Enjoying the Chaos

My kids LOVE Chess, so when I was given a chance to review the Starter Chess Learning Kit from Chess House I jumped at the chance. My kids jumped too - up and down like crazy when I told them. Jam already has a chess set that he bought with his own money. My husband has a really nice chess set too, so Boo claimed this one as soon as it came in the door. We received everything that is shown in the picture above. Elliott's Chess School #1 PAWN Level on DVD An odor free roll-able chess board A full plastic chess set (with two Queens). (Boo loves these large pieces - she says it's easier to focus than with a tiny set). A handy carrying bag that fits everything (we got the dark green color showed in the picture.) The set retails for $39.95 plus shipping and is suitable for ages 4 and up! Jam and Boo get really excited when they get to play chess. They were ecstatic when we were on vacation and the house we were renting had a huge chess set. Jam challenged ever...

Little J was recently given the opportunity to review a brilliant online reading program called Reading Kingdom . Reading Kingdom is a fun easy, to use reading program suitable for ages 4-10 to help them learn to read to a third grade level. The program uses Dr. Marion Blank's patented "6-SIM" Six Skill Integrated Method that teaches all the reading and writing skills in an integrated fashion so that they complement and reinforce each other while fostering comprehension at every level. The program is designed for children to use with very limited assistance. Little J loved that from the very first day he could use this program by himself. While using the program Little J had the choice of using the online click and point keyboard or the actual keyboard on my laptop. We tried it both ways but Little J preferred the real keyboard. There is also an option to increase the time allowed for the child to answer. We had to do this for Little J because al...

We love 'The Little House on the Prairie' Boo has read ALL the books. I have read all the books, plus I think I have watched every episode of the TV series. I remember being a little jealous that my baby sister had a complete set of the dolls. Jam however has not had the same enthusiasm for the whole series however, he was willing to read 'Farmer Boy' which he loved. We had the opportunity to review a DVD from Legacy Documentaries called Almanzo Wilder: Life Before Laura When I told the kids we had the opportunity to watch the DVD Almanzo Wilder: Life Before Laura DVD they were very excited. However when it started they were a little disappointed for just a few seconds. They thought we were going to be watching a movie. However after the first few seconds they completely recovered from it. This documentary is very well presented, my kids loved that the documentary is filmed on the farmstead described in the 'Farmer Boy' book. This DVD is ful...

    When I was offered to review one of the DVDs from  BrainFood Learning we were very excited. All of our regular DVDs, games, toys etc were in storage as we were moving. Little J chose Fascinating World of Mammals DVD and to say he was thrilled was an understatement.   We decided to watch the DVD the first day it arrived, and it was a huge hit. Since my Mom has an amazing projection TV the animals were larger than life. The DVD is very detailed and therefore suitable for all ages. I love that it doesn't use childish names for things. You can click on 'play all' or just play certain sections. Boo loved to click on the animals in different orders. Little Jam just hit play and watched the whole thing all the way through. The mammals featured in this video include beaver, kangaroo, moose, dolphin, lion, giraffe, elephant, bat, chimpanzee, and bear each of the mammals are identified and shown in their natural habitat. There is also a multileve...