You’ve likely read in the news, a parenting mag or any number of other places over the last decade that family dinners are on the decrease and, conversely, that regular family dinners contribute to academic success, decrease the risk of our children becoming crack heads and keep families connected in ways that are very necessary. As crazy as they are, I love family dinners.

If you’ve ever sat at a table in silence and wondered how to get the conversation started, you’re not alone. You won’t have to hear “Nothing…Nowhere…Nobody…” from your child anymore with the addition of the new card game, Family Talk, to your dinner table. The concept behind Around the Table Games is simple brilliance. These games should not be necessary, but with the state of family dinners in our society today they really, really are. Available in three versions, Family Talk, Family Talk 2 and Grandparent Talk are inexpensive, portable cards games on carribiners (or available in cool jars) that encourage conversations between parents, children and relatives of all ages.

Around the Table Games aren’t just for dinner at your dining room table. “Our games are like taking the dinner time conversation with you, wherever you go,” explains Around the Table Games founder Beth Daniels, herself a working mom. “Because our games are made to be portable, the proverbial table discussions can now be held at the airport, during carpool, waiting in a long line or wherever people gather in the same place at the same time.” You can clip them to a backpack or purse and use them anywhere you might have a few minutes to chat.

Grandparent Talk would make a fantastic gift for your childrens’ grandparents, and it’s just as much a gift for your own childrens. Allowing them and encouraging them to really know their grandparents is one of the greatest gifts you can give. Connecting young people to their family and to their heritage is just one of the things that’s missing from many families today and I, for one, am going to do my damnedest to make sure that my family talks - really talks - and Around the Table Games will sure help!

Save 20% when you buy direct with the code TOPFMT

Win it! One TOP reader will win your choice of the three Around The Table Games! To enter, leave a comment on this post before noon MST on July 2/08 with your choice of the three versions of the game and either a suggested question for a future game or a tip for the rest of us to keep our families connected.

Get up to three additional entries into this contest! (Today you get the expanded version…just in case you need a refresher.)

1. Blog about this contest using one of the top three images found here. Leave a comment with the direct link to your post (not to your main page, and in a separate comment from your other entry).

AND/OR
2.

or

 Subscribe in a reader

Leave an additional comment to let us know that you did this for your extra entry. Be sure to leave a valid email address so we can confirm your subscription. Current subscriptions count too! Just let us know how you subscribe…Bloglines? Another reader? Email? They all work!

AND/OR

3. Place our button in your sidebar or add us to your blogroll. Leave an additional comment to let us know that you did this for your extra entry. Be sure to leave a valid url so we can confirm the addition. If we’ve been there all along, that counts too!

Maximum four entries total per person.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED - Congratulations Jennifer!

My daughter and I bake and cook together all the time. Getting all sticky and gooey with a three year old is so much fun. I was searching for a cute matching apron set when I came across YouCanMakeThis.com.

The website is packed with great looking patterns for all kinds of projects. Spending less time searching for patterns at my local fabric store with two kids in tow was very appealing. Being an eco-mom, knowing that I could download the pattern and simply keep my laptop handy while crafting totally sold me on the concept.

Once I had the pattern I read through it and set out to the fabric store for my supplies. I have to admit here that I am not an expert seamstress. Having taken classes in high school many years ago, I have just recently started to sew again. The pattern could have been formatted slightly better making lists easier to read. I totally missed buying the lining fabric. I like things easy and appreciate when things are quick to understand so I can get started. This was not always the case with this pattern, and I got quite frustrated trying to decipher what the pattern was calling for while my baby hung on my leg and I had to explain why it rains for the fourth time to my preschooler.

The end result, however, is so cute. My daughter adores her apron that matches Mommy’s. The second apron turned out much better than the first, mostly due to my understanding of the project. It was great to be able to work on a quick sewing project. I wouldn’t hesitate to use another pattern from their site, as long as I knew I would have some quiet time to figure it out. -Chelle

Save 15% with the code PARENT15 until June 25. One time use per customer.

Win it! We’re giving away ANY pattern of your choice from YouCanMakeThis.com! To enter, leave a comment on this post before noon MST on June 20/08 indicating which pattern you’d choose should you be the lucky winner.

Additional entries available - up to four per person. See contest entry information and rules.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

What child doesn’t like to build forts? None that I know, and as a mother and a teacher I know hundreds.

Parents, though, aren’t always huge fans of finding every sheet and blanket from their linen closet draped over the kitchen and living room furniture. Invest in a Fortamajig and you’ll never come home to an empty linen closet again.

The Fortamajig, created by The Happy Kid Company, is a far better alternative to sheets even if you are the mom that doesn’t mind re-washing and re-folding them repeatedly as-nauseum. It’s a fort, a tent, a drawing room for a tea-party, an art studio, a bug museum, a library or a barn. It’s whatever you want it to be. Limited only by your imagination, the genius easy to use (see?) Fortamajig is an 8×8 foot piece of ripstop nylon with slits, windows and 24 velcro loops sewn at strategic locations allowing children to build and re-build a variety of play structures using chairs, trees, stair rails or anything else you can dream up. Packaged in a tote with no pieces to break or lose - and is really the ultimate in portable, washable, storable and durable open-ended toys. We have used the Fortamajig with kids aged 2-72 and every one of them adored it.

The single layer Fortamajig retails for $70 and the double layer reversibles and the cool new Connectables retail for $90. Both can be ordered from their online shop.

Save 10% off your entire order through August 1, 2008 with the code opinion.

Remember those things that everyone in grade five could fold except you? (Oh wait, was that just me?) You know the ones…I think we called them fortune tellers. I believe I was supposed to marry Shawn Smith and live in a green house with 13 children or something. Whew. I dodged that bullet! As an elementary school child I played fortune teller so often that I can still recall the feeling of muscle strain in my thumbs from opening and closing them for hours on end.

It might be an old fashioned game in that it doesn’t blink or re-charge, but Chicago based Green Rock Entertainment has created Cahootie - fortune tellers with a modern twist.

Each game features 40 re-positionable fortune stickers allowing for kids to create a new game any time and rip-resistant laminated paper. Check out the fabulous interactive website, www.cahootie.com, to see the six great designs and some awesome downloads, or join Club Cahootie! Perhaps best of all, Cahootie retails for just $5.95 so kids can use their own money to buy them. We’ve got some large stockings to fill at Christmas and I’m thinking these are just the thing! They’d also be a great addition to a birthday gift, a cool Giftventure gift or just because!

Win it! We’re giving away ALL of the six Cahootie games! Six readers will each win one Cahootie. To enter, leave a comment on this post stating which of the six you’d like to be entered for. Contest closes at noon MST on June 6/08.

