Toddler Ideas Tuesday: December 23, 2014

Welcome back to Toddler Idea Tuesdays! I hope you will join with me again in sharing the fun activities, crafts, and lessons that you are doing with your young children. 

This week the children made some cute ornaments that we sent to their grandmother as a Christmas gift to hang on her tree. I found this idea over at Save Green Being Green. These Hand Print Manger With Baby Jesus crafts were so simple to make and they will be a wonderful keepsake as it uses the children's hand prints.

I helped the children place their brown hand prints on cardstock. When they were dry, I cut them out and had them paint some yellow hay in the palm of the hand. 

I used the pattern from Save Green Being Green to draw some swaddled baby Jesus figures for the children to color in and glue on top of the hay.  We then added a star and I hole punched through to add some yarn so grandma can hang it on her tree.

The older girls both wrote a little note to their grandma on the back. I just had Hannah and Harold sign their names after I wrote "To Grandma, Merry Christmas, From:" on them.

Now onto:

Toddler Idea Tuesday Features

On my last Toddler Idea Tuesday post, there were 4 wonderful posts linked up. I will be picking one randomly selected post to share this week.

This week's randomly selected post is:

Stacey from A Moment in Our World shared these colorful Christmas Montessori-Inspired Cards. Don't forget to stop by to download a free copy and check out her wonderful blog.

I would love to have you join in this week! What sort of activities do you do with your toddlers and preschoolers? Do you have some favorite activities you would like to share? I invite you to link up below. I will be pinning posts on my Toddler Ideas board and I would love to feature some of the activities each week from what is linked up. Please know I may share a picture from your post and link back to it, along with sharing how we used your idea in our toddler time. By linking up you are giving me permission to use a picture from your post. I will ALWAYS give credit and link back. Additionally, if you choose to try out any of the ideas with your toddler, please make sure you give credit where credit is due.

Linky will be open through Sunday night, to give me time to check out all the posts and get the Features organized. Please take the time to visit some of the other wonderful posts linked up.

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Torn Asunder by Alana Terry Blog Tour

Torn Asunder by Alana Terry 

Torn Asunder is the newest suspense novel from award-winning author Alana Terry. Torn Asunder is the story of Hannah and Simon, two North Korean refugees who sneak back into their country to serve as underground missionaries. In this world of spies, secret police, and informants, Simon and Hannah learn that staying together won't just compromise their ministry. It could cost them both their lives.

Torn Asunder launches today for just 99 cents, and all book sale proceeds today support the work of Liberty in North Korea, an organization that runs an underground railroad for North Korean refugees. You can get the paperback or the ebook for 99 cents for a limited time only. And remember the best news ~ Your purchase will help save a North Korean refugee!

Excerpt from Torn Asunder:

Simon gritted his teeth. His head felt like it was sinking. The general kept his voice level and pleasant as he slipped the device over Simon’s pinky. “Now, you just tell me who you delivered your Bibles to, and I’ll let you leave here with everything intact.”

Simon tried to swallow. His whole jaw was swollen from his scuffle in the woods. He shut his eyes and hoped the general couldn’t feel him tremble.

General Sin chuckled to himself. “Silly me. I forgot.” He slid the device off Simon’s finger. “This kind of tool won’t work on a big, strong man like you.” He strode over to Hannah and yanked her hand before Simon could even cry out. He jammed her ring finger into the opening.

Simon struggled against his iron restraints. “Let her go!”

Hannah sucked in her breath. General Sin still glared at Simon. “This is your last chance. Give me the names, and I'll release her unharmed.”

Simon’s field of vision blurred over. He wanted to scream. The metal from his handcuffs sliced open his wrists. He pictured himself breaking free and tackling the general to the ground.

“Better talk.” General Sin yawned. “I hate getting my uniform messy.”

Hannah’s hand trembled, but she didn’t make a noise.

“Three …”

Simon clenched his jaw, unable to tear his face away from Hannah’s wide, terrified eyes.

“Two …”





Want more? Buy Torn Asunder on amazon now. And remember, all book sales today will be donated directly to Liberty in North Korea, a group committed to seeing North Koreans achieve their freedom in THIS GENERATION.

Want to help spread the word? See below to click and tweet, or share this image on your timeline. Then be sure to scroll down to enter the giveaway for a chance to win a $100 gift card, surprise grab bag ($60 retail), great CD from Cherie Norquay, and free prizes to everyone who enters! And don't forget to leave a comment and tell us what you think of Hannah and Simon and those like them who sneak into hostile mission fields to share the gospel.

Post by Alana Terry.

Are you on twitter? Just click to tweet ~

Tweet: Buy a book. Save a refugee. Torn Asunder by Alana Terry. All proceeds today to @libertyinNK. #99cents #suspense http://ctt.ec/QjI3D+

Tweet: New release Torn Asunder, Christian #suspense set in #NorthKorea. All proceeds today donated to @libertyinNK #99cents http://ctt.ec/6io3Z+

Or copy and paste into an email or Facebook status: Torn Asunder is a new Christian suspense novel by Alana Terry about two North Koreans who serve as undercover missionaries. It's on sale for only 99 cents, and all book proceeds today will be donated to Liberty in North Korea's underground railroad for North Korean refugees.

