Reviews (1)

This book offers ideas to make signing fun and engaging!
This book helped me to go beyond the basics of signing and start having some fun!My 11 month old daughter's signing has accelerated dramatically from many of Monta Briant's suggested activites.Excellent book! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Activities    2. Child Care/Parenting    3. Child Development And Rearing    4. Family & Relationships    5. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    6. Life Stages - Infants & Toddlers/General    7. Life Stages - Infants & Toddlers/Infants    8. Parenting - General    9. Sign Language    10. Advice on parenting    11. Family & Relationships / Parenting   

Reviews (5)

What every "old fashioned" parent needs!
This book is great- filled with 21 things that in the "old days" were just assumed everyone learned and knew. Now, this book is teaching my husband a few things HE didn't even know how to do, and he's showing them all to our daughter.
A must have for anyone with kids...
I have a 4 year old. My father never spent much time with us doing stuff. Only around holidays. I learned to ride a bike by falling down. This guy actually found out there is a good way to teach kids to ride in one day! And he breaks down how to teach a scared kid how to throw a ball into managable steps. A MUST have for every parent. Most of the activities are suited for 5-8 year olds though, so my daughter is still a bit young. But I keep it near the front door for reference on the outside activity days. I will let you all know how the bike riding training goes.
A Village of teachers
I was so excited as I read through the pages of Catch a Fish.My boys and I are going to have so much fun together in the years to come.But it will take a village to teach my boys all the activities in this book!I read the exhaustive instructions on fishing.It was obvious Lee loves it, but I never will.So call all your village people to pony up and promise to teach the kids something!The memories made while learning are worth more than the skills themselves. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Activities    2. Family & Relationships    3. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    4. Family And Child Development    5. Family life    6. Family recreation    7. Family/Marriage    8. Life skills    9. Outdoor Skills    10. Parent and child    11. Parent-child relationship    12. Parenting - General    13. Recreation (Specific Aspects)    14. Family & Health    15. Family & Relationships / Activities    16. Marriage & relationships    17. Marriage, family & other relationships    18. Sports & Outdoor Recreation   

Reviews (3)

Great resource book
Contains great activities for the preschool classroom and the explaination of why you should use them. This is a wonderful resource for the classroom or at home. It helps explain why the activities are developmentally appropriate for the specified ages. This book is very well put together. This book stands at the forfront of my teacher resource collection.

A treasure trove of great ideas
This book is terrific.It's packed with fun and inspiring ideas that work just as well at home as in a preschool setting.I find that I turn to this helpful book time and time again when researching my own parenting articles and books.Highly recommended.

A Great Resource and Guide for Planning
I have had this book for only one week and love it.It helps me plan by month and breaking the month down to week by week.I teach 3 year olds and they have enjoyed the items I have selected.These children are very challenging and to keep them occupied in "learning fun' is a challenge. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Activities    2. Child development    3. Child psychology    4. Creative activities and seat w    5. Creative activities and seat work    6. Education    7. Education / Teaching    8. Elementary    9. Learning Styles    10. Preschool & Kindergarten    11. Teaching Methods & Materials - General    12. Child care & upbringing    13. Education / Elementary   

Reviews (6)

Good ideas for new parents
When our baby was born I was of the mind set that I didn't want to rely on everyone else for child raising ideas. This put me in a difficult position because I've never been around babies before. So, I put away my pride but kept searching for ideas on my own too. That's how I found this book. Lansky has included a lot of great ideas for helping you interact with your baby in creative ways. I agree that it is not perfect (and am not sure that any book really is), but this can be easily overlooked due to the other very redeeming qualities.

Games we'd play anyway and some NEVER
So I'm flipping through the book and thinking "Did I actually pay money for this?".So many of the activities were things that I (and many other parents) are already doing with our babies.Like playing with rattles, talking to your baby while looking in the mirror, kicking at toys, pointing to objects and saying the sounds they make, peek-a-boo, waving bye-bye... you get the idea. But the moment I knew I wanted to get my refund was when in the 0-3 months section, the author suggested going to the hardware store to buy a blank set of keys to put on a strong ring to "make great noise and be cool teethers".The thought of my infant's delicate gums knawing away at the sharp edges of metal keys--YIKES!!

