Category Archives: Books

Preparing For Middle School This Summer

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We’re preparing our daughter for middle school this summer. Do we sound like awful parents who won’t allow our daughter to enjoy her summer vacation? Just take a look at what we’re doing and then judge us!

Social Skills Readiness

In middle school, children will be meeting new students from other schools and from home school. This is a time of making new friends.  For some children, this is something they can handle easily, for others it is one of the most frightening events in their lives. Our daughter is in between. She’s not shy, but doesn’t make friends easily.

We’re preparing her by registering her for summer activities where she doesn’t know anyone. When we travel, she’ll go off to the children’s events on her own. She’s been reading books about friendship and I’ve bought one for her as a surprise to read over the summer – Fab Friends And Best Buds: Real Girls On Making Forever Friends

Getting Organized

We’ve already started helping our daughter get better organized during the end of this school year,  but will work on it more over the summer. She’s going to be responsible for getting herself ready in the morning. When we go out for the day she’s going to be in charge of bringing her belongings. When we travel, she’s going to pack for herself. We’ll be buying school supplies that she can use to help in this area too. She’ll be using her calendar and the one on her computer to remember important dates.

She’ll be rewarded for her accomplishments over the summer and of course when school begins again. She wants more time on the computer, to see movies and to have friends over the house. All fine with us.

More Focus on Academics

When we went to the middle school open house, we were given a list of  the Florida Sunshine State books, which are recommended reading for students based on their grade level. The principal stated in his speech to us that this was not required reading, but since our daughter enjoys reading, she’ll be going through the list. To keep her focused on math, one of problem subjects, we’ll be using math in our daily lives. We’ll have her choose the lowest price items when we shop, figure out the tip when we eat out, help with measuring when we cook, etc. She’ll also play math games online.

She enjoys meteorology so she’ll track the weather for our trips, keep track of the tropical storms and hurricanes and play with a new weather device she received as a gift. None of these are things that she doesn’t enjoy. We plan on making them fun and exciting for her.

Keeping Communication Open

We have worked at keeping communication open between us and our daughter, but this summer we are going to work extra hard at this. We want her to voice any concerns she has about starting middle school.

Visiting The School

There are a few opportunities to visit the middle school over the summer and we’ll take advantage of them. We need to fill out forms when she decides what sport she’s interested in. I signed up for the PTSA so I’ll go to any meetings or see if there’s any volunteer events where we can help. There’s also another open house right before school starts which we’ll attend.

Book Recommendation

We already purchased this book and highly recommend it – Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook, The: Middle School (Worst Case Scenario Junior Editions).  It covers everything from what to do if you’re bullied to how to cope with pimples.

Are you more concerned about moving on to middle school than your child? What did you do to prepare your child for middle school?

Wright On Time Book Series Review

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Wright On Time is a book series about a homeschooling family who travels across the United States in their RV. The first book in the series is Arizona where the family goes mining in a cave. The daughter, Nadia (age 11) is excited to find gemstones and the son, Aidan (age 7) wants to learn more about bats. Nadia is more knowledgeable about gems and caves. In the cave, they discover a mysterious item after almost getting trapped in the cave overnight. The parents, Stephanie and Harrison, take part in the activities that are planned along the way and they use them as lessons for the children’s schooling.

In the second book, Utah, they travel to an archeologist station where they discover dinosaur bones. Aidan dreams of becoming an archeologist. This time he knows more than his sister which make him feel proud. With the help of their father’s two friends, they are able to discover what the pictures mean on the mysterious item from the cave in Arizona.

Sammi’s Review (age 11): I liked the glossary because I was able to learn what the unusual words meant. The children in the book lived an exciting life traveling through the country and being homeschooled about the things they saw. I imagined myself living a life like that. It was confusing not reading the children calling their parents “Mom and Dad”. I felt that books were for younger aged children than me, though because I was able to read them very quickly.

Purchase: Wright On Time: Arizona, Book 1 is available for $12.99, Wright On Time: Utah, Book 2 is available for $12.99. Buy both for $25. All orders are signed by the author, Lisa M. Cottrell-Bentley.

