Category: Education

Back to School 2017, Books Reviews, Children's Books, Education, Gift Guides, Kids

Anti-Bullying Children’s Book – It’s Good To Be Kind

Erin Sluka

Copy sent for feature from Wear The Cape Kids

Anti-Bullying Children's Book - It's Good To Be Kind

It’s Good To Be Kind

By: Lauren DuBois Rosemond

Leonard the Lion wears a red cape and doesn’t let his position on the animal chain bring fear towards him from the other animals. Instead he uses his power to empower others. He will teach your pre-schooler to early elementary student to think ahead about their actions and whether they may HURT or HELP those around them. They can learn to be better than bullying and better than bad choices even in their communities.

You can find this book on Amazon and at Wear The Cape’s online shop. Remember, you cannot lift yourself up by putting others down.

About Wear the Cape™ and the kidkind foundation

Wear the Cape™ is the first global, mission-powered brand with the nerve to equate being kind with being cool. By coaching kids to be BETTER THAN THAT™, Wear the Cape breaks down barriers and brings people together—a world of new values prevails: It’s cool to be inclusive, tolerant and socially responsible. From its line of apparel and accessories, to its educational tools and its own non-profit the kidkind foundation, Wear the Cape sparks awareness and raises money to build heroes, a kid at a time. Wear the Cape’s products and resources are designed to create teachable moments between kids and the grown-ups they look up to with Hero Tags that tee up conversations about what it means to stand up and stand out; to stick up for the underdog; to do what’s right, not what’s easy. Wear the Cape donates 10% of its net profits directly to the kidkind foundation, and the rest is reinvested in the design and production of new products, as well as character-building educational materials for parents and teachers to help the kids they love. Wear the Cape’s work with communities and schools is helping mold everyday heroes that will create a kinder, better world for us all.

Back to School 2017, Education, Gift Guides, Kids

Technology Learning with Marbotic Letters and Numbers

Erin Sluka

This feature is in partnership of Marbotics. Product sent for feature

Technology Learning with Marbotic Letters and Numbers

It is almost that bittersweet time. You looked ahead and wondered about the days your child will start school and here you are dreading those hours of sending them off with a backpack and lunchbox to learn all day. Will they be ok without naps in their own bed? Will they make friends? Will they meltdown at drop off? Will they adjust from their daycare to preschool and kindergarten ok? It is such a fun memory to make as they start school but that first attempt at letting them go as Mom and Dad. Let’s make sure they are prepared to learn! Let’s give them one less stressor to deal with and we can do that with Marbotic.

All you need is an iPad or a compatible Samsung Tablet and some free apps to download to make this learning at home start now. There are 3 sets to choose from – the full kit, letters or numbers. I have the Marbotic Smart Letters set. It comes with 26 letters and there are 3 letter games I can download for multiple ways to learn with letters and at all learning levels.

Includes 26 wooden letters and 3 different ‘Smart Letters’ educational apps`(available for free download). It is made to educate given that it was designed by education experts and teachers, crafted with quality materials, and inspired by the Montessori method. They will take traditional wood blocks and combine them with technology for play that teaches. 

I’d love for you to see it in action so here is the product video below. I have a 3 year old nephew who will get this set and he can learn all year before next years preschool days hit him. It is fun, even my 9 year old was caught sitting at the iPad placing letters on the screen and watching characters come move and teach.

The Marbotic sets are available in the US now on Amazon. Get yours today and start learning so they can start school prepared and with confidence. It’s a hard day for them too so let’s send them off ready to learn more!

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?