Review: Amoeba Math

Amoeba Math is one of those unexpected finds.  I was given this at the homeschool convention I went to after talking with the owner for almost an hour.  I bought their board game, Math Gym, but didn’t have the budget to buy Amoeba Math as well.  However he was nice enough to give me a review copy and one to give to ya’ll.  So, score for all of us!

 

I thought about waiting until Friday to post this, and continuing it as part of my Friday Games series, but didn’t want to.  First because I’ve been wanting to get this done forever, but hadn’t because I need pictures.  And second because it’s a computer game.  I’m focusing more on board games there.

Amoeba Math is a fun math review game.  The graphics are somewhat simplistic, but my kids thought they were hilarious.  Especially when their guy got hit by running into a wall, “he made funny sounds Mommy.”   (I need to clean my computer screen, it’s got so many fingerprints)

 

There are several different options to make it work best for you.

 

Game Difficulty- you can choose from Basic, Advanced, Expert, and Master.  Basic only uses single digits and gives the most time.  As you advance in difficulty it becomes and adds in negative numbers!

 

You can also choose what types of problems you want to do.  So far my kids have only done addition, but I’m planning on adding in subtraction soon.

 

 

What I like:

1.  I can choose types of problems and level of difficulty.

2.  It’s very user friendly and the company has easy to understand and use help center (I had problems installing and with their help figured it out).

3.  I can leave one of the boys playing it while I go work with another child, and not worry about their accidentally getting into something else.

 

What I dislike:

1.  Nothing really, it’s a fun game and easy to use.

2.  Not a problem for me, but it IS NOT MAC COMPATIBLE.  This could be a problem for some.  They are working on making it usable for Macs.

 

 

FINAL OPINIONS:

 

My boys are asking to use this for their math instead of their math curriculum, which they like a lot.  Princess is not a game fan like they are.  I’m thinking of making this at least a weekly game, if not more often during summertime.

 

TO BUY:

Amoeba Math is $29.95.  The big bonus: you can try it before you buy, there is a two week free trial.

 

WIN A FREE COPY OF AMOEBA MATH:

 

Super simple, leave a comment with a favorite way to practice math.  Make sure there is an email address included.

 

RULES: Open to US and International.  I’ll pick a winner on July 7 and email them.  If I don’t hear back I’ll pick a new winner.  Make sure I can email you.

 

DISCLOSURE:  I was given a copy of the game to review.  I almost bought it, but it wasn’t in the budget…….I bought the board game instead.

Review and Giveaway: Mom Connection

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, if you have pre-schoolers you need to get in a MOPS group.

 

I've just been sent another one of their books to review and again I just have to say it was a wonderful experience.  The last book I reviewed, MOMsense, was all about finding who you are as a Mom, what makes you tick, and how to be the best Mom.

 

Mom Connection looks to something else we all are starved for.  How to grow and develop friendships.  I’m not a big extrovert, so developing friendships for me is always a dangerous river.  I enjoy people, but I have a quirky personality, that doesn’t always click well with people in real life, it’s not that they dislike me, but I’m not sought out as a friend.

 

And I’ve struggled with that at times, but I’ve found some great friends over the years, both online and offline.

 

This book talks about how to grow relationships, and how to make sure you’re becoming the person you want to be.

 

Things I’m taking away from it:

 

1.  I think we’re ready to find some volunteer work outside of our family.  There’s a chapter on making a difference in your community, and thinking about when is the right time.  If you’ve got 3 pre-schoolers and everyone’s in diapers, that might not be the time to “make a difference in the world.”  But, I was realizing my kids are now all old enough we can probably volunteer somewhere.

 

2.  I think God must really be hitting me over the head with this one, but we need to clear out and clean up our home.  It’s a big struggle for me, but one of the chapters talked about having the home everyone wants to hang out at.  I want that home, so I need to take steps to have that.  One is my continued drive to clean and purge and organize.  The other, figuring out snack foods to have available for kids to eat and drink.  I don’t tend to have lots of them, and I need to find a good balance on that.

