Journey with your Child Into a Love of Reading - It is National Reading Month

Sock n Boots Supports Reading Month by Offering Complimentary Digital eBook & iPad App of “Sock n Boots Adventures” to Children around the World

March is recognized throughout the U.S. as National Reading Month; designated as such by the National Education Association in honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday. The organization will celebrate its 15^th Annual Read Across America Day this year, a nationwide program that helps children discover the joy of reading and is expected to draw more than 45 million participants on Friday, March 2.

Sock n Boots is honoring this important occasion by setting a goal to deliver its Sock n Boots stories via book, digital download or interactive iPad/iPod/iPhone/Android application not only across America, but also to at least 100 of our 196 countries worldwide. The company has had the stories translated into seven languages to help make its goal a reality: including Brazilian- Portuguese, Mandarin –Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Italian, French, and Arabic.

“It is a fact that children who read early and often develop stronger language skills, elevated self-confidence, greater creativity and broader imaginations,” commented Author, D.K. Smith. “Reading with your child for 20 minutes or more each day reinforces the parent-child bond that can last a lifetime.”

Sock n Boots educational and visually-stimulating storybook collection for children ages 1-8, is now live as a complimentary, downloadable eBook and Android™, iPad®, iPod® and iPhone® application for the entire month of March 2012 to children in every country. An augmented version of the e-book will also be available equipped with sign language soon.  Sock n Boots invites families to embark on an adventurous journey with Sock n Boots and to establish a family tradition of reading together – a powerful bonding experience that will help your child develop a life-long love of reading.


The featured reading of “Sock n Boots Adventures” follows the antics of the two most loveable pieces of footwear around. This wonderful rhyming storybook has been made available to parents and families online for this special event. To participate, just visit SocknBoots.com or facebook.com/SockandBoots to access the e-book or download a complimentary version for your iPad, iPod, IPhone and Android phones here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sock-n-boots/id472964592?mt=8

Scholastic Brings 23 Award Winning Children's Stories Together in One 3-DVD Collection

Scholastic Storybook Treasures

Perpetually Delivering Quality Entertainment

Scholastic has done it once again! I cannot say enough great things about the DVD series produced by Scholastic that integrates time tested and approved children's stories into visual masterpieces and allows children to read along with the video.  I feel no guilt when my children engage in these educational and inspirational videos and always look forward to the opportunity to review the company's latest releases.

This fall I was given the opportunity to review a 3-DVD collection of 23 Award-Winning Stories that included Caldecott award winners such as Ezra Jack Keats’ The Snowy Day, Hans Christian Andersen’s The Ugly Duckling and Denise Fleming’s In the Small, Small Pond.  As you can tell...impressed once again!

If you are looking for a way to engage your child further in their reading adventures and encourage a life of reading enjoyment, I recommend this collection as a great place to start.  When you can, build and build your collection that will never get old to them.  You can find pre-viewed copies of Scholastic movies on Amazon as well for a bit less but even purchasing new, worth every dime!  Great holiday gift as well not only for your own child but any child in your life.  Retails for less than $25.

The 3 DVD Collection, Caldecott Favorites, Includes:

Antarctic Antics

• Antarctic Antics
• Bear Snores On
• In the Small, Small Pond
• Bark, George

Ezra Jack Keats Collection

• The Snowy Day
• Peter’s Chair
• Whistle for Willie
• Pet Show!

Make Way for Ducklings

•  Make Way for Ducklings
• The Ugly Duckling
• The Story About Ping
• Angus and the Ducks

Bonding with My Son Thanks to Sock n Boots' Storytime

 

We have all heard and know that reading to our children, even at a young age, encourages learning, language development and a lifetime of reading enjoyment for our kids.  But as I was reading about this book and iPad application series called Sock N Boots, something about the characters, the company's mission and the content referring to fueling a child's imagination and bonding with your child, really caught my attention.