Additional entries available. See contest entry information and rules.

CONTEST CLOSED

A Giftventure is a personalized treasure hunt service where all of the materials are custom made and delivered to you! You simply choose an adventure, a character, and a hiding place for a gift that you provide. Enter the location where you have the hidden gift, some of the child’s personal interests, (such as a favorite game, or a local landmark), and you’re all set! Using the information you provide, they create and mail a series of letters and puzzles addressed to the child who must solve the puzzles and follow the clues in the letters to discover the location of your hidden gift.

Trust me when I tell you that Giftventure is as cool as it sounds, if not cooler.

There are currently seven adventures to choose from with more coming soon, and there are seven characters that guide your child along their giftventure.

Giftventure has been undergoing some changes in the past months. Now customers can purchase general Giftventures without having to personalize them first. This means you can purchase, as an example, 3 giftventures. After purchase, you get a confirmation email with an individual ID code for each of the 3 giftventures. You can choose to personalize one right then, keep one saved on your member account to use for another occasion later in the year, send the ID code to a friend or family member for them to redeem on the site and personalize their own giftventure (just like a gift card) or any combination of the three.

Three families including my own were the first crazy Canucks to try Giftventure. They’ve just launched their company in to Canada and I know that if we spread the word it’s going to be huge here. (Canadians have good taste, after all.)

I used my Giftventure for my 9 year old niece. She is all about adventure and imagination and still firmly believes in all of the mythical people and creatures that children should. She was so pumped when she received the first letter that she drove me crazy until the next one finally arrived. The entire experience was wonderful and I know she’ll never forget it!

Read on to see what TOP writers Andrea and Raechelle thought of their own Giftventures:

A child’s imagination is something pretty spectacular. Just last night my kiddos were talking about zombies as if they were actual and factual, it was quite cute. Sometimes I find it difficult to feed their creativity to the length that they desire, but when we started The Treasure Map Adventure from Giftventure I could tell that they would be at their imaginative peak for the next few days.

The ordering online was very easy, just pick a character, fill out a bit of information like the children’s names (you can name up to three), a location by your house, and something that your children enjoy doing. This allows Giftventure to totally personalize your treasure hunt! I was able to order in less than five minutes and the checkout process was super easy. It arrived in the mail about a week later.

Upon opening the package I could see that this would be something the children would enjoy. It contained three envelopes that looked like they were sent directly from “Gunther the Dragon” (the character I chose), and inside them were a story and directions on how to find the hidden present! I had purchased a small gift to use at the end of the hunt. The treasure hunt lasted over the time span of about a week, where Gunther would drop off a letter with a few more instructions each time.

My two older children, ages 5 and 7, took part in the hunt. They’re still at the age where they actually believe dragons exist and that there’s a magical place called Cloudstead up in the clouds. For that week of fun my children went to bed speaking of Gunther and the hunt, and they would wake up looking for letters from this magical dragon. It was great seeing them so excited for something that I really didn’t even have to put any effort in to. All I had to do was buy a small gift, than play along, and giftventure took care of the rest. And now we have to figure out what to do with all of the letters that the kiddos have written to Gunther! And I think I may have to order more adventures for their birthdays (and Christmas, and Easter, and maybe Halloween too)! - Andrea

When Dad leaves for business trips it is always tough on my kids. My preschooler pines for her Dad, and the special time they spend together. This time I wanted something special to distract her while he was away so we had a Giftventure delivered.

We began the adventure on the first day her Dad was gone. We went to check the mail to discover a special letter for her. Being an avid fan of mail, she was extremely excited to open it up and start her Giftventure. (You can have them all delivered to the parents in one package or have them individually delivered to the children. If you’d like to have the control, you can just stick them in your own mailbox for the kids on certain days!)

I had hidden a special gift in our hall closet and on the following days she received more clues in the mail to guide her way. She absolutely adored that a fairy was taking her on this Giftventure. The map was AWESOME and we are now drawing treasure maps on a daily basis.

Before we knew it, Daddy was home and she shared her amazing story of her Giftventure with him. I would not hesitate to have more Giftventures in the future - especially now with the great service and very reasonable shipping rates to Canada. -Raechelle

Save 10% on your Giftventure with the code TOP10CAN.
This code is the newest addition to the TOP Shops - the most fabulous collection of online shopping discounts anywhere on the web!

Win it! We’re giving away a Giftventure to one lucky T.O.P. reader. To enter, leave a comment on this post by noon MST on May 29/08. (Yes, any comment - even the lazy ones will get through this time!) ONE ADDITIONAL WINNER will be drawn from those that blog about this contest and get the word out about Giftventure!

Additional entries available. See contest entry information and rules.

CONTEST CLOSED - Congrats Wendy and Angela!

If you have children and you have ever left the house with them, chances are you’ve been stuck waiting somewhere with the challenge of keeping the little rugrats occupied. Whether it’s in a waiting room, a restaurant, the car or boring Aunt Millie’s house, Think-ets are a wonderful and inexpensive addition to your “bag of tricks.” Actually…they are the bag of tricks.

Think-Ets is a mesh bag (with only a piece of recyclable cardboard as excess packaging - woo hoo!) filled with trinkets designed to encourage imaginative play and critical thinking. The company suggests a variety of games for two or more people that can be played with nothing but this little bag of goodies, but there are really an endless variety of things you could do that aren’t suggested there. They’re designed for ages 8-108+, yet younger kids like them too. Keep in mind, though, that they’re a bag full of choking hazards that need to be kept away from kids 3 and under. And perhaps 95 and older if Grandma’s gotten to the stage of thinking everything’s candy.

Aside from the pure genius of the product and the eco-friendly packaging, there are still more things begging to be mentioned. The toys are assembled by individuals with disabilities being paid a fair wage, which I love. If I ever was industrious enough to start a business, I’d totally do that. For now, though, I’ll support other people who do. The pieces are all lead-tested and hand made by fairly paid artisans in Mexico, Germany and elsewhere.

Buy Think-ets from their online store for just $9.99. Or, buy five and get free shipping. They’d make great birthday gifts and stocking stuffers (no, it’s not too early!) and I recommend keeping one stashed in purses and vehicles for those rare frequent times when you just need something to keep the kids busy so they don’t drive you insane.

Win it! We’re giving away a Think-ets to one winner. To enter, leave a comment on this post before May 13/08 at noon MST. Tell us some of your ideas for keeping kids occupied when you’re out and about or in the car.

Additional entries are always available. See contest entry information and rules.

CONTEST CLOSED - Congrats Jill!

