Over the last decade Leapfrog has provided products to help children learn to love reading.  Both EBoy and ETot learned basic phonics thanks to the Letter Factory  and we’ve had much success with each product we’ve tried.  The new Tag reading system is no exception to the hands down best products to help your little ones achieve reading success.

The Tag reader has removed the bulkiness of some of the previous learn to read systems.  Instead of needing a full lapsize pad to utilize books and learning products you have one light and easy to use Tag reading pen.  The pen is compact and very durable even standing up to much testing by our resident destructive 3 year old.  There are a variety of titles available and EBoy has been thrilled to go through the books again and again as he worked on learning each word.  ETot is always focused when we allow him to use the Tag and its also been a great instrument as he learns to strengthen his manual dexterity for writing.

By far my favorite part of the Tag system is the comprehension enhancements provided.  Along with the words being sounded out by the pen (there are different mode options from the child using the pen to read along, to the pen reading full pages with page turning prompts) there are sounds which connect the pictures on the pages with what’s going on with the story.  So if the story tells about someone falling in water you hear the sound of splashing along with the picture of the person providing the same sound when selected by the Tag reader.  The books have several other enhancements including games and phonics instruction, so its not just a simple read the book and be done, the activities are endless as your child learns in depth reading and retainment of concepts.

The Tag Reading System website provides more details about this wonderful tool and as you purchase additional books you can easily download the stories and activities that go with your story.  The system also includes a free website tool which will help you monitor your child’s reading progress.  The Tag Reading System is truly built to provide the maximum level of reading development and success for your child.

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If you look over in my right sidebar you’ll see another educational endeavor sponsored by Leapfrog.  The Savvy Source is a resource created for parents by an exceptional group of parents and educators.  Try out a free quiz and you will be directed to a plethora of free resources, paid resources, and activity ideas for implementing all aspects educational and learning succes for children from preschool to kindergarten age.

The most remarkable thing about the quizes is the depth of information each quiz examines.  I completed several quizzes on topics such as visual arts, language development, and science and honestly the quizes were comparable to the therapy level questionnaires we answered when figuring out EBoys developmental and sensory issues.  Not only will the quizzes help you figure out if your child is on the right track it offers specific ideas and books that you can incorporate into your daily life to strengthen their skills.

The level of assessment and detailed activity were the exact same thing you’d pay an educational therapist quite a bit of money to attain.  The activities are parent or educator created (and marked as such) with an easy to download form you can print off and use.  Within the science plan the evaluation determined that a water activity would help ETot in his cognitive development.  Not only did ETot love the sink or swim activity where we dropped different items in water, he retained what we discussed and repeats his findings often.

 Savvy Source is an extraordinarily helpful resource that any parent who is interested in how their child learns and helping them to advance to even greater levels will find an absolute treasure.

This review is courtesy of the Parent Bloggers Network.

Fruit rollups are a fond memory from my own childhood. My brother and I were always ecstatic to have “real fruit and fun wrapped up in one” in our lunchboxes for school. Today’s fruit rollup creations have more exciting designs than ever before. MyFruitRollups.com is adding even more fun to fruit rollups by allowing you (or your child) to design your very own fruit rollup creations online.

The interactive website is very easy to use. You can chose from multiple different layouts with a variety of characters, hobbies, themes, and personalized wording to design your fruit roll up. EBoy had a blast designing some science themed fruit rollups and has requested to play with the website several times since our intitial tral. Even though we don’t order every one of his creations its been a great way for him to practice his spelling, utilize patterns, and reading as he navigates through the fruitrollup design process.

Once you have completed your design you can order 1 box which will feature that single creation. The box includes 30 fruit rollups and currently they are running a special which takes $8 off the price. Designing your own fruit rollup is a great idea for a unique favor for a birthday party, graduation, class project(valentine’s exchange, etc.), church group, or myriad of other ideas. The box we ordered features EBoy’s design for his upcoming 6th birthday. Simple, fun, and it actually has his name on it (which he loves!)