Informative, but not colorful enough
It's a good little book that can definitely help people who had no prior experience in baby handling. As a first time parent, I really appreciate the help!Read more

Subjects:  1. Activities    2. Child Development    3. Family & Relationships    4. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    5. Family/Marriage    6. Life Stages - Infants & Toddlers/General    7. Life Stages - Infants & Toddlers/Infants    8. Parenting - Child Rearing    9. Parenting - General    10. Childcare & Parenting   

Reviews (1)

Artistic inspiration
I just love all of the books in this series by Susan Striker (with Edward Kimmel on a few of them).In college I learned about how coloring books are actually somewhat damaging to a child's creativity.When you give a child a coloring book, you aren't asking him to think or create - just kill time.But when you just give him inspiration in the form of these books, you're telling him that his imagination is important, and that you have faith in his abilities to draw and create.
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Subjects:  1. Activities    2. Activity    3. Art    4. Art - General    5. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    6. Life Stages - School Age    7. Art techniques & materials    8. History Of Art / Art & Design Styles    9. Juvenile Nonfiction / Art / Drawing    10. Marriage, family & other relationships   

Reviews (10)

What Do I Do?Buy This Book!!!
This Book it exactly what I have been looking for.A complete party how to book, from Bat Volleyball to Witch's Bubbling Brew. Halloween School Parties:What Do I Do?
A wonderful book and many ideas to use for Halloween Paries, not just at school. The craft ideas are so cute and adaptable for any age.We have used these ideas at church parties.The What, Why, and How of Room Parenting chapert is useful for any entertaining event.Suggestion:Purchase a complete set.

Caution! For classroom settings only!
I bought this book to get ideas for the large Halloween party we throw every year. This book is strictly sighted at school parties, including classroom crafts and games designed for a school setting. Since so many schools don't even allow "Halloween" to be mentioned (my kids have attended two schools that dictate "Harvest" themes) this book is of little use to me. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Activities    2. Arts And Crafts    3. Children's parties    4. Cookery    5. Cooking / Wine    6. Crafts & Hobbies    7. Crafts for Children    8. Entertaining - Party Planning    9. Halloween    10. Hobbies/Crafts    11. Holiday - General    12. Seasonal    13. Etiquette & entertaining    14. Handicrafts   

Reviews (1)

Real people, real celebrations
I got this book because of the enthusiastic review in Robert Fulghum's "From Beginning to End" and it richly deserves his praise.Susan Lieberman felt the need to give her family a richer emotional life, andfound that the conventional holidays and customs didn't satisfy in thecontext of modern American culture.Read more

Subjects:  1. Activities    2. Customs & Traditions    3. Family    4. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    5. Family festivals    6. Folklore    7. Holidays    8. Religion    9. Sociology - Marriage & Family    10. United States   

Reviews (1)

Coolbook!
I'm only in the middle of this book, but so far it's great!It's got some great ideas for kids 6-10.I have a 6 year old, so some of these activities are too old.But I know I have them to look forward to!I have 4 year old too, but I know that he can do many of the things with my 6 year old!The subtitle actually says "...6 to 10-Year-Old..." and not 7-9. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Activities    2. Crafts for Children    3. Family & Relationships    4. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    5. Family/Marriage    6. Parenting - General    7. Family & Relationships / Parenting   

Reviews (1)

Great family traditions book
I LOVE this book. Family traditions are a must in my family. This book gives great Godly ideas to create new traditions for each season. I highly recommend this book! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Activities    2. Christianity - Christian Life - Family Relationships    3. Christianity - Christian Life - General    4. Holidays - General    5. Religion    6. Religion - Christian Life    7. CHRISTIAN LIVING / RELATIONSHIPS / PARENTING    8. Family & Relationships / Activities   

