Little Angels Review and Giveaway!

I am very pleased to have the privilege of introducing the new animated video series- Little Angels.  Little Angels comes to you from executive producer- Roma Downing(Touched by and Angel)  and writer Phil Lollar (Adventures in Odyssey).  Created for preschoolers to teach not only ABC and 123's, but also moral lessons and biblical principals. Little man (22 months) enjoys the music and colorful characters.  Some children older than preschoolers may enjoy the videos as well.  My 7 year old is attracted to the angel characters and pointed out to me her favorites. 

Little Alex and Zoe are blessed to have their very own angels looking over them.  The angels come to their aid when they need them the most. Imagine how comforting this would be for a preschooler to know that God sends helpers to watch over them.

 

Would you like to meet some of the Little Angels?  Here are just a few..... 

 

Uriel

The Angel of Creativity- He carries a palette and a painter.

Charmeine
A female cherubim. Angel of Harmony. She carries a harp and sings, teaching everyone to harmonize - and to get along together.

Gabriel

An archangel, second in command to Michael, blond hair, blue eyes. Gabriel is the Messenger Angel - whenever the little angels wish to announce something very important, they give the job to Gabriel.







Haley
Do you love animals? If you do, Hayley will be one of your favorite Little Angels! She knows them all.








Share the Little Angel's with your little ones!
To purchase-Christianbook.com or


To WIN.....
Luckily, I have 2 DVDs to give away on this website and 2 more  to give away on my other blog- God's Shining Stars.

Enter on this site  by leaving a comment below with the name of your favorite angel!
 If entering on God's Shining Stars- click the above link, follow and leave a comment.


Extra entries:
(2) Blog about the Little Angel's giveaway and link back to this post.
(1) Tweet about this giveaway and link back to this post.
(1) Follow Little Angel's on Facebook.
(1) Follow Creative and Curious Kids via google connect.
(1) Follow Creative and Curious Kids on Facebook. (Like above)

For extra entries- be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry.

Good Luck!
Jen

Discloser- I wasn't given monetary compensation for the above review.  I was given one DVD for my own personal use and four DVD's to give away to my readers.  The opinion above is my own and others may disagree with my review.

Heelys- Not Just for Kids!

Momma got a new pair of shoes!

"So what?"  you may be thinking.  Well, these aren't just any shoes.  These shoes just might put me in the "cool" Mom category.  These shoes are on wheels!  

Yes, Momma got a new pair of Heelys!  I was excited to be chosen for this promotion and decided that the purple and black model was right up my alley.  My kids have had Heelys, but I never imagined that I'd get back on shoes with wheels in a million years.  (had an 80's version of wheeled shoes during my youth)

But being from a curious household, I was just that- curious.  Could I- at the (very young) age of almost 40, actually skate around in these hip shoes? 

 

When the package came in the mail, the girls were a wee bit envious of my new wheels!

I didn't put them on right away, because I needed to learn about my new Heelys. On their website, there is an informative How To video for newbies like myself.  And now for my own home movie.... (embrace yourself for laughter and try not to make too much fun of me!)

Review:
I thought the shoes were quite stylish with a sporty and durable design.   You can't go wrong with black and purple. The wheels popped into the shoe easily. I have the option of wearing them with wheels or as stand alone tennis shoes. This style is the Wave.

The wheels are fun, but I'm honestly not sure how often I would use them or be allowed to use them without safety gear.  You can't see my husband's face as he was filming, but what he was thinking was....."oh no, a trip to the emergency room!"

My shoe size is an 8 1/2 , but I only had an option of a size 8 or 9.  I chose 8, which are a bit snug. If I choose to purchase Heelys in the future, I would select a larger size.

Are you a Momma ready for a pair of wheels?  If so, be sure to check out all of the cool styles at http://www.heelys.com/.  Possibly a new way for us to get in a little workout and pretend that we are kids again!

I hope you enjoyed the review,

Jen

Disclosure:  I was not compensated monetarily, but was given a pair of Heelys to test for the above review.  The opinions are my own and may differ from opinion of others. I was chosen for this review from Business2Blogger.