Coloring Pages: There’s free coloring pages that can be used as Flat Nadia’s and Flat Aidan’s

Learn More: Find the next book in the series, ask questions about the books and learn about contests to be considered as a character in one of the upcoming books.

Both books were provided by Parent Reviewers for a blog tour about the Wright on Time book series.

Snow Takes The Checker – Book Review

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Snow Takes The Checker combines horses, other animals and NASCAR to promote land conservation. No worries though, the book is all fun and adventure.  Follow Snow, a horse and his best friend, Tuga, a turtle as they prepare and take part in the Animal 500.

The Animal 500 is the most difficult race of the year and although Snow wants to win, he remembers to keep be a teammate. Even when another racer tries to play dirty, Snow remains polite as he was taught. The race itself through the illustrations and the writing is very exciting.

Written by Demi Knight Clark, Snow Takes the Checker! is one in a series of books about Snow. All books support Racing for Wildlife. Ryan Newman, #39 of NASCAR, has teamed with the author and the non-profit to help keep untouched spaces outdoors for animals.

My Review: Snow Takes the Checker will keep your child’s attention easily. It’s as if you are hearing a sportscaster talk you through the twists and turns of a race. The illustrations are colorful and inviting. You’re sure to hear, “read this again!” the lessons of friendship and being a team player ring throughout the story.

Purchase: Snow Takes the Checker! is available on Amazon.com for $12.55 or from the website The Snow Horse.

Disclosure: I was provided with this book for a book tour by Parent Reviewers. All opinions are my own. Please see my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Catty Wompus – Book Review

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Catty Wompus teaches one of the most important life lessons that children (and adults) can learn – be the friend you want to be. Catty is a spoiled girl who loves things, not people. At least that’s how it seems. She’s the “rich girl” who dresses well, has the latest toys and acts as if she’s above other children.

From an adult point of view, you can see that Catty is lonely. From a child’s point of view, she comes across as mean, especially when she tells a girl that her clothing was “ugly”. This girl, Lucy Hope,  feels sad and angry about this offense.

When she tells her mother about what happened, her mother gives her advice about Catty. She doesn’t tell Lucy to avoid her or to get back at her. She says, “Her heart is empty, don’t you see?” Lucy considers this and decides to become friends with Catty. What will the outcome be? Read Catty Wompus – A Tale of Friendship to find out!

My Review: Catty Wompus should be required reading for every child! The author, Julie Howe has written about a true experience that has left an imprint on her. This story will leave an imprint on you and your child. The messages about friendship, reaching out to others, kindness in the face of meanness is something we all need to learn and re-learn.

Purchase: Catty Wompus – A Tale of Friendship is available on Amazon.com for $14.50.

More Information:  Read about the author, the book and the illustrator, Chason Matthews from the Catty Wompus website.

Disclosure: I received this book as part of a book tour with Parent Reviewers. All opinions are my own. Please see my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Children’s Clothing On ShopWiki

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You can find children’s clothing on ShopWiki. ShopWiki is like a search engine for online shopping that helps you compare prices and shipping costs. You can search for all types of items there including girls clothing. There’s a size chart, information about fashion, and various categories including all types of winter clothing like hats, boots, tights and jackets.

Don’t forget casual girls clothing especially t-shirts, jeans, shorts and swimwear. That’s what my daughter likes, especially since we’re in a warm climate. I liked that when I clicked on a particular category like jeans that I could filter prices, colors, stores and brands. I wish that I could search by price or size for example to make it easier to find what I wanted, but there are some amazing bargains and they are based in the US too. (There are other countries including the UK, France and Australia among others.)

Finding children’s books was easy too. They were categorized by age, All Time Best Sellers from Publishers Weekly and magazines. Since I’m a book buyer, this is one of my favorite places on ShopWiki. I also liked being able to search for any item by name. I tried Disney girls shirt and found a bunch.

ShopWiki is a good place to start shopping online for children’s clothing and many more items.You’ll find discounts and bargains galore.

