January 4th, 2010

Product Review: “A Magical Beauty Collection” from Disney and Carol’s Daughter

It is so hard for me to find bath products that won’t irritate or dry my daughter’s sensitive skin. At 3 years old she has tried more products than most adults. Luckily for me,  Carol’s Daughter,  known for it’s authentic hair, fragrance and body products, has  launched a collection of hair and body products for children to honor Disney’s first animated Black Princess, Tianna (an added bonus).

Let me start by saying that I absolutely love the positive messages chosen to name each product in the line. The shampoo, “The Beauty Within” and the conditioner, “Inner Shine”, promote self-love and encourages children to find beauty beneath the surface. The bubble bath dote the phrase “Sharing is Caring” and the de-tangler (which I did not try) “Dream Big” supports good behavior and hope. They are messages that children need- especially those of color who will be specifically drawn to the images of a Princess who finally looks like them. Coupled with the fact that Carol’s Daughter was started by a woman of color, this line embodies the positive message of the film- work hard and you will succeed.

But the look, the message, and the names of the products don’t mean anything if the products are not of good quality. And they are. The shampoo and conditioner lather and spread well, a must for my daughter’s naturally curly hair which seems to absorb water and soap at an astronomical rate. In addition, they left her hair soft, moisturized, and smelling good- like almonds, sunflowers, olive and almond oils. The bubble bath contains Aloe Leaf Juice which is subtle enough to leave a trace and gentle enough not to irritate my daughter’s eczema.

The cost is a little steep (8oz bottles for $8-$10) for my liking and we go through a lot of shampoo and conditioner here AND I am a bit frugal. However, every child needs to feel special so I have decided that my daughter will get to have one special bath a week in which she can use these products in her dimly-lit bathroom. It’s never to early to pamper yourself.

*I was given free samples to aid in my review.

July 26th, 2009

My Secret Circle Giveaway Winner

Thank you to all who entered the contest. The winner is Michele Dortch of Integrated Mother. Please email me your address as soon as possible. Thanks again!

July 25th, 2009

JumpStart Your Child’s Interest in Learning

As a homeschooling mom, I am often looking for educational aids that my daughter will find interesting and will give her me the opportunity to track her progress. I was recently given the opportunity to review JumpStart Virtual World, an online and CD-based  3-D gaming world children ages 3-10, created by  Knowledge Adventurewho is known for the award winning JumpStart and Master Blaster series of educational games.

There are currently two worlds which provide different games and activities in reading, writing, critical skills, math, and art. StoryLand, for preschoolers offers children the opportunity to designs their own homes, read-along with stories and play games like Concentration (which encourages memory),  sorting items based on letters, shapes, and colors, arranging items based on size, and completing various puzzles.

While JumpStart has been in beta since December 2008, there are many additions to it’s world. Adventure Land, for children ages 5-8, includes a number of new games in which “kids are invited to explore a mysterious lost island off the coast of JumpStart.” On the island, children will have to survives missions and explore a number of mysterious discoveries using a combinations of speed, logic, and problem-solving to outsmart the villains determined to thwart their attempts at success. And there is so much more to the world. There are arcade games, music and videos, fun slides, space games and more.

So what do I think of the game? It’s amazing. The online worlds and the the cd-based games offer numerous opportunities for parents to engage their children in learning. It is proof the learning does not have to be tedious and stressful. My only complaint is that my daughter, 3, has a difficult time using the mouse to play the games on her own and gets frustrated. However, because their on-screen characters can wander around the land, I try to use this “rest time” to allow her to learn the use the mouse and the arrow keys.

My daughter absolutely loves this game. We limit her use of TV and video games to about 30-40 minutes a week and while I know that not every game and TV show can be educational, I love that she enjoys this educational game more than any other that we have tried. She loves sliding down the huge water slide and into the water and we spend a lot of time doing this repeatedly. She also enjoys the memory and letter-recognition games.

Take a look at the videos below to see my daughter playing at JumpStart.com.

Creating character

Exploring JumpStart.com

Exploring Storyland

November 10th, 2008

Product Review: the Library in Your Pocket

As parents we know how important reading is to a child’s brain development. Reading to a child everyday for just 20 minutes can help your child develop a love of books and increase his/her vocaulary skills. While I believe that is important that children be surrounded by books so that they can get used to touching them, turning the pages, and even the smell of them, I cannot deny that in this digital age, computers and video appeal to visual learners. While I often fight the lure of the electronics, I do admit that there are ways to use technology to help educate our children.

MobiStories, virtual books for children, allows parents to purchase “narrated digital children’s books with illustrations and music.” The stories on the site are arranged according to age groups and range in difficulty. There are board books that teach about the different seasons, and storybooks about dinosaurs and bears. And, you can download the books in almost any format to be played on iPhones, Computers, or even DVD.  In addition, you can also download just the audio version to burn on CD or add to your iPod for long trips in the car or on planes. The prices are reasonable and the stories are fun.

So go to MobiStories and look around. The company, together withMomSelect, is offering my readers $15.00 worth of free books. Be sure to enter the following code BSM107A.