...

39DollarGlasses.com has graciously offered one lucky AM2CW reader, a pair of prescription glasses or sunglasses, valued at $75 including the shipping.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you to 39DollarGlasses.com for the chance to bring this review and giveaway to you! 

Good luck in the Giveaway!!!

As a Thank You, here is a code to receive a 10% discount off of your order at 39DollarGlasses.com.

Use the code: Z13X2B

Code expires December 31st, 2014

This giveaway is in no way affiliated or associated with Facebook in any way. Facebook is not responsible for any situation in which you do not receive your prizes, nor is A Mama's Two Cents Worth... responsible for prize not being received due to human error or address error.

Disclaimer: We received the product from 39DollarGlasses.com free of charge in exchange for the review and giveaway. There was no monetary gain for this review. The opinion expressed here is that of persons associated with A Mama's Two Cents Worth.., please feel free to generate your own opinion.

How Does a Dinosaur Say Happy Chanukah? Review

Our second book, we have the opportunity to review in the festive book series from Scholastic Books is...

How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Chanukah? by Jane Yelon & Mark Teague, 2012, The Blue Shy Press, ISBN: 978-0-545-41677-1 HC,  40 Pages,  Ages 0-4, 9" x 12".

Little dinosaurs love to celebrate the Festival of Lights, from the warm glow of holiday candles in the menorah to the fun of family gatherings. But sometimes the excitement of Chanukah, its treasured rituals, and the tradition of gifts can tempt a youngster to misbehave.... 
Come along on a joyful romp filled with tumbling dreidels and melting gelt as North America's favourite prehistoric pals spread a little mischief this season. Children will laugh out loud as dinosaurs fidget, fuss, and stomp through every occasion, while their human parents shift from shock to weary patience. 

My Review~~ This was a great way to teach my kids about the festival of lights and Chanukah. We discussed what Chanukah was and he traditions around the holiday. We talked of the games that children play during the celebration of lights. We also talked about the eight nights of festival of lights and what happens. We discussed the behaviour that kids might be acting like as with those children feel during Christmas. We discussed how it is important to behave well in all children during the holiday season. It makes the kids think about the holidays and how it celebrated by everyone. 


Here is a inside look of the book....

Thanks to Scholastic Books and we hope that you will give this book a read for this holidays!!!

Check back and see what our next book review will be for the holidays... next week!

Disclaimer: I received these books from Scholastic for the purpose of writing a review of the them, free of charge. There was no monetary gains made on my part. The opinions expressed here at strictly that of mine and you are free to make your own judgement.

Happy Reading!

Scholastic Books Review

Princess B, Monkey and Mama have received a few new books courtesy of Scholastics Canada to review. This review is separate from the Read-To-Me- Mama Monday series which will return in October.
We received 4 books over the summer to read. Since starting JK Princess has to record daily readings in her communication folder and return it daily to the teacher. The promotion os reading is great because it becomes our winding down time. Although I have noticed that Princess B has started to memorize the stories we repetitively read...two of them are in this review.
The Underpants Zoo, Author/Illustrator Brian Sendelbach, ISBN: 978-0-545-24935-5, Ages 3-8, May 2011, Hardcover, $19.99 CAD, is about a zoo where all the animals where underpants just like us. What kind of underpants would a lion wear? how about an elephant? Come through the gates of the Underpants Zoo and find out the answers to these questions, and see just how an octopus manages to wear his underpants!  My Review: Brian Sendelbach is a bestselling illustrator and has created a funny and wacky world that captured my little one imagination and love of reading. This book has become a favourite of Princess B and Monkey. It is now a staple in out bedtime routine and we read it at least 3 out of 7 nights of the week. This book has captured her creativity and she loves to discuss the types of underpants other zoo animals might wear as well. Each of the animals in the book wear the underpants that characterize them, lions= royalty, monkeys= wild, and so on. it has rhyming and colour filled illustrations that draw every reader to enjoy it! From start to finish the book entices and pulls you into an world of wonder and enjoyment and fun with every page turn. We give The Underpants Zoo 4 thumbs up!!


Meow said the Cow, Author/Illustrator Emma Dodd, ISBN: 978-0-545-31861-7, Ages 4-8, May 2011, Hardcover, $19.99 CAD, is a story of how the happenings on a farm was changed when the cat got tired of the the noises each animal made every morning. So the cat played with black magic. And what happens next is truly a mixup. Horses were "quacking" and Cows were "meowing"...but when the animals demanded to have their voices back the cat reversed the spell for all of them but one... And the cat got a taste of his own medicine each morning when he wakes early and gives a "Cock-a-doodle-doodle-doo!!!" My review: This is a book that I loved reading to the kiddies because I noticed that I would read it with more zealous each time. It is a fun book! I use it to get the kids attention sometimes when they are getting a little out of hand and I begin to use a voice that is not my own. It is a great book to help teach your children of the sounds associated with each animal as well as recognition of what has happened in the story. It has become a favourite of Monkey. We give this book of animal antics 4 thumbs up!


Give Me Back My Dad!, Author: Robert Munsch, Illustrated by Michael Martchenko, ISBN: 978-1-4431-0764-8 (paperback), ISBN: 978-1-4431-0763-1 (hardcover), Ages 3-8, May 2011, $7.99 (paperback), $19.99 (hardcover) CADs , is a wonderfully written story inspired by Cheryl, a young girl that the author met in Rigolet, Labrador 20 years ago. The story tells of the ice fishing trip that Cheryl took with her dad. In this tale it seems that the fish are too smart for Cheryl and her dad. The fish try to catch humans right back! In the end, Cheryl and her dad bring home something good and it isn't a fish at all! My Review: Robert Munsch is the greatest children's author I have ever known. I loved reading this as it is written and it is a tale that by doing that drew the kids to request it over and over. Honestly, I love all of the books written by Munsch. This one is a fun tale of fish versus human, human versus fish that in the end becomes a family story. It was fun asking what Cheryl and her dad need to do to catch a fish. Our family gives this tale 4 thumbs up!!!
Side Note: This book was chosen as the winning story in the Scholastic Canada's Pick-A-Munsch contest!!!