Kidnexions has developed a children’s money management program called KidsSave. I love the idea of teaching kids to manage their money while they’re young and guiding them in a way that will encourage financial success when they’re older.

From the website:

KidsSave is a kids’ savings and money management software program designed for ages 6 and up. KidsSave helps you and your child keep track of money, encourages saving through Reward incentives, and helps your child set and track goals. With KidsSave, kids can make deposits and withdrawals, receive automated allowances and Rewards (interest and/or matching funds), count money, and view their statement history over time.

The KidsSave program handles all Account management automatically so once the Account(s) has been set up, the Banker (typically the parent) has little to do. Unique features allow the Banker to have access to all Accounts, define interest, allowance, and/or matching funds, enable savings locks and require confirmations of all transactions.

Check out what some opinionated parents had to say about the program.

I am always looking for great ways to help teach my kiddos about money management. It’s important to teach them how to set financial goals and track their progress. Kidnexions has a wonderful program called KidsSave, a money management software program for the 6 and up crowd.

The account was super easy to set up and my twins have had fun tracking their savings, which to be honest, hasn’t been much. They currently do not receive allowance here at home, but they do each receive $2 whenever they loose a tooth… Something that is happening quite frequently these days! Every little bit have they added to their account, watching their balance slowly increase. It will be a happy day when they reach their financial goals!

This program has some wonderful features. Your child sets up an account by depositing his current stash. He can then make additional deposits and withdrawals, as well as receive his allowance and rewards, count his money, and view his statements. Mom and Dad act as Banker and can set KidsSave to automatically deposit allowance and rewards, including interest, so it’s easy for us, too.

Just the other day, we went through the twins current savings bank. They took turns adding bills and coins in to their KidsSave account using the money counter to help sort and count their money. They had a blast and learned so much at the same time. What a great way to reinforce what they have learned in their math classes. I love it when it works out that way!

Another feature with which we had a lot of fun was in the “What if?” section where we have played around with the endless possibilities… What if they earned this much allowance? What if they made this much in interest? It’s been neat to see what would happen should things change and what their little minds can fathom!

The Kidnexions KidsSave program would be a great addition to any money management system you currently have set up. And if your kiddos don’t currently have a plan, this would be a great place to start!

By Christine

I’ve been trying out another software program for The Opinionated Parent. This one is called KidsSave from Kidnexions. It’s REALLY cool!

Designed for ages 6 and up, it helps you, and your child, keep track of THEIR money. You can also set up numerous accounts so the program is good for more than one child. There is no limit to the amount of accounts the banker (parent) can set up! It has an allowance feature that you can set to automatically show the amount that they receive each week/month.

While kids don’t actually deposit their real money, they do make deposits into the program and statements are given each month to keep track of what they’ve saved. Kids can also make withdrawals and set goals. Goals can be for saving enough to buy something, save a certain amount, or reach a certain account balance.

There is a neat money counter to help kids know exactly how much they are depositing. All they have to do is click on a picture of the bill or coin they have in hand and the money counter adds it for them. But don’t worry, there is an “undo” and “clear” feature in case they mess up!

There are 6 fun colors that kids can choose from to make their account more eye appealing. Positively Pink and Posh Purple being my girls’ favorites!

Also included is a “What If?” feature that allows your child to see what would happen to their account over a year if they were to get a raise in allowance, deposit “x” amount of money each month, withdraw money, or earn “x %” interest. I, personally, LOVE this feature. It really lets a child see what they are able to save.

We have thoroughly enjoyed using KidsSave. It is well worth the $29.95.

By Gina

The KidSave program by Kidnexions is a great tool for teaching youngsters how to manage their funds. My seven-year-old son really enjoyed using the program!! We found it very user friendly and fun to use.

By Andrea

You can download a free 35 day trial of this program from the Kidnexions home page to try before you buy.

Win it! Kidnexions is giving away a fully licensed copy of the KidsSave software to one lucky T.O.P. reader. The program is valued at $30. To enter, leave a comment on this post by April 18 @ noon MST.

Get up to two additional entries into this contest!

1. Blog about this contest using one of the top three images found here.

2. Leave a comment with the direct link to your post (not to your main page, and in a separate comment from your other entry).

AND/OR

Subscribe to our RSS feed. Leave an additional comment to let us know that you did this for your extra entry. Be sure to leave a valid email address so we can confirm your new subscription.

Maximum three entries total per person.

CONTEST CLOSED - Congratulations Reiza!

My son is just a little under two years old and his favourite hobbies for many months have been singing the ABC’s and identifying letters. He’s pretty normal - he plays with cars, kicks balls and wrestles his dogs, but he does love literacy! I suppose it comes from having an early childhood teacher for a mother and another one for a Grandma. Either way, I was so excited when his kit from See Me Read came in the mail. He’s always excited to get mail but was more excited than usual because it was actually something to do instead of a card. He immediately took out the flash cards and started “reading” the words! It was easy for him because all of the pictures on the cards were of his family, his things and things around his own house.

See Me Read provides several options for your little learner. Kit 1 includes personalized labels, reading cards and a level one book for $49.99. Kit 2 includes a more complex level two book and a writing pad. for $39.99. The Complete Kit containing all of the items in both kids sells for $79.99 - a $10 savings from purchasing the kits separately. Each item can also be ordered individually for $19.99. After seeing all of the items in my son’s complete kit, I’d recommend going all out for the whole thing because you’ll want it when your child moves past the initial level. All of the items are top quality, and your child will go nuts for the pictures from their own home in all of the materials.

While my little guy at almost two isn’t really “reading,” he’s certainly well on his way and the See Me Read system has given him a great start and the confidence that it takes to succeed.

Get 20% off your order with the code TOP2008

Win it! You could win a See Me Read Complete Kit valued at $79.99! To enter, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with SEE ME READ in the subject line before April 14 at noon MST telling us which one of the six core beliefs of See Me Read listed in their philosophy strikes a chord with you.

Get up to two additional entries into this contest!

1. Blog about this contest using one of the top three images found here.

2. Email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with SEE ME READ in the subject line and the direct link to your post (not to your main page, and in a separate email from your other entry).

AND/OR

Subscribe to our RSS feed. Send an additional email to let us know that you did this for your extra entry.

Maximum three entries total per person.

CONTEST CLOSED

Congratulations Grace!

It’s well known in my circle that I won’t allow Barbie or Bratz in my home. I won’t tell my kids what they can and can’t play with when presented with a selection of toys, but I’m sure not going to encourage them to play with small plastic prostitutes by having them in our home.

