Saturday, May 21, 2011

Handmade Fun for Children Week...coming soon!

MMEM

I had such success last Fall when I had Handmade Fun for Children Review/Giveaway week.  I decided to seek out sponsors again especially from Etsy.  So if you are from Etsy and you have something that I can review for this fabulous week, please email me at shondaet@gmail.com.  I plan to run this event the last week of June or beginning of July.  Thanks and can't wait to share what I have for reviews!

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Nursery Tap Hip to Toe Review



Shrade and I recently got to review this very innovative DVD series. I have never seen such a production that is very appealing for both kids and adults. Nursery Tap Hip to Toe was created by Juleen Murray Shaw.  After she became a mom she fell in love with nursery rhymes and how versatile they were.   A lightbulb went on and she began to create what is now known as Nursery Tap Hip to Toe with DVD's and CD's.   There are two volumes that feature nursery rhymes, ballet (toe-prancing), hip hop and tap dancing.  Many awards have been given to both volumes in the collection.  Another great feature is that each DVD case also has a CD of the exact soundtrack to the DVD.  That way, you can listen to the nursery rhymes on the go!  These DVD's are made for children ages 2-7.  They are about 30 minutes long and feature almost 60 different nursery rhymes.

The performances themselves are outstanding!  I fell in love with the costumes, scenery and the imagination of the director to only show the dancers from the waist down.  Juleen combined the simple (nursery rhymes) with creativity (she put her own spin on many of them), the familiar (again, nursery rhymes) with uniqueness (each performance had it's own individual style), and it was entertaining yet educational!  There were also several new rhymes that I had never heard.  My son was hopping and singing by the end of each DVD.  These could provide hours of fun for every member of the family.  Along with learning the nursery rhymes, kids can also learn fun dance steps and burn off some of that energy.

Be sure to check out Juleen's website.  All of her products are listed and there is short demo for you to see what I love about this series!  Each DVD set is $19.95 or if you order both volumes you pay $34.95.

Juleen also has a blog where she writes about nursery rhymes, phonemic awareness, music, children's lit and the importance of the arts in education.

You can also follow Juleen on Twitter.

Friday, May 6, 2011

"Baby Surprise" is finally here!!

Introducing Baby Surprise...

It's a GIRL!
Welcome Jessna Josine Knowlton!

We are so happy you are finally here!


Born May 6, 2011 @ 7:59 am
Weight: 6 lb. 13 oz.
Height: 19.5 in

We love you, precious child from God!
love, daddy and mommy

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

MIA in May

Well, I will be out of the blog loop at least for the month of May since I'm due to have baby #2 on May 6.  I absolutely love blogging, but know that I need to take a break.  I will be sure to visit some of your great blogs and get some ideas as I plan my summer for my 2 year old bundle of energy!  I plan to do some renovation on the site and of course, take care of my family.   I might post a few things here and there and I will definitely announce the arrival of our Baby Surprise which we have been anxiously waiting for!  Boy or girl?  Check back and find out!  Love you all, Shonda

Monday, May 2, 2011

Brightly Beaming Resources: Week #9- Cookies



This week we talked about COOKIES!  We actually don't let Shrade eat a lot of cookies so this is a treat for him.  We had fun doing an activity with finding cookie cutters around the room and matching them to their traced images.  We also did a lot of cooking this week.  Shrade really likes mixing and scooping the dough on to the pan.


Books we read:
Who Took the Cookies from the Cookie Jar?Maisy Makes GingerbreadGingerbread BabyIf You Give a Mouse a Cookie (If You Give...)




Music:
''C'' Is For Cookie

May Monthly Plan


*Bible Verse: Psalm 119:17 "I will obey your word."  from Songs for Saplings

I am going to switch things up this month since I will be taking care of a newborn and my toddler.

Review of what we have learned through Brightly Beaming Resources.

If I have time and feel like it, instead of using Brightly Beaming Resources for this month I will use some Creative Exploration Kits from Lightning Bug Literacy.





*Sensory Play:
-pudding
-playdough

*Daily Music time: Songs from Music Notes and CD's we get at the library


*Art:
-coloring
-stamping
-water painting
-playdough



*Skills/Chores:
-take off shoes, coat and backpack and put away
-wash hands
-taking off clothes/diaper and put in laundry basket
-drinking from cup- still need to work on this
-clean up toys- without whining!
-throw away garbage/recycling
-clean up messes on the floor 
-put dishes in the sink
-help put dishes away from the dishwasher- need to do this more
-put clothes in the washer
-HELP mama with new baby!