Did you help spread the word? Click below to claim your prizes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday's Giveaway Link Up- December 23rd, 2014

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Welcome to Tuesday's Giveaway Link Up with your hosts Karen @ Tots and Me and Emily @ Emily Reviews

So glad you could join us as we share our giveaways on  Tuesday's Giveaway Link Ups. 

Our co-hosts this week are Mellissa from Something Like Life and Danelle from Our Wolves Den. 

This link up will be posted Monday at 7 PM est. and run all week long! Make sure you stop in as often as you can to list your latest giveaways.

Here is how to use the Giveaway Link Up

1. Post your reviews and/or giveaways, as many as you have, be sure to add the end date (family friendly please)

2. Help spread the word about the giveaway link up by grabbing our button, Tweeting or posting on Facebook. (Not mandatory- but it helps get more exposure to your giveaways as well!)

3. Take a moment to enter any giveaway that strikes an interest to you!

If you would  like to follow the  hostesses, we will gladly follow you back! Simply leave us a message to do so.

Featured Giveaways

3-Month Membership FarFaria Book App US Only Ends 1/3

$50 in Games from Winning Moves US only Ends 1/1

"A Christmas Story" Game Pack US only Ends 1/3

Thank you for linking up with Karen @ Tots and Me & Emily @ Emily Reviews along with Mellissa from Something Like Life and Danelle from Our Wolves Den.

3 Month FarFaria App Membership Giveaway

Do you have children who love to be read to? Would you like to encourage a love of reading in your children? My children have been enjoying using the FarFaria app on my tablet. With FarFaria you will have unlimited access to over 800 illustrated children's books, with 5 more books being added each week.  There are a wide selection of books available for preschoolers through 4th grade. 

Here is a quick look at some of the features of the app, which is available for iPad, iPhone, and Android devices.

Home Screen:

With over 800 books to choose from, you can understand that not all the books will be found on the homepage. Those are just the recommendations for the child. By clicking the "Explore" button (with the world icon) a child will be led to the map of the World of Stories. 

A child can also choose to go to the "My Favorites" page where they will find the books the have"favorited" during previous reading times.

Farfaria allows a child to choose between reading the book themselves or having it read to them.  

You can read my full review here.

You can find FarFaria on their site and they also have a blog. Additionally, you can follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Your child(ren) can read one story a day for free by downloading the app. However, you can purchase a subscription to have unlimited access to all 800+ stories for just $4.99 a month. A yearly subscription can also be purchased for significant savings, just $39.99 a year. 

Now, for the giveaway! The wonderful folks over at FarFaria have allowed me to offer you the opportunity to win a 3-month membership to the version of the app that will work for you. 

All you need to do is enter in the Rafflecopter form below. There are only 3 simple mandatory entries, with the remainder of the entries being optional. Remember, you do not have to do the extra entries, but they will increase your odds of winning. 

This giveaway is open to US residents 18 and over. 

The giveaway runs December 22nd through January 3rd.

Thanks for stopping by and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a 6 month subscription to the Android FarFaria app in exchange for my honest review. I received no further compensation. This did not in any way influence my review. I only recommend products I use personally and feel will be a good products for my readers.

Bringing Stories to Life with FarFaria {A Review}

We are most definitely book lovers in this family. I grew up loving to read, always had my nose stuck in a book, even while walking to school. Now it appears our children are following in our footsteps. When they were younger we were reading books together all the time, books to go with our letter of the week, books to go with our units or the upcoming holidays, and of course, just random books here and there.  Now, Tabitha is starting to zing through chapter books and Amelia is right on her heels, though her books are a bit on the easier side of course. Hannah and Harold love sitting and looking at books. So, of course, I jumped at the chance to review this really cool book app called FarFaria, "a magical place where stories live"! 

With FarFaria we have unlimited access to over 800 illustrated children's books, with 5 more books being added each week.  There are a wide selection of books available for preschoolers through 4th grade. Each of the books is given an appropriate grade level on a scale starting at PreK and moving into A-S in the FAZ system. As you can see from the image below, each grade level has a range of 3-5 letters in this system. This system allows parents (or teachers) to keep track of a child's reading progress. An independent review has been done by MetaMetrics which "ensures accurate measurements of text complexity." This system is Common Core- Aligned to "help children excel in reading." Farfaria also contains songs which have not been assigned a level.

The information about each level can be found in the "Parents" section of the app.  You will be able to see if your child is developmentally ready for certain levels. However, even if a child can not read the story independently, they can still enjoy the story. 

Here, let's look at the app a little closer. 

When the child starts up the app, recommendations are loaded onto the home screen:

A child can see selections in the following categories:

• Recently Read
• New
• Popular Now
• Tales for Hanukkah (currently)
• Christmas Stories (currently)

With over 800 books to choose from, you can understand that not all the books will be found on the homepage. Those are just the recommendations for the child. By clicking the "Explore" button (with the world icon) a child will be led to the map of the World of Stories. 