For an entertaining and easy way to create a unique gift be sure to visit MyFruitRollups.com Be sure to check my main website where I am hosting a giveaway of a free box of 30 fruit rollups.

This review courtesy of the Parent Bloggers Network.

We received the most fun spanish DVD yet from the makers of Whistlefritz.  These entertaining dvds introduce your children to Spanish immersing them in full Spanish for an entire program.  When showing this to a group of 2 and 3 year olds I was surprised at just how focused they became on watching the colorful characters, puppets, children and animals as they stated the Spanish words in sentences and songs.

I really liked the fact that the program repeated the words in multiple contexts so that the children could get several variations for true comprehension.  The integration of music was very well done- the songs were memorable and energetic, great for the toddler who is learning as well as the parent working with them.  Whistlefritz also offers cds of the songs from the dvds which is another wonderful way to incorporate Spanish education into your everday life.

Teaching your children in Spanish is an adventure in fun with the award winning Whistlefritz.  Check out their website to sample songs, DVDs, and their newest product offerings.

Need a Hawaiin vacation? One that will excite and entertain your children while you have an opportunity to relax? Well although we can’t all be lucky enough to win a trip from Ellen(congrats again Tanyetta!) there is a way to take your family to explore the beauty and enchantment of the beautiful islands of Hawaii right from the comfort of your home thanks to Lil Aloha Babies.

Waves and Wonders is the first DVD presented by Local Girl Productions to allow your family to learn about the sights, culture, and language of Hawaii. Each segment features crisp vibrant video of the ocean, sand and aquatic life from Hawaii integrated with toys and still photos to stimulate your little one’s cognitive learning. Brightly colored flashcards highlighting specific words both written and spoken in English and Hawaiian are well integrated into all of the scenes, supporting the visual and audio learning styles. My only wish is that the Hawaiin word had been repeated more often through each segment but because this is such an interactive DVD the parent can easily repeat the word for their child to learn the vocabulary even more extensively.

My favorite part of Waves and Wonders is a toss up between the incredible deep sea footage featuring all matter of fish and sea creature and the soothingly wonderful Hawaiian music. My husband, EDad, spent many years growing up in Hawaii and was surprised at just how authentic and true the music presented is to Hawaiian culture. I’ve never especially liked or disliked the music of Hawaii but I truly enjoyed every song featured on this DVD. If we ever do a luau themed party I’ll definitely have this music playing in the background to set a calm enjoyable tropical atmosphere.

The opportunity to expose children to other languages is extremely beneficial in their ability to later learn not just new languages but also furthers their comprehension of English. This DVD is a great educational tool which allows you to expose your children to a culture they may not be familiar with while also learning about sea life and wonders.

Lil Aloha Babies is an introduction to some peaceful music from a lovely place for infants while also capturing the minds and imaginations of preschoolers who are interested in learning about all of the world which surrounds us. Lil Aloha Babies Waves and Wonders is a serene way to develop a tranquil oasis for learning, language, and fun.  They also have a clip on their website if you’d like to preview before buying.

One of our current favorite shows is Everybody Hates Chris. Watching the trials and triumphs of Chris Rock as he grows up in the 80s real world exposes not just the hard life of a junior highschooler but the involved parenting style of his mother Rose Rock. Mama Rock’s Rules is a chronicling of Mama Rocks parenting style- evident in the tv show but more well explained in her personal guidebook.

Many of us will remember hearing some of the same values magnified in this book including the importance of family time together, setting limits, and encouraging education. However she doesn’t just introduce the points as points she gives real life examples from her own experience in raising 10 children and 17 foster children.

One of the key lines of the book was:

“Establishing a routine and rules - like I said before- is critical because of the security and self-confidence it creates in children. That is the greatest thing in raising kids to instill in them a sense of self-reliance: the ability to do well when they are not with you- so they can make the right choices.”

The key to successful parenting is not focusing on being your child’s friend but truly parenting and nurturing them along ever step of the way. She gives her experience not just in the formative years, from reading advice from the womb to teaching toddlers the art of cleaning up but ventures all the way through school, even into some of the more complicated teenage lessons. Her frankness, openness, and honesty was refreshing to say the least and her tips are ones not just to take and follow to the tee but guidelines you can use to formulate your own parenting ideals and concepts.

