Category Archives: Educational Toys

The Gifted Grasshopper – Bags bursting with books

Age 1-3, Age 3-5, Age 5-7, Books, Educational Toys

GiftedgrasshopperThis is one of my all time favorite gift ideas for kids. I LOVE IT! 
I truly hope that The Gifted Grasshopper wins one of the first The Mommy Insider awards being announced around December.

I don’t like shopping at the mall or at large stores where there are a lot of people… especially with the kids. I prefer to shop online whenever possible. The Gifted Grasshopper makes it easy for parents to give their kids a wonderful selection of books just for their age, all in a super cute Gifted Grasshopper tote, grasshopper glasses, and a stuffed animal.

When Sebastian’s Gifted Grasshopper tote arrived, he was so excited. The first thing he did was put on the glasses. He says they make him smarter. How cute. He loves the books that came in his tote. They are unique books that you and I probably wouldn’t find on our own, and the kids love. 

Upon browsing the Gifted Grasshopper website I saw that they sell Party Bags! How cool is that?  You can choose from three different ‘levels’ of party bags depending on your budget and what you think the kids would like.

The Gifted Grasshopper sells bag’s for baby’s and for kids all the way up to 3rd grade. You can select the size of the gift bag which determines how many books are included and you can also choose the theme. Kindergarten themes include Fairy Tales, Alphabet, and Numbers.

I think The Gifted Grasshopper "bag of books" is a great idea for birthday gifts. Kids have enough toys  don’t they?

Where to buy: The Gifted Grassshopper

COUPON CODE: The Mommy Insider readers get 10% off with code SPRINGSALE10!

Time4Learning…Fun and Successful

Age 3-5, Age 5-7, Age 7-10, Ages 10-13, Educational Toys

As a mother of a seven year
old, I’m always looking for a way to balance learning and fun. I’ve
noticed that Sebastian becomes really engaged in learning when lessons and
activities are interactive. In my search
to find the perfect program for Sebastian, I considered a few things. First, I wanted something that would begin
building a foundation of skills for first and second grade. Secondly, I had to find a program that would
help Sebastian who struggles with reading comprehension. Lastly, I was on a budget and needed to find
something extremely cost effective. I
began my search and eventually made an great discovery…Time4Learning.

Time4Learning can be used for
preschool,
as an after-school
supplement, as an
alternative to summer school,
or even for homeschooling. For those children with special needs,
the engaging graphics, songs, and videos create interactive learning activities
that kids really enjoy. Sebastian loves
how the lessons can be read aloud by a fun cartoon character. This feature, in particular, keeps him from
stumbling over new material or from losing his place on the page. Activities in the preschool program, such
as counting games and alphabet songs, keep Sebastian entertained while
learning. It’s amazing! The best part is that Sebastian can work
independently using the personalized program in which he can navigate entirely
on his own. Time4Learning’s low monthly
cost will fit perfectly into any family’s budget.

Sebastian actually looks
forward to logging on to the Time4Learning website after school.  He particularly enjoys the reading lessons.
The characters are very easy for him to follow and enjoy and the stories are
engaging.

Time4Learning is a
student-paced program for grades Pre-K-8th. Children work at their own pace…something I find
very helpful, especially for Sebastian, whose self-esteem began to soar as he
used writing tools such as graphic organizers, spell-checkers, and personalized
evaluations. I saw incredible
improvement and lots of smiles shortly after Sebastian began using the Time4Learning
website.

Learning and fun: http://www.time4learning.com/demos.htm

Preschool http://www.time4learning.com/preschool-games.shtml

After school supplement http://www.time4learning.com/learning-enrichment.shtml

Summer school http://www.time4learning.com/summer-school.shtml

Homeschooling: http://www.time4learning.com/homeschool-curriculum.htm

Special needs: http://time4learning.com/learning-special-needs-shtml

Preschool program: http://learninggamesforkids.com

I’ve got great news!
The first three people
to email me regarding this post will get 1 FREE MONTH on the Time4Learning.com
website! Email me at Alicia@themommyinsider.com and I will email the
first three who respond Friday afternoon to let you know what the next step is.