Kaleidographs!!!

Tamara from Spark! Story Starters sent us a set of Kaleidograph Flora and Spark Super Story Starters to thank us for reviewing her Spark cards, and we love both of them!  Since they both would make great stocking stuffers, I wanted to make sure to review them before Christmas.  So, here's the first of the two reviews...



Both girls and I LOVE Kaleidographs!  E(3) loves to create her own designs.






O(6) and I love to make the patterns from the included pattern sheet.  I love that the patterns are challenging enough for me, but easy enough for O to be successful. 


With each new design, O and I studied the patterns and determined which cards we needed.  Then we worked together to decide in which order to place the cards and how to orient them.  We had to make many adjustments as we worked, and it was so much fun!









After copying the patterns for a while, O had fun creating her own patterns. 


Here is a description of the Kaleidographs from Red Hen Toys...

"Crystalline geometries in brilliant color ... the 9 die-cut cards (and 3 solid backers) of the Kaleidograph® can be arranged into billions of designs. Based upon geometry in nature, the Kaleidograph upholds the tradition of the original creative design toys of the Froebel Kindergarten system that are known to have influenced Albert Einstein, Frank Lloyd Wright, Buckminster Fuller, Piet Mondrian, and design education at the Bauhaus. Like the floral forms found in nature, the Kaleidograph Flora is based on interconnected circular radial forms which can be assembled and overlaid into hundreds of millions of possible patterns. Richly personal and environmentally friendly, the Kaleidograph Flora is a toy for all ages. It fosters creativity, rewards with surprise, and brings out the designer in everyone."


I highly recommend Kaleidographs, and we plan to buy the Kaleidograph Crystal set, too!

Perfect Little Popsicles

The girls have really loved popsicles this summer, but I don't love all of the sugar and artificial colors in the store bought popsicles.  So, I was excited to find ring pop popsicle molds on Amazon!

The girls LOVE these popsicles, and I love them, too, since I make them with orange juice to make them a healthy treat!

These small popsicles are the perfect size for our girls, and they love to have them as after breakfast and lunch treats!

Links to Amazon are affiliate links.  Thank you for supporting Chasing Cheerios. 

All Around the World Sticker Book

I was asked to choose and review an item from Timberdoodle, and I chose the All Around the World Sticker book!


This sticker book is perfect to take on vacations and road trips, and it has already traveled through 4 different states and 2 different vacations with us!


The girls were especially excited about the desert habitat since we have been studying Egypt.  Every time E(2) saw a body of water she insisted "That's the Nile River!"  (She's a little obsessed with Egypt right now).


Here is a description of the book from Timberdoodle...
"The 400 quirky animal stickers will make those scenes pop and will spark curiosity about the harmony between the wildlife and the environments in which they thrive. On the reverse side of the panoramas are large outline pictures of animals to complete and color. The only words in the entire All Around the World book are the names of these 24 animals in fanciful script." 



We've had fun creating sticker stories from this book.  After the girls have placed the stickers where they want them, I'll tell a story based on the scene.  I couldn't get them to tell any stories, but they LOVED for me to tell them stories.


The 8 large fold out scenes include the Amazon Rainforest, the tropical sea, the Sahara Desert, the Australian Outback, the Arctic, the countryside, the African savannah, and the North American forest.  The stickers are a little thin and a few of them tore, but the girls didn't seem bothered by this at all.  Overall, this is a great product, and both of my girls (ages 2 and 6) LOVE it!

This product was sent to me free of charge for a review. I was not paid for the review and it reflects my honest opinions.

Spark! Story Starter Cards

The girls' pediatrician gave us this fun story starter card set when we went for an appointment many months ago, and we really love it!


O(6) LOVES for us to tell us stories, and she is ALWAYS asking for stories.  We try to get her to tell stories, but she never will.  However, she WILL tell stories when I bring out the Spark cards!  (This makes me really happy!)


I like to bring out the Spark cards during breakfast.  It helps our day get off to a good start!


