Tag: education

Apps, Education, Infant Toddler Products, Parenting, STEM Learning

Animal Island Learning Adventure (AILA) Sit & Play for Babies and Toddlers

Erin Sluka
Photo Source: AILA Sit & Play Lifestyle

I think I found the most genius learning screen ever made for babies and toddlers and the only problem is my oldest is 11 now and missed the boat on this one! I would have surely had him using Animal Island Learning Adventure (AILA) Sit & Play as a toddler for many reasons! Instead we had DVD’s and bulky tablets we always feared he’d drop, spill on them or navigate into unsafe content.

AILA box

Animal Island Learning Adventure (AILA) Sit & Play is safe! It comes pre-loaded with early preschool curriculum that supports your infant, toddler or preschooler’s cognitive growth, without interruptions from ads, apps, or inappropriate content.

AILA Sit Play

About Animal Island Learning Adventure (AILA) Sit and Play:

  • Original exclusive series: a fun and robust curriculum filled with animations, songs and stories designed to prepare toddlers for preschool over the course of 18 months
  • Along the way, young learners will reach key milestones in literacy, numeracy, communication, creativity and socialization
  • Activities are delivered in 10-15-minute learning sessions, in accordance with the American Academy of Pediatrics’ guidelines for screen time for young children
  • No ads or inappropriate content, free lifetime updates with no subscription required
  • The AI adapts to each child’s engagement, allows for a tailored learning experience and offers the right content at the right time
  •  The AILA Parent App lets parents set learning sessions, check in on their child, send photos and videos, and control the screen time

The characters are engaging and there is a good mix of talk, song and even dance to get them moving. Even in screen-free homes, you can’t ignore the benefits of technology to assist in child development so this is the perfect solution. It is hands-free and worry-free. Once you press power it starts teaching-no touchscreen/play required. If you have to walk away and power it off, AILA remembers where your child left off and starts right back up again at their last learning session. It is designed to walk your child through a progressive learning plan.

The free parent app allows you to make some customized adjustments. You can monitor screen time and progress. You get alerts and updates on content your child is currently mastering. The fun part is you can monitor your child as in, you can see their face as your phone app becomes the screens point of view. Make sure they are still engaged. Available for Android and iOS.

If you need to move from learning to nap time, simply put AILA in lullaby mode and slow animation with sleepy-time music will play. Traveling? AILA is portable as learning and sleep help.

Get learning now because the earlier the better as we now know. AILA is best for ages 12-36 months. This learning program is simply the best value and best curriculum I have seen yet in all baby and toddler products I have seen involving a screen. I highly recommend for families looking technology but not game play. Remember, they don’t press the screen or buttons. They sit and learn (only instead of a Teacher they get fun and engaging animal friends). Buy AILA today – It’s at Amazon!

Coronovirus 2020, Education, Giveaways

At Home Learning 20 Minutes a Day with Teach My – Giveaway (2 Winners)

Erin Sluka
Teach My giveaway

Teach My recommends 20 minutes a day at home with their learning kits to give your children a learning advantage. Now that you are home with them this is the perfect time to start Teach My at home learning kits if you have not experienced these kits yet.

Teach My has 4 kits: Baby, Toddler, Preschool and Kindergarten. They also have some supplemental at-home learning tools as well on their site. It is more than a learning kit, it is play and reading all bundled together with easy-to-follow guides. Teach My is award winning kits that provide everything necessary for learning the basics, all in a portable and storable case.

TeachMy Preschool

I used Teach My with my son when he was younger and was my favorite learning tool by far! He still remembers using our Teach My kits today at age 11. He took his case everywhere we went.

Connect with Teach My by visiting their website and follow on Facebook and Twitter.

Buy Teach My Kits

The Giveaway!

Teach My giveaway

For this giveaway feature Teach My will give (1) Preschool learning kit and (1) Kindergarten learning kit away so there will be 2 winners total. What is in these 2 kits?

Teach My Preschool contains unique and coordinated tools to teach reading, printing, numbers to 100 and early math. This is done with a magic drawing board to flashcards, posters and counters, the kit is full of learning toys to give your mini scholar a head start. Teach My Preschooler promotes kindergarten readiness, fine motor skills, hand eye coordination, parent-child interaction and self-esteem

Teach My Kindergarten will teach spelling, money, telling time and the year. Your kindergartener can master 100 spelling words, counting money, analog and digital time as well as days of the week, months of the year, dates, years, weather and seasons.

This giveaway is sponsored by Teach My and proze fulfillment is of the sponsor. Open to US and ages 18+. Enter below! Giveaway ends on April 3, 2020. Good luck!

