Category: Education

Education, Gift Guides, Kids, STEM Learning, Toy Reviews

Learning Science in a New Way with Basher Books and Toys

Erin Sluka

Sample toys sent for feature

learning science

Learning should be fun. When I was school aged, science was always my favorite subject. It was the one class where we were constantly tinkering, getting out of our seats for labs and just using our kinesthetic learning skills to experiment. One of my favorite science teachers was so wacky and loved having us up and moving. The kind of teacher who years later knows you are getting married and is thrilled to attend. Simon Basher has the same passion for teaching science in a way that is fun and engaging.

science toys

The best part is that the new Basher toys and card games to go along with his books he has been creating are here in the US at Target stores. My son is already anxious to collect more science toys in the Series 1 of characters. You know about collecting toys by series-they have levels of blind boxes or mini building block bags that are released in a series and that concept applies here too. We have Gas, Liquid, Aton, Ion and Molecule for Series 1 Basher Figureines.

periodic table

Mattel offered to join Basher Science to create these toys. The toy line includes Basher Science figurines, card games, collectable cards, play sets and experiment kits. They feature characters from Basher’s Periodic Table, Physics, Biology and Rocks and Minerals books.

chemistry book

Basher Science also has over 30 science and learning books from preschooler to older children. We have the book, Chemistry: Getting A Big Reaction. It is our nightly reading book and are about half way through it now. My son is 8 and is loving everything about the book and toys. The card games are a science twist of the games Uno and Memory. It is a great addition to the book to keep the learning going. He has not started Chemistry in school yet, but I can’t help to think Basher Science will now have him well prepared when he does as we continue to collect and play with the new toys and games.

IMG_2060

Make sure you visit the toys aisle at your local Target on your next visit and find the Basher Science products. You can also find some Basher Science products on Amazon.

Books Reviews, Education, Parenting, Tips and Tricks

Managing Emotions with the Home Edition: Feeling Buddies for Families Toolkit

Erin Sluka

This is a compensated post for the review of the Feeling Buddies or Families Toolkit

Managing Emotions

We have 3 boys in our family. I have helped raise my husbands boys since they were 5 and 11 and they are now 19 and 24. We also have an 8 year old. Having a child much younger tends to result in a bit of spoiled tendencies and he can be a bit dramatic. He is what one would describe as…spoiled. We have tried many tactics that never seem to stick. He remains feeling entitled, melts down easily when he doesn’t get his way and tends to get bossy with others. I heard about the HOME EDITION: Feeling Buddies for Families Toolkit when I was approached and asked to become an Ambassador for the brand. I knew this may be just what we need before he gets much older and set in his ways.

boys

Getting Started

We have not begun using the program with him yet because we have some tasks to do prior to introducing him to the toolkit. This is explained in the Quick Start Guide that is the first thing to read when your kit arrives. Here is what your first tasks are:

  1. Review and follow the Quick Start Guide: This guide will give you steps with the order in which to use the kit.
  2. Watch the video coaching sessions with Dr. Becky Bailey in the order the Quick Start Guide suggests
  3. Read the provided book, Managing Emotional Mayhem

By the time you get to Step 7 you will have watched 6 videos, read the book, downloaded some materials to be used with your child and get to know your Feeling Buddies plush and how it will be used with our child.

Following this guide will ensure that as you introduce your child to the Feeling Buddies for Families Toolkit that it will be used correctly and introduce them as tools, not toys for your improvement on their emotional wellbeing. Make sure you take this time first before getting the kids involved. You will love getting to know Dr. Becky Bailey in the videos.

home-edition

The HOME EDITION: Feeling Buddies for Families Toolkit is a new product from Conscious Discipline, a leading provider in social-emotional learning and classroom management resources. This toolkit known for use in the classroom has now been modified for use in your home with your children and is only available at www.feelingbuddies.com to purchase for only $99.

Stay tuned as I will post about our progress using this toolkit between now and the end of April including a video by Anthony on how he feels this worked for him at the end.

What do you think so far? Is this a toolkit you can benefit from in your home?

Education, Kids, Sponsored, STEM Learning

UMIGO math Games, Music and Videos for at-home learning

Erin Sluka

This is a sponsored post for UMIGO. Opinions are my own #umigo

UMIGO math Games, Music and Videos for at-home learning

UMIGO-Free Online Math Learning for First-Second Graders
 

UMIGO math Games, Music and Videos for at-home learning

In my home, our summer reward chart includes learning time. Our son is 7 and he can earn rewards the same as chores for ever 20 minutes of learning time he does. That learning time can be online educational games like UMIGO or reading. Typically that is the combination  we use-reading and online math with UMIGO. My son will be in second grade starting this September and is the perfect age for the UMIGO online system. For every 20 minutes of game play, he gets 1 reward which is redeemable for events or quarters. The first day playing, he went well over 40 minutes non-stop.

UMIGO math Games, Music and Videos for at-home learning

UMIGO math Games, Music and Videos for at-home learning

We started by watching the music videos, but my son is more motivated by games, so we quickly chose a game next. He did very well with navigating himself as each game starts you off with a story that leads to some sort of problem. It then directs your child on what they need to do to solve a problem. This could involve measuring something or fitting shapes. They are problem-solving as well as practicing math concepts when they feel like they are playing a game and earning an unlock.

UMIGO math Games, Music and Videos for at-home learning

UMIGO math Games, Music and Videos for at-home learning
The games are organized by concepts
Greater Than or Less Than

The games are designed with all of the Common Core standards for first and second grade so your child is learning at the same level as they do in class. The games are engaging, the stories are hip and the songs have the repetition needed when learning concepts in math. Whether your child is a visual, auditory or kinesthetic learner, UMIGO will guide them and give them the at-home support needed to keep the learning active beyond the classroom or with in-home schooling.

There are plenty of resources for parents and educators as well as research to give you more insight. The funding for UMIGO is partly funded by the US Department of Education Ready to Learn Grant. With the concept in mind that repeating characters in songs, video and game play is attractive to a child, it is a very engaging learning site.

Learn more: http://www.umigo.com/
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