 

3.  Establish who we are as a family.  I think we already have a momentum started on that, but I want to firm it up and make sure it’s clear.  One thing that’s clear, we’re a little silly at times.

 

What will you find in this book:

 

1.  Each chapter ends with 5 suggestions for implementing it, and they’re five different suggestions, it’s not all “go out and do,” some are stop and think or evaluate.

 

2.  Each chapter ends with a here’s more section.  What I liked about that is it’s not all go buy this book.  Some of it is articles on the internet or videos or things to listen to.  I’m a big fan of listening to things while cleaning.  I learn a lot that way.

 

Who do I recommend this book for: Any Mom who is looking to form a connection with another person or better themselves.

 

Giveaway:

 

I’m keeping it super simple, only two entries, you can do either one or both:

 

1.  Again look up your nearest MOPS group and tell me when and where it meets.

 

2.  Tell me what you’re doing to encourage strong relationships in your family or with friends.

 

Technical stuff:

 

1.  INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS, I can’t send it to you if I can’t contact you.  Very important.

 

2.  It’s open to international, and it’s open for 1 week.

 

3.  I wasn’t paid.  I really like MOPS, I think everyone should join it.  I joined it willingly and enjoyed it a lot.  GO JOIN NOW.  Okay, enough threatening, they did give me a review copy, but since I’m giving one away and will probably loan the other out, that doesn’t really count as payment.

 

And now I’m going to go investigate the thud coming from my supposedly sleeping child.

Review: Making Cents Money Game

I was recently contacted by Lakeshore Learning to review one of their instant download software games.  I am super excited about this opportunity because when I was a teacher I would  spend way too much money at their store in Dallas.  The good news for my wallet was by the time they opened one in our area I was no longer teaching, so I had less of an excuse to spend large amounts of money there.  I still do, just less excuse.

I have several of their game boards, and the software titles look to be very similar to their game boards: bright colorful, high interest, and very interactive.

 

I opted to download Making Cents Money Interactive game.   Here's what I thought:

PROS

1.  It's for 2-4 players.  Many games for kids are just for 2 players, so this means all of my kids can play.

2.  It's very easy and fairly intuitive (with a few minor exceptions).

3.  It's bright and colorful has some sound without it being too overwhelming.  The animation level is just right for my slightly ADD boys.

CONS

1.  It's listed for 1-3 grade, but I'd say the skill level is more of late second grade.  It's a little hard for my kids right now, but it makes for a great game to play together.

2.  When figuring out how much money you have the coins have to be dragged into the slot at the top of the bank.  It took a few tries to remember this (yes, it's a small nit).

3.  It'd be nice if the question could be read out loud for early first grade, but as I said it's really more of a second grade game.

 

OVERALL OPINION:

Would I buy more games?  Yes,  the price is high enough that I'm not going to buy every game, but I really don't need to be buying every game.  The price point is perfect for a teacher who is going to be using this year after year, but as a homeschooler who will have a more limited time frame I'll have to be a bit more choosy.

But, right now they have a sale going on BUY ONE, GET ONE HALF OFF, enter coupon code 7439 through the end of February.

If the game you want isn't on instant download check back because they're constantly adding new ones (including Daily Interactive Math Station, see picture above, which wasn't available for download 2 weeks ago, my original pick to review).

 

I currently have two more games I want to get, the Daily Interactive Math Station, and I"m eyeing the Place Value Mystery House Interactive Game as well.

EXCITING NEWS FOR YOU!

I get to giveaway one free download, to enter simply go to Lakeshore Educational Software and choose which one you want (make sure it is available as instant download).  Leave a comment with your choice and your email address.

EXTRA ENTRIES:

1.  Follow my blog through GFC, subscribe, or email (1 entry for each, please comment for each one).

2.  Like me on FB and leave a comment.

3.  Like Lakeshore Learning on FB and leave a comment.

4.  Scan their website and find something else you'd like to get from their store and leave a comment.  I still use on a weekly basis the magnifying glass I got there 10 years ago.

