Origami Resources Extravaganza -- Craft for Any Time

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these products in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Summer is always full of fun, but there are those days when the weather doesn't agree with getting outside. It can be too hot or too wet. And kids can get bored inside. Personally, I have always loved origami. It can be made as a lesson, I use it in my geometry class all the time, as part of a gift or craft, or just for fun. Today I am sharing some new origami resources for different ages and abilities as well as roundup of resources we have reviewed previously. Today's new resources include four books and three packs of origami paper. We will start with the book that comes with its own paper and is for ages 6 to 9. It is The Origami Kid: A Paperfolding Adventure by Robert McGuire. The previous review roundup includes over 100 products and projects!

Avoiding the Summer Math Slide with Roundup of Ideas for Different Ages (PreK - grade 11)

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Independence Day is past. Summer is quickly passing. Kids are enjoying their break from school as are teachers. But what is happening to your kids' math ability this summer? According to Learner.com, 70-78% of elementary students experience a decline in math skills over the summer. (Source) Most schools now assign summer reading to prevent the summer slide in literary skills, but does your child's school assign summer math? Most high schools do these days. Now I am a huge advocate for a break! I love summer! It is my favorite season, and I remember the days of having nothing to do and being able to hang out with friends and relax. However, summer slide is real. (There is a slide after any vacation and the longer the vacation the more skills lost.) There are things to do to help with the math summer slide even if your child does not have math summer work. Today I am going to review two great resources for different ages to help with the summer slide or just give extra practice to two ages groups: middle grades (8+) and high school. These books are amazing resources to help with math skills and also can give students extra practice or a leg up on the upcoming math year. At the end of the post, I have a roundup for different ages math products and activities to try this summer to keep your child's brain thinking mathematically.

Summer Themes: Artists -- Today's Focus: Hokusai

 

Disclosure: I was sent these products in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Ready for another summer theme? It is a good one--artists. Art and artists are a fun summer focus. You can read books, watch videos, do crafts and visit museums. It is so fun!! Today we are going to focus on the Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai. At the end of the post will be a roundup of resources on Hokusai as well as a roundup of resources on other famous artists. Today's products are not completely books. The first is Hokusai Prints Sticker Book: A Collection of Over 160 Removable Color Stickers by the Great Artist compiled by Tuttle Studio and illustrated by Katsushika Hokusai. 

I Love New York City!! New Books to Learn About NYC with Resource Roundup

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

New York City is a special place for Hazel and me. At a young age, she wanted to see the Statue of Liberty. I have been lucky enough to take her on several trips to New York. And we are going again this summer for my birthday!! I promised to take her to see a Broadway show. After all her dream is perform on Broadway some day and she has never actually been. As we are planning our weekend away, these two new books arrived and only added to my excitement for our trip! The first is a beautiful book called Unknown New York: An Artist Uncovers the City's Hidden Treasures by Jesse Richards. This is not a children's book but is also a book that could be read with a child to learn more about the city. 

Unofficial Taylor Swift Eras (The Sticker Version)

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this sticker book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Are you a Swiftie or have a Swiftie in your life? The Eras Tour may be over but there are fun Taylor Swift things to do besides listening to her amazing music! Today I am going to share a fun new sticker book perfect for the Swiftie in your life. It is Unofficial Taylor Swift Eras (The Sticker Version) by Workman Publishing and illustrated by Brooke O'Neill. It is recommended for ages 7 and up. Yes, that can include adults!!

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Sea Star -- Book Review & Giveaway with Sea Star Craft Roundup

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Kathleen Welton to bring you this post.

Happy First Day of Summer!! To kick off this season I get to share a fun book about sea creatures. Every summer Hazel and I always studied something about the ocean/beach. We always have a beach trip since we get the Cape house for a week. Plus, there are always great crafts to do with the treasures you find on a beach. So, to go with today's book I am sharing a roundup of sea star themed crafts! The book today is Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Sea Star by Kathleen Welton and illustrated by Chau Pham. 

The Tales of Charlie Wags: Paris -- Book Review & Giveaway with Paris-Themed Craft & Resource Roundup

 

Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Sofie Wells and Ali Barclay to bring you this post.