With the continued proliferation of the princess persona and the mainstream media’s portrayal of what little girls and little boys “should” become, I was excited to hear from Jacinta Bunnell who, along other independent artists, has designed and published two feminist coloring books like nothing I’ve ever seen. The images in “Girls Not Chicks” are anything but what you’d expect to find in a children’s colouring book. Appropriate for both boys and girls (because, isn’t anything?) “Girls Not Chicks” and “Girls Will Be Boys Will Be” are a great alternative to Barbie and Bratz and the princess saturated Disney. Each page is original enough to get a rise from some and make others laugh. Either way, they’ll get you thinking and challenging, and that’s what it’s all about. “For every girl who tosses out her Easy-Bake oven, there is a boy who wishes to find one.” Hell, yeah.

Girls Not Chicks and Girls Will Be Boys Will Be are both available from Jacinta’s etsy shop for under $10.

Win it! We’ve got a copy of Girls Will Be Boys Will Be to give away. To enter, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with REVOLUTION in the subject line before midnight MST on April 5, 2008.

Get up to two additional entries into this contest!

1. Blog about this contest using one of the top three images found here.

2. Email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with REVOLUTION in the subject line and the direct link to your post (not to your main page, and in a separate email from your other entry).

AND/OR

Subscribe to our RSS feed. Send an additional email to let us know that you did this for your extra entry.

Maximum three entries total per person.

CONTEST CLOSED

When you read that title, does it strike you that children shouldn’t have to be taught to think? It did me too, at first, but when I reflect on my experiences as a teacher I quickly realize that they do. With the overstimulation children experience today from tv too early in life and too often as they grow, along with gaming and other passive forms of play, children’s creativity and thought processes are not developing the way they could be. That makes me sad, both for what our schools need try to compensate for and for the fate of our planet if we fail.

Developed by the scientists behind Thinkworks, ThinkBlocks “help people, organizations, parents and children thrive by learning analytical, critical, creative, prosocial and systems thinking. Based on decades of scientific research. ThinkBlocks are a revolutionary educational toy that teaches thinking skills by getting ideas out of your head and into your hands. You can’t predict where life’s journey will take your children, but if you prepare them to think, they will thrive.”

In reading about ThinkBlocks, I was rather apprehensive. They seemed like a toy that was way above the level of play that occurs in homes and I wondered if they should be geared more toward schools. When I opened the box and looked at them, I continued to wonder. However, as soon as I stepped back and allowed the kids to just play, all of my apprehension was gone. Vivian, pictured at left, is five years old and immediately took to them. With no guidance from us she was learning about magnetism and polar opposites. With guidance from adults, I now realize, these tools (not toys - tools) would be able to teach her to make connections in her brain that would otherwise be very hard to teach. If that sounds a little wishy washy to you, don’t worry - it did to me too! Check out the Ergo Lab for some great videos including tutorials/lesson ideas that make it easy to understand and execute. I’ve gone from apprehension to excitement!

Each ThinkBlock kit retails for $79.99. Contents include:

* 16 Small ThinkBlocks
* 8 Medium ThinkBlocks
* 2 Large ThinkBlocks
* 1 Get Started Guide
* 1 ThinkTiles Starter set (6 tiles)
* 1 Dry erase marker
* Online Access to Tutorials, Research and Resources
* Thinkworks’ Commitment to remarkable customer service

Win it! We’re giving away a ThinkBlock kit valued at $79.99 to one lucky winner. To enter, watch a few of the 19 activity tutorials in Ergo’s lab and leave a comment on this post telling us which one(s) you’d like to try first if you are the winner. Contest closes at noon MST on April 7, 2008.

Get up to two additional entries into this contest!

1. Blog about this contest using one of the top three images found here.

2. Leave a comment with the direct link to your post (not to your main page, and in a separate comment from your other entry).

AND/OR

Subscribe to our RSS feed. Leave an additional comment to let us know that you did this for your extra entry. Be sure to leave a valid email address so we can confirm your new subscription.

Maximum three entries total per person.

CONTEST CLOSED

Congrats to Mama4JC - Comment #17 - who said: Such an interesting concept! For our family, I would love to explore the One Problem…Multiple Perspectives - this would be something that would help all of us in life. Interesting to see so many of these abstract concepts in tangible form - genius!

Scrapbooking is one of my favourite hobbies, but you’d never know it to look at our office. There are drawers and bins full of supplies and stacks of pictures just sitting there silently tormenting me. My son is two next month and I haven’t scrapbooked a single page since his first birthday montage. Pregnancy, moving, returning to work, birth, living with two monkeys and a busload of badly behaved pets…it all adds up to no free time for my hobbies.

I’ve tried a bit of digital scrapping and there’s some great stuff out there but the time it takes to Photoshop everything all together and make it just right is more than I have. And then when I do finally complete a page, how the heck do I print a quality 12×12 inch page to fit my albums? My printer isn’t that large, and none of the local stores offer a 12×12 option.

Enter How Fast They Grow, a mom-owned full service digital scrapbooking site. With their patent-pending Digi-scrapbook program, you can scrapbook if you can upload photos, drag & drop, choose colours and type. There is seriously nothing to it, and the final product is amazing! There are a ton of templates to choose from and more are being added all the time.

I was getting down on myself when my daughter was 2 months old and I hadn’t even scrapbooked her newborn photos. Not one single page. It was shortly after that when I received an email from founding mom Cathy Bennett about How Fast They Grow and I decided to give it a shot.

Within 2 hours I had a dozen pages completed. The one pictured at right took me approximately 4 minutes! I ordered them online and they were on my doorstep within a week. If I had to do those 12 pages sitting at my craft table, it would have taken me a dozen or more hours spread over several months when I could find a few minutes here and there. At $7.50/page, it’s hardly more costly than an embellished scrapbook page I’d make by hand. Yes, it sounds expensive, but when you consider the thousands of dollars sitting unused in my scrapbooking area I’m actually saving money! (At least that’s what I plan to tell my husband.)

Membership in the site is free. I suggest you join and make some pages to see what it’s like. You don’t pay anything unless you place an order. It’s fun and more than a little addictive!

The pages are true 12×12 and will fit in any standard album, but albums are also available from their online shop. And gift cards! Say hello to my dream baby gift. (Or stocking stuffer. Hint hint, husband.)

How Fast They Grow is currently only shipping to the US but there are plans to add Canada and Europe very shortly. We’ll let you know as soon as we hear. In the meantime, MyUS, Ship Happens Sumas or another such site can get your pages to you anywhere. (Disclaimer - I’ve never tried either of those sites but they sound cool to me. Let us know if you have any experience with them or know of another one. We’d love to check them out. I’ll open comments on this post.)