Picture A Tree, Author/Artist Barbara Reed, ISBN: 978-1-4431-0761-7, Ages 3-8, October 2011, Hardcover, $19.99 CAD, is a beautiful book about how trees are pictured in every season and from every angle. It discuss how these wondrous living beings give shade and shelter. They protect and bring beauty to any landscape. What do YOU see??? Taking a closer look at a tree and its splendour and glory in the colours creates excitement and relaxation. The shape of a tree can ignite imagination and conjure a world of wonder, through it becoming a pirate ship, a friend, or a tunnel to name a few. Its grandeur creates a sense of family, belonging, changes, growth, endings and new beginnings. What you make of a tree when you look at one closely leaves the possibilities to be never ending...just as in the circle of life. My Review: This picture book is created in the art of Plasticine as the author brings her story to life. It really made us feel as if we were in the book. The colourful modelling of clay and means of bring the story to her vision through her craft is amazing. It brought me back to my child hood where we used trees as our pretend homes and hiding places as we played amongst them at my grandmothers. I enjoyed thinking back to what role trees played in my life as I was growing up, serving as pretend places, homes, stores, and fun hideaways. The pride of having planted a tree in my parents yard and now seeing the size of it as well as the animals that call it home. We discussed the way trees change go through as the seasons change and what it means. I used this book to help the kids understand the seasons and changes that take place throughout the years. 4 Thumbs up for Picture A Tree!!!! 

All of these works of literature can be found on the Scholastic website, if you are interested in adding them to your library!!

Disclosure: We received these books free of charge from Scholastic Canada in exchange for the reviews expressed above. There was no monetary gain made from these reviews, no money exchanged hands; and the opinions expressed here are that of our own, you are free to make your own judgement.

ColorItByNumbers Review and Giveaway! CLOSED

This is a great giveaway sponsored by ColorItByNumbers. CIBN contacted AM2CW about doing a review of their educationally based applications. These applications offer a series of fascinating colouring books for your computer. The books are for every child, whether they are in love with Princesses, or Vehicles, or Animals, their love for colouring will be satisfied with CIBN. The computer colouring book applications are able to identify the colours with numbers between the colour tubes with number corresponding to the picture.  This is a great educational tool helping with the development of not only your child' imagination but they ability to recognize numbers and colours and pictures as well as computer skills. 

Each application is individually downloaded and gives you 3 colouring options: colouring by numbers, colouring with favourite colours, and colour to make the picture visible (more pieces to reveal picture). The images are very cute and friendly as well as high-quality. The screen resolution is adaptable as you can also play around with the preset colours to suit your child's interests. There is a on/off feature for the music and sound on the applications. And all the applications are cross-platform for use with PC, MAC, and Linux systems. The applications are also available in multi-languages,

now, you can download a trial version of the application but you will only receive the first 2 pages of the book. The cost for each application is $9.99 and you only have to buy the application you want to use for your child. ColorItByNumbers offers you a 14-day money back guarantee on your purchase. 
Our Review: We were given the opportunity to try all three applications out from CIBN. We are using the application on a MAC. What I really liked was the fact that if a wrong colour was chosen the paint tube of the correct number/ colour would jump until you chose it. It was very easy to use and user friendly. Princess loved the "Princess" application while Monkey, still a little to young to know the right way like the animals and vehicles, especially the trains. Princess loved searching for the numbers and finding them then choosing the colours to use for each picture. It was a big hit on too levels, the colouring book applications but also the fact that they were able to use Mama's computer. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Princess identify the numbers and colours, a huge help to gauge her progress in homeschooling. She loved asking me what colour she should choose next and then finding it. We started identifying in numerical order but this soon became a free for all. Princess loved choosing the colours herself the best. I liked the idea that the music and celebrations at the completion of the picture to be its own reward, making Princess feel important. Here are some screen shots from the applications...

GIVEAWAY

I am pleased to announce that ColorItByNumbers has given me 3 applications to giveaway to 3 lucky AM2CW readers, 1 application to each winner.
How to get your chance to win....
Please complete the mandatory entry first, then you may choose to enter the extra entries if you so like. Don't forget to leave you email address in each comment so I can contact you if it is not attached to your profile. Please leave a separate comment for each entry.
Mandatory Entry (one entry per person please)
- Follow me publicly on GFC
Bonus entries
- Like ColorItByNumbers on Facebook
- Follow ColorItByNumbers on Twitter
- Like AM2CW on Facebook (see the sidebar), get 2 entries as a thanks for doing so
- Follow AM2Cw on Twitter (see the sidebar), get 2 entries as a thanks for doing so
- Grab my button and display it on your blog, leave link in comment, get 3 entries as a thank you for doing so
- Blog, tweet, or brag about this giveaway on Facebook, leave link in comment, get 2 entries per method of sharing as a thank you
- Subscribe to my email
- Follow AM2CW on Networked blogs, see the sidebar

There you have it all the chances to win one of 3 applications from ColorItByNumbers.

Good Luck!

Giveaway will run until June 30th 

Winners announced on July1st (Canada Day)!

Thanks to Color It By Numbers for the giveaway and the chance to review the applications.

Disclaimer: I did not receive any monetary gain from ColorItByNumbers, only the applications, of which there were 3 to review. The opinion expressed here in this post is that of mine and you are free to make your own opinion of the company and its products.

Ciao for now,