GIVEAWAY CLOSES ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

 

DISCLOSURE: I received a free copy of the game in exchange for my honest review.  I received no other compensation, but am likely to go out and buy about 3 more games because I like this one so much.  Sigh, my poor wallet.

Review and Giveaway: Momsense

When MOPS international asked me about reviewing their latest book I leaped at the chance.  I have a couple of their books and have loved each of them.  Their chapters tend to be short and to the point and always have something I can relate to in it.

 

So, what is this newest book about?  It’s about developing your Momsense and how to best do that.

 

The first section is about defining and looking at where you came from, what was your Mom’s parenting style like, and what are the areas you want to improve.  At the end of each chapter there are questions for you to answer and look at for how you can improve your mothering.

 

The second section takes some of the things every book about mothering agrees you need, and gives some practical advice and also some humorous or touching stories about other moms.  And, they’re not all stay at home, or the perfect family moms.  Some of the moms work full time, some of them are the accidental mother who now loves being a mom, others are single, some are the mom who has 5 kids, another is the mom who has one little girl who she loves with a passion.

 

For me the best part of the book is reading the testimonial of the other moms on what they did.  Jeff at one point had to ask what I was reading as I was chortling over the chapter on joy.  I won’t spoil the story for you, but if you’ve been reading the blog long enough you know I would get a big kick out of a child’s accidental trouble over bringing the wrong kind of “cool looking box” to school.  I then had to read the story to Jeff, and talk for a long time with him about it.

 

I would encourage any of you moms out there, and I know that’s a significant portion of my readership to pick up a copy of this book.  It’s a nice easy read, and it’s tempting to blaze through it, but I’d recommend you just take a chapter a day and actually read it slowly and answer the questions, which I’m going to be going back and doing soon.

 

I’d also encourage you to find a local MOPS group to join if you have a pre-schooler.  I was in for two years as the Creative Activites director, and I really enjoyed the group.  My group met at night and was over half working moms, which made for a fun mix.  I learned so much from the speakers and the topics we covered, nutrition, parenting styles, personalities, solving conflicts, on and on and on.

 

So, that’s my two plugs.  Now for the giveaway:

 

ENTRY RULES:

1.  You must be over 18 and leave me a way to contact you, international is okay since I’m doing the shipping and I’m feeling generous.

2.  How to enter:

 

REQUIRED:  Tell me your definition of Momsense.  What is it and how do you use it?

 

BONUS:  You can get up to 3 bonus entries:

1.  Go to the MOPS international website and find the closest group to you and when does it meet.

2.  If you’re a follower that’s another entry.

3.  And ummmm….  I’m feeling a lack of creativity right now, so just add another comment for the third bonus entry.

Giveaway ends on November 4th, a week from today.

 

MAKE SURE EACH OF YOUR ENTRIES IS A DIFFERENT COMMENT.

I’m gonna link this over to my favorite resource of the week, because I really enjoy a good parenting book, and that helps me in my homeschooling.

Winner Uprinting!

Thanks for all the entries, that giveaway is now closed:

Debbie said...

I know exactly what I would use this for. We have decided to start a family journal of sorts, so I would find a cool picture we all love and there you go the beginning of our family journal.

Love her idea!

giveaway: Uprinting letterhead

 

Okay, I’m pretty excited.  I’ve been asked by Uprinting to host a giveaway, I’ve seen their giveaways all over and hadn’t paid too much attention because at the time my kids weren’t writing, but now they are.  Uprinting is one of THE leading online printing companies, and they design all sorts of things like letterhead.

 

Before telling you about it I went online and played around with their letterhead design site.  You can upload your own images or use shapes on their site.  I’m planning on using some of the graphics from my blog to make super cute hero paper for the kids to have fun writing on.  I’m betting I burn through that super fast, what do you think?

 

They offer letterhead in many of the standard sizes, but I like (and the giveaway is for this) the half paper size because I think it’s more appealing to kids being small.

