Tots and Me... Growing Up Together

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Toddler Ideas Tuesday: August 26, 2014

Welcome back to Toddler Idea Tuesdays! I want to apologize for the disappearance of Toddler Idea Tuesdays during the summer without any notice. We hadn't really been doing anything share-worthy and link-ups had tapered off, so I figured the linky needed a summer break. However, the school year is upon us and we are going to be getting back to work this coming Monday. I know others have already started lessons back up or will be starting soon. I hope you will join with me again in sharing the fun activities, crafts, and lessons that you are doing with your young children.

Next week I will share with you some of the fun we had over the summer. This week, I am just opening the linky up for others to share. I will still be featuring posts, pinning them, and linking back to you, because I love to be able to highlight the fun that others have with their children. So...

Have you been busy with your young children?

Now onto:

Toddler Idea Tuesday Feature

Jen from Chestnut Grove Academy shared her post titled, Seasonal Discovery Bottles for Babes and Tots. Stop on by and check out this fun activity.

I would love to have you join in this week! What sort of activities do you do with your toddler? 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.

When I Grow Up

Welcome to the August edition of Poppins Book Nook!

This month's theme was: What Will I Be When I Grow Up?

At first I wasn't sure what book we were going to read this month. Then, I told my husband what the theme was and he disappeared upstairs, reappearing with the following book.

My husband is a huge Weird Al fan and he was thrilled to have a chance to share Weird Al's first children's book with the kiddos. The book is filled with off-the-wall ideas for future careers as 8 year old Billy shares his dreams during show-and-tell. He starts off with a simple, yet crazy idea of becoming a world famous chef creating "interesting" dishes, but he doesn't stop there (though the teacher figured he was done). Other professions include: snail trainer, gorilla masseuse, and professional pickle inspector. In typical Weird Al style, this book is full of, well, weird ideas. I love that it is told in rhyme and has a good rhythm to it. This is definitely a book for the parent to read to the children as there are many bigger vocabulary words.

I had a few ideas for activities to go with the book, but between my Back to School celebration and preparing for school starting back up, I completely didn't realize this Monday was the last Monday of the month, the Monday when our Poppins Book Nook posts are to be posted. We did read the book a couple of times and I did get the children to tell me what they want to be when they grow up (this week).

Tabitha said, "When I grow I want to be a nurse and when I’m off, I’ll paint pictures for my children."

Amelia stated, "I want to be a nurse and an inventor and I also want to be a firefighter and a mother and an artist and a food maker" Tabitha asked her if she meant a chef and Amelia said yes.

Hannah said, "I want to be a fairy and a farmer and a turtle. That’s all."

So, as you can see, they have some wonderful aspirations.

Don't forget to check out what the other Poppins Book Nook co-hosts have been up to this month. Then don't forget to link up your own posts! Lastly, enter the Pirate Plunder Giveaway below for your choice of Pirate books from Usborne.

Enchanted Homeschooling Mom ~ 3 Dinosaurs ~ To the Moon and Back ~ Planet Smarty Pants ~ Farm Fresh Adventures ~ Growing in God's Grace ~ Chestnut Grove Academy ~ Learning and Growing the Piwi Way ~ The Usual Mayhem~ Preschool Powol Packets ~ Monsters Ed Homeschool Academy ~ Adventures in Mommydom ~ Teach Beside Me ~ Life with Moore Babies ~ Kathy's Cluttered Mind ~ Are We There Yet? ~ Our Crafts N Things ~ Hopkins Homeschool ~ ABC Creative Learning ~ Joy Focused Learning ~ P is for Preschooler ~ Laugh and Learn ~ A Mommy's Adventures ~ Inspiring 2 New Hampshire Children ~ World for Learning ~ Ever After in the Woods ~ Golden Grasses ~ Our Simple Kinda Life ~ A glimpse of our life ~ Journey to Excellence ~ Happy Little Homemaker ~ Little Homeschool Blessings ~ Simplicity Breeds Happiness ~ Raventhreads ~ Water on the Floor ~ Learning Fundamentals ~ Tots and Me ~ As We Walk Along The Road ~ Stir the Wonder ~ For This Season ~ Where Imagination Grows ~ Lextin Academy ~ The Canadian Homeschooler ~ School Time Snippets ~ Peakle Pie ~ Mom's Heart ~ A Moment in our World ~ Every Bed of Roses ~ Finchnwren ~ At Home Where Life Happens ~ Suncoast Momma ~ The Library Adventure ~ Embracing Destiny ~ Day by Day in our World ~ Our Homeschool Studio ~ A "Peace" of Mind ~ Thou Shall Not Whine ~ SAHM I am ~ eLeMeNo-P Kids ~ Simple Living Mama

When I Grow Up Bundle Giveaway! Every month the Poppins Book Nook group will be offering readers a chance to win a brand new storybook or product that ties in with our theme for the month. This month one lucky entrant will win a bundle of fun for the theme of When I Grow Up. This bundle will include a copy of the storybook When I Grow Up by Mercer Mayer, one copy of Community Helpers Puzzles by Trend, and one copy of Community Helpers & Careers Pocket Flash Cards by Trend.

