5 Essential and Engaging Learning-to-Read Books from Amazon

We are preparing for an amazing Christmas season by purchasing a few educational items for my little one. Here's a secret, we usually like to open one (or sometimes two) presents before Christmas to engage my little one when we are on a trip in November or December.

This post contains affiliate links to help you build your shopping list and travel list for your family. We are passionate about the product and the experiences listed in this post, but we also wanted to provide easy links you can click to purchase products for your busy lifestyle.

1 - Learn to Read with Tug the Pup and Friends! Box Set 2: Levels Included: C-E (My Very First I Can Read)
This seems like an amazing book to engage our preschooler in sight words and reading before she enters kindergarten!

 

2 - Bob Books: First Stories

Yes! There are 12 books in this pack and each of them are easy-to-read! I cannot wait to write a review after Christmas!

 

3 - Reading Adventures Sofia the First Level Pre-1 Boxed Set

Oh, my little one loves Sophia and she will definitely love the learning-to-read process from the Disney Reading Adventures!

4 - Si llevas un ratón a la escuela (If You Give a Mouse a Cookie)
We love to incorporate Spanish for my little one's "learning at home" sessions each week! She will definitely love the Spanish version of "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"! This is a great easy tool for your children to learn Spanish!

5 - Movie Night Magic! (Shimmer and Shine) (Step into Reading) 
Oh, my little preschooler loves Shimmer and Shine! In fact, she sings the song almost every day! I like the fact that we can incorporate sight words with characters that she watches almost every day! This will be great for hotel nights away when our family travels throughout the year!

I cannot wait for these books to arrive! I plan to wrap them as soon as we receive them and place them under the tree (that I plan to trim as soon as possible). Surprise hubby! Have a great week and plan for the weekend!

Just in case you missed it, here's our "10 Ways to Read 1,000 Books a Year Before Kindergarten" infographic!

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Have a great week and plan for the weekend!

Sincerely,

The @WeekendsCount Family!

About Weekends Count - Weekends Count Magazine is focused on helping people navigate travel, build their family business, and manage their money. We provide tips, printables, and easy-to-understand infographics to help people learn amazing ways to make their lives easier.

We are located in the Dallas-Fort Worth and East Texas areas. based in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas and the Shreveport Metroplex area.

Authors - Jennifer and Tony Edwards

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Stuck Inside? Kids can learn new skills with fun activities online!

Stuck inside? Kids can learn new skills with fun activities online

Courtesy of Pixabay

Unless you live on a mountain and ski every day, it’s likely you aren’t a big fan of winter. The days are short, sunlight is in short supply and going outside is (mostly) no fun. You’re stuck inside most days, and so are your kids. Boredom can make everyone miserable.

But luckily, there are tons of ways to entertain your kids online, and you can educate them while you’re at it. Didn’t think there were real sites to educate your kids without causing them to mutiny? Here are several you and your children are likely to love.

Got a kid who’s really into music? How about some online music lessons? Older kids can learn an instrument just by watching online videos, and younger kids can find lessons that include basic music theory, including rhythm and notes. Music education is good for the brain, studies show. It can help improve children’s understanding of math and logic, as well as improve their language development. You’ll be raising little Mozarts in no time.

Get your kids moving with YouTube dance videos. You can boogie down with them, and you’ll all get the exercise you need. Dancing also helps kids improve their coordination and balance, as well as improve the mood of the whole family. Plus, it will get them nice and tuckered out, just in time for a nap. You may find that dance videos work best with a new home theater system. If you need to shop for one, make sure you do your research before making the purchase.

You can teach your kids about the world around them by helping them learn about earth science. This will take your active participation as you show the little ones how to do experiments that show our world at work. You can even watch their eyes get as big as saucers as you show them a Magic Milk Experiment. Dazzling them will help them learn and actually remember the lesson.