This map includes what you see above, but it also encompasses the screen to the right and the left as the child scrolls. A child can choose to visit:

• Animal Kingdom
• Mt. Make Believe
• Adventure Island
• Fairy Tale Falls
• Classics Grove
• Bed Time Bluffs
• Preschool Playground
• Genius Jungle
• GoodLand
• Looney Lagoon and 
• Sing-Along City

The children's favorite is Fairy Tale Falls.

There is a huge selection of  books in each category. They appear to be randomly organized, however, you can choose to sort them by pressing the blue and white sort icon in the top, left-hand corner of the screen. Books can be sorted 4 different ways:

• Most Popular
• Newest
• Reading Level
• Title A-Z

A child can also choose to go to the "My Favorites" page where they will find the books the have"favorited" during previous reading times.

As you can see from the images, the reading level is noted in the bottom, right-hand corner of each book. I stated above that the children are not limited to reading at their level, which is also illustrated in their favorited books above. Farfaria allows a child to choose between reading the book themselves or having it read to them.  

The children prefer to have stories read to them. 

They love gathering together on the couch and listening to story, after story, after story...well, you get the idea. They usually choose to have the book "Auto Play" the story. This allows them to sit back and listen to the story with no work on their part. If they choose "Read to Me" they have to click the screen to turn the page. 

Be aware that Farfaria contains original stories and stories that have been adapted from the original tales and are retold with different illustrations. This in no way lessens the enjoyment the children receive from listening to the stories. Apps are available for Android, iPad, or iPhone.

I love reading stories to the children during our daily story time. The children enjoy reading books by themselves. But the FarFaria app has added a new dimension to the enjoyment of stories in this house. I don't always have time to sit and read, and the children sometimes would prefer to have a story read to them. I love that with this app, this is possible whenever the reading bug bites.

You can find FarFaria on their site and they also have a blog. Additionally, you can follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Your child(ren) can read one story a day for free by downloading the app. However, you can purchase a subscription to have unlimited access to all 800+ stories for just $4.99 a month. A yearly subscription can also be purchased for significant savings, just $39.99 a year. 

Disclosure: I received a 6 month subscription to the Android FarFaria app in exchange for my honest review. I received no further compensation. This did not in any way influence my review. I only recommend products I use personally and feel will be a good products for my readers.

$50 in Games from Winning Moves {A Giveaway}

  

Giveaway sponsored by Winning Moves

Hosted by Networking Witches

Games make an excellent family gift. Add some popcorn and maybe a bottle of soda and you have a family game night waiting to happen. It's no secret that we love playing games in our home. They are such a wonderful way to have family time. This is why I am so excited to bring this giveaway to you. One person will win $50 in games from Winning Moves.

Winning Moves is a leading maker of board games, card games, and puzzles. Since their first year of operation in 1995, they have forged a close relationship with one of the world's largest game companies, Hasbro, Inc., owner of Parker Brothers and Milton Bradley. As a result, many long-lived Parker Brothers and Milton Bradley games are now made exclusively by Winning Moves!

They make and market best-selling titles like Pass The Pigs®, PayDay®, Rubik's® Cube, Scattergories® Categories, Rack-O®, No Stress Chess®, and hot new sellers like The Rubik's® Void Puzzle®, Classic Twister®, Aggravation® and Touring™. Additionally, many timeless classics like Pit®, Classic Monopoly®, Classic Clue®, Parcheesi® Royal Edition, and Classic Yahtzee® are now exclusively made by Winning Moves Games.

Giveaway open to US residents only

Ends 1/1

   a Rafflecopter giveaway   Disclaimer: Participating Blogs were not compensated for this post. No purchase is necessary to enter. One entrant per household, per address. Void where prohibited by law. Winner(s) will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. Winning Moves will be responsible for product shipment to winner of this sweepstakes. This event is in no way administered, sponsored, or endorsed by, or associated with, Facebook and/or Twitter, Google, Pinterest. Contact winterwitch@networkingwitches.com if you have any additional questions or comments.

"A Christmas Story" Game Pack Giveaway

It's "A Christmas Story" Game Pack Giveway

Can you believe I had never seen the movie A Christmas Story, when I was growing up? I had never even heard of it. How about you? Was watching this movie a yearly tradition, or was it not even on your radar? Right now, I have joined in a with a group of bloggers to bring you two classic games with a "A Christmas Story" spin to them. Who doesn't like Monopoly or Yahtzee? Who wouldn't want a chance for some family fun with a fun Christmas Story twist?

This giveaway is:

Sponsored by USAopoly
and

Hosted by A Medic's World

Here we have it folks, you have a chance to win both the "A Christmas Story" Monopoly and Yahtzee Games in one Giveaway. One winner will win both.

 Curious on how they look and want to know more information? Check out the full review done here, from the fantastic website A Medic's World. A handful of bloggers and A Medic's World is bringing this to you, and you have a chance to win. Thanks for stopping by, good luck, and have a great day.

Open to US residents only 

18 years of age or older. 

Ends January 3, 2015

Winner will have 48 hours from winning email to respond, or a new winner will be selected. Participating Blogs were not compensated for this post, nor are responsible for prize delivery. USAopoly will deliver prizes. One entry per household.

Entry