 

Here’s what you can win:

 

Prize details

500 pcs. Letterheads for One (1) winner

5.5” x 8.5"

70lb Offset

Front Only Printing

4 Business Days Print Turnaround Time

*Free Shipping

Restriction: Limited to *US residents 18 years old and above only

 

 

Now I have some specific rules for this giveaway because of how they want to do the prize.  So here goes:

 

1.  Tell me what you would use your stationary for in a comment and include your email address.

 

2.  If you follow Adventures in Mommydom in some way include a second comment also with your email address (if you follow or like in several ways you can include a comment for each one).

 

GIVEAWAY CLOSES OCTOBER 10 with winner drawn that day.

 

VERY IMPORTANT:  IF YOU DO NOT HAVE AN EMAIL ADDRESS IN THE COMMENT I WILL NOT COUNT THAT AS AN ENTRY!  I need to be able to contact you and give the information to the people who are running this.  I know it’s a pain to enter it in, but it’s frustrating to run a giveaway and not be able to give the prize to the person because they didn’t leave their email.

 

LEGAL MUMBO JUMBO: This giveaway is sponsored by UPrinting, no monetary compensation was given and I will receive letterhead printing service by hosting. Please visitUPrinting.com for available letterhead design and for more details.

Book Review and Author Interview: Playful Learning

When I was asked about reviewing Playful Learning, I thought "cool, I'm all about that," and then I was given the chance to be on the blog tour and interview her, I was even more excited!  I've always wanted the chance to interview an author and get to know more about their thoughts about their books and ideas.  Now here was the chance!
First, a quick recap of the book and why I like it.  Playful Learning is about integrating learning and play (DUH!), but the author does a really good job of going through each content area and give you ideas and suggestions of how to set up the area for it, books and activities that work really well.  I love the fact that this book isn't geared for any one set.  She firmly believes that everyone should learn this way regardless of where they go to school (home, public, private, charter) and that every parent is a teacher.  I highly recommend this book for every parent who wants to invest in their child's education.  Read on after the interview for your chanced to WIN THE BOOK!


1.  I always struggle with keeping my learning areas clean.  Any suggestions for my readers and me?  Your pictures in the book are so inviting, and I want to have an area like that, but how do I maintain that?
I have found that the areas I organize and have created clearly marked places for everything, are the places in our home that stay well maintained. If children are exposed to these types of environments and are taught how to access the materials and how to put them away, they more often than not rise to the occasion. Children love to feel that they can have a positive impact on their environment, yet often do not know where to put things when cleaning up. Although it takes effort up front to create the space and teach your children where everything goes, the result can be happy independent children and clean organized spaces.
Please don’t get me wrong—we have plenty of cluttered, unorganized spots in our home! But, the spaces we have created that are clearly labeled and organized are the ones that stay the neatest, because my daughters are actually better at maintaining their spaces (with a sense of pride), then I am at keeping up mine.
2.  What is your favorite area to integrate playful learning into?  What area do you find most difficult to integrate playful learning into?
I find myself gravitating towards science-based learning experiences with my daughters, because the natural world holds so much to wonder about, observe, and learn from. I also feel that writing and effective self-expression are very important skills, so a lot of our projects are focused on developing those abilities.
On the other hand, math is not one my stronger points, so I usually keep those activities focused on specific skills that I see need to be practiced by one or both of my daughters.
I think it is important for parents to choose areas that they feel passionate about and find ways to share them with their children. I feel that if we can share and nurture passion within the kids in our life, we are modeling what we hope they develop for themselves. Enthusiasm is contagious!
3.  For families with multiple ages how do you suggest doing this across the different ages groups?
A lot of the activities in Playful Learning can be enjoyed by children of all ages. It is for this reason that I give a developmental overview for each subject I discuss in the book. The developmental overviews helps parents to identify which stage of development their child is at, and offers tips on how they can best support their growth. For example, with the heart map, younger children can color pictures of their favorite things and parents can take dictation to record their ideas, while older children can draw and write more detailed and poetic images and descriptions.
It is also helpful to allow for different lengths of attention spans. During many of the projects in the book, one of my daughters would want to take a break from an activity while the other was still completely engaged. Always remember to keep your experiences with your children light and fun—allowing them to move freely in and out of experiences or projects. You will be surprised at how often they will want to come back and pick-up right where they left off.
4.  How do you integrate playful learning with older kids?  It seems like that would become more difficult as they get older.
As my daughters get older and their social lives become such an important part of their worlds, I have started inviting their friends to participate in our playful learning experiences. That is one way to quench their desire to connect with friends while keeping them engaged in interesting projects and endeavors.
I have also found that if I really tune into their current interests and passions, I can come up with projects that still interest them. My seven-year-old daughter really loves to draw, so recently I surprised both of my girls with drawing journals (a grown-up version). All three of us had our own notebooks and we went into our back yard to try them out. At any age they love to feel like they are doing the same work as adults. It turned out to be a lovely afternoon!
Older children still have a huge desire to connect with their parents. As parents we just need to respect their desire to be treated as the older, more independent people that they are. It takes a bit more thought, but I have found that engaging in playful learning with my older daughters is more important than ever. It is this connection, mutual respect, and lines of communication that will serve us well as they venture into their teenage years.
5.  What is your favorite book for Playful Learning?  I love "Me on the Map," and have used it so many times.
Picture books are such a wonderful way to get children excited about a project! It is so hard to choose just one book as a favorite. My Map Book by Sara Fanelli is one that we come back to time and again. It is the one that we use to inspire our heart maps and is also a great introduction to geography and mapping in general. Although, as I said before, I have so many favorites and as a family we have thoroughly enjoyed every book that I recommend in Playful Learning.
6.  Do you have a website we can visit?
Yes, I have a blog (also called Playful Learning) that is full of learning experiences, videos, and resources for families. I hope you all come by and visit! I would love to continue to conversation…