If you have a budding artist in the family, or even if you don’t, art education is good for kids’ development because it enhances all types of learning. YouTube has art tutorials for all ages, including how to draw their favorite cartoon characters. They show step-by-step instruction on how to draw the characters, and you can stop and start any time.

Your kids can learn how to code with several free online coding tutorials. Many of them are actually pretty fun and, again, use their favorite cartoon characters. They learn the basic concepts of coding on up to full programming language. This will also teach them logic and attention to detail.

Older kids (and adults) can take college classes online for free with Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs. MOOCS are free and open, but you can’t get credit for them. It’s a good way to get older kids ready for college and encourage them to learn other subjects. MOOCs offer classes in just about anything you can imagine that a university would offer.

Your kids can learn a new language through apps for the computer, phone or tablet -- and some are even free. Your kids can learn along with you and then you can plan a fun overseas trip together.

You and your kids can learn lots of things online together and have fun while doing it. Your kids will get better at their subjects, and you’ll create lasting memories with them. Plus, what kid doesn’t love staring at screens? At least this screen time will be beneficial.

Jenny Wise created Special Home Educator as a forum for sharing her adventures in homeschooling and connecting with other homeschooling families.

This post contains affiliate links to help you build your shopping list and travel list for your family. We are passionate about the product and the experiences listed in this post, but we also wanted to provide easy links you can click to purchase products for your busy lifestyle.

This week,

Have a great week and plan for the weekend!

Sincerely,

The @WeekendsCount Family!

About Weekends Count - Weekends Count is a Millennial Family Travel, Fun, Food and Activities blog based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas. We review hotels, travel and household items, and millennial family experiences!

Authors - Jennifer and Tony Edwards

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Zipper Bag Activities - Two Reading and Math Activities for Your 3, 4, or 5 Year Old

My preschooler attends a university three days a week! You heard it correctly, she attend the local laboratory school for university students. Through this laboratory experience, my preschooler is able to learn key concepts from her peers, the teachers, and her college peers.

Each week, the preschool sends a large ziplock bag filled with a unique homeschool activity for our little one. These activities usually include several manipulative items and a set of directions. These are easy to incorporate for busy, working families.

This week, we had two activities! Both activities were mathematics-focused and one include some literacy as well! These activities were: Sharing Hot Dogs and Button Bingo.

These were exceptional activities and they definitely caused this working mom to think outside of the box...playdough canister. :)

Through this activity, we received a canister of green playdough and a popsicle stick, and amazing directions! We had to divide the playdough into eight hot dogs.

This activity involved mathematics, reading, music! 

She really enjoyed making the hot dogs as well. We had to make eight.

Since dad was not at home during the time of this activity, we had to make a stick figure with the "knife". So, we made a "Gran Gran". :) 

Here's a close up of Gran Gran. She wanted to eat hot dogs too! Plus, we needed her in our mathematical problem. For example, if Gran Gran had eight hot dogs and gave one to you and six to mommy, how many would she have left? She conquered these mathematical problems with ease!

Then, we had to assess the activity. She is accustomed to rating her books on Amazon and she was eager to rate this activity as well. Five out of five stars!

The Button Bingo activity was also amazing as well! It had nine colored buttons of different shapes. I had to place these on the board and my kindergartener had to remove them while telling me which items were beside the item she removed. This was time consuming, but she really had to think about the items before removing them.

Here are the close ups of the buttons! It is an easy activity to replicate and it would be a great travel activity as well!

Thank you to the Child Development Center at Tarleton State University for these activities!

Have a great week and plan for the weekend!

About Weekends Count - Weekends Count is a Millennial Family Travel, Fun, Food and Activities blog based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas. We review hotels, travel and household items, and millennial family experiences!

