Tag Archives: games

Fun Friday: Celebrate Spring With The Very Hungry Caterpillar

21 Mar

spring

My daughter counted down the days until she gets to the Tulip on her school calendar, which marked the first day of Spring!  We ready to pack up our winter jackets and head to the park for hours on end.  We’re excited to chase butterflies, watch the ducks in the pond, and picnic with friends!

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A throw back, catching butterflies at an educational event in NJ.

Did you know yesterday not only marked the first day of Spring but it was also The Very Hungry Caterpillar Day?

I have childhood memories listening to and reading books by Eric Carle.  Some of my childhood favorites included Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, The Mixed Up Chameleon, The Tiny Seed, and but my favorite was The Very Hungry Caterpillar!  For generations, Eric Carle books have been a favorite in classrooms and in homes.   Now that I am a parent, it’s always fun when my girls come home loving books that I loved as a little girl.  My girls are big fans of his books especially The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  For Christmas, the girls received The Very Hungry Caterpillar Take and Toss Game, The Very Hungry Caterpillar Stencil Set, and The Very Hungry Chunky Colored Pencils. To welcome Spring and celebrate Spring we pulled out our game and made art projects.

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The Very Hungry Caterpillar Twirl and Toss Game is simple to set up. Snap the caterpillar and leaves onto the branch.  Each player receives 3 soft pieces of fruit.  Players help the Very Hungry Caterpillar catch his lunch, by tossing soft-stuffed fruit at the twirling caterpillar.  Be the first to get all three pieces onto the velcro targets to win.  My girls have a great time playing and love cheering each other on to feed their caterpillar friend.

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image from amazon

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The Very Hungry Caterpillar Stencil Set & The Very Hungry Chunky Colored Pencils are great for after school coloring and crafting.  The girls have a lot of fun making cards for their friends and family.  This afternoon we will be coloring our favorite shapes, cutting them out and glueing them on a construction paper crown.  With Easter around the corner, these would make a great basket filler.

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20140321-140918.jpgThe World of Eric Carle toys and games are fun for playdates, sleep overs, or to keep busy during the April showers.  You can find other games and activities from your favorite Eric Carle books here.    Want to have a Very Hungry Caterpillar themed Fun Friday find snack ideas and other activities on my The Very Hungry Caterpillar Board on pinterest.  Happy Spring!

Barnes and Noble also carries toys, games, and other Eric Carle favorites!

Barnes and Noble also carries toys, games, and other Eric Carle favorites!

Disclaimer: I received products for review however this did not alter my opinions.  All opinions expressed are my own.  Information in italic are from amazon.com.   All images are my own unless noted in the caption below them.

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Fun Friday: Elf on the Shelf Hide and Seek Game

13 Dec
Snowflake, our Elf!

Snowflake, our Elf!

My girls love their Elf on the Shelf.  They were anxious for their Elf to return after Thanksgiving.  Every morning they search for Snowflake to see where she is hiding or what she has gotten into.   I was at Barnes and Noble recently and came across the Elf on the Shelf Hide and Seek Game.

Image from Barnes and Noble

Image from Barnes and Noble

Hide and seek is a game we always turn to when we have play dates and we run out of activities.  However, with the cold winter months ahead it’s hard to play hide and seek in small NYC apartments.  The Elf on the Shelf Hide and Seek Game comes with a musical Elf with a shelf base and makes our favorite game easier to play indoors.  For ages 3 and up.  Two or more players are required to play. There are multiple ways to play, mix it up and make it different each time you play.

The Basic Game: Someone hides the elf and everyone else tries to find him!  The elf talks and plays Jingle Bells to help you find him.  Three additional ways to play are included! 

To Win:  Every time a player/team finds The Elf on the Shelf they get to put a gift token in their sleigh.  The first player/ team to collect three gift tokens in their sleigh wins!  

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Includes The Elf on the Shelf Game Unit, 4 sleighs, 13 gift tokens, 4 high/low cards, North Pole Token, and rules Image from Walmart

We have brought our Elf on the Shelf hide an seek game to many play dates and family gatherings.  Fun for the entire family and kids of all ages.  The girls love hiding it in hard spots like cabinets or under blankets to make it harder for adults who play with them.  We keep it simple at play dates, and we don’t use the game pieces and take turns hiding the Elf.  A great gift for the Holidays or to have for a Holiday get together!

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Listen to find the Elf

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Happy Hiding!

Disclaimer:  I did not receive compensation for this post!  All opinions expressed are my own.

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Fun Friday with Reverse Charades (Review and Giveaway)

30 Aug

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Over the summer we played a lot of games.  Our favorite game was Reverse Charades: Junior Edition.  We received a sample not long ago and have had a blast playing as a family.  The game includes a box of words to act out, a timer, and a “Rules of Play” card.

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How to Play:

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My girls are 3 and 5, so they are a little young for the game but my husband and I paired up with them to help out.  We selected words that would be easy for the kids to act out.  Some of their favorite words to act out are sick, ice cream cone, leapfrog, chew, ring pop and leapfrog. The girls had difficulty keeping quiet and mouthing words, which you lose points for.  At first they were upset when they lost points but then when someone forgot the rule they would laugh.  The highlight was watching my husband and I act out words.  I must admit, there were some difficult words to act out that we had to pass on.  Reverse Charades has made our summer nights and “Fun Fridays” very entertaining.