Reviews (5)

Kids and Parents Love It!
We bought this book a couple of weeks ago at the suggestion of our school's principal to prepare our son for junior kindergarten.The book has excellent activities that our son loves to do, and we as parents enjoy doing with him.Our son will bring the book to us and say, "Let's do something fun!"It provides a fun way for him to build a foundation in learning in preparation for kindergarten.As Christian parents, we appreciate the "A Minute for Mom" section given for each project.The scripture, short prayers and quotes are tremendous encouragement for parents. We also love the references within the "Activities" section pointing to God's love for us and His creation and how we should pray in thankfulness for all He has given us as His children.

Christian oriented
I was looking for ideas to do with my daughter, with which this was slightly helpful. I didn't however appreciate the constant references to God and Jesus in ALOT of the activities. I didn't see any mention of this in reviews/description so I was very disappointed. The back of the book DOES say 'foundation for develpoing healthy friendships and a love for God'.

Excellent resource!
My son will be starting kindergarten in September and I feel this book is a great resource to prepare him. I enjoy the activities and it gives us a structured time to "play" together. I also enjoy the references to religion as that is important to our family. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Activities    2. Child Care/Parenting    3. Education    4. Family & Relationships    5. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    6. Home Schooling    7. Kindergarten    8. Parenting - General    9. Readiness for school    10. Christian Interest    11. Christian life & practice    12. Family & Relationships / General   

Reviews (7)

Fun Fun Fun
I wish I would have known about this book earlier. We could have been having this much fun sooner! My son is turning 3 and it is perfect for him. The layout of the book is great. It lists the supplies you need, details variations you might opt for, and lists resources.
The Absolute Best Activity Book
Well organized.Comprehensive.Creative.An excellent resource for teachers, parents, and caregivers.As a mother ofgirls aged 4 years 9 months and 3 years, I was searching foractivities that they both would enjoy and that I could adapt to their different levels of development.This book is a lifesaver!For each theme, the author, Pamela Waterman, provides several Art projects with simple instructions, a few Indoor activities, suggested Musical activities or songs to sing, activities to do Outdoors, Books to check out from the library or buy, Videos to rent or buy, and special snacks to make.All theme related.Most using supplies that are easily found around the home or inexpensive to purchase.There is even a section called Hints for Your Own Situation that includes tips for older children.You can follow the themes from A to Z, or skip around to various favorites as I do.With 52 Weeks of Themes, here are a few:
Great activities for kids!
Absolute Best Play Days, by Pamela Waterman, is an extremely valuable resource for planning themed activities for children. This is a book that we librarians will use to get ideas for our 2-to-6-year-old story times. We like to structure our story times around various themes and the ideaspresented in this book are great--really creative--and also very do-able! That's definitely a plus!Thanks! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Activities    2. Activity programs    3. Early Childhood Curriculum    4. Early childhood education    5. Education    6. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    7. Play    8. Preschool & Kindergarten    9. Special Education - General    10. Advice on parenting    11. Interactive & activity books & packs   

Subjects:  1. Activities    2. Children: Grades 4-6    3. Juvenile General And Reference Works    4. Juvenile Nonfiction    5. Personal & Practical Guides    6. Reference    7. Reference - General   

Reviews (6)

essential
An essential book for any educator, but especially for environmental education. Also good for parents and others who work with children.A way to let them discover the wonders of nature, even in a city.

Showcases nature studies and appreciation activities
Joseph Cornell is the author of Sharing Nature With Children and Sharing Nature With Children II . This two volume set showcase nature studies and appreciation activities that any parent, teacher, or child care provider can readily engage in with children. Ann appreciation for the complex and interrelated life forms that comprise the exosphere of their environments is a solid basis to establish a life-long enthusiasm for nature and the out-of-doors, as well as a lasting commitment to environmental issues and concerns. Each volume is available independently, but school and community libraries are urged to acquire them both for the nature activities and environmental reference collections.