Amazon Links to Purchase and Review:

Sock 'n Boots - Share  Sock n' Boots - Play it Safe  Sock N' Boots - Afraid of the Dark

I spoke to the company founder and creator, D.K. Smith, and he described the company's mission as "encouraging discussions between parent and child and creating a bonding experience between parent and child."  The discussions that result from reading the book together will be about right-and-wrong and helping your child to overcome fears or social challenges such as being afraid of the dark, staying safe outside of the home and more. The morning after my review book arrived, I nestled down with my little guy and we had so much fun! The colorful artwork, charming characters and rhyming short stories kept his attention and even I had a good time reading the stories. It was definitely a bonding experience I will do more often thanks to the book and the iPad application (only 99 cents)!http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sock-n-boots/id472964592?mt=8

What I love most is that Socks is always getting into trouble. This was me as a child. So under-stimulated, so curious...I meant no harm but always managed to cause chaos and interrupt everyone else!  Thankfully, he has a friend called Boots who helps keep him out of trouble.

Mr. Smith, recommends that the readers (parent/teacher/friend) bring the story to life with lively narration, sharing and pointing to pictures and truly enjoying the experience alongside the child. I have to agree with this advice! Recently I started reading "Buzz Goes the Bee" which my 2 1/2 year old and it didn't matter what I was actually saying - as long as I enunciated it, shrugged my shoulders and intensely said, "The Bee Just Sat!" - he would laugh and giggle so hard with eyes wide open.  I found the same thing to be true as I read Sock n Boots with him over the weekend so thank you for the reminder!


The hot news is that there is now a Sock n Boots iPad app too! There are lots of features including a choice of three lessons that you can listen to with Auto Play, choose to have the narrator read it out loud to you and your child or it will give you the option to read it to yourself and interact with the book by touching on items.  A coloring book is also available that offers letters and numbers for coloring while the narrator spells out the color or number.  The "Write Your Own Story" feature allows you to write words and record your own voice using the pre-existing illustrations. Save your story alongside the other stories and post it to parent's facebook page.


See Sock n Boots Video Footage Here

This summer, the first three adventures of Sock and his pal Boots were rolled into one exciting compilation book called "Sock n Boots Adventures". It can be purchased on their website or through the Sock n Boots fan page here for only $11 on facebook.

Get Spooked with the Latest Release from Scholastic Storybook Treasures DVD

Teeny Tiny and the Witch  Woman... and more Spooky Halloween Stories

This not-so-scary DVD for kids ages 4 to 9 features five animated stories based on best-selling children’s picture books, including one “Spanglish” one called Los Gatos Black on Halloween,  featuring narration by actress Maria Conchita Alonso, plus a bonus feature interview with author Marisa Montes.

 

The Read-Along feature on all Scholastic Storybook Treasures DVDs give early readers a boost-up while they enjoy the tales. The company describes the video series as something that parents can feel good about watching with their kids, and I completely agree! Thumbs up and how timely for the Halloween season!

Weston Woods Studios has produced animated children’s stories for more than 50 years, and teachers and children’s librarians use them all the time to enhance the reading experience. Now, these stories are value-priced for the home marketplace. 

 

The Scholastic Storybook Treasures series, distributed by New Video, continues to win parenting awards, year after year. Just recently, these titles won 2011 Gold and Platinum Awards from Parents’ Choice, NAPPA and the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio.

New Kideo’s Facebook page has a Halloween DVD giveaway going on right now too, visit http://www.facebook.com/NewKideo?v=app_157593667666181 to get involved!

Itty Bitty Heart Beats Wins Over Mom's Heart with Life Lessons and Lots of Excitement from Two Year Old Son

It's not very often that my son will attach to a DVD more than his little worn out orange toddler pillow but just recently I was asked to review a new series called itty bitty HeartBeats™, a Kids First  Award-winning animated/live-action web-based television series of musical adventures for girls and boys ages 2-6.

itty bitty HeartBeats emphasizes three core values:

· 1. Living a healthy, nutritious lifestyle

· 2. Having a healthy heart, both physically and emotionally

· 3. Teaching positive life lessons

I am just going to start out my review with the below picture of my son's face while watching the video.  And this is not just one day, this is EVERY DAY!

Need I say more?!

The first thing I noticed (besides the huge smile) is that when he watched certain episodes he would get all "Lovey Dovey" with Mommy (awesome). He was sort of mellow and hugging me as if he was truly empathizing with the child in the video who didn't have the courage to ask the other children if she could join them in a soccer game. Or that he felt the relief when the boy figures out a lifelong way to stay connected to his friend that is moving away.

Then as we watched the movie each day he began to make me stand up and dance each time the Heartbeats would head to Heartland and the theme song would begin...and this is where the smile began and has not stopped since. Thank you so much for the opportunity to review. I hope it will available on TV soon as well!