Education, Kids, Parenting

Let PJ Library’s Unique, Family-Friendly Ideas Enliven Your Purim Holiday

Erin Sluka

This year the Purim Holiday falls on March 9-10. The colors and festivities around Purim are so much fun and engaging for kids and PJ Library has tools and family-friendly ideas to make the holiday extra special.

On Purim, it’s customary to listen to the biblical Book of Esther (also known as the Megillah in Hebrew), put on comic productions of the story of Purim called purimspiels (Yiddish for “plays”), dress up in costumes as the famous characters from the story, bake (and eat!) hamantaschen, shake Purim groggers (noisemakers), give gift baskets (mishloach manot) to friends and do tzedakah and other good works to spread joy and help the needy.

PJ Library is here to help with all of that. If you have signed your child up (it’s free) to received mailers from PJ Library you should have the Purim set by now. In this celebration kit I got the book, Brave Girl and a Purim Box to make and decorate.

This Purim, PJ Library has created 18 great ideas sure to spur creativity and togetherness. Whether your children have never dressed for Purim before or baked a classic, delicious hamantaschen– or you’re just tired of the same old routine – check out these enjoyable activities! And, for more, families are welcome to visit PJ Library’s Purim Hub!

Families raising Jewish children may subscribe at PJ Library HERE, tapping in to a wealth of information, parenting resources and community events as well as free books.

Comment: I am proud to partner with PJ Library as a 2020 Ambassador. I am compensated lightly through this partnership and my words and comments are my own

Education, Parenting, STEM Learning

Greg Landry Homeschool Science

Erin Sluka

This post is sponsored by College Prep Science.

Greg Landry Homeschool Science

If the education you are providing for your child is missing a Christian base, this is for you. If you need another point of view to understand science topics or ACT prep, this is for you. If you are a Homeschool Mom or Dad looking for tools, this is for you.

Greg Landry is a homeschool science pioneer and offers online classes (for science leaning students and “non-science” students, science labs, ACT prep, a podcast for homeschool moms, and homeschool student-produced print publications.

Greg says he is first and foremost grateful. “The Lord has made me very aware of my need for a grateful heart. I’m grateful for a God who knows me and loves me (with all of my faults), for my family, for the thousands of homeschooling families I’ve had the privilege of  working with over the past 20 years, for the magnificence of His Creation, and for the trials in my life (James 1:2-4 ) that shape and mold me, humble me, produce perseverance, and mature me in my faith.”

Greg is a husband to his bride of 30+ years, a homeschool dad, and a former college professor. He and his wife homeschooled their two daughters. Both of them have graduated from college, and Greg says, “most importantly, both of them love Jesus. For that, we are very grateful.”  He grew up in French / Acadian South Louisiana (three of his grandparents were French speakers) and he loves the South Louisiana culture. At age 18 was invited to tryout with the Philadelphia Phillies baseball organization. He played baseball and football in college and holds a master of science degree from LSU (Louisiana State University).

He has a heart for students and a passion for science… but more specifically a passion for teaching students to see God’s hand in every aspect of His creation that surrounds us. His goal is to help them see that God’s creation didn’t just happen by chance – it wasn’t an accident, a fluke of nature.

Greg has spent the past 20+ years teaching science. He taught at a university, taught thousands of homeschooled students, has mentored students planning to pursue science / pre-med degrees, has designed and directed a university anatomy and physiology/biology cadaver lab, has published and presented scientific research, has academically counseled hundreds of college pre-professional (pre-med, pre-dental, pre-physical therapy, etc.) sophomores and juniors, has designed science labs for homeschooled students, and has written science lab manuals. 

Ten years ago he originated the “pre” classes (Pre-Biology, Pre-Anatomy & Physiology, Pre-Chemistry, and Pre-Physics) as a means of minimizing the intimidation of high school level science and preparing middle school age students for specific high school level classes. As one homeschool mom described it, “Greg has a unique ability to pull out the most important information and present it in a way that’s interesting and easy to understand.”

The thrust of Greg Landry homeschool science is to give homeschooled students access to Christian Worldview science that is focused on scientific inquiry, critical thinking, process reasoning, data collection, and the graphical and written representation of research. Greg says, “we want to prepare competent, confident students for their remaining high school years, their college years, and life. 

Greg and his wife live near Nashville, TN. His desire is to follow the Lord’s leading in teaching students to illuminate the incredible creation the Lord has put all around us. It reveals His glory! ​Homeschool dad, scientist, and former college professor, Greg Landry, offers live, online homeschool science classes, Homeschool ACT Prep Bootcamp, the Homeschool Mom’s Science Podcast, in-person two-day science lab intensives nationwide, freebies for homeschool moms, and student-produced homeschool print publications.