When Hazel was young, she loved when we read books about other places and cultures.  She would have loved The Tales of Charlie Wags Series. And guess what? Charlie Wags is back and this time he visits Paris!! The book we are sharing today is The Tales of Charlie Wags: Paris by Sofie Wells and Ali Barclay with pictures by Sanna Sjöström. After my review there is a roundup of Paris-themed crafts as well as other books to learn and explore Paris from home! Plus, there is a giveaway!! 

Pop Manga Postcards & Stickers

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these products in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Are you into manga? It seems like manga is a growing artwork. It is originally a graphic novel from Japan. Now we see manga style artwork without the comic part. Today we are sharing some new manga artwork product by Camilla d'Errico. The products are post cards and a sticker book. The post cards are Pop Manga Postcards. 

Books for Valentine's Day

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of these books in exchange for honest reviews. All opinions are my own.

The end of January is coming near. Lunar new year and the Read Your World Celebration are getting closer but so is Valentine's Day. Today we are going to focus on Valentine's Day and love. I am sharing two books for younger children that are perfect to get ready for Valentine's Day or in a loving mood and at the end of the post is a roundup of ideas for kids to make valentines and children's love songs to sing. One is a musical board book. It has buttons to push to hear the songs. It is Little Love Songs by Sandra Boynton. It is recommended for babies through age 5.

Sharing Is Caring, Dragon! -- Picture Book Review & Giveaway

 

Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I am working with The Children's Book Review to bring you this post and giveaway. 

This week seems to be dragon week with the young adult book I shared yesterday and today's picture book. Plus, lunar new year begins next week. It will be the year of the snake, but let's face it dragons are always part of the lunar new year. Today I get to share with you a wonderful book with so many great themes for young kids to learn, and there is a giveaway at the end of the post! The book is Sharing Is Caring, Dragon! by Bianca Schulze and illustrated by Samara Hardy. I have had the pleasure of sharing another of the dragon series books previously.

The Tales of Charlie Wags: New York City -- Book Review & Giveaway with a NYC Craft Round-Up

 

Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am working with The Children's Book Review, Sofie Wells and Ali Barclay to bring you this post and giveaway.

Are you ready for a sweet, magical book? I get to share one with you today and guess what? There is a giveaway at the end of this post! In this magical book a sweet dog visits New York City, so I am also sharing a small New York City craft round-up. Let's get into the book--it is The Tales of Charlie Wags: New York City by Sofie Wells and Ali Barclay with pictures by Sanna Sjöström.

Craft Books for Kids & Adults

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I am still working on clearing my review shelf, so the roundups continue this week! Today we are looking at some great craft books for kids (and adults). These books range in abilities and topics. If you have a creative child in your life these books will make great gifts. We will start with the book for the youngest age 5 to 9. It is The Kids' Book of Craft Love by Irene Smit and Astrid van der Hulst. 

What Makes Hands Beautiful? -- Book Review, Giveaway & Handprint Craft Round-Up

 

Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I am working with The Children's Book Review and J.F. Bierlein to bring you this post.

Do you ever think about hands? We use them all the time, and life would be so hard without them. As I thought about hands and looked at my own handprint crafts, I thought about how we use them for sensory and let's face it there are so many great handprint crafts! I am sharing a large round-up of handprint crafts and hand sensations. Think about kids playing with play dough, slime and finger painting. Or the fact that we hold their hands all the time. Our hands are truly our sense of touch and something special to us. Today I get to share a beautiful book about hands. It is What Makes Hands Beautiful? by J.F. Bierlein and illustrated by Houda Zahid. There is a giveaway and the craft round-up at the end of the post.

Halloween Children's Book Round-Up For the Easily Frightened Child with Crafts & More

 

October always has me thinking. When Hazel was young, we would avoid Halloween displays in stores. They scared her too much. It was hard to go anywhere, and the displays got put up earlier and earlier every year. She was easily frightened, and I had to be careful what I exposed her to. However, she loved dressing up for Halloween. (Perhaps this is why she wants to go into theater.) I have been thinking back to some of our favorite Halloween books and I thought I would share some of them and more with you! This round-up includes our favorite books and books we enjoyed when she was young and more recent ones as well as DVDs, costumes and some crafts and activities to go with the books. 