As a side note from me.  I’d accidentally stumbled onto her site once about a year or so ago (give or take a few months) long before I knew about her book and drooled over her pictures of her learning areas.  I finally made the connection when I was looking through her site thanks to the promotional materials I was given.
Now for my favorite part, the giveaway!  You can win the book!  To enter leave me a comment telling me how you like to MAKE LEARNING FUN!

Bonus entry if you follow or subscribe in some way.

GIVEAWAY CLOSED.  WINNER IS CHOSEN.

LEGAL MUMBO JUMBO:  I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.  I did not receive any other compensation, and genuinely believe in the concepts espoused in this book.  Blah, blah, other legal terms ipso facto, poste haste, e pluribis unum (and yes I know it’s misspelled).

Pay It Forward!

Ages and ages ago I won a Pay It Forward exchange from Kim over at Educating Crumpet.  And, I’ve had this post sitting here to write forEVER!  Well, now I’m finally getting around to it, and rather than make it into another Pay It Forward with all of the rules of that, instead I’m going to change it up and celebrate the fact that I’ve passed 300 followers!  How’s that for impressive?

 

To celebrate, I’m going to send a Texas goody bag out to 3 followers who comment, and I’ll pick who in about a week or so (I’ll give you a heads up).  I’ll try to stuff as much fun stuff as I can figure out into this box, but I haven’t figured out what’s going to be in it yet.  Probably some stuff that goes well with a geography study of Texas, and since I’ll be picking up stuff here and there the boxes won’t be the same.

 

To enter, just let me know you follow me and leave a comment.

 

PS: If you can tell me something fun to study for your state I’ll count that as an extra entry, I’m wanting all the fun stuff to study as I can get!

WINNERS: Math U See Primer and Easter Carol

steph said...

My girls would love this

Congratulations!  I'll email you right after this.

Andrea said...

I like you on FB!

And, if you get a chance scroll through the comments, there's some great counting suggestions in there.  Most of them are "We count everything," but still there's some different ones.

Congratulations to both of the winners, I'll send an email and need to hear back from you with your address within 48 hours.

Veggietales: Easter Carol

 

So, we were given a second copy of this DVD, and while it’s one of my favorite Veggietales, I really DON’T need two copies.

