101 Offline Activities You Can Do With Your Child

It seems parents are always complaining their children spend too much time in front of the computer and/or television.  However, unless you want to listen to a barage of "I'm bored," what's a parent to do?

101 Offline Activities You Can Do With Your Child by Steve and Ruth Bennett is a fabulous book that contains many, many hours of fun and entertainment for the whole family - No Batteries Required!

This book has games for in the house, on the road or when you're just out and about.  It will spark you and your child's imagination and is great for a rainy day or if your child is hosting a birthday or slumber party.

101 Offline Activites You Can Do With Your Child should be on every parents coffee table.  Grab a copy today and get your child active and having fun without the use of modern technology.

Available on Amazon and http://offlineactivities.com/

A Rainy Week

Eleven year old Ellen is excited to be visiting her favorite vacation spot, Lake Okoboji.  But when the rain starts and continues throughout the entire week, what will Ellen find to fill her time...find out in; A Rainy Week.

Eleven year old Ellen F. Frances has written and illustrated this fun picture book.  It shows kids that even though it may be raining outside, that doesn't mean the fun stops.

Check out, A Rainy Week at Ellen's web site; http://ellenkeast.com/ or on Amazon

About the Author:

Ellen Frances Keast is a full-time student with a wide array of talents. In addition to writing and illustrating A Rainy Week, the second book of her published series, Ellen has also participated and excelled in numerous speech and poetry competitions. In her spare time, Ellen enjoys playing the saxophone, gardening, and baking. The first book in the series, A Snowy Week, was written when she was in the first grade. Ellen Frances Keast currently lives in Harlan, Iowa where she is writing the next book for her series, A Sunny Week, which will be set in Hawaii. A Rainy Week by Ellen Frances Keast (published by Strategic Book Group, RPR $10) is available from the publisher’s website http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/ and Amazon www.amazon.com. Please visit the author’s website at http://www.ellenkeast.com/.

Magazine Praise

Check out what Erin had to say about Imagination-Cafe online Magazine

I was recently given the opportunity to review a really fun new website called The Imagination Cafe. I have to admit, I was a bit overwhelmed when I first got on it because there is a lot going on and I didn't really know where to start. So, basically I just went ahead and started clicking on things and bounced around a bit.

There are several different sections that you can go to; Weekly Special, Doggy Bag, Extra Helpings, Embarrassing Moments, Open Mic, Game Room, Tip Jar, Klub Krumbs, Quizzes, and What's Cooking. I checked them all out and here's the deal.

The Weekly Special is probably for those of you out there who enjoy things like the history channel, biographies, or any other kid of educational show or reading material that, well...will make you smarter. This section is divided up into the categories of Sports, Science, History, and Health. Whatever you read is interesting information.

The Doggy Bag is definitely for all you animal lovers and pet owners out there. Click on "Creature Feature" and you'll find tons of info and funny stories and facts on different kinds of animals, from dogs and birds to bears and woodpeckers. Move on over to "Pet Snapshots" and find lots of pics of people's pets. You also have the option of sending in a pic of your own furry little friend.

Extra Helpings is great for grade school aged children. You can go here to find many resources to help with homework, or if you want you have the option to lend a hand to others.

Embarrassing Moments is my personal favorite. If you are a celebrity gossip junkie like I am, then this is the place for you. You can read about funny celebrity screw ups, or if you're brave enough, send in a story about one of your own funny mishaps.

Open Mic is kind of like a community you can join with message boards. There are different topics and discussions going on and this is the place where you have the opportunity to put in your own 2 cents if you wish.

The Game Room is pretty self explanatory. There are games to go that you can print out or you can play some online, which was nice to do with my 3yr old on a rainy day.

The Tip Jar is for book and movie reviews. There is also a section for reviews where anything goes. I saw a review for a marshmallow shooter...another thing my 3yr old would love.

The quizzes are just for fun but also an opportunity to find out some interesting information. As a mom, What's Cooking was also a favorite of mine. It's a great place to browse if you're looking for some unique new recipes to try out. They were tasty and very kid-friendly. I'll say that the yogurt parfait went over very well with both my 3yr old and 1yr old.

I pretty much just glanced over the sections that you can bounce around on while checking out the site, but there is still a lot more. You have the option to be an active (free) member of the community with a user name and password which will then give you access to participate and not just read. There are contests to enter, music, stores, and a lot more. The Cafe truly does have something for everyone of all ages, go check it out !!

Thanks Erin for all your kind words and awesome review.  Check out Erin's Blog at; http://www.emommyhood.com/ 

The 6 Pence Players

Looking for a fun alternative for your kids, other than television or the computer? 

Then pop in, 'The 6 Pence Players - Fairytale Collection' CD, but be prepared this isn't your ordinary storytelling.

The 6 Pence Players CD is designed for kids 3-8 and performed by kids 5-17.  This unique story telling format is fun and very professionally done.  The performers are animated, lively and will definitely have the little ones eagerly listening for the entire 57 minute running time.

In addition, the 5 well-known fairytales all have special twists and turns that will surprise and delight any listener.  Perfect for a rainy day fun, car trips and vacations.

Here's what The 6 Pence Players - Fairytale Collection offers;

• Three Billy Goats Gruff
• Cinderella and Friends
• The Emperor's New Clothes
• The Three Little Pigs Meet the Big Bad Wolves
• Princess and the Pea

Not only does this CD entertain, but if you go to The 6 Pence Players web site, you can download Paper Puppets to play along with the stories, or have the kids 'Write Their Own Story' by changing the lines or circumstances of specific characters, there's even colouring pages. 

Check it out at; http://www.6penceplayers.com/create.htm

So what are you waiting for?  Grab a copy of The 6 Pence Players Fairytale Collection and let the fun times roll and your imagination soar.  On the web at; http://www.6penceplayers.com/

Check This Out...

Amazing Africa Projects You Can Build Yourself by Carla Mooney is a wonderful book full of cool projects and information that will keep your child busy for hours.  Africa is part of Nomad Press's Build-it-Yourself series for kids ages 9-12.

This book thoroughly explores Africa, the people, the culture, their traditions and amazing wildlife.  But unlike other books that just talk about Africa, this book actually includes 25 hands on projects that can be done using household items.  Some of the projects include;

*  Make your own Rainforest Vine

*  Make your own Ndebele House Painting

*  Make your own Dogon Antelope Mask

*  Make your own Zitumbuma (Banana Fritters)

In addition to these cool projects, Amazing Africa Projects also includes interesting facts, historical information as well as a glossary for those words that are a bit tricky.

Check out Nomad Press's web site at; http://www.nomadpress.net/africa for more information on Amazing Africa Projects and all of their fun books.