A New Friend for Dragon -- Review & Giveaway Plus Dragon and Knight Craft Round-Up

 

Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I am working with The Children's Book Review to bring you this post.

With back to school there have been some great books coming out about differences. Let's face it when kids go back to school, they see people who are different from them in some way. It is important for kids to realizes that differences can be a good thing and that it is ok to be friends with people who are different. The book I'm sharing today is about just this. It is A New Friend for Dragon by Bianca Schulze and illustrated by Samara Hardy. 

Resources to Teach Kids Personal Finance

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Did you know that on June 29, 2024, California became the 26th state to require a personal finance class for all high school students? Half of our states now require personal finance to be taught in public schools. There are advocacy groups working on the other 26 states. Now as a child I remember my father teaching me about things like checking accounts, credit cards, and investments. Courses really were not offered in schools. In my first teaching job back in the 1990s I did however teach a consumer math class. I was teaching a vocational school and both consumer math and business math were offered. It taught things like banking, taking out loans, purchasing a car, taxes, etc. I remember one of the math teachers giving spelling tests for writing out checks. She made sure the kids knew how to spell the numbers out when they wrote them on checks. I didn't think much about consumer math after I left that school in 1997 until last year. My current job has me teaching consumer math again. I was given an old book back from the late 90's or early 2000's. The numbers are so outdated and really the content is rather boring. I got to come up with my own curriculum or find it. This summer I am taking several of Next Gen Personal Finance's (NGPF) teacher certification courses to help me get better at it. I have used their free curriculum for about a year and a half so far. Next year I plan to mix it in with other curriculum I have found and/or written. Today however I get to share a new book with you for younger kids, though I will be adding it to my classroom library, about financial terms. It is Financial Fun from A-Z by Brooke Lapides. It is recommended for baby through 9 but I see it as a great reference book for older students as well.

Even Better Than Sprinkles: A Story About Best Friends

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

What is better than sprinkles and unicorns? A good friend of course!! Today I get to share a new picture book (released today) about best friends. It takes us through the good times and a bad time in a friendship. The book is Even Better Than Sprinkles: A Story About Best Friends by Linda Skeers and illustrated by Heather Fox. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.

A Beginner's Guide to Modern Calligraphy and Brush Pen Lettering -- a Crafty Sundays Review

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Happy First Sunday of Summer!! As a teacher and a mom, I love summer!! It means more time doing things I love and more time with family!! With my teaching schedule this past year I feel like I really earned my summer vacation. I need time to recharge and get ready for next year. One thing I always try to do when I'm stressed out is craft. My mind needs it!! I am always amazed by the people who have beautiful penmanship. You know the ones that make beautiful words with what looks like little effort. When I was young, I took classes on calligraphy and discovered if I take my time and put effort in and I can write in calligraphy pretty well. But it always takes time. These days there are more modern writing and fonts and I always love trying them but usually without much success. Today I am going to share a book with you that helps train you to write in those modern fonts and use a brush pen. The book is A Beginner's Guide to Modern Calligraphy and Brush Pen Lettering by Maki Shimano. 

How to Make a Sandwich -- Book Review & Giveaway

 

Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Lorena M. Proia to bring you this review and giveaway.

There are times when I read a picture book and just think "Ahhhh." Today's book is one of those. I absolutely love this book and hope you will check it out. The book is How to Make a Sandwich by Lorena M. Proia. 

Look -- Book Review & Finding Patterns Activity Round-Up

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

As a math teacher I know that being able to see and recognize patterns is important. When kids are young, we teach them simple pattern finding. When they are older, we teach harder pattern finding that goes into things like equations of lines and other graphs. I know because I just taught patterns to my algebra class. I also teach patterns in geometry. Patterns are important in life and in developing our brains! Patterns are also a huge part of our lives. We see them all around us. We create them in our daily lives. Patterns can be dances, songs, daily routines, fabric prints, bead colors or shapes, spirals, branches, etc. Even our bodies are made with some patterns. They are truly everywhere. Today I get to share a new book about looking for patterns both to learn patterns and to help give you a break when needed. The book is Look by Gabi Snyder and illustrated by Samantha Cotterill. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.