What Does abcmouse.com Curriculum Look Like? Is It Worth It?

Wanna take a peek at the curriculum on abcmouse.com? I was curious too, so I decided to try it out. Here's a peek at what I printed. 

DIY Homework Corner Transformation For Teens & College Students (Great F...

Need a homework space for a dorm? Teen? Gotcha covered. 

6 Must Have S.T.E.M. Toys! - STEM Learning Toys to Add to Your Gift Ideas

S.T.E.M. toys are a favorite in our home. It's important to me that my kiddos learn about science and technology. Careers in those fields are needed, and well paid. Our son is 6, and loves all things mechanical. I love watching him figure things out on our own. I want my kids to know that they can be anything in life. I especially want my daughter to know that she can dominate a "man's" world.

Here are some S.T.E.M. toys that we love. Click the photos to check out the toy, and click the video for demos.

8 Must Have Toys For Your Toddler! Learning Toys Gift Guide To Learn ABCs & 123s

I love teaching my kiddos through play. I wanted to share our favorite toddler learning toys. These toys have really helped our kids learn ABCs and 123s. Click on the photos to check out the toy on Amazon, and check out the video below for our demos and reviews.

LeapFrog Leapstart-

Melissa & Doug ABC & 123 Puzzles-

Alligator Puzzle-

2 Piece ABC and Counting Puzzles-

LeapFrog Fridge Phonics Magnetic Letter Set-

Counting Books-

Bath Time Counting Book-

 Bath Toys Foam ABC & 123-

ABC & 123 Coloring Pages-

Melissa & Doug Abacus-

Check Out The Video For Demos & Reviews







May Contain Affiliate Links

Learning Toys Gift Guide - SPELLING Toy Ideas for Kids

I love teaching my kiddos through play. I wanted to put together a few gift guides to show our favorite learning toys. This list is for spelling. The video at the end shows how each toy works. Here's the list. Click on the photos to check out the toy on Amazon. Anything that you'd like me to check out? Leave a comment, I'd love to find more learning toys.

Bathtime Spelling Toy-

Word Puzzle-

Matching Letter Dice Game-

4 Letter Word Magnet Board-

Check out the video for demos & details.

May Contain Affiliate Links

Best Kid's Apps For Traveling

If you don't follow our blog or our YouTube Channel, you may not know that we travel often. Very often. Almost every weekend often. 

We have a 5 year old son, and our daughter just turned 2. I wanted to share their favorite apps. The ones that get us through road trips and nights in hotels. 

Some of these apps are FREE, because I love free! Who doesn't? 

All of these apps are Kindle compatible, and they also work with any iPad. (We use Kindles for traveling)

Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read Classroom Edition

Most of the apps on this list are FREE, but this one is a whopping $49.99. Yes, I know. 

You remember that series from the commercials from when we were kids? Well, now it's an app. 

We love this app! I hardly ever spend more than $2 on an app, but this app is so worth every penny. Not only does it help kiddos read and learn phonics, it also doesn't require internet to run. This means that the kids can play games, watch videos, and read in the car. All while learning! This one is my favorite. Hands down.

PBS Kids Video

This app is completely FREE, and my toddler loves it. It plays videos from their favorite PBS shows, like Sesame Street. This app does require internet, so it doesn't work in the car. It's great for hotel rooms, though. My toddler can navigate the app on her own. Great for keeping her entertained while I'm getting her big brother and myself ready for the day. 

The Kindle App

When I tell other moms that Kindle has children's books, they are blown away. I can't tell ya how many moms don't know about all of the FREE kid friendly books. This app is FREE and theyre are plenty of FREE books. We love this for car rides, and it works great for bedtime stories in hotel rooms. 

Crayola DigiTools Paint

Another great FREE app. This app is a simple coloring app, with lots of colors and textures to choose from. It doesn't need internet, so it's perfect for the car. 

Free Flow

This app is one of my son's favorite. You match each colored dot to the matching dot. This game is addicting, and helps time pass during long trips. The app is FREE and doesn't require internet to play.

Sonic Dash

This FREE app brings back some nostalgia for me. I loved to play Sonic when I was a kid. This app doesn't need internet, and my son loves it. A great game to keep kiddos occupied. 