Cornell's book for children
I had no idea that Joseph Cornell had written a book for children. This is a rare find. (It ranks up there with Robert Walser's little-known treatise on horse-grooming, or Arthur Brand's book of stock quotes.) There are stories here of hope and joy. You really get a sense of Cornell's engagement with a visionary romanticism when he encourages the reader to "let the child see into the world of nature, for there they will find a balm for their sorrows, a calm for their heart, and a palm against time." Cornell filled his boxes with the doodads of youth, and it's wonderful to find him speaking to children without any form of mediation. A must. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Activities    2. Activity Books - General    3. Children: Grades 3-4    4. General    5. Juvenile Nonfiction    6. Nature    7. Science & Nature - General    8. Natural history & pets    9. The environment   

Reviews (10)

Wife loved it!
Wife loves it and is buying it for every new mother we know

This book is a family favorite!
I have three sons, ages 6, 4, and 2.We have all enjoyed the ideas and games in this book so well that I've started giving this book as a gift to new mothers.We've used all the recipes in here countless times, especially those for the various forms of play doh, bubble soap, and paint.I still turn to this book for inspiration on rainy, and sunny, days.I do think an improvement would be a spiral binding, as one reviewer suggested, so that the book would lay flat while in use, and I also agree with several of the reviewers who suggested that many of the song lyrics aren't very helpful without music.Having said that, the reason why I love this book best is that it helps me to foster the kind of homelife I envision for our family.My personal philosophy is that, as a society, we place too much emphasis on doing rather than being. Our young children are often signed up for multiple activities, from baby gymnastics to music class and swimming lessons, from the time they're 12 months old or even younger.Sometimes, for me, the tendency to "sign 'em up" comes from a feeling that they'll be "behind" all the other kids if they don't start T-ball by age 4; it also comes from a sense that I'll have fewer endless hours to fill for them, if they've got scheduled activities to attend.But I've come to realize that children need those endless hours of "down time" more than the activities.They need moments of spontaneous play, songs, giggles, rhymes, and cuddles.They need messy art projects, play dough and cookie cutters. And I've found that I enjoy our family life more when I spend the time playing with them at home, rather than arguing with each of them about getting into the car so we won't be late.Sometimes I skim through this book just to remind myself how quickly childhood passes, and to find one or two new inspirations (or even old, familiar inspirations)to try out during the day. Yes, there are ways in which it could be improved.But even as it is, it's an old friend our family wouldn't do without.

Excellent choice for first-time parents
I received this book as a gift when my first child was born and still refer to it occassionally for those "what can we do today?"times.Chapters are arranged according to appropriate activities rangingfrom birth to age 3 years.Most important to us were the ideas of what todo with your newborn.Topics in each chapter include MOVEMENT, MUSIC, WORDPLAY, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, QUIET TIMES AND INDOOR GAMES.There are alsochapters on various entertainment media, toys and parties.This book isfull of FUN things you can do with your baby.The only minus is that ifyou don't know the tunes to some of the songs, you'll have a hard timesinging to your little bumpkin. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Activities    2. Child Care/Parenting    3. Children    4. Games    5. Games / Gamebooks / Crosswords    6. Infants    7. Life Stages - Infants & Toddlers/General    8. Play    9. Toddlers    10. Pregnancy, birth & baby care   

Reviews (2)

Wonderful book!
Don't let the size of this book fool you! I wasn't sure what book to buy to learn about teaching my baby to swim, but I'm so glad I picked this one. The photos are absolutely beautiful and the book is quality enough to place on a coffee table. I was greatly inspired. The exercises are simple and clearly explained. I was able to remember many of them after only skimming it when I took my baby to the pool for the first time - which, thanks to this book, went much better than I expected. My five month old took to the water very well. The author also clearly stated many safety issues to be aware of - for which I was very thankful.
Excellent How-To Book
This book is conversational yet concise, and packed with important information for how to safely swim with your baby from newborn into toddlerhood. The many photo illustrations are detailed, clear and beautiful. The author answers important frequently asked questions about water safety and learning to swim. After reading this book and viewing the images, I feel confident taking my 4-month-old into the water for his first swim, and being able to expand his lessons if he likes it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Activities    2. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    3. General    4. Health & Fitness    5. Health/Fitness    6. Life Stages - Infants & Toddlers/General    7. Swimming    8. Health & Fitness / General    9. Pregnancy, birth & baby care   