Color It By Numbers Review and Giveaway

It's always fun to try out new kid friendly products, so I was happy to share Color It By Numbers with the girls.  Color It by Numbers has a series of online color books: Princesses, Vehicles, and Animals.  Each color book has three variations that can be chosen to color- simple, make it visible, or choose your favorite colors(no numbers).

Peanut chose the Princess color book.  She enjoyed both the color by number feature and the more creative- choose your favorite color feature.  After discovering a little rainbow crayon, she found that she could switch the colors in her artist's palette, also.

The Animal Color book was Sunshine's choice.  She selected the make it visible option because it was more challenging compared to the simple variation.  The toucan and the octopus were her favorite pictures to color.  She said that she had fun working on her creations.  One feature that she mentioned that she liked was the ability to move back and forth among pictures without her current picture being erased.

The girls seemed to have a lot of fun with the online color books, but it hasn't been something that they've asked me to play on repeatedly.  I think that when it comes to painting- they prefer the real thing- to get messy!

I think the simple color by number would be fun for preschoolers to practice number recognition and colors.  A good way to integrate beginning technology for little ones!

To learn more, take a short video tour!

Giveaway......Now for the good part- I get to give away one virtual color book to one of my readers. (valued at $9.99)  Here's how to enter- visit the Color It By Numbers site and take a peek at each of the virtual products.  Next come back to Creative and Curious Kids! and comment about which color book you think your child would enjoy. 

For extra entries:
1-follow Creative and Curious Kids!
1-subscribe
1-like Creative and Curious Kids! on Facebook
1-like Color It By Numbers on Facebook
1-tweet post
1-follow me on twitter
2-blog about this giveaway

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry!
Also, please be sure to include contact info. - email or blog address, etc.

(Giveaways ends on August 5th at 12:00am EST.)

Good Luck,
Jen

Disclosure: I was given 3 different versions of Color It by Numbers virtual color books to download for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated in any other way.  The opinions above are mine and my differ from others.

Time4Learning Review

 As many of you already know, my children are educated at home via cyberschool.  Therefore, they are exposed to a variety of technology and learning programs daily.  One of the programs that  their school has required them to use is Time4Learning. 

Time for Learning is an online program for pre-K to grade 8 that engages kids with interactive lessons and learning games.  The curriculum focuses on both language arts and math skills, as well as social studies and science at some grade levels. 


This past year, my children used the 1st grade and 3rd grade curriculum for mostly reading and math.  My first grader loved the program and was excited when she would see Time4Learning listed in her daily lessons.  She enjoyed the animated characters and activities.  My 3rd grader didn't enjoy the program as well, because she said that she felt that they didn't explain the directions well enough for some of the quizzes, etc.  She did prefer working on this program better than traditional worksheets. 

I liked that the kids could work at their own pace and that the programs were engaging and kid-friendly.  Time4Learning also helped me to be able to track their progress in certain learning areas and kept a report of the activities that they accomplished. 

Not only is Time4Learning a great program for homeschooling, but would also be appropriate for after school or summer learning. 


For more information:
Parent Community and Forum
Frequently Asked Questions

If you have any questions about the program, please feel free to email me. 

Enjoy your day!

Jen

Disclosure:  Time4Learning provided my children with one month of programming for free for the purpose of this review.  The program was also provided by their cyberschool for the 2010/2011 school year. The above opinions are my own and may differ from other's opinion.

Go Back in Time

Do your children or students love learning about people from the past? If you have a little history buff at home like I do, then they will absolutely love this project! Recently, Sunshine was assigned a Living History Museum Project.  She had to become Harriet Tubman.  Her requirements included writing a personal narrative, sharing real or created artifacts, and creating a poster that shows a time-line of Harriet's life, maps and pictures.
My daughter worked so hard researching Tubman's life.  There were plenty of articles online, but what she enjoyed the most was reading books about her life.  She read Who was Harriet Tubman? by Yona Zeldis McDonough and Time for Kids: Harriet Tubman: A Woman of Courage.


