Giveaway
It’s Christmas, David!
Being a kid is hard. Being a kid waiting for Christmas to come is even harder and David Shannon remembers what it was like. As parents we try so hard to teach appreciation, gratefulness and patience but it’s so hard to be any of those things when you are little and very very excited! In this book we follow David as he gets scolded for trying to grab Christmas cookies, for peeking at gifts, and my son’s favorite naughty behavior, writing his name in the snow…with pee. Over the years I have had readers say that they aren’t a fan of the original No! David because they worried it would spark naughty ideas but that is not what these books do. Young kids have a very natural sense of what is right and wrong and they are laughing because they know what he is doing is wrong and even David knows that he has messed up, as he fears Santa will leave him nothing but coal. Of course we all know that David is not a bad kid ( Are there bad kids? I don’t think so! ) and his heart is in the right place even if sometimes he makes bad choices. Both my kids loved this book and I loved the underlying message to parents that being a kid is tough especially when parents are busy.
Now here is the best part! This book was supplied to me by Scholastic Book Club to review and is featiured in their December Book Club fliers ( so if you get them look out for it! ) and they are also giving me one to give away. Hooray!
To enter for a chance to win your own copy of It’s Christmas, David! by David Shannon all you need to do is leave a comment on this post telling me the title of your all time favorite book.
The giveaway will close Sunday December 4th 2011 at 10pm PST. The winner will be chosen by random.org and please only one entry per person.
COMMENTS CLOSED
Disclosure : I was not paid for this review although I did get to choose the book I recieved free to keep and giveaway. All opinions are mine .
All week we have been celebrating MeMeTales new Mobile Reader App ‘s launch but really what I have been celebrating are the expanded options that kids have for reading favorite stories. One option I hope every child gets every day is to cuddle up next to someone they love and read some great books. In the spirit of celebrating reading MeMeTales is giving away a prize pack of 20 of my favorite picture books. The full list ( click to see ) includes In The Town All Year Round, Whoever You Are , Freight Train, Anamalia , Corduroy and 15 more!
MeMeTales’s philosophy is to make reading “The funnest ever!” And having 20 new books is a great way to start having fun.
How To Enter
All you have to do to enter this giveaway is answer How do you make reading fun at your house? Leave a comment telling us the answer and you will be entered into to win this wonderful prize that celebrates literacy at home.
Extra entries- up to 2 extra ways to enter:
1. Download the MeMeTales Free Mobile Reader App
or
Check out MeMeTales website if you don’t have an iPhone, iPod or iPad.
Come back and leave a separate comment saying you’ve done it and you will have extra chances to win.
Fine Print T he giveaway closes June 4th at 8pm PST. The winner will be chosen by random using random.org.Contest is open to residents of Canada and the USA only. Please ensure your email address included in the comment so we can contact you if you win. This Contest is closed.
Read to your kids. I have talked about my commitment to reading to kids over and over. I write my book reviews so my readers can walk into a library with some idea of where to start. I am giddy to work with Target to share their commitment to reading with you today along with a chance to win an iPad and a selection of books to make it easier for one of you to read books online and off.
Target has launched a program called Target Read With Me to help promote reading , specifically reading proficiency in children by 3rd grade. What’s so special about 3rd grade ? Research * shows that 3rd grade is the turning point when children begin learning by reading not simply learning to read. The same study has shown that close to 3 out of 4 children with below grade level reading abilities in 4th grade never catch up.
Never catch up. We can’t let that happen. 
That is why Target along with many partners have made a commitment to reading and education. By the end of 2015, Target plans to donate more than $500 million to support education, doubling its support to date, for a total of more than $1 billion. They also have collected wonderful easy to navigate resources on their Target Read With Me site to make reading with your kids easier. My favorite is this Build A Home Library from American Library Association. It doesn’t just list books, there are short synopsis as well. I stayed up way too late last night reading it, as giddy as a kid in a candy shop.
I am also giddy that they are offering one lucky No Time For Flash Cards reader a prize package to make reading to your kids online and off a cinch:
Target Read With Me Prize Package consisting of a 16 GB iPad with Wi-Fi for reading books online, along with a selection of age-appropriate books for your children.
All you have to do is leave a comment telling me :
What’s your favorite time and place to read with your children ?
