Playskool Friends My Little Pony Rainbow Dash Friendship Bus

My house is a pony house!  There are so many My Little Pony toys and my kids love them all.  E was so excited when we received the Playskool Friends My Little Pony Rainbow Dash Friendship Bus and Figure 2-Pack from our Crowdtap sampling.  These are the first My Little Pony toys specifically made with toddlers in mind.  They are easier for toddlers to grip and hold, the colors are vivid and whimsical and they encourage hours of imaginary play.

 More pony fun - always an adventure to be had.

Here E is taking her pony friends on an adventure around the house.

Here you can see how easy the ponies are to grip and how they sit in the Friendship Bus.

 Moon Dancer is being placed behind Rainbow Dash.

 The Friendship Bus holds three friends - Rainbow Dash, Moon Dancer and Minty.

 E loves the hearts on the wheels and the heart windows.

 The pink button in front opens the side door (on the other side), and the side mirror shown above can be pulled out or pushed back.

This picture also shows the side door that opens when you push down the pink button on the front of the bus.  There is also a spinner on this side for added fun.

If you have toddlers I would highly recommend Playskool Friends My Little Pony toys.  They are not expensive, durable and lots of fun.  The kids have had so much fun with this bus.  F is also a huge fan!

Kids Academy App Review: Kids Puzzles Preschool Math Games

I love this app in that it allows children to learn in a fun and engaging way at their own pace.  Preschool basics such as number tracing and number recognition are presented in a fun environment with great graphics and engaging music.  My kids are learning correct number formation in writing.  My children love that they get to collect fireflies in a jar as they master their fine motor skills.  This app is designed for children to be able to play on their own but I have really enjoyed watching the kids learn.  I also appreciate that there is a parent area which allows management of children’s profiles and the ability to track success.  This is definitely a fun app for preschoolers!

 E collecting fireflies while making the number 2.

Check out the full App and download it here.  Please let me know what you think too.

Disclosure:  Thanks so much to Sverve and Kids Academy for selecting me to participate in this campaign.  Compensation was provided.  All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

Kids Academy App for Preschoolers

I recently downloaded the Kids Academy App for preschoolers.  D and E have really been enjoying the games.  This app is great because it allows children to learn in a fun and engaging way at their own pace.  Preschool basics such as letters and numbers are presented in a fun environment that encourages learning.  I love that my kids are learning correct letter and number formation in writing while having colorful graphics and encouragement along the way.  They cannot help but smile when it tells them Good Job!  And my kids love collecting fireflies in a jar as they master tracing and increase their fine motor skills.  I think sometimes they forget they are learning they are having so much fun.  I think this is a great tool for getting ready to read and I would recommend it.

Check out the full App and download it here.  Please let me know what you think too.

Disclosure: Thanks so much to Sverve and Kids Academy  for selecting me to participate in this campaign.  Compensation was provided.  All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

PowerMyLearning - Helping Kids Get Ahead in School

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post on behalf of PowerMyLearning.  All opinions expressed are 100% my own.  I will receive a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

Have you heard of PowerMyLearning?  PowerMyLearning is a great website with everything Kindergarten through 12th grade students need to help them get ahead for the upcoming school year!  This site provides educational on-line games that incorporate things your child already loves such as trains, animals, fashion and so much more.  I love that it is a resource for students, parents and educators. 

This site is easy to navigate and covers numerous subjects including Math, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Art and Music, Technology and World Languages.  Here are a couple of examples of games.

Movement and Growth Game

In the movement and growth game (under Biology) you learn to identify the different types of skeletons on different animals in this interactive game.  

 Ice Ice Maybe

In Ice Ice Maybe (under Math), you help the penguins cross the deadly ocean by estimating calculations.

 When your estimation is good, the penguins will bounce to safety on the other side.

As a homeschool Mom I really like that this can be used as supplemental material with our curriculum to build and increase knowledge on topics we are currently learning and those coming up in the future.  PowerMyLearning is a site that definitely helps make learning fun and my kids ask to use it!

B will be starting 2nd grade in just a few weeks and she loved taking some of the 2nd grade Math quizzes to see what she knew!  Her virtual gold medal that she earned put her on the moon.

 Here she is taking math quizzes.

I had hoped to do more school this summer than actually happened and PowerMyLearning is a great resource to help retain knowledge.  Instead of heading into school rusty so to speak, children can head back with confidence.  Not to mention they think the site is incredibly fun!  I wish I had discovered PowerMyLearning sooner.

What are you waiting for?  Go here today and register for your free account!

Zact - Helping Parents and Their Children Have Mobile Success

Disclosure:  I participated in a campaign for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Zact.  I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

Even though my children are young they consistently want to use my phone, specifically my Iphone.  And I am amazed at how quickly they have learned how to pull up games, photos, movies - you name it.  When I first got my Iphone, I joked that they probably knew how to use it better than me.  I am waiting for the day when they ask for their own smartphone, I know it will be coming.  I think most parents, including me, have concerns about their children's mobile device usage.  The team at Zact conducted a survey to find out what is behind those concerns.  They found out that 73% of U.S. parents are concerned about the lack of parental control of their children's activities on mobile devices.  Yes, this is a concern of mine.  Honestly, I don't want my children on the Internet or to accidentally find themselves at inappropriate sites.  Do your kids currently have a smartphone?  While my kids do not have their own, they do have some access to mine.  For me, I want my kids to be safe - in the real world and the cyber world.  I am not surprised that others agree with me on this, 75% of parents are concerned about their children exploring the web too freely.  As my kids grow, they will certainly be allowed more privileges including Internet usage.  Internet safety will definitely be something that we talk about.  I am not sure if they will have smartphones at the age of 12 but there will definitely be discussions and boundaries set when they do!  For those that don't know, Zact designed parental control software and loaded it into their phones.  When your children are younger, you can set higher restrictions on the phone and as they grow, you can change the restrictions accordingly.  When that day comes and my children do receive a phone, I think this is the way to go!  See the Zact, U.S. Mobile Families Survey 2013 info-graphic below for other great statistics on kids and mobile usage!

For 3 days only starting today (8/13, 8/14, and 8/15) the Zact team is giving away three Smartphones, all with three months of mobile service!  Please enter here for your chance to win and learn more about Zact's services!