Because it is a living museum, she had to dress as Harriet in a historical costume.  She could wear a costume or make her own.  We did both.  Luckily, I was asked to review a costume for Costume Discounters.  What perfect timing!  I searched on their site to pick out a costume that I could review that Sunshine could use for her project.  There was a large variety, but I wasn't able to find exactly what we needed.  So what do you do in the Creative and Curious Kids household? You improvise. We chose a Colonial Girl Costume and turned it into a Harriet Tubman costume.  It will get a lot of use, because now she wants to be a colonial girl for Halloween.  The costume is adorable and affordable.  The quality is good for the price that you are paying. The colonial costume retails for under $17.00 and is 100% polyester.  Below is a photo of the original costume from Costume Discounters.

Sunshine modeling the costume

And next, you'll see how we switched things up a bit to turn her into Harriet Tubman.

Harriet Tubman with her Gospel Hymns

Sunshine in character with project

Now that big sis has a costume, of course Peanut wants one as well!  I'm looking at this one below for her for this fall.  I think she'd make an adorable Betsy Ross.

Here's just a little bit more info. from their site:
Cheap Halloween costumes is the name of the game here at Costume Discounters. Our Incredible Lowest Price Guarantee ensures you'll get exceptional value when you buy your costume for Halloween or other occassion. Costume Discounters brings you the latest and best costumes at the lowest prices...all year round.

Well, this was wonderful experience for her.  I hope that you enjoyed reading about her project and my review.  

Enjoy your day,

Jen

Disclosure: I was provided with a costume at no cost by Costume Discounters in order to give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided.

I am an affiliate for Amazon,therefore receive compensation if a product is purchased through an affiliate link.

Wii JumpStart Get Moving Family Fitness Review and Giveaway

This past Christmas, my girls received a Nintendo Wii game system from Santa and boy were they thrilled as can be.  Trying out different games together during family time has been a blast.  I was even playing it on Christmas Day - remember this was my due date.  My husband had a lot of fun laughing at his pregnant wife trying to play Wii. Well, this is what Wii games should be all about- being together and having fun as a family.
 

Recently, JumpStart released it's third Nintendo Wii game: JumpStart® Get Moving™ Family Fitness. Here is a detailed description of JumpStart's newest game: 

Get Moving Family Fitness: Sports Edition Featuring Brooke Burke gets the family active with more than 15 sports challenges, including basketball and speed skating, in 11 exotic arenas, such as the moon, a dinosaur jungle or a volcano. Players can design their own characters to race and play, keep track of personal best calories burned, engage in routines for an extra challenge and compete head-to-head or play solo. The game can be played utilizing the Wii Balance Board™ or simply with the Wii Remote™ and nunchuk.

My little product testers, ages 6 and 8, enjoyed their experiences with this new game.  Speed skating was their top pic from all of the 15 sports challenges, followed by volleyball and basketball. They claim that it helps their muscles and arms feel more flexible. Too cute- my little fitness gurus.

Sunshine said she thought this arena was funny because the cows would moo at her as they were playing. It's good to see my 8 year old being playful instead of trying to grow up so fast!

Compared to other Wii games that we have played, my husband and I think that JumpStart® Get Moving™  has a lot of variety  and is appropriate for younger children. (designed for ages 4 and up) We limit our children's time on video games, but like the idea of having a game that encourages movement for indoor play.  This would also be a great indoor activity when the weather isn't cooperating outdoors or for family game night.

 Favorite Features:

*creating their own character
*choosing different backgrounds- thumbs up to the Egyptian and the Underwater Background

Disappointments:
 My 8 year old did mention that she doesn't like the fact that you need the Wii balance board for some of the games. Obviously, we don't have a Wii balance board, so we weren't able to play a couple of the games.  Some of the movements can be challenging at first, which causes a bit of frustration for young ones, but once they stuck with it, they were able to figure it out better than Mom! 

Overall, my family was pleased with the product and will continue to play and "get moving" together.


Do you have a Wii game system at home?  How would you like your own copy of  JumpStart® Get Moving™ Family Fitness?

**To Purchase-















**To WIN JumpStarts Newest Wii Game-
Visit JumpStart's Website- which game do you think your kid's would enjoy? Leave a comment.  Don't forget your contact information just in case you are my lucky winner. (blog or email address) 

For extra entries:
Blog about Giveaway (2)
Follow Me (1)
Blog Roll (1)
Subscribe(1)
Tweet or share on Facebook(1)

(Giveway ends 8/12/2010- 12:00 EST time)

*For even more chances to win and to read another review, visit my friend Chels at Fantastic Find! I also liked this detailed review on Common Sense Media- if interested.