 

So, if you want it, leave a comment saying something you do to remember Jesus is “the reason for the season,” so to speak.

 

And many thanks to Jolanthe for hosting these giveaways!

Math U See Primer

 
We are DONE with Kindergarten Math.  Well, the boys are solidly done.  Princess is still not wanting to do Primer.  And since she’s 4 I’m not going to push her, but we don’t need the videos anymore.


Yes, I’m lazy and took the picture from the website.  I know where the DVD is, and I’m looking for the book.  But, honestly you can teach this just from the DVD, it’s mostly counting and early addition.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:  Closes Monday May 2, and I’ll ship international cause I’m feeling nice.

How to enter: Leave a comment tell me what fun things do you do for your math lessons?

Extra entries: follow, like me on FB, or give me more ideas.  Leave a separate comment for each entry.  Oh, and extra entry if you have a giveaway as well.

I have two more giveaways of DVDs to put up.  At some point I’ll get organized and get out some of my books.

IMPORTANT: This is not the student manual, you will need to purchase that.

GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED!

Bible Alive: Job or how to draw parallels to current events

By now we’re all very aware of the horrible events that have happened in Japan.  We’ve seen the pictures and the videos, and it’s mind numbing.  For now at least I haven’t told my kids about it because I know they are not able to cope with that.

 

But, my Sunday School class is a different matter, it’s amazing what a difference of two years does for a kid’s maturity level.  With our class we’ve been reading about Job and what happened to him.

 

As we got to the point where everything is taken from him and his “friends” are telling him it’s obviously because Job was sinful the tsunami hit Japan.

 

And that’s what some people did to Japan, thankfully a very few, and I haven’t run into it all that much, but I did read a few articles and some idiotic comments of people saying this happened to Japan because they sinned.

 

So, we talked about this with the people in our class, and talked about how to help people who are in a hard time.  Is it helpful to tell them what a horrible person they are or some pithy saying?

 

Not really, and I don’t have much I can do for Japan, but I can help educate my students how to talk to someone going through a hard time, and what not to do.

 

So, we brainstormed what we would want someone to do for us in that situation, and then we made cards for someone we know who who is going through a hard time (sick, injured, death in the family, lost their job, you name it).

The neatest thing of all to me was our teen helper making a card for my friend who just had their father-in-law die.

 

But, the great thing about Job is it doesn’t end with Job in a horrible situation.  It ends with God answering him.

 

And God’s answer is that He is in control of everything.  The good and the bad.

 

We can’t create or control the charging horse, or the mighty storms, but God can.

 

And yes there are horrible things in this world and we will experience them, but there is a MIGHTY God who is in heaven and He is in control.

 

And that’s what our final lesson was.  Creating something that shows God’s wonders, and drawing that.

 

Now, here’s the oddity I’m going to do.  I’m going to do a giveaway in exchange for your honest opinion in email of a book I’ve written.  I wrote Job as a kid’s Bible study with questions for little guys all the way up to adults.  I’d love to get someone’s opinion other than my own on this.  So, I’ll pick a couple of people who express interest and send them a printed copy of it for you to read an critique (couple being random number I decide on somewhere between 2 and 5).

 

The reason being, I’m toying with the idea of publishing the Bible stories I’ve been writing, except I want to make it a more complete idea.  I want it to be an actual Bible study.  So, let me know what you think, does that make sense?

Winner: CSN Giveaway

 

If I counted correctly, really need to change my comments to numbered……

 

Nicole said...

I like you on Facebook (Nicole H/MamaNYC)

 

 

Congratulations.  You should have an email from me with details about how to redeem it, so check your inbox.

 

Oh, and sorry for being so slow on getting the winner announced.  I kept forgetting to do it at times I could get it done (so not helpful to remember at 3:00 in the morning).

CSN Store Giveaway!

In honor of Princess’ birthday I’m hosting a CSN store Giveaway.  Going to their sites is like digging through my bathroom cabinets, you can find almost anything.

This is for a $65 gift certificate to their stores, and there are more stores than you can shake a stick at.