Entrants must be 18 years or older and reside in a country that receives U.S. Postal mail. This giveaway is brought to you by the company Enchanted Homeschooling Mom who is owner and founder of the Poppins Book Nook. By entering this giveaway you are also acknowledging that you have read and agree to all of the Rafflecopter terms & conditions as well as Enchanted Homeschooling Mom's disclosures found here {http://enchantedhomeschoolingmom.org/disclosures/}. Just enter the Rafflecopter below to win:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Come and find out more information about Poppins Book Nook at Enchanted Homeschooling Mom, on Facebook and on Pinterest.

Clip Art by Melon Headz

Monday, August 25, 2014

Tuesday's Giveaway Link Up- August 26, 2014

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 Sue from My Photopage and Shelly from The Attic Girl.

A co-host spot has opened up with Tuesday's Giveaway Link Up. If you would like to co-host with us, we would love for you to fill out the form linked up here.

I ask that co-hosts have family friendly blogs. As co-host, you would be posting the link up every other Monday evening at 7pm EST and sharing about it on your social media, starting September 1st. You will be able to share 2-3 of your own giveaways and will have a backlink in the post.

Now, onto this week's Link Up!

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

Back to School/5 Year Blogiversary Prize Pack-Fun Products & $30 Amazon GC/Paypal

US only Ends 8/31

Little Tikes Fun House Bouncer Giveaway US/Canada (excluding Quebec) Ends 8/28

Kreation Krate Giveaway Continental US Ends 9/2

Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return Blu-ray US only Ends 9/4

Thank you for linking up with Karen @ Tots and Me & Emily @ Emily Reviews along with Sue from My Photopage and Shelly from The Attic Girl.

Friday, August 22, 2014

Learning Character Through Songs With Happy Kids Songs {A TOS Review}

I don't know about your children, but mine sure do enjoy singing songs and playing music. I've mentioned before that we enjoy learning with things set to music. So what better way to learn such important things as character and social skills. I thought it would be fun to set our other character study aside for the summer and have fun with some enjoyable song sets from Happy Kids Songs. Through the Schoolhouse Review Crew we have been able to access 3 out of the 8 MP3 downloadable song sets available from Happy Kids Songs. We have been enjoying listening to Set 1: Friends & Sharing, Set 6: Manners & Character, and Set 7: Happiness & Attitude. Not only were we able to download these songs, we were also sent a copy of the Happy Kids Songs Workbook: Hands-on Activities to Build Character, Social and Emotional Skills.

Happy Kids Songs are brought to us by Dr. Mac who is an award-winning songwriter and producer. In fact, if you have heard of Jay Jay the Jet Plane on PBS, you may be interested to know that he is the music director and songwriter for the series. These Happy Kids Songs song sets were easy to download and permission is also given to burn them onto a CD. This is something I didn't do, as I wasn't exactly sure how to (I am not a very computer/technology friendly person). I wasn't too worried about it, as I figured we would just listen to them on the computer.
Before I go any further, I would like to share the titles of the songs that are in each set, along with a little about each song. Set 1: Friends & Sharing

Sailing on the Seven Cs - A song about the 7 Cs of friendship (caring, consideration, commitment, communication, concern, curiosity, and cooperation).
Everybody Wants to Find a Friend - This song encourages children to approach others to play and make friends.
Sharing Friends - A reminder that we can share friends.
Happy as Happy Can Be - This is a song of things that fit together, just like friends.
Together - A song about wanting to be together with a best friend.

Set 6: Manners & Character

H-O-N-E-S-T-Y - An investigative look being "reported" from the playground, where children state reasons why honesty is important.
The Magic Word - A song about the importance of saying please
Quirks - A reminder that no two people are alike and we shouldn't judge others.
The Golden Rule - A reminder that being a friend means doing to others what you want them to do to you.
Six Little Kids - A song that replaces children with the blind men in the story of The Blind Men and the Elephant and teaches that all the points of view are true.

Set 7: Happiness & Attitude

Shake It Out and Dance - A song about the importance of getting rid of those negative thoughts and thinking positively.
Who Knows What's a Kudo - This song is about telling others nice things about themselves and what they have done, to encourage them.
I Don't Understand - A song that shows it is okay to ask questions if you don't understand and that not understanding doesn't mean someone is "dumb."
Be Good to Yourself - The importance of seeing the best in everyone, including oneself.
Better Together - Reminds children that it is great to have time to yourself, but it is also a good thing to have a friend to play with.

There are 5 songs in each award-winning album, all geared toward children ages 3-8, though children slightly younger or older will probably enjoy the songs. The issues dealt with in these songs are ones that confront children in this age group. I have three girls in this age range, and I know that one of the main issues that they are facing are making/learning to be friends. Of course, we want our children to have manners, be honest, treat others how they want to be treated and have a positive attitude too.

Along with these songs, Happy Kids Songs provides lyrics, coloring pages, and activities. These can be accessed by signing up to be on their mailing list. Doing so would also give you a download of the song of the month. While these PDF downloads of the activities are available for free, Happy Kids Songs also offers a 122 page Workbook.