(....and us nostalgic parents also)

Smash Hit

This game is more for older kids. My son loves this game, and I love that it was free and doesn't require internet. It's a simple game that can get pretty hard. I actually enjoy playing this game also. You aim at glass pieces while you're moving. Give it a try. 

Minecraft

This game pretty much speaks for itself. This game is pretty calming for my son. There's no time limit; and no losing in creative mode. He can build all we wants and he cant get upset about losing a level (since there is no wining and losing) He can easily play this for an hour and be content the whole time. A total win when we're traveling for multiple hours. 

The Audible App

The Audible app reads books to you. Even kids books. There is a fee for this one, but it's great for road trips. The kiddos can listen to a book while they doodle.

May Contain Affiliate Links

Ideas For Learning States! Games & Activities- Capitals & Facts- Homesc...

  I decided to start a series of videos/posts to show everyone what we're using for curriculum in different subjects. This video is about learning states, and the games that we use to help our kids learn.

Do you have any awesome suggestions? I'd love to hear them.

Little Passports Lesson About the United States Subscription Box for Kid...

  I was on the hunt for games and activities to help my 5 year old learn about the states. (I still am, if you have any ideas) We travel a lot, and I like to teach him about that states that we go to. In 2015, we did a review and unboxing for the Little Passports Around The World Box, and I decided to try their subscription box for the United States. The box contains activities that teach kiddos about different states.

  The box in this video is the first box in the series. My son loved it. Namely the scratch book. He even remembered the Liberty Bell, which we saw last summer. The video shows an in depth view of whats in the box, but it came with- A folder, a letter, an activity book, a scratch book and an awesome map.

Check out the Little Passport website here-

 

To see our last Little Passports unboxing click here-

Have any suggestions for helping my son learn his states? Pleeeease let me know in the comments.

Lowes Build & Grow Workshop For Kids - FREE - What is it? Our Experience...

Did you hear about Lowes stopping their Lowes Build and Grow program?

  We are so bummed. The kiddos love those workshops, and they were completely free. I wonder why they stopped the program?

  We're happy that Home Depot still has their FREE Workshops for kiddos. Are you as sad as we are about this?

Post Pal Club - Subscription Box w Personalized Picture Postcards For K...

  How cute is this?! PostPalClub.Com sends your personalized postcards with your kiddo's face on them. It's a subscription service. I'm in love. This is perfect for kids who live far from family and friends, and for children that are learning their address.

Kidstir Subscription Box - A Box For Kids That Love To Cook - Great For ...

  We finally tried a new subscription box, and Logan loves it! If you're new here, Logan is 5 and loves to cook. We bought him an Easy Bake Oven a couple years ago, but he's already outgrown it. He's more into cooking dinner for everyone now (with plenty of help, of course). Let's keep our fingers crossed that he still feels this way when he's a teenager. (If only, right?) Back to the subscription box- Kidstir is a box for kiddos who like to cook. Our unboxing video can give ya a better peek. Our first box came with an apron, a cookbook, a quality spatula, recipe cards, place cards, and activity sheets. We've actually been using the scapula in place of the one that we already had because it works so well. Dead serious. Im only a little ashamed to tell you that. (lol) We look for subscription boxes that can help the kiddos learn. This on was perfect for our 5 year old, but I feel like this would also be perfect for older kids & teenagers. I love STEM learning! The activity sheets make this an easy homeschool activity or an awesome after school learning affair. I love that this box comes with useful items that can be used over and over, and I also love that it comes with activity sheets. A definite plus. For more info, or to order a box, click this banner-

  Check out my YouTube channel for more learning ideas! Thanks for reading! Bye Ya'll! Love Yinz! Melanie

Our Homeschool Curriculum 2016

I finally got around to making a video showing our homeschool curriculum for 2016/2017. I love schooling our son at home. He gifted, but he also had high function autism and sensory processing disorder. He learns faster than most kids, but he can only learn if the situation is right for him. When he's at home, I can control the world around him, and he can learn a vast amount of information in a small period of time. If he were in a school around other children and the noise and lights, he wouldn't learn anything. It's crazy to think about how his little genius mind works. I have a video about it on my YouTube channel.

Looking for a product in this video?
I currently have the links in the description bar of the video. I plan on adding them here, of course, but I can get the links to paste. Lol.

Know any awesome learning toys for kindergartners? Let me know, please?

Thanks Guys!

Bye, Y'all! Love Yinz!
Melanie