To enter:  visit their sites and find something you think Princess might like as a birthday present.

For extra entries:

1.  tell me about your favorite birthday memory
2.  be a follower or subscriber.
3.  like me on FB.
4.   get my blog by email.
5.  extra entry for being a regular commenter

Well that gives you her age plus two in possible entries.  Stay tuned next week to see all of the cool stuff we did to get ready for this EPIC party!

Oops, neccessary stuff:

Winner will be announced on December 1, approximately, make sure I have a way to contact you.

Only open to US and Canada residents

Preschool Corner: fun read aloud

 

Have you ever been asked to review something and you knew from the description it would be perfect for your family?

 

That’s what happened with this book, so I’ll admit my review is slightly biased.  You see, I’ve been searching ever since I named my son for a book with his name in it.  My other two children have lots of books with their names in them, and they always happily exclaim when it happens.  Well, my other son this has never happened before.

 

Until this book.  So, when I found out the names I was super excited.  Doyle and Fossey Science Detectives (incidentally, that’s not his name, those are the characters last names) fit that bill.

 

Now on to the book.  We’ve been using it as our first chapter book read aloud.  I shouldn’t say that.  We’ve tried a couple of other books, but none of them have worked so far.  This was quite popular, and I got requests to finish it faster than I’d planned, but I stuck to my guns.

 

The set-up is similar to Encyclopedia Brown, which if you read my 5 Books post over at Silly Eagle books, you’ll know I love.   In this book there are 3 cases and it takes a couple of chapters per case to set it up, give you the clues, and then in the third chapter (generally speaking) you get the solution and what happened after.

 

At the back of the book for each case is an experiment listed with it.  We’ve only done an experiment so far for the first case, and we did a different one than in the book, because I don’t use dry cleaning (that would require dressing up), and because their example made me think of a tea pot.  So, we boiled water and listened to the pot whistling just like the ground was whistling in the first case.

 

So, all in all I like this series, and plan to get the other ones in it.  Do you have any early reader series your kids really like?  I keep meaning to try Magic Treehouse because I know those are really popular.  Any other ones?

 

And here’s some cool news, the author is hosting a giveaway, and all you have to do is email them.  I’m fairly use I entered it at one point before I was asked to do a review…….

 

Here’s the information if you’re interested:

 

Author Michele Torrey is hosting a giveaway of her fun Doyle and Fossey, Science Detective books! Four lucky winners will receive copies of the two newest books in the series, THE CASE OF THE TERRIBLE T.rex and THE CASE OF THE CROOKED CARNIVAL, plus a cool test tube kit!
To enter, send an e-mail to DoyleandFossey@gmail.com. In the body of the e-mail, include your name and e-mail address (if you're under 13, submit a parent's name and e-mail address). One entry per person and prizes will only be shipped to US or Canadian addresses. Entries must be received by midnight (PDT) on 11/18/10. Winners will be selected in a random drawing on 11/19/10 and notified via email. Check Michele’s website after Nov 22for the list of winners!

 

 

I’m linking this up to Homeschool Creations because I love the idea of this book as a first read aloud for pre-schoolers/kindergarteners, and I’d love to hear what you guys are using for chapter book read-alouds.

 

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this for review, I was not paid for it, but from the loud clamoring of the kids I will be buying other copies.

GIVEAWAY of jewelry!

I’m so excited about this giveaway because it’s for a friend of mine’s brand new jewelry store, and by brand new I mean fairly new.

Kristi was one of my very first blogging friends and she has the cutest little boy, and she started making jewelry a few months ago, and as a super sweet surprise she sent me a necklace with my kids’ name on it, now I’m not going to show you that one (but it is one of her sample necklaces in her shop), but I will show you the one I bought for a friend.

Isn’t that cute?  It’s a birthday present for my friend, and she chose everything she liked about it.  So you can customize her necklaces from what the samples say.

Princess loves my necklace and will sit there and repeat over and over, “This is Superman’s name, and this is Batman’s name, and that’s MY NAME!” (excited squeal at that point).