Save 20% with the code TOP until Friday, April 18, 2008. At just $6/page, you can’t beat it!

Many kids have never travelled outside their own city, let alone overseas. Now with the monumental new Compass KidZ line, children will be able to travel to the world and learn about it’s amazing history with the flip of a medallion. Compass KidZ inspires kids ages 8 to 12 to learn about the world and collect Passports and Medallions as they explore. Kids can explore the Compass KidZ website, communicate, earn and share SouvenirZ, trade with PenPalZ, express their opinions and share their experiences with kids just like them from around the world.

A child’s around-the-world adventure begins with their Compass KidZ Medallion Set available in either Italy, Spain or Mexico which retail for $14.99. Each set features an Ambassador, an 11-year-old representative of the featured country that kids can relate with. The Medallion set is their ticket to adventure and includes 2 CKidZ Medallions, a KidZ Passport and 2 FactZ Cards.

Visiting the company’s website lets kids join the CKidZ PenPalZ™ Club, Club Activities and Global ForumZ.

Let’s face it. You’re not going to get a less expensive or more educational trip around the world without having to leave your house.

Get a free Medallion for each Medallion Set purchased at www.learningtreegames.com with the code TOP-CKFREE.

CompassKidZ is listed in the TOP Shops!

Win a medallion set of your choice! To enter the random draw, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with COMPASS KIDZ in the subject line before midnight MST on 2/15/08 and tell us the name of the company’s two founders. Include your full name and mailing address and the name of the company’s two founders.

Congratulations to winner Cindi H!

Waiting in line at the mall to see a creepy Santa with his beard half hanging off and garlic breath and then paying $15 for a crappy picture of my kid with him isn’t my idea of a great Christmas memory.

Don’t get me wrong. I love Santa. I love the idea of Santa and the spirit of kindness and giving that surrounds it. I just don’t love the mall in December. If you’re in the same spot, you may never need to go there again. To see Santa, anyway ~ the shopping’s totally your call. We’ve found an awesome new website that gives your children the kind of wonderful personal Santa experience you want for them without any of the hassle…

When we were given the opportunity to review Santa Speaking for The Opinionated Parent, I was happy to do so.

SantaSpeaking.com was founded by Anne Gaskell (aka Elf Annie), a mother with three little ones under 7 who has experienced the scary mall Santa enough times to get inspired to create an alternative. And what a great alternative it is!

Little did I know how much joy one call could bring!

We just completed an international move and my three year old has had to be a very good little girl.

When we saw Santa Claus at the mall, she was at a loss for words and missed her chance to tell Santa what she truly wanted for Christmas.

My daughter was so overwhelmed with joy to receive a call from Santa. It took her a few minutes to warm up (so I was thankful we had the extended call), but once she was used to talking to him she opened up and shared with Santa what she wanted for Christmas! It was truly an amazing experience watching her trying to express herself to him. Talking to Santa was like talking to a celebrity for her.

After listening to the MP3 that SantaSpeaking.com sent us I had tears in my eyes hearing her talk with him so nervously. It was so endearing.

During all of the chaos in our lives, this was a moment to remember for all of us. It really helped us start off the season right and put my daughter’s mind at ease that Santa knew she had moved and knew what she hoped to receive.

The call from SantaSpeaking.com was so simple to set up. They have thought of all the little details and make the calls personal and very true.

There are a lot of features on their site to check out as well. They are tracking Santa’s progress Christmas Eve, as well as hosting Santa’s blog! You can read the latest issue of the North Pole Gossiper, groove to some cool Santa tunes and much more.

I want to thank Santa Speaking, and The Opinionated Parent for this wonderful experience.

When you’re out there looking for last minute gifts, stop and consider this amazing experience for the little ones in your lives.

Share the magic with your own little people!
Use the code OPPARENT for 10% off a $30 minimum purchase.

We’ve got a $58 SantaSpeaking.com gift code for one lucky T.O.P. reader! We’re on a deadline for this one, obviously, so get your entries in quickly! Email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com by 5 pm MST on 12/19/07 with Santa Speaking in the subject line and tell us the minimum price of a live call from Santa. (More than worth every penny in our opinion!)

Barring excruciating labour pains or hospitalization, a winner will be emailed Wednesday evening to give you time to schedule your call before Christmas so check your inbox! Congratulations Cassandara, and enjoy!

Playaway is one of those ideas that made me wonder why it took so long for someone to invent it and, at the same time, incredibly glad that someone did!

So, what are they? Each Playaway is a pre-loaded digital audio player. They’re about half the size of a deck of cards and hold content that ranges from six to 40 hours of play time. They come ready to listen (with batteries, earbuds and a lanyard) and are completely portable. Kind of like a book on CD without the need for a CD player or a library (though they are in lots of libraries!) For us, they’ve become the ultimate in convenience. I’ve always been an audio book lover for car travel but rarely take time to get to the library & borrow them. Now I’ll be ordering my books from Playaway and sharing them after - since the units run off of AAA batteries & can be replaced as needed, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be used and used…and used!

Playaway has a selection of 700 audiobooks and there’s something for absolutely everyone! We listened to 100 Gross & Silly Songs which is awesome for kids and kids at heart, and we’re part way through Anne of Green Gables - still one of my favourite stories. I’m especially struck by the intelligent design of the Playaway. It remembers where I was and starts at the right spot ever time. No more flipping through tracks to try to find the right part of the right chapter. Praise the Playaway!

Receive 20% off your first order with the code OpinionatedParent20.

I highly suggest using this code today and giving yourself a reputation as the best gift giver in town! However…

Playaway is also listed in the TOP Shops, where we feature only the most fabulous online retailers offering discount codes exclusively for Opinionated Parents everywhere.

Guest review by T.O.P. reader John. Don’t forget to pay him and his family a visit after you check out his review.

Last summer my mom wanted advice for what to get our son Ben for his 2nd birthday. Ethan, our four year old, was dominating our driveway on his tricycle so we thought a bike for Ben to call his own would be great. We suggested a good ol’ Big Wheel, just like the ones we had as kids. She ordered it off of Amazon and we went to work assembling it after his birthday party. I’ll start with the bad news…

Assembling the Big Wheel is a real pain. Everything went together pretty smoothly except the pedals. If you read the reviews you will see many people who gave poor ratings because the pedals would not stay on. These people did not assemble it correctly. Locking the pedals in place requires sliding a lock washer onto the axle with the pedal. You can pretty easily do this by hand and get the pedal on partway…but it will NOT stay on like this. I ended up taking the whole thing out to my work bench and braced one end on my work bench, put a wood block on top of the pedal (for protection) and hammered the dang thing into place. Took quite a bit of coaxing, but once that washer and pedal were on all the way it will not go anywhere.