The entire series is available to be watched online at the itty bitty HeartBeats™ website - www.ittybittyheartbeats.com. They are currently trying to build up their fan base on Facebook so please head on over, watch an episode or two, and "Like" them on their page here at facebook.com/ittybittyHeartBeats.

Jim Gill Does it Again: Thanks for Making a Difference!

Jim Gill is a musician and author with unique credentials among children’s artists. Jim is a child development specialist, having completed his graduate studies in child development at the Erikson Institute of Chicago with a special emphasis on the study of play. For this reason, each of Jim’s recordings and books is created as an opportunity for playful interactions between a child and a caring adult.

Jim has won acclaim for bringing the same emphasis on family play to his live concerts. Anyone who has ever attended one of Jim’s family concerts knows that rather than performing for the children and parents, Jim leads them to sing and playtogether.

I was one of the lucky bloggers to receive an advanced copy of his latest release, Music Play for Folks of All Stripes. The CD features 15 new songs along with games, dances, play and for the first time, a DVD of music videos!  It was so much fun and so fresh to have it on the other evening as I scrambled to make dinner and get my son ready for bed.

As a Chicago treasure, he was recently interviewed by Fred Koch, Music Reviewer for Chicago Parent Magazine and was quoted as saying, "The challenge I continually face is how to convey in words something that is musical. Nothing says it better than the music itself. Words are insufficient.  The best I can do is to try to convince you that your children need a healthy, age-appropriate musical diet. They need creative, thought-provoking, movement-inspiring, engaging music play experiences. And no one, I said no one, does it better than Jim Gill.  Forget about passively feeding them Mozart. Nurture all their intelligences.Start with "Music Play For Folks of All Stripes." You can thank me later."

Jim can be seen locally here in Chicagoland and the suburbs at the following locations:

Sunday, December 11 2011 at 2 pm

Mini-concert and CD signing at Vals Halla Records

239 W Harrison - Oak Park, IL 60304

Saturday, December 17th, 2011 @ 10 am and 11 am Family Concerts celebrating CD Release

Where: Wheaton Public Library: 225 N. Cross St. - Wheaton, IL 60187

For details, reservations contact: http://www.wheatonlibrary.org

Sunday, December 18th, 2011 at 1:30 pm

Family Concert celebrating CD Release at Glenview Public Library

1930 Glenview Road - Glenview, Illinois 60025

For details, reservations contact: www.glenviewpl.org

Jim has released six award-winning CDs of music play for young children that are favorites in family rooms, classrooms and playrooms. He is also the author of two children's books. His latest, A Soup Opera, is a sing-along opera inspired by concerts that Jim performs with symphony orchestras. The book received an American Library Associationaward in 2010. Jim has received four separate awards from the American Library Association for his recordings and books over the years.

Jim speaks to early childhood educators, care providers and children’s librarians across the country about the many benefits of play in young children’s lives. Jim has shared his expertise on music, play and literacy with organizations such as Head Start, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the National Association for Family Child Care and, most recently, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

His latest CD and DVD can be purchased at:

http://store.jimgill.com/jimgiprmuplf.html

Track Listing: 1. Beethoven's Five Finger Play 2. It Takes Some Friends 3. Truck Stop 4. Have You Seen the Trampoline? 5. Johnny Cuckoo 6. Bagpipes 7. The Onomatopoeia Pizzeria 8. I Was Born a Horn 9. Bananas 10. Habanera La La La 11. Bounces Abundant 12. I Changed My Mind 13. Two for Tea 14. Foot Notes 15. Living Inside of a Jar CD6Regular price: $17.00Sale price: $16.00

Scholastic Continues to Roll Out Award-Winning and Timely DVDs

Meryl Streep, Sarah Jessica Parker, Danny Glover Gracing Scholastic Movies: Enjoyable for Kids and Parents Too!

Two timely DVDs were recently released by Scholastic and as usual, each brought a level of learning to my son that thrilled me.  Scholastic has continued to do me the honor of reviewing its educational and timeless treasures over the last few years and I thank them. We have enjoyed the DVDs and will continue to do so as he grows. If you are unfamiliar with the collection, it is a library of classic "Treasures" that allow you to read along on screen with your child as the story lines are captured vividly on the screen. 