Fine print from Target:
This sweepstakes is only open to U.S. residents 18 years or older. A winning commenter will be drawn at random, using Random.org, after the sweepstakes closes on Thursday, Jan. 20 at 12:00am EST. The winner will receive a 16GB Wi-Fi enabled iPad and a selection of children’s books, a prize package valued up to $599. After the winner is notified, he or she has 48 hours to respond with their mailing address, phone number and ages of their children, so that Target can ship the prize and select books appropriate for their children. If the winner does not reply in that time frame, he or she forfeits the prize and another winner will be drawn at random. Please note that we cannot ship product to a P.O. Box. Disclosure I am working with Target, receiving compensation from Target for running this sweepstakes and Target is providing a prize consisting of 16 GB iPad with Wi-Fi and a selection of books for one reader.*EARLY WARNING! WHY READING BY THE END OF THE THIRD GRADE MATTERS Voices for Virginia’s Children and the Annie E. Casey Foundation
Constructive Playthings sent me two Todays Gir’s Dolls and a super cool Horse With Western Saddle and Outfit to check out and giveaway to a lucky reader just in time for the holidays. As you can see the horse was a hit with my son. The dolls… not so much but that has more to do with my son than the dolls.
What we loved :
The horse who has been named ” Giddy-O” is amazingly sturdy, he flies down cliffs ( the stairs) over and over as my cowboy rescues him and he looks as good as new. What I liked about the dolls was the diversity of ethnicities, I know this is pretty standard but the subtleties of the differences is what got me. With only a few dolls to choose from I really feel like most girls could get a doll that reflected themselves without having to get a costly custom doll. I also liked that the dolls come with 3 outfits , you aren’t forced to spend more when times are tough enough.
What we didn’t like:
They aren’t terribly cuddly. I don’t think they are meant to be but as a girl I slept with ALL my dolls , my son sleeps with his one and only doll and these are too hard to even try. I am sure this won’t bug most kids who are looking to dress them up and play pretend but for snugglers like us it was a bummer.
Want one? I am giving one Todays Girl Doll away ! But that’s not all , I am also giving away a Horse With Western Saddle & Outfit too.
How to Enter:
Visit Constructive Playthings and tell me which Today’s Girl you like.
Extra entries:
Follow @ConstructiveMom on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway.
That’s it !
This contest is open to American residents . The winner will be chosen by random.org on December 6th at 9pm PST. I was provided with the toys in return for the review, opinions are all mine ( and my son’s). I was not compensated with payment for this post.
When I was offered a chance to play with these blocks I almost deleted the email. I am very choosy about reviews and giveaways, generally turning down most offers. I am so glad I didn’t ignore this opportunity, these blocks fit what we do here almost exactly. Tegu blocks are more than your average set of blocks, they have magnets safely inside and come to life as you create with them as they stick together and repel as well. I love the combination of building, art and learning about magnets while playing. My son spent the first half hour or so building and then he took a block around our house finding things for it to stick to. I loved making letters for the two of us to play with and later in the evening my son make a square that could shift into a diamond shape without falling apart.
These blocks don’t come with directions but as most parents with kids know , often times kids want to know how to make this , that or the other. That is where Tegu Live comes in. I think this is such a cool idea. Tegu has a master builder who can be reached via Twitter and takes requests. My son’s first request was a fire truck – this is what they made. Then we requested a helicopter , how cool are they? We had so much fun and I have to admit I was a little concerned that after making requests my son wouldn’t want to play with the blocks by himself without the builder showing him how, but instead he pretended to be the builder and I sent him requests and he made things for quite some time.
My son does get a little frustrated when the magnets repel but he’s not even 4 years old, as you can see in the video he gets over it fast as he flips them so they click. I absolutely love the interactive element but even without that these are quality, creative blocks that requires your child to use their imagination , which is what toys should do!
Want a set? Win It!
I was given an original set , 2 discovery sets and a travel tote to play with. So I am giving away 1 discovery set ( 26 blocks) and the travel tote to one lucky reader, the other 26 piece discovery set will be donated to Toys for Tots this holiday season.
How to Enter:
Leave a comment telling me what your favorite toy was when you were a child. That’s it.
Fine Print :
This contest is open to US residents only. Winner will be chosen using random.org from qualifying entries. Contest closes November 17th 2010 at 9pm PST. Products provided free of charge , no payment was received for this post, all opinions are mine, all mine!
