Learning to appreciate what is around us and Giveaway

It is important we take the time to educate ourselves and teach our children about the beautiful things that surrounds us. When we forget to appreciate nature, things like Climate Change will not feel like a big deal. In recent years, we have seen major concern for climate change, but have we taken the time to reflect on how we can help reduce it?

These books from DK Canada such as Trees, Leaves, Flowers and Seeds; The Wonders of Nature; Manmade Wonders of the World; and Ice takes a closer look at the beauty of nature and man-made things around us.

Fun Board Games to Encourage Learning

I believe playing board games with our children is a fun way for us to get involved in teaching lifelong skills such as problem solving, team playing, communication skills, and help in the development of cognitive thinking. It is so much easier to shop for these toys for children in all ages right from the comfort of our home through Amazon.ca.

Straws and Connectors Encourage Developmental Skills

I favour S.T.E.A.M (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) education, as I believe it has lots of developmental benefits for our children and it helps them to gain wider perspectives. It is important for parents and educators to encourage children to understand basic concepts of these subjects, so they can make inquiries, explore and learn. Giving appropriate tools for exploration and play has direct impact on a child's development in a variety of levels such as cognitive, physical, literacy, numeracy, and emotional growth.

LeapStart Interactive Early Learning System

LeapStart is a wonderful all-in-one interactive early learning system for Preschool to Grade One. This system teaches school and life skills to curious two to seven year old children. My children enjoyed the variety of books that cover topics such as reading comprehension, communication, phonics, writing skills, social and emotional skills, math, problem solving, stem, and more.

Hot Wheels® Build It, Race It, Win It Contest

My children enjoy playing with Hot Wheels because it allows them to build, as well as race it! Hot Wheels has lots of cool play sets that allow children to develop cognitive skills in subjects such as science, as they think about how infrastructure systems are constructed.

Reading LEGO books and Building

My children have been LEGO fans since they were little and enjoy all things LEGO from building with the bricks to reading books related to LEGO. Recently, my children were playing with and building using the LEGO Friends Pop Star TV Studio and LEGO Ninjago Ninja Bike Chase sets. We also got them a bigger Ninjago set so they can enjoy putting the pieces together. 

A Beautiful Planet IMAX film at the Ontario Science Centre

Nighttime view of Spain and the Mediterranean as seen in the new IMAX® film, A Beautiful Planet. © 2016 IMAX Corporation. Photo courtesy of NASA.

Entertainment's space epic A Beautiful Planet made in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) opens on April 29 at IMAX® Ontario Science Centre. We enjoyed watching a preview of this amazing film. I love how the film portrays the beauty of Earth - how unique and far beyond our imagination everything is, which is not possible by anyone but God. Watching this film made us appreciate the beauty of Earth more, and think about the changes we can make in our own lifestyle to preserve the beauty of Earth. 

Win Your Choice of DK Pocket Genius Books

I find when we go on long trips, both children and adults always need to be engaged in something new and exciting. The redesigned​ collection of compact DK Pocket Genius paperback books are wonderful to take when travelling or to use at home or school for browsing and quick reference. 

Button Ornaments

Making these ornaments using a few materials has lots of benefits for children. This fun home décor ornament teaches children math skills like counting, sequencing, and patterning, as well as increases their fine motor and sensory skills. These easy to do handmade ornament project will look beautiful when it is hung around the home.

Science Experiments inspired by the Fantastic Four Movie

The Fantastic Four returns with Marvel's next generation of heroes. It is fun movie to watch on Blu-ray and DVD with the family, as four young outsiders teleport to an alternate universe, and their physical forms alter in shocking ways.

Christmas by Lamplight at Black Creek

We had an amazing time at Black Creek Pioneer Village, as we enjoyed the annual Christmas by Lamplight program. This is a fun, memorable, and most importantly a relaxing educational experience that everyone in my family enjoyed. We loved the atmosphere. Going back in time to learn and experience how the pioneers would have enjoyed the festive season is awesome!

LeapTV Gets Our Children Learning and Moving

Looking to introduce your children to a gaming console that is fun, educational, and easy to use? The LeapTV tries to be just that, as it is aimed for children 3 to 8 years. The LeapTV comes with a console, a motion sensing camera, a controller, and a HDMI cable that is connected to a HDMI equipped TV.

My Epic Kids are Loving the LeapFrog Epic

With the fabulous LeapFrog Epic children from ages 3 to 9 years can explore kid-appropriate web, have fun with a variety of Android apps, and learn from exclusive LeapFrog games that allows them to think creatively, as well as develop skills such as problem solving. As a parent, I love that this tablet experience adapts to our growing children allowing us the freedom to expand web and content experience as our children grow, so they can have endless possibilities of exploration, learning, and play. 

Thea Stilton Graphic Novels

My children enjoy reading the collection of Geronimo and Geronimo's sister Thea Stilton's paper books, and the comic collection by papercutz. They were excited to check out the first four comic books of Thea Stilton. These books are full of adventure, funny scenes, and colourful images, which make it lots of fun for children to read.

Hand-Lettering for Everyone

I recently wrote about the importance of handwriting, which is slowly disappearing in this tech driven world. Since penmenship is no longer taught in schools, I think as parents we need to find ways to encourage our children to see the benefits of handwriting by creating opportunities for them and getting the correct resources and inspiration.

Win these fabulous story books for your children

My children and I checked out a few children's books that are educational and fun to read. Ru-lan is a fun and exciting series of books about a special young prince born in the kingdom of Lǒu. The descriptions and details in the story makes these picture books fun for both children and adults to read independently or as a group. We enjoyed how the author, Larry Bennett brings together the human world and the animal kingdom together in the stories.

Watch the amazing Macaque Monkeys on Disneynature Monkey Kingdom

Monkeys are amazing creatures, and very much close to humans in many ways. The similarities we share with monkeys are beautifully and artistically presented in the Disneynature Monkey Kingdom. It has taken three years and talents of many experts to bring this movie to us. This movie based in the beautiful island of Sri Lanka by the ancient ruins founded in the jungles of Polonnaruwa, gives us a perspective of the lives of Macaque monkeys from their eyes. Watching this documentary movie has increased our love and respect for these creatures we had the pleasure of seeing in action during our visits to Sri Lanka.  

Important Books for the New School Year from DK

Having good reference books at home and in the classroom for school age children and beyond is important. In DK's Back to School Boutique you will find useful books that will be handy for our children to refer to either to grow their curiosity or to use for research. 

The Cat in the Hat Read and Learn

The Cat in the Hat, Read and Learn is an animated, interactive, and educational app for children ages 3 to 6. This program has been developed in collaboration with parents, kids, and educational experts. It will be available starting July 16th. Every page is animated and includes tap, and drag animations to bring the story to life.

Humpback Whales on IMAX

We love watching documentaries and learning wonderful topics such as about animals, and places around the world. We loved learning about the Humpback Whales at the Ontario Science Centre on the giant IMAX screen. By the end of this family friendly 40 minute film we learned lots of information about whales specifically about the Humpback whales.