The latest two DVDs ruling our castle are The Language Learning Collection Featuring Jorge El Monito Ciclista (Curious George, Harry the Dirty Dog and more in Spanish), which was released during National Hispanic Heritage Month. This DVD contains 18 beautifully illustrated stories in English and Spanish. Studies have shown that second language learning not only improves a child's linguistic abilities, but their cognitive and creative abilities as well.


Second, released in late August in honor of the 10th Anniversary of 9/11, The Man Who Walked Between the Towers - one of the most memorable stories in the history of the World Trade Towers, Philippe Petit, a French man who walked a tightrope between the massive monuments in 1974.

Never have I seen DVDs for children published with such passion and with such important role models, valuable lessons and stories that will inspire my child throughout his life. Thank you for continuing to grow my child's mannerisms, language skills and reading ability!

Scholastic Videos may be purchased at www.newkideo.com.  Titles coming soon include Spoon (Stories about Friendship), Them Bones (I recommend for older than two, it kind of seemed odd to my two year old who had never seen a skeloton dance), and a new collection that contains over three hours of fanciful content, including Chrysanthemum, Rapunzel, and Is Your Mama A Llama? Kids and parents can enjoy watching these classics together, listening and reading along with celebrity narration by Meryl Streep, Sarah Jessica Parker, Danny Glover, and others!


The learn more or to sign up for special offers with Scholastic, you can visit its website here: http://www.newvideo.com/titles/scholastic/ 

Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin: A Video Collection for your Aspiring Musician!

Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin

by Scholastic Storybook Treasures...Definitely to be Treasured!

Your aspiring musician or performer is going to love the latest video collection by Scholastic Storybook Treasures - Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin.  It is recommended for children ages 4-6.

We had the pleasure of previewing the video collection and my son enjoyed each of the 15 stories in the collection. A surprising round of clapping came when Aretha Franklin even sang!  I clapped right along with him and loved that he could appreciate her voice.

Tough Cookie Mom readers can get a 20 percent discount on orders placed on the website by entering the code "NKFB20" at checkout (through Aug 31).

The company describes the videos as "THE YOUNG ARTISTS COLLECTION is a unique, new DVD set that will have them singing, drawing and learning all summer long!  Beautifully packaged with vibrant art from the best-selling story Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin, the 3-disc collection features animated adaptations from 17 award-winning and beloved books, narrated by celebrities such as Zach Braff, James Earl Jones, Mary Beth Hurt and a singing performance from Aretha Franklin."

I am giving this a BIG THUMBS UP!  My son is a handful on days that he cannot go outside but this has had him completely entertained during our very rainy summer here in Chicagoland.  He has even adopted some new dance moves!  

Thanks to the PR team at Scholastic for allowing us again to preview your latest educational and rewarding video collection. Applause!

I agree that the DVDs are an excellent introduction into the world of music and art. It provides education as well about some of history’s most influential leaders.  The collection features stories that have won dozens of awards including the prestigious ALA Notable Video, Andrew Carnegie and Caldecott Awards, such as: Art, I Like Me, The Dot, Ish, Norman the Doorman, Wallace’s Lists, Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin, Musical Max, The Star-Spangled Banner, Keeping House, Patrick, Apt. 3, John, Paul, George & Ben, Johnny Appleseed, Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain, Madam President and Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad.  The specially-priced set also includes Scholastic’s innovative read-along feature, which highlights the words as they’re read, allowing the child to follow the narrator and promote an early love of reading.

Well done!

PROGRAM INFORMATION

Type:  DVD/3 Discs

Catalog #:  NNVG248190

Running Time:  2 hrs., 47 minutes

Genre:  Kids’/Animation

Audio: Stereo

Joy of Mom

I wanted to share with you a new community called Joy of Mom where you can meet, connect, collaborate and experience the energy and power of PASSION.  What is your life passion? Still waiting for the right time to make your life goals and passions a reality? Join us for inspiration and ideas.  I am so proud of Vicki Reese, a woman that has always followed her dreams - what an inspiration she is to me! Please join us in our journey: http://www.joyofmom.com/

Look on the Bright Side with a Nuo Laptop Bag

It is never too early to start planning for Back to School and if you are sending your daughter off to college, perhaps she will think of you often when she is sporting this flashy laptop bag from Nuo Tech - designed by Fashion Runway Winner, Chloe Dao. Check out the review on UniversityChic.com:

http://www.universitychic.com/article/product-review-look-bright-side-nuo-laptop-bag