The other problem is that despite his height, Ben was too short to use this bike. Even now at 39″ he is still unable to use the bike. This, of course, was good news to his big brother. Here begins the good news…

Ethan LOVES this bike and terrorizes our driveway the same way I did as a kid. Fast laps, power slides, ‘jumps’ over 2×4s and other speed bumps. This Big Wheel has taken a ton of abuse over the last 12 months and it is just now showing some wear and tear. The plastic on the front wheel is starting to break in places due to Ethan driving over obstacles. No worries, still works great and a piece of a plastic milk jug and some duct tape should make for a fun father/son repair job.

If you’re looking for a fun bike for your kids I highly recommend the Big Wheel. Amazon is selling them for $29.99 and it’s worth it. Use some patience and elbow grease during assembly and then sit back and relive a little of your own youth while your kids tear up and down the driveway.

Ed. Note: The boy’s Big Wheel is currently out of stock at Amazon and nobody knows if or when it’s coming back, but here’s the girl’s version of the Big Wheel, also for $29.99.

John is a geek dad of three living in upstate NY. He’s a programmer by day and a busy dad by night playing with kids and working on DIY projects around the house. John and his wife, Heather, run a parenting website that focuses on the fun of raising three kids by discussing our favorite toys, activities, and outings. Visit them at MyFamilyLovesIt.com.

Guest review by T.O.P. reader CPA Mom.
Head on over there after you read her review, won’t you?.

The inventors of the Peek-A-Boo Bag, Marcella Shumway and Teresa Hammond, have been quoted as saying “We wanted to make a product that would provide the peace and quiet all mothers crave.” I would say that not only do fathers crave the same peace and quiet, but Marcella and Teresa appear to have succeeded with the Peek-A-Boo Bag.

The bag, made of a soft pink corduroy on the back and orange fabric on the front (the Girl style; they also have Boy with blue corduroy back and a red front, and an ABC style in unisex polka-dot.), has a vinyl see-through window where your child can look for “treasures” hiding in the white beads inside.

The bag includes a list of all the “treasures” inside so your kids can look for each one.

My daughter was sick this weekend and so spent much of her time on the couch. She was just well enough to be bored, so I gave her this bag. She loved looking for all the little treasures inside and would point to them when I asked her to find one.

“There’s the castle! NOW can I have my milk?”

I get the feeling it will be hard to get this one back from her…

The one suggestion I would have for the inventors, actually comes from my very smart mother, who suggested that the “treasures” be two sided. Right now, the back side of the “treasures” are white, which makes it difficult for some children to find them (the beads are white so the “treasures” disappear and also, the children may lack the dexterity to turn them over themselves - my daughter was not able to turn them over). Granted, my daughter is not yet 3 and this bag is recommended for 3 and up, but it’s just a suggestion to make a great toy even better.

The Peek-A-Boo Bag is approximately 6.5″ square (perfect for vehicles and air travel!) and retails for approximately $15.00.

Angela is a 36 year old opinionated mother of 2. She lives with them and her EMT/Safety Officer husband in Virginia and expresses her opinion about anything and everything to anyone who will listen. She also expresses herself on Did You See That? and The Soccer Mom Vote. In her “spare time” she also holds a full time job outside the home as a certified public accountant and stalks great product review websites like The Opinionated Parent.

By T.O.P. reader and contributing writer Michelle

We’re big fans of Signing Time … and for those of you who may be contemplating teaching your baby/toddler sign language, I’d like to share our success story with you!

After Kayla was born and her diagnosis of Down syndrome was confirmed I found an online community that I quickly joined. A lot of the moms on there talked about Signing Time and how much it had helped their children; especially since most kids with Down syndrome will have a speech delay. I kept these videos in the back of my mind.

In the meantime I bought a pocket-size book with about 60 ASL signs and thought I would start using that. I honestly don’t remember when we started signing those first few words to Kayla, probably after she was 8 months old. I guess we started with “more”, “milk” and then “eat.” I know in the beginning we weren’t consistent about signing the word every time we used it, like you should do, but we got there eventually. When she was probably closer to a year is when I think we started using the signs more consistently.

I finally decided to purchase volume 1 of the Signing Time series to see what all the hype was about. Kayla wasn’t the only one watching the videos either, Joe and I watched them so we could learn right along with her! I thought the video was great for teaching sign language as Rachel would sign it, the word was printed on the screen, a child’s voice said the word and then gave a description of the sign, plus all of the kids throughout the video who were doing the signs too. It was a great way to reinforce the sign by repetition.

My friend Sue has a son who is 4 months younger than Kayla. A few months after I bought that first volume we were talking about sign language (she had also been planning on teaching Harrison ASL and had bought the same pocket-size book I had) She was telling me she had started using some signs with him but he didn’t really seem to get it or respond back. I told her about the videos and then had Kayla “perform”, “Kayla show Sue ‘fish’, now can you do ‘eat’? how about ‘dog’ and ‘ball’” and she signed them all. Sue was impressed. I told her she could borrow the video and see how Harrison liked it. Within a week Harrison was showing me all the signs he had learned from that first volume. Sue was so impressed with how quickly he picked up the signs that she said she was buying the whole series (at that time there were 6 volumes) and I mentioned we were getting Kayla the rest of the series too. Eventually 2 more of our friends borrowed that first volume to see for themselves if their kids would also pick up the signs - and of course within about a week or two they were also signing.

By the time Kayla was 20 months old she knew 14 signs, while not a huge vocabulary for that age, it was exciting for us. I wish we had started the videos much sooner! While she knew these signs she wasn’t really using them to communicate with us - she would sign them while watching the videos, or if we said the word, but didn’t seem to initiate it much on her own.

Then came the day we were at the commissary. We were in line for the register and she was sitting in the cart. All of a sudden she signed “dog”. I had a quizzical look on my face wondering why she would be signing that as I knew there weren’t any dogs in the store. I thought maybe I misunderstood her and she wasn’t signing at all, but she did it again so I casually looked around me. Then I spotted it. There was a display of dog food with a dog’s face all over the bags. I can’t tell you how I excited I was to realize she recognized and signed dog on her own without any prompting from me. I wanted to scream and cheer and jump up and down in that store! But I contained myself. I leaned in close and told her “yes that is a dog - good job” and how proud I was. I couldn’t wait for Joe to get home so I could tell him what she did.