This is a sponsored post. Please see my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Ferdinand The Frog Uses The Potty Book Review

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Ferdinand Uses the Potty is a book with colorful images, rhymes and humor and a built in lesson for your child about toilet training. Covering a topic that can cause problems among parents of all walks of life, this book is a fun way to get your child to open up about his fears or concerns about potty training.

ferdinand uses the potty

Ferdinand, a yellow frog,  wets his bed one night, but has no idea what has happened. When he tells his friend, a boy, who has gone through the same thing, he is told how to handle it – use the toilet. But Ferdinand remembers what happens with toilets:

“Oh no,” said the frog, “I’m not going in there.” I’ve heard the loud sound that thing makes!” “Every time you go in there, I hear a WHOOSH sound, I’m afraid that thing gives me the shakes!”

Soon, though, Ferdinand conquers his fear and is very proud of himself. His fear is put into words that are easily understood by toddlers as well as the way that he gets over them. Written by Jay Tucker, a father, teacher and writer and illustrated by D.E. West, a father, husband, graphic designer and artist, Ferdinand Uses the Potty: An Empowering Toilet Training Tale is published by Loving Press.

My Review: The rhyming, adorable character, Ferdinand and the bright, cherry illustrations make this a book that your child will want you to read again and again. My daughter had major fears of potty training and I wish that I had this for her. Seeing a frog go through it with the help of a child is a creative move. I recommend this to parents who are in the throes of potty training of going to give it a start.

To Purchase: Available on Amazon.com for $11.86

You can also read a parent’s guide, get coloring pages and play Frogger on the Ferdie the Frog website.

Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of the book by Loving Press and The Parent Reviewers for this review. The opinions stated here are my own.

Quickly The Magic Spatula Book Review

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Quickly: The Magic Spatula is a heartwarming book that reminds adults of stories from our childhood and how important the little things in our family really are. For children, this book helps create memories and start discussions about family, love and imagination.

The story of Quickly begins when a brother and sister are children who played in their attic. It fast forwards to them as adults who are looking through the boxes of the same attic. Their mother had passed away and they now had children of their own. It is not a sad time though, but a time of memories, of time spent with their mother when she did ordinary things that lots of moms do including cooking breakfast for them on Sunday mornings.

The object that helps bring back these striking memories filled with admiration, enduring love and vivid details was a spatula. That spatula, now old and dim, was at one time shiny and put into use for those Sunday pancake breakfasts. The story of how it becomes named “Quickly” is told in a mesmerizing way. The illustrations help bring it to life.

Share this with your child between the ages of 2 – 8 and allow them to tell or write their own story in this book or online at the Quickly: The Magic Spatula website. There’s even questions to go over with your children, and information about the authors.

quickly-book

Purchase: Quickly: The Magic Spatula for $11.65 on Amazon.com

I was compensated with a copy of the book for this review. All opinions are mine. Please see my Disclosure Policy for more details. Thank you to Parent Reviewers for the opportunity to review this book.

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Educating Esme Book Review And Giveaway

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I value children’s education, therefore I value teachers. After reading Educating Esme: Diary of a Teacher’s First Year by Esme Rajii Codell, my admiration and appreciation for teachers and their work and passion grew even more. Written in diary form, I learned why Esme became and teacher and what her actual days in the classroom were like. Make no mistake, Madame Esme is one of the most zealous teachers I’ve had the pleasure to learn about.

educating-esme

Madame Esme? Yes, that is what Esme expects her students to call her to the chagrin of her principal. In the Chicago public school where she taught that first year, the students were commonly beaten by their parents, hungry, and lived in poverty. Expecting anything of them was, well, unexpected. But Madame Esme held high expectations for every one of her students.

Her unique teaching techniques brought out the best in her students. She used her creativity to inspire her students to learn to love reading, to get over the hurdles they had in certain subjects or even behavioral issues and to believe in themselves.

There is humor and sadness, feelings of futility and motivation, a call to action to parents, the government and others on behalf of teachers and heart warming stories that you won’t forget, all in Educating Esme. I highly recommend this book for parents, for people considering entering teaching, novice and experienced teachers and anyone that has an interest in education in the US.

This is the expanded edition for the 10th anniversary, which includes a Foreward by Katherine Paterson, author of  Bridge of Terabithia, Afterward by Jim Trelease, author of The Read-Aloud Handbook and “Advice for Aspiring and New Elementary School Teachers”.