Have fun playing with your kids!

Jen

ps.  In the mood for a good laugh? Take a peek at me playing Wii on my due date.  Go ahead and make fun of me, I'm a good sport.  :)

Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of JumpStart® Get Moving™ Family Fitness at no cost by Knowledge Adventure in order to test the products’ abilities and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided.

I am an affiliate for Amazon,therefore receive compensation if a product is purchased through an affiliate link.

RandomResult.com Numbers
Pick numbers beetween and . Distinct:
Sequence=1
Draw stat: sum=11, avg=11.00
Draw date: 2010-08-13 13:24:01
11-winner

Exciting News!

No, I'm not pregnant with my fourth child! 

Actually, I'm excited, because I get to review an item from CSN Stores and offer an item to one of my readers.  CSN Stores have such a large variety of items. They have over 200 stores with everything from baby items to outdoors. If you need furniture, you can find it at CSN Stores, home improvement needs such as recessed lighting- yes, you can find this there as well. 

Being that Creative and Curious Kids focuses on kids stuff, I'm selecting an item from their Toys and Games store. I can't wait to share my product selection with you, but it's a surprise, so you'll have to stay tuned for my review and giveaway. It's a good one! 

Take Care,
Jen

Paint By Number Cupcake Pop-Art Review and Giveaway!

Do you know how excited I am to be able to review and give one of my readers a Paint by Number kit from Faber-Castell? So excited, because we adore their products, especially the Creativity for Kids line. You can find scrapbooking to pop up book kits in our craft stash! This week, my girls were eagerly anticipating their creative project time. They were so lucky to have the opportunity to test out Paint By Number Cupcake Pop-Art .



I'm impressed with the quality of this product when compared to other paint by number sets that I've seen. Made of sturdy canvas and a frame for mounting, the kids will be able to keep their art safe for years to come. The kit comes with 8 different paints, but gives you a guide for mixing more pastel like colors. We used a paper plate to mix the colors. My girls enjoy mixing paint, so this wasn't an issue for us. Faber-Castell has a variety of Paint by number kits available from tree frogs to fairies.(Suggested for ages 6-10)



The Cupcake Pop-Art was our selection because I wanted to introduce my daughters to this type of art. As an extension, I'd like to take a trip to the Warhol Museum.



The suggested age for this set was 8 years old, although my 6 year old did very well with it. It was tedious due to the details, but she actually was more skilled at painting in comparison to her 8 year old sister. So instead of age, I would suggest thinking about ability when purchasing this product.



This would be a good long-term project to work on because of the detail involved. My older daughter prefers more open-ended art and kept asking me if she could please just choose her own colors, etc. I did have her follow the paint by number for some of the painting, so I could assess how she would do with following the directions. I think with the Cupcake Pop-Art, parent supervision and guidance with the number chart is helpful. Other sets that they carry may be easier to follow.



I highly recommend this product and will be keeping some of the other Paint By Number sets in mind for future birthday gifts. I love to give the gift of art!



Would you like to have fun painting with your children? Well, today may be your lucky day! Faber-Castell has provided one Paint By Number Cupcake Pop-Art for me to give away to one of my readers.

To enter:
Visit the Faber-Castell/Creativity of Kids website and comment about another item(s) that you think your child would enjoy.

For extra entries:
1. blog about this contest and link back: 2 entries
2. tweet about this contest/link back (1 entry)
3. join my blog frog community (1 entry)
4. follow Creative and Curious Kids (1 entry)
5. Creative and Curious Kids on your blogroll? (1 entry)
6. subscribe.(1 entry)

Please leave a separate comment for each entry and a way for me to contact you- via blog or email address. This contest will end Monday, May 3 at 12:00am EST. (US/CAN)

Good Luck!
Jen

Disclosure: I was provided with two Paint by Number Cupcake Pop-Art sets for the purposes of this review. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided


RandomResult.com Numbers

Pick numbers beetween and . Distinct:
Sequence=1
Draw stat: sum=6, avg=6.00
Draw date: 2010-05-04 15:56:04
6

The Greenzys Review and Giveaway

Celebrate Earth Day with your kids by introducing them to the Greenzys, a new eco-friendly brand of toys. Greenzys products, manufactured by Kid's Preferred, promote green living and eco-friendly practices through literature and their plush animals.