Mama Rocks Rules are old school values which still hold true even in a day and age when many parents are more focused on trying to give their children material things and activities more so than the solid family foundation that will allow them to structure fully stable lives. Finally, I’ve been able to lay aside some of my own guilt about not shuttling my boys around to daily activities and lessons and truly enjoy the time we have together. We’ve reestablished a family dinner table- incorporating discussion, reading, and connecting in ways that no soccer or football game could ever provide them.

I highly recommend this book for reading of all parents regardless of culture but she does do an excellent job of addressing some of the needs and concerns particular to African-American families including the importance of everyone learning the details of their cultural history and past. Dealing with teachers and homework is also well explained and I’ve already seen positive results from adopting her ideas in our current school situation.

The art of parenting has rarely been handed down by actual parents in this day and age of scattered families and evolving technology. While I’ve studied several of the psychologist and sociologist recommended parenting tenants Mama Rock’s Rules connected me to another parenting force to be reckoned with- rock solid tradition and values straight from the heart.

Review courtesy of the Parent Bloggers Network

The digital age has bridged the gap between families in many ways. Cell phones, email, and the internet have expanded our connections to new levels. Kinzin is a new online service which is making it even easier to share special moments with loved ones no matter how near or far they may live.

We take a lot of pictures in the Ebony household but unfortunately much like the shoemaker’s children have no shoes, this photographer’s children rarely have actual printed out photographs. And contrary to my digital imaging, slide photo show, blog having self, several members of my family actually still like to get regular photos to put in frames or albums. With kinzin I was able to upload pictures to a private and secured website, add stories or comments to go with each image and email family to view my online book. This was nice in itself but for an additional $2.99 kinzin will take 10 images each month and print them to mail directly to a family member you specify.

The website was very easy to utilize and the pictures uploaded very quickly using their file system. Adding the addresses for picture delivery was very efficient and easy to update for future picture sharing. The only thing I would have liked is to be able to determine differnet pictures for different recipients., but not one family member complained they were just happy to receive actual pictures.

I chose a surprise tactic in the actual sending of my pictures just to get my family’s first reaction to receiving the images. Each grandmother was thrilled to get pics of their grandsons- one was so excited she called me immediately gleeful in the surprise of these recent pictures. She stated that while she enjoys getting pictures online having the real tangible photographs is something she really treasures. Getting through the protective layers of wrapping to get the special pictures of her boys made the moment even more exciting. Her strong hint that this is the perfect gift idea for families who live apart from grandchildren and loved ones definitely let’s me know we’ll be using Kinzin again in the future.

If you are looking for a fun and easy way to share your precious moments with those near and far try out Kinzin. The 4×6 pictures were sharp, crisp and clear and packaged to safely arrive even in the most extreme weather. Currently there is a send 10 pictures to two people for $2.99 each and get them sent to a third person for free special.

Review courtesy of the Parent Bloggers Network

We love books here in the Ebony household and both of the Ebony boys have definitely blossomed thanks to some new book findings.  Gymboree Play and Learn is a fun guide that has interesting for your child from infant all the way up to 5 years old.  EBoy simply couldn’t contain his excitement about all of the different activities outlined from nature adventures, science experiments, simple food recipes, and imaginative play.  My favorite part about this book is that instead of wasting space with long lists of accompanying ingredients or big pages full of pictures each idea is presented in a compact paragraph with everything included succinct and to the point.  This  summer we are looking forward to incorporating play and learn ideas into our daily routine.

ETot’s favorites of the books are the two board books- Gymboree Shapes and Gymboree Colors.  ETot has always loved to be read to but his instant attachment to these two bright and colorful little books was very surprising.  What was even more surprising is that after a few days of reading them with us he could name every shape and color in the pages of the book as well as in person.  Being able to point out a crescent in the book as well as relate it to real life items is a skill I didn’t expect him to develop quite so quickly.  Each page presents the idea(shape or color) in a memorable way with the last 2 pages featuring a full index of all of the shapes (or colors) along with their name in English and a myriad of other languages.