Authors - Jennifer and Tony Edwards

Here's a link to our press kit/media kit - http://www.weekendscount.com/p/our-media-kit.html

Mailing Address: 1030 East Highway 377 Suite 110; Box #145; Granbury TX 76048
Phone Number - 817-382-8475

Send us an Email! We are PR friendly! - weekendscount@gmail.com
Watch Our Videos on YouTube! - http://www.youtube.com/weekendscount/
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5 Innovative Ways You Can Use a Kids Cooking Set to Teach Your Children Science and Literacy

Our family is always looking for high-quality children's toys for a great price! The Little Chef eight-piece metal children's cooking set is one of the best toys (for a great price) for your 3-5 year old! This colorful playlet includes two pots, one pan, two lids, a set of utensils, and an oven mitt!

This post contains affiliate links to help you build your shopping list and travel list for your family. We are passionate about the product and the experiences listed in this post, but we also wanted to provide easy links you can click to purchase products for your busy lifestyle.

She has been in love with metal cooking sets since she discovered one in the childcare book fair last month. I promised her that we would find a great one or her and this one did not disappoint!

You can use the Little Chef cooking set for MORE than just dramatic play. You can use it in the following ways:

1 - Color Identification
Description - Have your child separate the pots/pans of a similar color to demonstrate the concept to color identification and separation. (1-3 year olds)

2 - Make Your Own Story!
Description - Enabling your child to make a story with a two item from the eight piece set.
*You can record this story by taking photos and copying and pasting them into a word document and then your little one can add words. THEN, you can print the items out for a story! OR you can video record the story! (3 year olds and older)

3 - Water Density for Preschoolers!
Description - Science Project - Will it sink or will it float?
*Purchase a large plastic bin from the Dollar Tree and fill it with water. Then, ask your child about the items they think will sink or float. Test the theory! (3-5 year olds)

4 - Balancing Dried Beans!
Description - Enable your child to play with dried beans and pour the beans from the pot to the pan, etc. You can also weigh the pot/pan that on a balance scale to demonstrate the concept of balance! (3-6 year olds)

5 - Forming Shapes!
Description - Have your three/four year old draw around the pots, pans, and their lids to create shapes.
*This is a great way for your child to refine their fine motor skills!

Please let me know if you develop any new ideas!

Have a great week and plan for the weekend!

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The Top 10 Melissa and Doug Products that are Ideal for Family Travel and Learning-on-the-Go!

Our family loves Melissa and Doug products and we were delighted to discover the numerous travel-friendly products that the company offers families! Order one (or more) of these items for your summer or fall travel and you will not be disappointed! :)

Here are the Top 10 Melissa and Doug Products that are Ideal for Family Travel and Learning-on-the-Go!

*Some of these products are affiliate links.

Travel Product #1 - Melissa & Doug On the Go Water Wow! Water-Reveal Activity Pad - Safari

Travel Product #2 - Melissa & Doug Play House! Reusable Sticker Pad

Travel Product #3 - Melissa & Doug On the Go Felt Friends Craft Activity Set With 188 Felt Stickers

Travel Product #4 - Melissa & Doug On the Go Scratch Art Hidden-Picture Pad - Favorite Things

Travel Product #5 - Melissa & Doug ColorBlast! Sea Life and Dinosaurs Color-Reveal Coloring Books, 2-Pack

Travel Product #6 - Melissa & Doug Pet Shop Puffy Sticker Set With 115 Reusable Stickers

Travel Product #7 - Melissa & Doug Tape Activity Book: 4 Rolls of Easy-Tear Tape and 20 Reusable Scenes

Travel Product #8 - Melissa & Doug Flip to Win Travel Memory Game - Wooden Game Board, 7 Double-Sided Cards

Travel Product #9 - Melissa & Doug On the Go Secret Decoder Activity Book - The Case of the Runaway Ruby

Travel Product #10 - Melissa & Doug On the Go Color by Numbers Kids' Design Boards: Playtime, Construction, Sports, and More

Please let us know which product you liked the most! WE LOVE Melissa and Doug products (especially for travel)!

Have a great week and plan for the weekend!

