Showing posts with label childrens books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label childrens books. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Moonjar Family Kit Review and Giveaway

Like reading, writing and arithmetic, teaching children about money and saving is an important and valuable life skill leason. I was happy to review a product called Moonjar. I received a teachers guide, story, worksheets, an evaluation form, postards, moonjars, passbooks, guides, book, game and character dolls.
Moonjar moneyboxes encourage kids to enviision their dreams and creatively bring them to life. It offers a visual beginning for children to learn how to use money and build a financial foundation to reach their goals. There are 3 moneyboxes, one for each...spending, saving and sharing that also comes with a Moonjar Passbook which is kind of like a checkbook register. Your child keeps track of withdrawls and deposits into each moneybox.
The Classic Moonjar is a tin 3 part Moneybox with removable lids. All moneyboxes come with a family guide to encourage goal setting and discussions and a passbook to track the changes. The lids are also removable and the tin moneybox is very durable. The grandkids love the idea of having their money separated into different parts. The visuals are awesome because it helps to remind them of exactly what their goals are. Not once have I heard "I've changed my mind, I want to go and spend my money now". They love looking at exactly what they are saving for.
The Standard Moonjar is a foldable version of Moneybox. Easy to assemble and add visual reminders of goals and dreams to help children visualize budgets. It aslo comes with a passbook and guide. This is exactly the same as the Classic Moonjar except that it isn't tin but cardboard. Still has all the great benefits.
Noom and RaJ start a Business - The ABC's of Money - A hardcover business book for kids that is perfect for ages 5-12. It teaches them to build a business and comes with a standard Moonjar Moneybox, guide and passbook also. It is like a binder book. I have to say my 7,8 and 9 year old grandchildren really have learned alot from this book. It has lots of valuable lessons to be learned from it and even the younger ones can relate to it because of the pictures and how they are presented.
Conversations to Go is a box filled with big questions to stimulate conversations that get everybody thinking, sharing and talking!  It is a game that questions money. One of the questions is: If someone surpirised you with a good amount of money, more than you usually earn or get, what would you do with it? Wow! This is another great product! Not only did the grandkids learn alot from it but I learned some things they already knew that I didn't kow they knew. It was actually funny to listen to some of their answers they gave while answering some of the questions.
Moonjar Character Dolls are felt characters that are hand made in Mongolia. Each one has a Moonjar trait and comes with a loop for backpacks and a tag with the story of their character. We received Raj and Noom. My 2 and 3 year old grandkids nabbed onto these real quick. They put them on their backpacks. They try to do whatever the big kids do and since the older ones have all kinds of things attached to their packs, the little ones feel big now too.
Leader's Lesson Plan - This 45-minute lesson plan gives teachers, parents and community members the tools to teach kids about Saving, Spending and Sharing. Fun and educational; making money management accessible and engaging for everyone. This was really great to read through and teach the lessons to the grandkids. It made me think alot about some of my own decisions also. It includes  a word search puzzle, dream bubbles, cost of goods page, needs vs. wants and a goal setting page along with many lessons to be taught and learned. 
Moonjar LLC was established in 2001 by Eulalie Scandiuzzi, a Seattle native, to inspire and incorporate strong financial values and practices into everyday lifeThe name Moonjar comes from the idea of “Shooting for the Moon” and creating Big Dreams, along with the ancient custom of placing hopes and dreams in a jar.

Today Moonjar is a vibrant young company working to bring financial literacy to children and families around the globe. They believe the time to start the conversation about money is now and the way to start the 
conversation is through Saving, Spending and Sharing. All Moonjar products are trademarked, copywritten, patented and created with recyclable materials.
Although my 2 year old grandson doesn't understand the concept of saving yet, he loves to go and put his money in his Moneybox just like the older kids do, so he is learning to save regardless. He is still at the age where he wants everything he sees on TV so needless to say his dream bubble is changing hour by hour. 
It says for ages 5-12 but my 3 and 4 year old grandchildren totally understand what it is about and are just as excited as the older ones. 