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Once the girls head back-to-school, their bed time is early except for the weekends!  Fridays we have family fun or they invite friends over for PJ parties but bed times are put aside for “Fun Friday”.  Friday fun usually consists of movies or games.  Reverse Charades makes a great gift for birthdays or holidays.  It is fun for adults and is the perfect game to play at PJ parties, sleepovers, play dates, or with family.  It’s a game that will certainly fill a room with laughter.

Can you guess her word?

Can you guess her word? 😉

Reverse Charades is available these four editions; Original, Junior, French and Dutch for $23.99.   Expansion word packs are available for $9.99 which include the Hollywood Edition, the Canadian Edition, the Sports Edition, the Holiday Edition, and the Girls’ Night In Edition.  In addition to being an awesome game, when you buy Reverse Charades, a portion of the price supports efforts to bring laughter to kids and their families at Children’s Hospitals. Reverse Charade is available at Barnes & Noble, Hallmark, Learning Express and Amazon or find other retailers to buy near you.

Check out Reverse Charades on YouTube to see how much fun you can have with the game!

GIVEAWAY: 
Click the link to ENTER to WIN a Reverse Charades Junior Edition game for a Fun Friday with friends and family.  Giveaway ends on 9/13/2013 @11:59 pm EST!

Disclaimer: I received a sample of Reverse Charades for the purpose of this review and a sample for the giveaway.  All opinions expressed are my own.  Any information in italics came from the Reverse Charades website.

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Learn with Homer App (REVIEW)

8 Aug
Top image from Learn with Homer

Top image from Learn with Homer

Both of my girls have an IPAD.  Some people think it’s crazy kids are introduced to technology at such an age.  If used the right way, technology can be very beneficial to how our children learn.  There are so many educational apps you can download for kids.  We recently had the opportunity to test out Learn with Homer, a new comprehensive reading App. for kids.

My oldest daughter is starting kindergarten in the fall.  All summer long she has been eager to get back-to-school.  She has been practicing her writing skill and has expressed a lot of interest in learning to read.   We have been working on reading with trips to the library, reading in bed at night and when I need to get caught up with laundry or cleaning, or needs a little down time she uses her iPad.   Learn with Homer, designed by top literacy experts for children aged 3 to 6, builds literacy through four connected learning experiences: Learn to Read, Story Time, Discover the World, and Homer’s Clubhouse.  Homer has been an amazing addition to our educational apps for many reasons:

  1. 20130808-113216.jpgIt’s fun and my girls are really learning.  Not long ago my daughter was “Discovering the World” of the Zoo and was able to tell me what a carnivore and herbivore  were after.
  2. The graphics and artwork are amazing.  Something to notice when downloading “Discovering the World”, the image goes from a painting to an real photograph.  Not to mention Homer and friends are adorable.
  3. Picking a hat, such a big decision.  My girls loved choosing their hat for their welcome page and would change it up on occasion.
  4. Both my girls love to doodle and draw.  They have a blast creating board in the Homer’s Clubhouse.
  5. Although, I only had it on one iPad, you could manage the settings to add additional children.  My youngest loved the drawing app and recording a messages.
  6. Story time includes wonderful and engaging stories, fables, folktales, nursery rhymes, poems, and even songs.  Our favorites are Homer to the Rescue and The Little Plant Poem.
  7. After a story or lesson is finished, there is a review activity to reinforce what they have learned.
  8. There is a parent site to check your child’s progress and see what they are working on.  You also have access to coloring pages, reading lists and the clubhouse gallery to see the artwork and messages your child create.
  9. I also recently discovered the shop so you can have the beautiful Learn with Homer artwork on your walls, on your couch, or on the back of your iPhone, iPod, or iPad.  The perfect gifts for your little Homer fans. My favorite is this canvase by Jenny Jenkins.
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All images from Learn with Homer!

Whether you are preparing for back-to-school, looking for a rainy day learning activity, Learning with Homer is a fantastic App you won’t regret downloading for your child.  This app would be also great reward for the tech-loving child in the classroom.  Follow Learn with Homer on twitter and Facebook! Happy Learning!

Keep checking back for a Learn with Homer GIVEAWAY!

Disclaimer: I was part of a test group and received the app and other products and gift certificates for this review.  These did not alter my opinions.  As always, all opinions expressed are my own.  Information in italics are from the Homer Website.

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Crunch A Color

9 Jan

The Holidays always bring unhealthy eating.  It usually starts at Thanksgiving which leads into Holiday parties and then before you know it the New Year is here and you need to get back into the routine of eating Healthy.  Over the Holidays my girls were on the road a lot.  They went through drive thru’s on their way up and down the east coast and went out to eat way more than they normally do.  Now that we are home, it’s time to get back into the routine of eating healthy and trying new vegetables.

Picture 19I recently came across Crunch A Color, a game to learn about healthy nutritious choices.  I will be purchasing this game soon to play during meal time.  To play, kids earn points as they eat servings of veggies, fruits, proteins and grains. Bonus points for trying new foods (2x points!) and good manners (e.g., setting the table, clearing the table, starting a conversation).  Sounds like something my girls need!  Not to mention, 5% of the profits support non-profit children’s nutrition programs including Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, FoodCorps, and Alice Waters’ Edible Schoolyard.  Can’t wait to get my girls crunching a color soon!

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Check out Crunch a Color’s Printables and Recipe Blog!

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post.  All images and information in italics came from the Crunch A Color website.

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