My daughter and I have always been big fans of music. We sing together, we play piano, we play toy instruments, and we love to dance. I have sung to her every night before bed from the very beginning, and I have encouraged her to experience a wide variety of musical genres. Through the influence of her favorite TV show, as well as the influence of her grandfather, she developed an early love of classical music, and she loves identifying and playing lots of musical instruments. So I was thrilled when we were given the opportunity to check out the new Think & Learn Rocktopus from Fisher Price!
Author Archives: Vicki
Teaching Kids about the Element of Surprise
I love books that teach kids about language and literature in fun and interesting ways. My focus in grad school was literacy, so I spent a lot of time learning about language and literary elements, and it can sometimes be a dry topic. So I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to check out this hilarious book about the element of surprise, and saw how easily it made the topic fun and engaging!
Books on Gratitude
It is so important to practice gratitude and thankfulness, but teaching these traits to kids can be difficult. Luckily, there are lots of great children’s books on gratitude to help explain the topic. Today I decided to gather some of our favorite books on thankfulness to help you dive into the topic as a family.
Standard Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission from purchases you make through the links in this post. I received copies of The Thank You Book and My Little Gifts in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Sharing Family Memories with Nanna’s Button Tin
I am so grateful for the relationship that my daughter has with my parents. Family is so important to me, and I truly believe in the importance of passing on our knowledge, traditions, and memories to future generations. Years ago, I found a journal and stack of letters that my grandfather had written while he was serving overseas, and my father and I typed them up as a Christmas present for our family. This lead to my father writing up an entire family history, which he gifted to all of us in book form. It has become a treasured part of my library. When I had the opportunity to check out today’s book, it touched my heart because it speaks to the same idea of sharing family memories and passing them on to the next generation.
Election Books for Kids
Updated on October 18, 2019
Election season is here. As election ads take over the airwaves, and signs pop up all around us, kids may have lots of questions about the voting process. This list of election books for kids are a great way to introduce them to the process of voting.
Standard Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission from purchases you make through the links in this post. I received a copy of some of the following books in exchange for my honest review. These are annotated with an *. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Digging for Fun with a Dog Named Doug!
My daughter and I are huge fans of Karma Wilson’s books. Her Bear books are in constant rotation in our read aloud line up, and my daughter already names her as her favorite author. So as dog lovers, we were so excited when we heard that she was writing a new book about a dog named Doug. This adorable story gave us the opportunity to engage in some dog activities too!
Standard Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission from purchases you make through the links in this post. I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Books to End the Bedtime Battle
Bedtime can sometimes be a struggle. From the very beginning my daughter has had a difficult time sleeping. We read together every night before bed, so I am always on the lookout for great bedtime books. I previously posted about our Two Book Bedtime Routine, which includes a relaxing book meant to help her drift to sleep. This list of bedtime books are great options for winding down at the end of the day and helping to end the bedtime battle.
Skeleton Fun with Skelly!
Updated on October 5, 2019
Halloween is right around the corner, which means that stores and homes will soon be covered in ghosts, pumpkins, and skeletons. To get in the Halloween spirit, we wanted to share this fun book that tells the story of a skeleton in need. He receives help from the friends around him (sometimes with humorous results). This book also provided us with the perfect opportunity to have fun with some skeleton activities, games and crafts!
15 Children’s Books about Pumpkins
Fall is almost here, which means it’s time to start thinking about pumpkins, apples, and fall festivals! Fall is my favorite time of year, and I love visiting the apple orchards and pumpkin patches with my family. Our neighbor is unintentionally growing pumpkins this year (squirrels love to bury pumpkin seeds it seems), so we have had the opportunity to watch them grow from vines into flowers, and finally into pumpkins. To celebrate the start of fall and continue our pumpkin education, I decided to gather a list of fun children’s books about pumpkins. From board books to picture books, and even non-fiction reads, there is a little something for everyone!
How to Trick the Tooth Fairy!
Dental health is so important in the early years, and the best way to get kids excited about it is to make it fun! When it comes to losing a tooth, what kid doesn’t get excited about the prospect of a glittery fairy doling out coins and prizes? Today, we had the opportunity to check out a new picture book that takes the tooth fairy myth in a fun new direction as she battles with the prank queen for top status. We also had some fun with a variety of tooth fairy activities inspired by the story.