E(2) likes to play Spark, too, but I can't get her to give me any original stories!  She just repeats whatever O says :)

I think these cards will be a great addition to our Language Arts shelf (if we ever get the schoolroom of my dreams)...I plan to put a few cards along with markers, paper, and an ipod so that O can record and draw her stories.  Then, when she is interested in writing, I'll put out a few cards with blank books, so that she can write her stories.  Fun times ahead!

Here's a link to all of the Spark cards options...there's even an app!

Customized Wooden Dolls...A Review!

Amaria from Amaria's Paper Works sent us these gorgeous wooden "paper" dolls to review shortly before we found out about Elliott's brain tumor.  So, the review was put on hold, and I'm finally getting to it!

We love these customized paper dolls!  She used pictures of the girls to make the dolls.  My favorite thing about these dolls (and the thing that makes them different from other dolls that we've reviewed) is that they are mounted on a wooden backing!  They are very sturdy and well-made.

I also love the packaging!  Here is the front...  It includes a picture of the paper (wooden) doll and a biography of the child which makes a very special keepsake.

Here is the back of the package... 





Here is a description of the dolls from Amaria's shop...

"The magnetic dress-up dolls from Amaria's PaperWork are designed to be played with. They are mounted on 1/8" craft wood with a magnetic sheet sandwiched between the layers and finished with varnish. Both the dolls and their clothes are printed from my own original artwork. The clothes are laminated for strength and durability and attach to the doll with magnetic dots."



Another thing that I LOVE about these paper dolls is that they have multi-cultural clothing!  Amaria sent us outfits that corresponded with the countries that we've studied (or will study) through our cultural exchange!



The outfits are laminated and attach to the dolls with a magnet.



These paper dolls are a great addition to our cultural studies, and I plan to set them up with their various multi-cultural costumes in the geography/culture section of our new school room!  Thank you to Amaria for sharing these wonderful dolls with us!

Meet the Masters!

I am SO excited to have purchased a 3 year subscription to Meet the Masters via Homeschool Buyer's Co-op!   I've been interested in this program for a while, but I thought it was a little pricey.  So, when I saw that it was being offered at a deeply discounted price (45% off) at Homeschool Buyer's Co-op, I was quick to purchase it.


Our girls LOVE to study various artists, and I think this program will make it easier for me and more fun for all of us to learn about the different artists.

Here's a link to more info about Meet the Masters via Homeschool Buyer's Co-op.

Don't forget to put CHEERIOS as your referral code when you join Homeschool Buyer's Co-op (it's free!)...you'll get 500 BONUS Smartpoints, and I'll receive a small bounty.  Thanks!

This offer expires on May 7, 2012.

Homeschool Buyer's Co-op

I'm happy to announce that I'm an affiliate for Homeschool Buyer's Co-op!!!  I've been very pleased with my purchases through the Co-op, so I was thrilled when they contacted me and asked me to be an affiliate.  So, what does that mean???

When you join Homeschool Buyer's Co-op simply put CHEERIOS in as your referral code.  You'll automatically get 500 BONUS Smartpoints, and when you make your first purchase, I will receive a small bounty.  Easy, right?

I will let you know periodically about programs that are offered at Homeschool Buyer's Co-op, and I will also review the programs that I purchase to use with my own children.

Also, it's FREE to join!

Beleduc Body Puzzle

E(2) LOVES this body puzzle (that O was given when she was about E's age...2 years old). We take the pieces out and put the girls together in a line. Then E can put the puzzle together completely independently. She has learned a lot and always has lots of fun when completing this puzzle.

South American Pin Map and Flag Pins

I bought the South American map and flag pins from Montessori Print Shop, and I LOVE how it turned out!  Actually, everyone loves this map...even our cat!



It was very easy to put together.  I laminated the map before tacking it to the cork board.  I decided not to laminate the flags, and they've held up fine.




Both of our girls love flags and maps, so this is a great activity for them.  I love to hear E(2) trying to pronounce the names of the different countries.




I've just bought the maps and flag pins for the rest of the continents, so we can use them as we travel around the world with our cultural exchange packages.  Hopefully, I'll find the time to print them and put them together soon!