By the time she was 2 years old she knew over 50 signs and was using them to communicate with us - signing things in books we looked at, as a plane flew over us, asking for a cracker. This was such a big deal to us because she wasn’t very verbal at all and this helped tremendously in being able to “talk” to her.

I remember going out with Kayla and she would usually end up signing “thank you” to someone for something…most people thought she was blowing them a kiss! I explained that she was signing “thank you” and usually they would respond with “wow she knows sign language?” I used any opportunity to spread the word about these videos and that was usually a great conversation starter!

She did start to vocalize words along with her signs (which by the time she was 3 she knew over 100 signs -thanks to all 13 volumes that we now own!) and eventually she stopped using the majority of the signs. We still watch the videos and she’ll still sign sometimes, but it’s mostly verbal words now. I’m so thankful to Signing Time though for helping us learn a new language that enabled us to communicate with each other.

There’s a new set of DVDs coming out soon and you can bet we’ll be buying those too!

Thanks for all the moving well-wishes. I think we definitely have the greatest readers of all time. The contests will be back sometime next week as soon as I have my internet connection working at the new place and my laptop dug out from among the boxes. In the meantime, please enjoy our guest reviewers and be sure to visit them at their home bases if they’ve provided you with a link. Have a fabulous weekend, and if you’re in the mood for shopping check the TOP Shops for discount codes first!

If you’ve got school aged kids home for the summer, chances are you are stuck for something for them to do at least part of the time. Maybe it’s raining or just too stinking hot to spend the whole day outside.

If your kids like crafts, then I’m sure they’d love to keep their hands busy with one of the many fabulous bead & activity kits from The Bead Shop (a division of Fashion Angels Enterprises).

Intended for ages 8+ (there are very small pieces in each kit so please heed that age suggestion) these kits will keep your kids busy for an extended period of time and they’ll end up with some very cool jewelry. They could make gifts for friends or perhaps make some money at a roadside jewelery store!

The coolness includes this fresh mesh bracelet kit - something different than your usual ‘bead a string and tie it’ type of kit.

The kits are heavy on the plastic, but it’s all quite functional. There’s a beading organizer tray and reusable zippered bead bags, and the outer pouch resembles a snap shut plastic purse that’s great for storing craft supplies or sorting inventory for that roadside jewelery store!

We’re giving away three kits from The Bead Shop to three different readers. We’ve got the Fresh Mesh kit shown above, the Jellloopy Jelly Key Ring Kit and the New World Beaded Jewelery Kit and will select three entrants randomly. The 1st will win the Fresh Mesh kit, the 2nd will win the Jellloopy Jelly Key Ring Kit and the 3rd will win the New World Beaded Jewelery Kit. To enter, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with “The Bead Shop” in the subject line and tell us the name of another kit not mentioned in this review. Contest closes Thursday night at midnight. Congratulations to Brad, Cindi and Lisa!

New TOP find Fashion Angels has some really cool products for the tween girl set. There’s no trying to please both genders at this company. Everything’s purely girlie!

Check out this Jet Settin’ Make-Up Artist Sketch Book (pictured) for the fashion conscious young woman in your life. There’s also a larger version and a refill kit available, but I love the portability of the jet settin’ version. I don’t know of many tween girls who wouldn’t love this. And hey - the longer we can keep it on the paper and off their faces the better, right?

We’ve got the pictured kit as today’s featured giveaway. To be entered in the random drawing, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with MakeUp in the subject line and list another cool Fashion Angels product available on the site. Contest closes Thursday 7/26 at midnight MST. Congratulations Saundra!

When bath time becomes more work than fun, it’s time to pull out the big guns to get the kid(s) clean. The Squeaky Clean Bathtub Dice from Moms On Edge just might do the trick. They’ll help teach the parts of the body while helping to ensure all of those cute little parts are no longer covered in sticky kid goop. The dice 4 inches square and are made of nylon covered foam. Each side shows an image of one body part to clean along with the accompanying word.

All of the Moms On Edge products come with great vinyl zipper carrying cases - if you don’t reuse them for the items they come with they’re fabulous for lots of things - waterproof with sturdy handles and see through - I like to use my cases for pool toys, spare clothes in the vehicle and more. The stuff inside is better, but I got pretty excited about the great cases!

Want to enter to win some Squeaky Clean Bathtub Dice? Email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with DICE in the subject line and tell us the recommended age range for this product. Contest closes Monday night at midnight MST. Congratulations Shonda C!

Apparently, Hebrew is hot and those who speak it are even hotter. I am so uncool.

Sarah and David is a way cool company that provides an interactive and easy (believe it or not) way to learn Hebrew.

Start with learning the letters with The Aleph Bet story (and check out the video!)

From the site: The Aleph Bet Story CD models correct intonation and pronunciation of the letters. There are 25 tracks telling the full Aleph Bet Story as told by co-author Lily Yacobi. Complete with sound effects, the recording concludes with Aleph Bet Rock, an exuberant song that teaches the order of the aleph bet and recaps the CD’s fun learning.

Once you’ve got the letters down, the next step is learning to read and write with the series of 5 workbooks consisting of activities to teach reading, writing, speaking and more.

Give it a shot! We’ve got an Aleph Bet Story package to give away, including a book and CD (pictured). To enter, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with SARAH-DAVID in the subject line before midnight tonight and tell us one other product available from the Sarah & David store. One winner will be chosen at random.Congratulations Jaime!

A couple of opinionated parents have been reviewing a great site called True Learning. Here’s what they thought:

By CPA Mom

True Learning, founded by JinheeAhn Kim in 2003 is an at-home preschool curriculum. It consists of “24 True Learning Modules that span 6 core subjects over 4 levels of advancement: True Math, True Literacy, True Thinking, True Motor Skills, True Art, and True World.

Each True Learning subject consists of 4 levels of advancement. Each level systematically builds upon the skills presented in the previous levels. The content is created to ensure success and mastery. Every concept is introduced in an intuitive manner, then reinforced and built upon in successive levels. Regardless of your child’s age and ability, True Learning will challenge and stimulate your child at each level.”

People, that is over 3,000 workbook pages! My first tip? Don’t download and save them all at once. That takes hours, believe me! And when you buy this product, for only $88, you get access to all the pages, 24 hours a day, for one full year. You’ll have plenty of time to print and save them as your child progresses.

How does it work? Three steps. Download, Print and work on the sheets for 15 minutes a day. A bonus is that not only does True Learning have the core curriculum, they have discussion forums, a message center and technical support. AND, they have a separate website for online games and free activities that are truly fun and engaging and are very similar to what is on the workbook pages.