Reviews (3)

Excellent Ideas for Halloween Parties and Fun
Very good, practical recipes & snack ideas, theme party ideas, costumes, decor, games, etcetera. Wonderful!!
My grandmother works at the library and used to get this book out for me every year, I had the most incredible parties ever. I'm now 17 and I'm still in love with this book, this year I'll be getting it for my 9 yearold sister. It's well written, creative, with easy to use instructions andrecipes. It's amazing!!

An absolute must for teachers parents and kids of all age
The Penny Whistle Halloween Book is an absolute must for teachers parentsand kids of all ages who want to make this Halloween a safe, spooky, andhappy one! It is chock-full of hundreds of bewitching ideas about carving,painting, and decorating pumpkins, making your own costumes, and planningan unforgettable Halloween party.Read more

Subjects:  1. Activities    2. Child Care    3. Child Care/Parenting    4. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    5. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    6. Children's parties    7. Entertaining    8. Halloween    9. Juvenile literature    10. Parenting - Child Rearing    11. Family & Relationships / Activities   

Features

• Engagement Calendar

Reviews (1)

great tool!
I have really enjoyed this calendar as it has lots of space to write and lots of "extras". You can open up to a full month as well as pages for each week and big spaces for each day. There is also a quarterly scheduling section to help you manage all the kids' activities side by side! There are tear off sections on each page for lists/shopping/etc. Great book! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Activities    2. Calendar    3. Calendars - Family / Parenting    4. Non-Classifiable   

Reviews (1)

Great book to keep forever!
I bought this for my niece and nephew for Christmas this year and hopefully they will keep it forever!It is more than just a book. It has recipes, comics, activities, songs, etc that you can do with your children.A must have if you have children and they are Disney fans!
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Subjects:  1. Activities    2. Children's All Ages - Fiction - General    3. Children: Grades 3-4    4. Christmas    5. Christmas cookery    6. Christmas stories    7. Holidays & Celebrations - Christmas    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Juvenile literature    10. Juvenile Fiction / Holidays & Festivals / Christmas   

Reviews (2)

Very Practical Advice
The advice is very well put, and definitely will save you money, more than what the book sells for. I was in particular looking for advice for my son to get his first car. The advice was good and made sense, so as the rest of the book.

short read with good ideas
This book has all the worksheets you can think of and some great ideas for your child(ren).Now I'm much more prepared and excited about teaching my little boy how to be responsible with money.He gives some fun and easy ways to teach children as well as adults how to handle money to your benefit. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Activities    2. Child Care/Parenting    3. Children    4. Family & Relationships    5. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    6. Finance, Personal    7. General    8. Parenting - General    9. Personal Finance - Money Management    10. Reference    11. Savings and investment    12. Teenagers    13. Family & Relationships / Parenting   

Reviews (1)

Exceptionally well organized and thorough.
This outstanding book for parents and caregivers of two year olds is the third in a series. It offers activities that promote total child development, including physical, mental, and the creative aspects oflearning. The organization into easily located categories makes it easy toquickly locate an appropriate activity. As a grandparent-caregiver who usedthe books for Baby and One-year olds, I am pleased to find that theactivities are just as well thought-out and age appropriate in this book asin the other two. The instructions are very clear and there are enoughactivities that even if only half of them were tried you would never runout of interesting things to do. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Activities    2. Activity programs    3. Child development    4. Children: Grades 1-2    5. Day care centers    6. Development    7. Early Childhood Education    8. Education / Teaching    9. Games & Activities - General    10. Juvenile Nonfiction    11. Parent Participation    12. Teaching Methods & Materials - Workbooks    13. Toddlers    14. Child & developmental psychology