*There is some adult language in this book. I did not feel offended by it as this is a diary and factual book. The language was also commonly used by her students.*

*You may leave comments about this book, education, teaching, etc. even if you do not want to enter the giveaway.*

Giveaway: 1 Winner will receive a copy of this book.

The Rules:

1. Contest starts now and ends Monday Sept. 7th at midnight EST.
2. Open to US Residents only.
3. Winner will be chosen by Random.org.
4. Winner has 2 days to claim prize.
5. Have fun and tell your friends.

How To Enter:

For One Entry For Each Below: (please leave a separate comment for each entry)

  1. Sign up for this blogs RSS feed by email. I’ll be checking!
  2. Leave a comment about one thing that a teacher did that made you feel more confident about yourself, or helped you in a subject you had difficulty learning. This can be about you or your child.
  3. Write a blog post about this contest. (let me know the link to your post)
  4. Leave a comment on my blog Brain Foggles (let me know which blog post please)
  5. Leave a comment on another post on this blog. (let me know the post please)
  6. Join this blogs Facebook Networked Blogs page – found on the sidebar. (leave your Facebook name please).
  7. Follow me, ConnieFoggles on Twitter. (leave your Twitter ID please)
  8. Tweet this and leave your Twitter ID please: (You may tweet this once per day. Please comment for each tweet.)

Win the book Educating Esme @ConnieFoggles Read about an awesome teacher! http://tinyurl.com/m7covr PL RT

This giveaway was sponsored by Algonquin Books. By posting this I am entered to win a gift card. Please read my disclosure policy for more information.

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Billy Had To Move Book Review

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Billy Had To Move by Theresa Ann Fraser, focuses on a boy named Billy who has been living with his grandmother for a while. He had been involved with Social Services when it was determined that his mother was unfit to care for him and he was placed in the care of his grandmother.

billy-had-to-move

The story begins when Billy is at school and meets Mr. Murphy, a Social Worker, who has the unpleasant duty to tell Billy that his grandmother has died. Billy is sad, confused and afraid as he is taken out of school and brought to a foster home. He doesn’t understand much about death and misses his grandmother and the life he had with her.

Move ahead a few months and Billy isn’t sure if he is going to stay at the foster home, with Amy, Tim and their baby, Colly, but he is getting used to living there. He likes being around Colly and feels that Amy and Tim cares about him, but he is having nightmares, stomach aches and headaches. He worries that he will have to pick up and move again. He keeps thinking about his Nana. And,he is afraid to talk about his feelings.

Mr. Murphy keeps in touch with Billy and his foster family. Billy is then introduced to a play therapist who has lots of toys and games. She invites him into her office to play and doesn’t “make” him talk. Billy loves the sand tray she offers for him to play with. At the end of their time together, Amy, the therapist, tells Billy that he can come back again to play. He doesn’t have to talk but he is welcome to anytime.

Billy feels better after his time with the therapist and even looks forward to seeing her again. He realized that when he was with her that he didn’t miss Amy. He smiles when they walk home and is able to push Colly in her stroller.

My Review: Billy Had To Move,  is helpful for children who are going into foster care for the first time or moving to a new foster home. It can also help a child who has experienced death of a loved one. The feelings that Billy goes through are written about from a child’s point of view. Providing adult characters who are caring and helpful and want to protect Billy gives children hope. All in all, this book is about hope and people who are in helping professions providing help for children in need.

To Purchase: Visit Amazon.com and find Billy Had To Move: A Foster Care Story

This review sponsored by Parent Reviewers.

I’m Having Twins Book Review

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The first in the series of books My Friend Paris, I’m Having Twins, is about a little girl who is going to be the big sister of twins. The author, Paris Morris, is 10 years old now (she was 9 when she wrote this book) and writes about her experience of waiting for her siblings to be born.

im-having_twins

Focusing about what her life with her mother, father and extended family are like while her mother is pregnant with twins and her excitement and expectation of what it will be like after their birth, this book is perfect for any young children in the same position.

The questions Paris asks, the wonderment she experiences and her way of describing them makes this book just adorable. The illustrations are colorful and kid-friendly.

There are four other books in the series and even clothing featuring Paris and the twins available on the website.

To Purchase: Besides the My Friends Paris site, I’m Having Twins is sold on Amazon.com

This review is courtesy of Parent Reviewers.