One of my lucky readers will win the Moonjar Family Kit.
Rules: You MUST be a PUBLIC GFC follower of my blog to enter. If you do not do EXACTLY as I have asked I will just move on and select another winner. Please double check that you actually doing what is required for your entries to count...this includes leaving a comment somewhere if it is asked of you.
  • Mandatory Entry: Visit Moonjar and tell me another product you would like to have other than what I have listed above! Leave email with this entry if it is not public in your profile.
  • Bonus Entries: Leave a separate comment for EACH entry.
    1. Follow me on FacebookFacebook again and Twitter (+1 ENTRY EACH). Remember...leave a separate comment for each of these entries.
    2. Vote for me - just click-that's all (+1 DAILY) and Share on Facebook (+1 Daily).
    3. Subscribe and Confirm to My Emails and RSS Feeds (+2 EACH).
    4. Like Moonjar on Facebook and leave comment "FunFritzFamily sent me" (+2).
    5. Tweet and Retweet (Button at top of page)(+1 DAILY).
    6. Grab my New ButtonBlog about giveaway and Rate my Blog (+5 EACH).
    7. Enter any of my other giveaways (+1 EACH giveaway). 
    8. Leave a comment on Moonjar Blog (+1).
    9. Follow my other blog Fun After Dark via GFC (+2).
GIVEAWAY CLOSES on at noon CST on June 3rd.  The winner will be selected using random.org and announced by June 4th. You will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be selected.

***Please note that I received no form of monetary compensation for this review. I received the product(s) described above. This is a fair and honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own and were not influenced in any way. I am not responsible for delivery of this product.***

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Barefoot Books Review and Giveaway (Your Choice)

Product Information: Barefoot Books is all about exploring, giving back, imagining, creating and connecting! It’s all about exploring other cultures, our planet and ourselves. It’s making time for make-believe and letting imaginations run wild and free. Most of all, it’s about using the power of stories to nourish the creative spark in everyone and strengthen connections with family, the global community, and the earth.
Barefoot Books began with two mothers who wanted their children to have books that would feed the imagination, while instilling a respect for diversity and a love of the planet. Today they are a world wide community of writers, artists, storytellers, musicians, and others who are committed to prividing timeless stories and captivating art that can help children become happy, engaged members of a global society. 
For my review, we received the following books:
Playtime Rhymes for Little People - Act out each of the imaginative selections in this hand-sewn anthology. The forty rhymes and games encourage active play and participation with step-by-step instructions to follow. Book with CD edition includes songs and rhymes performed by Susan Reed.
Playtime Rhymes for Little People is a hardcover book that has 40 rhymes and includes a singalong CD.
Each rhyme also has directions on how to do your hands for each one so you can really make a game of it also! My grandkids really love it and enjoy singing along with the CD. They love being able to do the hand gestures while singing it also. This book is more than just a book a rhymes!
Grandmothers' StoriesThe stories in this anthology illustrate many of the qualities of the wise woman, offering readers of all ages a new perspective on the grandmother character that is usually presented in fairy tales as either menacingly evil or dim-witted and useless. With spirited grandmothers from as far afield as Senegal and Sweden, all of these tales are rich with humor, action and suspense. A fresh and witty retelling is complemented by finely detailed and mesmerizing illustrations. This book has 8 stories from the following cultures - Senegalese, Japanese, Russian, Hawaiin, Mexican, Irish, German and Swedish. The book also includes 2 CD's that you can listen to also! The grandkids really love listening to stories and especially from different cultures! 
Kids' Kitchen - 40 Fun and Healthy Recipes to Make and Share
Step into the kitchen for some child-friendly fun with food. The forty recipes in this colorful deck are based around the five main food groups, and offer a healthy and exciting way to learn about cooking. Made just for kids! My grandkids love how big the recipe cards are and how easy it is for them to read them and hold them. They love using the cookie cutters to make those special recipes! 
Thanks to Barefoot Books One (1) of my readers will win their choice of a book from Barefoot Books.
Rules: You MUST be a PUBLIC GFC follower of my blog to enter.
  • Mandatory Entry: Visit Barefoot Books and tell me another product you would like to try. Leave email with this entry if it is not public in your profile.
  • Bonus Entries: Leave a separate comment for EACH entry.
  1. Follow me on FacebookFacebook again and Twitter (+1 ENTRY EACH). Remember...leave a separate comment for each of these entries.
  2. Vote for me - just click-that's all(+1 DAILY) and Share on Facebook(+1 Daily).
  3. Sign up for Barefoot Books Newsletter(+1).
  4. Subscribe and Confirm to My Emails and RSS Feeds (+2 EACH).
  5. Like Barefoot Books on Facebook and leave comment "FunFritzFamily sent me"(+2 ENTRIES).
  6. Tweet and Retweet (Button at top of page)(+1 DAILY).
  7. Grab my New ButtonBlog about giveaway and Rate my Blog (+3 EACH).
  8. Enter any of my other giveaways (+1 EACH giveaway).
  9. Follow Barefoot Books on Twitter (+1).
  10. Follow my other blog Fun After Dark via GFC (+1).
GIVEAWAY CLOSES on at noon CST on May 23rd. The winner will be selected using random.org and announced by May 2rth. You will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be selected.

***Please note that I received no form of monetary compensation for this review. I received the product(s) described above. This is a fair and honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own and were not influenced in any way. I am not responsible for delivery of this product.***