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Classic Tales with Silver Penny Stories (Giveaway)

As a parent, I think I often take what my children read for granted. I have a lot of books that were from college, my classroom, purchases, and gifts over the years. I never really noticed that the boys had not read many of the classic stories that generations have enjoyed. When Sterling Children’s Books contacted me to review their new Silver Penny Stories, I thought it would be a great opportunity for our family.

Sterling Children's Books - Silver Penny Stories

The boys immediately took the books and began reading them together. They had read other more cartoon like retellings, along with animated television versions of many of these stories, but some were new to them. The eight books above were released in October and six more will be coming out in April 2013.

Jack and the Beanstalk - Silver Penny Stories

Jack and the Beanstalk – Told by Diane Namm – Illustrated by Maurizio Quarello– Sterling Children’s Books – October 2012 – ISBN 9781402784330 – Paperback 40 pages – Ages 3-6 – $3.95

As part of the blog tour, we were asked to review Jack and the Beanstalk. The boys are familiar with the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse version of this story. NHL immediately noticed that the story was the same, but it was not as childish. JSL enjoyed hearing his brother read about how Jack helped his mother and the beanstalk saved the day. What I really enjoyed was seeing how the boys talked about the book. They carefully explored the illustrations. When I asked them how Jack felt with the artwork, JSL quickly could explain it based on beautifully illustrated pages from Quarello.

Inside Jack and the Beanstalk - Silver Penny Stories

The boys also helped me to come up with some questions to ask Mr. Quarello. The Italian illustrator has worked on nearly 30 children’s books. He also has work that has been in exhibits around the world.

Right now we are waiting to hear back from Mr. Quarello. Once those questions and answers are back, I will update this post with those items.

The books also helped us to have a chat about different variations of stories. We could compare the one they saw on television and other books about Jack and his beanstalk. The kids agreed that it is fun to compare and contrast the books to see how the author and illustrators see these classic stories. This would be a great activity in a homeschool setting or within a classroom. Imagine what you could do with Venn Diagrams and beyond.

Giveaway:

It is time for another Rafflecopter giveaway for one lucky reader thanks to Sterling Publisher.  Please be sure to see the rules listed.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To enter, please follow the rules above within the comment section and Rafflecopter. Giveaway begins October 14, 2012 and ends October 27, 2012. You do not have to be a blogger to enter, but must leave a valid e-mail address for me to contact you for mailing address once the giveaway is over. You will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If there is no response, another winner will be selected. Open to US and Canada residents only.

It's Me

Disclosure: I received the eight books Silver Penny Stories Series complimentary of Sterling Children’s Books in order to facilitate this review. The giveaway is sponsored by Sterling who will fulfill the prize to the giveaway winner.

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Together Counts for Fall Activities

We live in a part of the country that is lucky enough to experience all four of the seasons. My favorite really is the fall. The weather is not too cold, hot, or humid like other times of the year. Typically, there is not a lot of snow, we do not need to wear heavy jackets, and usually we can do a lot outside. This year, the weather has not allowed us to get to our favorite family activity for the fall. We love to go apple picking. We are able to explore the orchards together. It is fun to watch the kids running around and picking apples that they proudly snack on. Then, when we get home TechyDad, the kids, and I think about items the make. One of our favorites is to get the apples ready for our own fresh applesauce. Eating it warm out of the crock makes it seem like a special treat.

 Scooter Riding and Helping Nature

Since the weather is not cooperating, we probably will skip the apple picking and possibly go to get a pumpkin at a local farm. Then we can bake up the pumpkin seeds to have a tasty snack. Until that time, the kids love to explore the blocks around the house on their scooters. They enjoy collecting colorful leaves, pine cones, and other items that nature has left on the ground. Just the other day, my youngest hopped off of his scooter to save a caterpillar that was in the middle of the sidewalk.

Together Counts Logo

Together Counts is a program for all of us. Their goal is to inspire families to lead healthy and active lives. Energy Balance is key and the main principle with their pledge. This means that the calories that we eat are the ones that we burn. Together Counts brings together more than 200 retailers, food/beverage manufacturers, restaurants, sporting goods stores, insurance companies, non-governmental organizations, and professional sports organizations to get the message across. For additional information, head to the Together Counts website learn more and take their pledge on finding balance and moderation. Families need to get eating and active together while practicing moderation.

For more information and ideas, you can head to the Together Counts Facebook page, look for them on Twitter, and also on Pinterest.

Please be sure to join Together Counts for their Twitter party on 10/17 from 8-9 PM EST using hashtag #TogetherCounts. More information on Resourceful Mommy with details about the prizes.

So have you made the Together Counts pledge yet? If not, what are you waiting for?

It's Me

Disclosure: I wrote this post as part of a compensated Global Influence campaign. As someone who strives to find balance, I love the principles behind Together Counts and am happy to share this with my readers.