As a parent who is always looking for new and fun ways to incorporate education into our daily lives these 3 books are great tools which will be very well utilized in our childhood library.   Check out all of the books on the publisher’s website.

I’ve discussed with several blog friends just how difficult it can be as a parent to expose your children to appropriate music that you can also enjoy. EDad has an extensive hiphop collection but the majority of the artists are either pre-2000 or from Europe. Not just because of the music involved (we both definitely lean towards a jazzier sort of sound) but also because of the content of the lyrics. There’s a new group in town composed of some oldies but goodies that not only meet our taste but are a great learning experience for kids.

The Dino 5 are featured on the new cd Baby Loves Hiphop and while the songs and idea are new the artists featured are not.   Here is a rundown of the cast of characters:

M.C. T-Rex is played by Chali 2na of jurassic 5.

Tracy Triceratops is played by ladybug mecca of digable planets.

Teo Pterodactyl is played by Scratch from the legendary Roots Crew.

Dj Stegosaurus is played by Prince Paul.

I have to admit to be absolute tickled to hear Ladybug on this cd. Digable Planets is a long time favorite and her voice is still just as smooth and sweet as it was back in my Cross Colours wearing days.  The Roots are another family fav and Prince Paul (of the classic Stetsasonic) contributes his voice and his prolific producing skills.

The cd is presented in the format of a story- with snippets of narration so that a lesson is infused into the infectious beats. ETot immediately bobs his head when the songs come on- you can sample a few and catch their first video at the Dino5 website.

The biggest seal of approval? EDad listens to this cd now when he has the boys in the car! Without any prompting from me. The Dino 5 take hip hop to a whole new level and although the cd is titled “Baby Loves HipHop”, kids of all ages will truly enjoy bobbing their head to the music.

When I received a package in the mail from the Parent Bloggers to review the latest Thomas the Tank Engine DVD you would have thought we won the lottery from the excitement and dancing of my two boys. We sat down to watch Thomas in his newest adventures learning things about politeness and the good things an engine should do.

Working together is something we are diligently learning in our household with a know-it-all 5 year old and slightly Napoleonic 3 year old, and Thomas gave some good examples to talk through on the importance of working together. It was nice to also be able to discuss lessons from each episode with my 5 year old to learn from as he navigates his daily world. Many of the characters featured in the stories are rarely heard from, including a new engine named Marge. My 3 year old pointed out different engines, sometimes by name but also discussing color and vehicle type. We also pulled out our Thomas books to see if we could find various characters in the books, integrating even more learning opportunities.

6 episodes are featured on this DVD which you can find at Amazon for $9.99. It’s a great gift idea to package with a Thomas toy or Thomas book to really excite the little Thomas fan in your life.

Can we build it? Yes WE CAN! Bob and his team’s newest adventure will spark the teamwork efforts of your toddler as they enjoy Bob the Builder- Building Bobland Bay .

Although EBoy tries to act like he’s too old and cool to watch Bob, who was his former favorite, he immediately jumped with interest to see this movie. ETot was beyond thrilled to not only watch an entertaining movie but also point out each construction vehicle and tool. This movie has some brand new machines which must learn to work together with Bob’s crew. Children learn about how to interact with new friends, brainstorming to reach a goal, and just how great it feels to get the job done.

I was able to integrate the DVD with some of the Bob the Builder books we already have so that ETot can further develop his knowledge of colors, counting, and other preschool skills. We were even able to take out his play tools and use them as we watched Bob and the crew building in the movie, hammering has never been quite so exciting. He enjoyed the storyline and discussing what was going on so that he could really involve himself in the scenes as they played. Bob the Builder is presented in such a way that children can not only visually enjoy the colorful claymation characters and scenery, but also really comprehend and understand the lessons as they are being presented.

Bob the Builder- Building Bobland Bay . is an adventure your 2-5 year old can enjoy and learn from in a myriad of ways. Definitely a great purchase for the little builders in your life.