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Our 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Journey - 10 Ways to Read 1,000 Books a Year Before Kindergarten

Reading is fundamental...right? So, we decided to incorporate reading in our every day journey with our little one. For awhile, I would read three to four pages per week for my little one and then I realized that she loved (absolutely) LOVED reading. So, we visited our local Texas Public Library and we discovered then.... 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program!

So, I forgot to admit that we actually began this journey.... three months ago. Yes, we are truly catching up to this 1,000 book program to make sure that our little one is able to proudly state that she read 1,000 books before kindergarten!

Here are some easy ways to incorporate the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program TWELVE months before your little one begins kindergarten in public or private school. In fact, these are great tips for homeschooling moms and dads as well!

1 - Make Reading a Big Deal in Your Household!
Make sure that you have a little reading area for your little one in the living room, your home office, or their bedroom/playroom. These reading nooks are essential for helping your little one feel at ease with reading.

2 - Visit the Local Library for FREE Books to Borrow
Make sure that you visit the local library for your beginning books. Let your child discover the books and categories that they would like to read. After you discover your child's interest, then incorporate these books on a daily basis!

3 - Visit the Local Goodwill Store (or Garage Sales) for Cheap Books
Our local Goodwill store has been essential for our family's preschool book collection. Cheap books are important for your children (just in case your little one wants to read a book each night).

4 - Have a Book Swap with Other Families
Yes, gather your books together and swap these books with other families via a Facebook book exchange or via your local playgroup or church. Through the book swap method, your little one can read more books in less time. Plus, this method will save you money!

5 - Visit Your Local Book Store (or Library) for their FREE Story Time Activities
You can usually discover these activities through their local website for Facebook page. Visit Barnes and Noble (and your local library page for more updates). Here's our local BN's page for Fabulous Friday Storytime (Fridays at 11am): http://stores.barnesandnoble.com/store/2207

6 - Gather Around the Computer for an Online Storytime from Barnes and Noble
This is such a great resource for families who do not live near a local bookstore or who do not want to travel outside of the house with their entire families (which can sometimes be a hassle). These online story time links are also great for rainy days or snow days! Here's the link for the Barnes and Noble Nook - Online Storytime

7 - Order Books from Amazon's Warehouse Deals Category
We order books from Amazon Warehouse Deals on a frequent basis. These are books that are slightly damaged or used, but are in great condition for our preschooler! Here's our affiliate link for the Amazon Warehouse Deals store. Usually, books in this store are 50% to 70% off!

8 - Encourage Relatives to Give Books Instead of Toys
Our little one loves her toys and her grandparents definitely like adding to her collection. Unfortunately, our house can only hold a few toys at a time. Therefore, it is important for our family to know that books are appreciated MORE than toys! Plus, books are a little more economical!

9 - Incorporate E-Books for Your Little One
When we travel to a hotel or to Disney World, it is important to have books for my little one's nightly reading adventure. So, instead of packing eight (8) books, we subscribe to Amazon's Kindle Unlimited program and this helps us pack more efficiently, while incorporating learning-on-the-go! Here's our affiliate link for the children's books in the Amazon Kindle Unlimited store.

Please let us know if you have any questions about Amazon Kindle Unlimited. We love it!

10 - Make a Digital List of Your 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten by Creating an Amazon Wish List!
We love Amazon for purchasing items and I love it EVEN more when we can utilize it for a learning resource! We created an Amazon Wish List to scan the book barcodes and to capture our running total number of books. This is also a great way to gain suggestions for future books to order or to request from the library.

Take a look at our affiliate link "1,000 Books to Read Before Kindergarten" - http://amzn.to/2dFd6y8

This program is ah-mazing and it totally changed the way that we teach our child at home during our evening "learning at home" program. So, we've been frequenting our local library, the church library, my university's library, the local Goodwill stores, and garage sales to capture as many books as possible! We LOVE a great library...or two..or three. :)

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