Are you ready for the giveaway?
She is offering one simple stamped necklace (and isn’t that bird cute?  or can you imagine a rose there?  my daughter would love that) to one of my readers.

TO ENTER:
Go to her shop and tell me what your favorite item is.

EXTRA ENTRIES:

1.  Buy a necklace, we all have friends and family who love jewelry, how cool would it be to get something personalized?  And if you mention my blog at checkout you get 10% off. WORTH 5 ENTRIES, comment 5 times

2.  Be a follower or subscriber. WORTH 2, comment twice

3.  Like me on facebook.

4.  If you know of a good book for the state you live in and can give me a recommendation I’d love recommendations.  Heck if you know more than 1, I’ll give you an entry for each one you’re willing to enter into a separate comment.

LEGAL STUFF:  She gave me the necklace because she’s my friend, and before I said I’d review it, so that did not change my review, and the second necklace I bought.  This is limited to United States and Canada unless I hear otherwise.  Giveaway will end in 1 week (October 3, 2010 give or take a day).

Winner: CSN stores

The winner is #45:

Heather said...
Wow. I feel like a kid in a candy store with a $ to spend and a dizzying array of options... I would definitely get my boys something for Christmas! :)

p.s. We would love to exchange postcards if you are still doing that. I have three little boys who would love to send some 'cactus hotel' style postcards from our desert home! :)

Congratulations! I'm sending you the email with the code right now.

And, sorry for being late on posting this. I've been a little swamped with stuff, for no really good reason.

GIVEAWAY: CSN stores gift certificate

Okay, so ages ago I told you it was coming.  Well, it’s here now.


What’d I end up getting?
Well, I got a pirate ship, a pet shop, a bedroom set, and a prisoner cage.  I had won a gift certificate from another giveaway and used that as well as some of my own money, and now I’ve made a serious dent in Christmas shopping.

What’d I learn this time?

1.  There’s a free shipping threshold, it seems to be at about $70.  Don’t quote me on that.

2.  You can only use one gift certificate per purchase.  So don’t plan to combine several.

3.  They do a great job at notifying you what’s happening with your purchases.  The reason this took so long from the teaser post is one of my items was backordered.  They sent me an email notifying me of it, and then follow up emails as the status changed.

4.  It’s very hard to hide mail like this from my kids.  But I was eventually successful.  Mostly.

What do you get to win?
$30 gift certificate code, that is usable once.  So, you have to find something worth about $30.

How to enter?

1.  Head on over to CSN stores and find something you want (I know I have a long wishlist of Christmas items to get from there), and tell me what you want.

Extra entries
1.  Follow me
2.  Mail us postcards (worth 3 extra because I have 3 kids), if you’ve already done this put in the three comments to let me know.
3.  Like me on facebook.
4.  Aw heck, just because I’m so darn nice.  Make sure to put each of these extra entries as a comment.

That’s potentially: 7 entries.

Giveaway closes next Saturday (August 22), make sure I have a way to contact you or else that entry becomes kind of useless.

To the best of my knowledge this is only United States and Canada.  They do ship internationally, but this certificate is set up for those two places.

Winner: Jump Start Wii Fitness

Here's the winner:  Lisa said...

I'm a follower. I try to walk to local stores when I can. (When I'm without the kids, that is.)

I didn't see your email enabled on your profile, so if you can email me.  I don't know if I have your email address.

Coming as soon as I have time to write it, my full review after playing it more (and boy was I sore the next day).

If I haven't heard from Lisa in 1 week, I'll pick a new winner.

Ticia

Another giveaway coming soon!

I’m so excited because CSN stores contacted me to do another review/giveaway for them.  I have no clue what I’m going to get because they have everything including the bathroom sink, I mean kitchen sink.

 

So, what do you guys think?  Two of my ideas are: furniture for the dollhouse or castle (there’s a cool siege machine they’ve got) or maybe some wooden blocks.  We don’t have any and I’m trying to decide if I want to get some.

 

Give me ideas people.  Each idea that’s a comment will count as an entry when I put the giveaway up.