I’ll admit I was apprehensive at how this was going to be helpful with my developmentally disabled child. We printed out Level One, sheet one, for all of the modules and went to work. While I noted one error on a “Let’s find One That is the Same” worksheet, the rest were bright and colorful and very easy to follow. Instructions are on the top of the page and the activity below. My son easily followed along what he was supposed to do and while he developmentally is not yet able to do it all, I could see how much he wanted to and how much a curriculum like this will be helpful in getting him there. After we finished the actual pages, he spent 15 minutes just looking through them, identifying animals and such. Believe me, I’ve not seen him have such a long attention span on anything in quite a while (that is not a Little Einstein’s video!). I look forward to printing the rest out and working with my son as we get him ready for pre-school this fall.

Two drawbacks I noted: Once you print the pages (and they do use a LOT of color ink), you can’t re-use them. So instead of spending a fortune on printer ink, I think I’ll invest in some page protectors and see if I can find some colors or pens that can be wiped off - any ideas out there, I’d sure appreciate it.

Second drawback is the True World sections. They have pages for learning words and numbers in Japanese, Spanish, Hawaiian, and French but no pronunciation guides. For me, since my only exposure to another language is high school German, and Dora the Explorer Spanish, I have no idea how to teach my child these words correctly. True Learning would do well to include such a guide.

All and all, a great value for the money. And you can feel good about your purchase since True Learning donates 25% of profits, after taxes, to educational and charitable efforts directed toward children.

THUMBS UP TRUE LEARNING!

By Michelle

True Learning is an excellent online, educational website. They have downloadable activities and exercises for kids age 3-6. I’m impressed that these activities are more than just “reading and math!” Categories are math, literacy, thinking, motor skills, art, and world. Each category has 4 levels of progression so you go at your own child’s pace. My 3.5 yr old daughter loves letters so the literacy one is a fun one for her. I know we’ll be using this a lot over the summer!

There is also a discussion board on the website which I think would be a great tool to utilize; however it doesn’t appear to be very active. The last post in the Parent-to-Parent board was Nov 2006. If there were more participation in the forum I think this would make the website even better.

And I tried it too, but from a teacher’s perspective since my one year old isn’t quite there yet. I loved it! I completely agree with all of the above praise and don’t need to try to come up with a different way to say it than they did. I’ll just say that if you have a preschool aged child, this is an amazing site and it’s well worth the $88 for the year (and as a techie family, we don’t take paying for anything online lightly when it’s not going to arrive in a box on my doorstep so that’s a compliment!). All of the units are made up of pdf files that are not just printable but savable so you can do them over and over again.

It would also be great for a kindergarten child who’s academically weak and needs a little extra focussed work. I’d highly recommend it as an early home schooling resource as well. Awesome!

Check it out! And don’t forget to go to the free blog too!

Not that it wasn’t cool already, but with the Young Scientist Club, even the least scientifically inclined kids will be enthralled.

The Adventure Science Kits are designed as a continuous learning experience and they not only build upon each other but are also interlinked. For example, the child makes a compass with kit 3 (magnets) which then will be used to study wind direction with a self-made weather vane from kit 4 (weather station). As a teacher, I know for a fact that this continuum based learning is much more easily retained than isolated lessons. There are currently 8 kits available and they’re designed for ages 5 and up. Many of them can be used individually and parents have the option of starting at kits other than number 1 with older children. They work on a subscription basis - either once or twice a month, and the site has some great links to accompany the kits. The kits are also available individually from several stores, including Amazon.

The Volcano Madness kit (kit 6, pictured @ right) comes with everything your child needs to discover volcanoes and their structures by creating and designing a volcano. They get to touch, feel, and experiment with real volcanic rock (pumice). Ultimate explosion solutions are created by measuring and mixing different substances in test tubes. This kit finishes with the roaring experience of volcanic eruptions that Young Scientists will want to repeat over and over again.

Zany Crystals (kit 8, pictured @ left) allows children to explore crystal shapes, create crystal art, grow ice crystals, design a salt crystal garden, and grow crystal stars. The best part? Kids create and grow real rock candy! Mmmmmm…

Other than some very basic household ingredients, every kit contains all the supplies you’ll need - right down to the safety goggles.

The newest Young Scientist Club addition is a series of Magic School Bus kits. If you’ve never watched Magic School Bus with your kids, you don’t know what you’re missing. I use the programs in my grade one classroom regularly - there’s one for almost every unit. These kits also contain pretty much everything you need. Kids are guided by the infamous Miss Frizzle on a trip through the Mysteries of Rainbows (pictured), the World of Germs or Into the Human Body. With the Mysteries of Rainbows kit, kids will wear rainbow glasses, create a rainbow spinner, blow rainbow bubbles, make rainbow milk and find out why rainbows appear on the back of CD’s. What an awesome way to encourage learning about the wonders of nature!

I’d highly recommend these kits for anyone who is homeschooling children, has a gifted child requiring enrichment or just has a kid who likes cool stuff. They’d make great activities for summer holidays or Christmas vacation. You know - all those times when kids forget all they’ve learned the rest of the year. Keep ‘em busy, entertained and learning with The Young Scientists Club.

We’ve got one of each of the featured kits to give away. To enter, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with either Science-Volcano, Science-Crystals or Science-Rainbows in the subject line and list one other kit available in the Adventure Science series. Contest closes at midnight MST on 5/15/07. Congratulations Ash & Becca!

It always ticks me off when we buy a child a gift and never hear from them. There’s nothing better than a good old fashioned thank-you note to make me buy them an even better present the next time. I fear it’s becoming a lost art - not only for children, but for adults as well.

I am loving the Make-Your-Own Thank You Notes kit from Made by Hands, a great company owned by Chicago moms Dena Hirschberg & Ava Berry. They’ve created a large selection of timeless art activity kits that are fun, packed with supplies and allow for endless creative possibilities.

The Make-Your-Own Thank You Notes kit (so new it’s not even available on their website yet) contains 15 cards & envelopes, over 600 pop out shapes, a glue stick and a cute book with great examples of when & how to make thank-you cards and ideas for “thoughtful thoughts.”

If we all do our part to teach them graciousness while they’re young, perhaps women who don’t send thank you cards after their baby shower will not exist 15 years from now. We can only hope.

Check out the whole Make-Your-Own series. They’re all just as fabulous, and will keep your child entertained for hours without pigeonholing their art into the “make an exact replica of this” project.

We’ve got a Make-Your-Own Thank You Notes kit to give away! To be entered in the random draw, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with Thank You in the subject line and name one of the other kits in the Make-Your-Own series. Contest closes at midnight MST on 5/11/07. Congratulations Nancy!