When one of the Greenzys plush toys named Willow arrived at the Creative and Curious Kids! ' household, the girls were just delighted. Willow is an elephant from India who leads her friends as they take care of the Earth. Her favorite green activity is collecting rainwater to water her plants and using her trunk as a waterspout. Made from soy fibers and non-toxic dyes, Willow was super-soft. I've caught the girls snuggling her quite a few times!



Another neat thing about this green friendly toy is that it comes with a special code. When you visit the Greenzys website and type in this code, a tree is planted in your child's name by The Arbor Day Foundation. What a wonderful way for kids to make a difference and to realize that little hands can do big things!



To find out more about purchasing Willow or to learn more about other Greenzys toys, be sure to visit the Greenzys website.





Greenzys Giveaway!
Now for the exciting part- Greenzys is going to give one of my lucky readers their new children's book!

The Greenzys book is a heartwarming tale that teaches the concept of environmental conservation, or “green” living. In this introductory story, the Greenzys meet Orinda, the world’s oldest living tree. When they discover she’s in trouble, they agree to help her – but not before they learn the importance of being green.

Written by acclaimed children’s writer Danielle Mentzer, “The Greenzys” is illustrated by the award winning artist, Cris De Lara. The book is made in an eco-friendly manner, with FSC/SFI/PEFC certified paper and board with soy based inks. The book is printed in The United States, which also reduces the carbon footprint.

A portion of every Book purchase benefits the Environmental Media Association.

Take a peek inside...



To enter:


Visit the Greenzys website to learn more about the Greenzys. Next, come back to Creative and Curious Kids! and comment about your favorite plush toy.




For extra entries:

1. blog about this contest and link back: 2 entries
2. tweet about this contest/link back (1 entry)
3. follow Greenzys on twitter or facebook. (1 entry)
4. follow Creative and Curious Kids (1 entry)
5. Creative and Curious Kids on your blogroll? (1 entry)
6. subscribe.(1 entry)

Please leave a separate comment for each entry and a way for me to contact you- via blog or email address. This contest will end Monday, April 12th at 12:00am EST.

Good Luck!

FYI- Earth Day: April 22nd (40th Anniversary)
Arbor Day: April 30th

Celebrate Earth Day everyday!

Jen

Disclosure: I was provided with a Greenzy's plush for the purposes of this review. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided.

Book Review: Oscar and Olive Osprey

Oscar and Olive Osprey: A Family Takes Flight, by Janie Suss, is the true story of two ospreys that build a nest in front of the author's Chesapeake Bay home. It is written in a way that is both enjoyable for adults and children. My daughters were intrigued by the story and asked me to continue reading as I finished each chapter. The very first evening, we completed seven chapters. Even my husband sat with us to hear more about the adventures of Oscar and Olive and their offspring. It was wonderful to spend time as a family reading about this very special raptor family. The girls couldn't wait to hear about the new babies and were anxious to see photos of Olivia and Odie. It was neat to parallel this family with our own real-life experience. As we read about the ospreys preparing their nest as they waited for their offspring, we were preparing our "nest" as we waited for our new baby to be born.



When I first received the book in the mail and unwrapped it, I was slightly disappointed. Based on the appearance of the cover,I thought that it was a non-fiction book for adults and that my children wouldn't enjoy it. As I started reading the first chapter, I was pleasantly surprised. I recommend this book to parents, nature lovers, and teachers. It would make a great read-a-loud for the classroom or as a supplement to a Science unit. There are over 50 colorful illustrations throughout the book. At the end of the book, you will find fun facts, suggestions for book discussions, and a section titled Activities, Research, and Getting Involved.

To learn more about Janie Suss and her heartwarming story, Oscar and Olive Osprey: A Family Takes Flight or to order an autographed copy of the book, be sure to visit www.oscarandolive.com.
-
Happy Reading!

Jen

“Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of the book Oscar and Olive Osprey: A Family Takes Flight at no cost in order to review the product and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the author or the free product provided.”