Global Influence Network

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Disney Architecture

Every time you head to Walt Disney World you notice new and different things. Subtle features catch your eyes, especially with the Disney style architecture. This week, the Disney Wordless Wednesday theme focuses on Disney Architecture. I could show different views of the castle, but I have some different items from around the parks and at different resorts.

Classic Magic Kingdom Building Welcome

Grand Floridian Resort

Journey into Imagination - Epcot

Yacht Club Resort Lighthouse

Undet the sea with Nemo - Art of Animation Resort

Rocking Architecture at Hollywood Studios

Pop Century Resort Big Wheels Building

Focused on the Magic

Be sure to stop by Focused on the Magic by clicking on the button above to join in the Disney magic this week.

It's Me

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My Viking Family Experience – #DragonsLive

Right now my brain is whirling around and I feel like I am flying. Flying with dragons, of course, so it is a good thing. Thanks to just getting back from an amazing time at the DreamWorks How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular at the Times Union Center. TechyDad was contacted by PR from the show and he shared some of the specifics about it recently. After watching the movie with the boys the other day, I was excited to see what the VIP Hero’s Welcome would be all about. As JSL (5) says, it was stupendous!

VIP Entrance - How to Train Your Dragon Live Show

A huge thank you to the amazing VIP tour gentleman who was stationed outside. He was fantastic chatting with us and answering questions from our boys. He told us about previous cities and more about the upcoming shows throughout North America. After this, we were whisked away into the arena before they opened for the show. We received our Hero’s Welcome badges, bags, and posters. Then, we were taken to an area to get dressed like Vikings for a family photo.

VIP Photo time - How to Train Your Dragon Live Show

The crew helping to dress our Viking family was fantastic. We never told Papa about this part and he played along and had fun. Before long, the five of us were sporting chic Viking styles for our photo shoot.

Viking fashion - How to Train Your Dragon Live Show

We were not able to get a photo with our camera dressed up, but we took a quick picture of the one they gave us. Yes, I present you with my Viking family in their finest attire and all of their weapons and shields.

My Viking Family - How to Train Your Dragon Live Show

Although it took some time to get this done, it was a worthwhile experience. Seeing the smiles on the kids faces and knowing that memories were being made was priceless. After we returned our Viking items to the bins, it was time to wait for the official Hero’s Welcome. We went a small area with seats to wait and meet Hiccup and Astrid who are some of the stars from the show.

Astrid and Hiccup - How to Train Your Dragon Live Tour

This was just the start of an amazing adventure with the Vikings and Dragons. More coming soon about the show and the Dragons 101 session after the performance. The session after was a geeks dream come true and the VIP team member from this part was also super (wish I could recall his name from the 11:00 am show). If you are in the Capital District and have a chance to see the show before it leaves town, I highly recommend it. It will also be touring to many other cities in the United States and Canada in the months ahead.

If you are interested in attending a show, you can find tour dates and tickets by going to http://www.dreamworksdragonslive.com/tickets.php.  You can also save 25% off the cost of select seats by using the promo code "MOM". Oh and do not forget to think about the VIP packages that you can add on for your family. All of the items seen above were thanks to that.

It's Me

Disclaimer: TechyDad received tickets and the VIP package to the How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular for our family. No other compensation was given and all of the enthusiastic Tweets, Instagrams, and posts that follow are 100% my own opinion of the show.

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Kindergarten Learning

Dear JSL,

You have been a kindergarten kid for just about a month now. Mornings are still a bit rough. You say you are nervous and do not want to leave me. Still, the smile on your face at the end of the day tells me a different story. I can see that you are enjoying the time with your teachers, classmates, and learning.

First Day of Kindergarten Art

What I love is watching you after school each day. You pull our your Doodle Pro and teach me things that you have learned. You recite the letters and their sounds. You tell me words that begin with the letters. Even on the way into school, you like to rattle off things that you have learned. You are in love with centers. This time seems to be your favorite, especially when there are science activities. You have already learned about the five senses and it made a big impression on you. Just the other day, you were explaining to me how the eyeball has an image that is turned upside down as it is carried to the brain. The science teacher in me was so very proud.

I have also watched you talking to your big brother about math. I knew that you were talking about shapes (which you already knew) in class. What I did not realize until I was looking at your sheets that I had heard you say another word.

Kindergarten math - learning about vertices

Yes, you know how to identify a vertex on a shape. You can count them and the side and record the numbers. I was definitely impressed and you love sharing this information with me. The other item that you have been talking about a lot are apples. Since you are going to an orchard soon, you have been learning about how they grow. I can not wait to hear more about this subject over the weekend and next week. Thank you for taking me on this learning journey with you.

Love,

Mommy

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