You may be wondering why you would want to purchase a workbook when you can have access to the downloads for free. Well, first of all, it would allow you to have the material nicely bound and ready to be used without having to download and print. Though, if you have more than one child, you are still going to need to make copies. So, really, that is not the most exciting thing about having the workbook, in my opinion. What I loved was the idea of the additional activities in the back section of the book. While the Kids' Lyrics, Coloring and Activity pages are the same as the downloadable pages, there is a 36 page section filled with other learning activities to do together. The majority of the time we listened to these songs was just during random times during the day while the children were playing. The children did mention that it was hard to pick up the words to the songs just by listening to them. I am very glad the lyrics are available for this reason. I then decided I would give them each the lyric/coloring sheet and we would listen to the song while reading along.

Then the girls could color and do the related activity page while listening to the song again.

Not only do these songs teach good lessons, but they are upbeat and fun to listen to. I loved hearing Amelia break into singing parts of "Sailing on the Seven Cs" while we were in the car the other day. It helps show that the songs are sticking in their little brains. You can hear samples of the songs by stopping by the Happy Kids Songs website. Additionally, while you are there, don't forget you can sign up for their mailing list and receive the free song of the month and access to the PDF downloads of the lyrics, coloring sheets and activity pages.
These Happy Kids Songs sets can each be purchased for $4.95 and you can also purchase each individual song for 99 cents. The workbook is available for $12.56.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Wordless Wednesday: August 20, 2014 (w/linky)- Books Galore

We are getting ready to start back to school next Monday. Getting back into the routine of putting books on hold. Had a whole slew ready for me yesterday. Phonics for the younger two, math and science topic books for our My Father's World 1st grade lessons.

Looking forward to seeing your Wordless (or not so wordless) Wednesday posts this week.

Monday, August 18, 2014

Tuesday's Giveaway Link Up- August 19th, 2014

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-host this week is Mellissa from Something Like Life.

You may have noticed there is only one co-host this week. Unfortunately, Ashley has had to leave us. I have greatly appreciated her help all this time and am sad to see her go. This has opened up a co-host spot with Tuesday's Giveaway Link Up. If you would like to co-host with us, we would love for you to fill out the form linked up here.

I ask that co-hosts have family friendly blogs. As co-host, you would be posting the link up every other Monday evening at 7pm EST and sharing about it on your social media. You will be able to share 2-3 of your own giveaways and will have a backlink in the post.

Now, onto this week's Link Up!

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.

Featured Giveaways

Back to School/5 Year Blogiversary Prize Pack-Fun Products & $30 Amazon GC/Paypal

US only Ends 8/31

Little Tikes Fun House Bouncer Giveaway US/Canada (excluding Quebec) Ends 8/28

Kreation Krate Giveaway Continental US Ends 9/2

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

September 2014 Edition Kreation Krate Giveaway

Do you enjoy crafting? I know I used to, when I had time to spare. Now that the children are getting older, maybe I will one day get to do some crafting again. When I saw a fellow blogger, Melissa from Deliciously Savvy, asking for bloggers to help share this giveaway for Kreation Krate, I thought it would be a fun one to join in on. So, go ahead, take a gander and see if this is something you would like to win.

Good Luck!

SPONSORED BY:

Kreation Krate

HOSTED BY:

Deliciously Savvy

Co-Hosted BY:

Holiday Contest & Sweeps

Michigan Savings and More

The Wanderer Soul

Momsicals

And to all blogs participating in this giveaway ~ A Huge Thank You!

Deliciously Savvy received a Kreation Krate (August's 2014 Edition) for review and it was awesome!

This is what I received in the August 2014 Edition Kreation Krate:

12 Piece Acrylic Paint Set
3 Piece Brush Set
3 Mini Canvases
3 Mini Wood Easels
Pallette
6 River Rocks
Canvas Bag
6 Kind Cards

This Box Was Loaded With Everything You Need To Create Awesome, One Of A Kind Works Of Art! In addition to the craft project for yourself, each month's box includes a craft to create and gift to others, either through a random act or through a charity. You'll receive materials and instructions for the Kind Craft, and will have a chance to share your experience with others! My Daughter and I have had a blast creating each and every piece. This was an amazing experience for my daughter and I. We shared a lot of bonding time with this fabulous subscription Craft service and that alone makes this subscription service amazing. My daughter is keeping the small frames on her windowsill in her bedroom, so that she can display them proudly for all to see! She is going to give the river stones she painted to her friends and teachers when she goes back to school. Each painted river stone comes with a kindness card. This is a fabulous crafting service with an amazing message behind it, so check it out today!

Check Kreation Krate Out Here

FACEBOOK ~ TWITTER ~ PINTEREST ~ INSTAGRAM

Winner Of This Giveaway Will Win The September 2014 Kreation Krate!

Kreation Krate is a unique monthly subscription box for beginner to intermediate crafters. Each box contains all materials necessary to complete a craft project and a Kind Craft.

JUST $26 Delivered To Your Door Each Month!