Back to School Giveaway (Review) #TVStoreOnline

It's almost that time...school is right around the corner.  Time for the dreaded messy changing rooms, the long lines, and hours of wasted time.  Well, I found an online store that will lessen the load and make Back-to-School shopping fun and just a smidgen easier this year.  

If your kids love pop culture apparel TVStoreOnline.com is the perfect place to shop for a fun Back-to-School wardrobe.  Even if you just select a shirt or 2, it's less time you have to spend in a store. Buyer Beware: With their fun selections and reasonable pricing, it will be nearly impossible to only purchase one product.

I recently had the pleasure of reviewing a hoodie from TVStoreOnline.com and I was pleasantly surprised with the quality. A few things that I notice about this product was that it was lightweight, yet warm, and super soft.  The stitching was neat and the print on the front was crystal clear.  

The fit was perfect; being true to size is important because nothing is worse than waiting for something to ship just to return it the next day because it doesn't fit.  Unlike most hoodies, this one has stayed soft after washing, I did however follow the washing instructions on the label.  I have a feeling this hoodie will last for quite some time.  

Although we homeschool, I do like to prepare for the cooler weather when school starts,  My oldest daughter loves the Pokemon products and my youngest loves the My Little Pony selection. My DH and I love nearly everything else; there is definitely something for everyone. 

So whether you are looking for any of the shirts that Sheldon has worn on The Big Bang Theory, a Borat Mankini, or accessories to add to your DIY Halloween costume or cosplay outfit for comic con, let TVStoreOnline.com be your one-stop shop.

Giveaway Time

In celebration of Back-to-School, our amazing Sponsors over @TVStoreOnline have offered to give one lucky Party of 4 reader a free T-Shirt.  Enter to #WIN below. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Rolling Dice - Fun with Math {Sponsored by Education.com}

Ready for a game that's mostly about strategy with a little luck thrown in for good measure? This dice game is a great way for your child to practice all of the basic math facts and get strategic about deciding when he wants to take a risk, and when he wants to play it safe. Make math fact practice exciting and start rolling the dice!

Rolling Dice 

What You Need:
2 dice
2–4 players
White lined paper or ¼ inch graph paper (one sheet per player)
Pencil

What You Do:
1. Have each player rolls a die and explain that the player who rolls the highest number gets to go first.
2. Now the first player should roll both dice and multiply the two numbers rolled to find their product.

3. Have your child write the product down on the paper. For example, if Player One rolls a 3 and a 5 he should multiply 3 by 5 and write 15 down on his piece of paper.
4. Player One has a choice; he can decide to roll both dice again or choose to pass them to the next player. Why wouldn't a player want to roll again? Well...this game has a few catches:
-If a player rolls a one or a three on his second turn, he must find the product of the two numbers he rolled and then subtract the product from his total.

-If a player rolls a one and a three on his second turn, he must divide his total in half and subtract half of the points he's earned so far. If he rolls a one and a three on his second turn he loses all the points earned so far in the game and must return to zero. The dice then get passed to the next player.

5. If he chooses to roll again, have him multiply the two numbers and add, subtract or divide to determine his new total.
6. Now it's the second player's turn. She can decide to roll the dice either once or twice and perform the necessary calculations to find her total.
7. Players continue to take turns and perform calculations.
8. The first player to reach 300 points is the winner.

Disclaimer: This is a guest post that was written entirely by Shannon at Education.com 

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K5 Learning: The newest addition to our homeschooling curriculum.

Children learn in a variety of ways, which is why I appreciate fun individualized programs such as K5 Learning. K5 Learning is a researched-based online reading and math enrichment program for kindergarten to 5^th grade.  This program helps build reading, math and study skills.  Whether you are looking for a supplemental material for homeschooling, an after school program, or something to help your child with special needs excel in reading or math, this programs may be your answer. As a Homeschooling Mama, I am always looking for quality material to supplement our curriculum.   I am so happy that I recently had the pleasure of trying this amazing program. 

Divided into 4 basic lessons, this program is designed to keep your child on engaged. Their reading lesson covers phonemic awareness, phonics, sight words, vocabulary and reading comprehension.  The spelling lesson is an advanced vocabulary program, which improves language skills one word at a time and consists of over 150,000 words.  Next is the Math lesson, which covers numbers and operations, geometry, measurement (including time and money), algebraic thinking and data analysis.  Last but not least K5 offers a Math facts lessons that use adaptive technology to help kids develop instant recall of basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts. Progress on each and every math fact is monitored until mastery is obtained.

Both parent and student have their own individual sign on and cannot be sign on at the same time.  In the parent portal you are able to view brief or detailed reports, Assign Lessons, Add Spelling Words, and print FREE worksheets. The worksheets that I have printed and used perfectly complement their lessons!  Although it would be nice to have to option to "print all" instead of one by one, I love the corresponding worksheets.  Switching between students on the progress page is simple.  The whole program is very user friendly!

What I love most about this program is that they offer an assessment test for placement in both reading and math.  With the results an individualized learning program is automatically created.  The lessons depend solely on your child’s skill levels, not grade levels. If your child is stronger in certain areas (e.g. arithmetic) than other areas (e.g. phonics) the program will automatically adjust to ensure instruction at an appropriate level in both topics.  

I also love that the sequence of the lessons are controlled and do not jump around. Kids cannot select lessons at inappropriate levels or continually repeat “fun" lessons they have already mastered. The student dashboard is ‘perfectly’ simple.  They have minimal navigational choices, are given no access to external links or online ads and basically have to focus on the task at hand.  

View of Student Dashboard

Overall, we both enjoyed this program and plan on purchasing an annual subscription in the near future. What's not to love? The price is right, the content is great, and the program is super easy to use. I appreciate that this program allows for academic freedom and builds confidence by allowing you to customize the lessons.  K5 gives you the freedom to remove and assign different lessons to best it your child’s individual needs.  Being able to customize each lesson to complement each student’s individual learning is one of my favorite things about K5 Learning.   

While no single teaching approach will work well for everybody, K5 Learning may help your child.  For those not convince that a supplemental multimedia curriculum is right for you, multimedia learning may be particularly effective for visual and auditory learners and offers flexibility in meeting the needs of a variety of learners.  And with their no obligation 14 day free trial (no credit card necessary), what have you got to lose?

**The K5 annual subscription is $199 and $129 for each additional child which is a much better value than the monthly subscription.  If you prefer to pay monthly, the monthly cost is $25 and $15 for each additional child.  

Disclosure of  Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

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Back to School with I See Me! Books +The Ultimate Back to School Giveaway!!

Why not celebrate Back-to-School with the wonderful gift of a personalized book?  Personalized books are a perfect way for children to recognize and learn their names.  With M just starting to read and spell her name, I was so happy to have been given the opportunity to review one of I See Me!’s wonderfully fun personalized books.

I See Me! creates personalized storybooks that feature your child’s name.  Each book is totally unique and made special for you child.   In a matter of minutes, you can create your own personalized storybook (and keepsake). The books take about two weeks from the date of order to arrive.  To make choosing a book easier you can actually go on a virtual tour of each book.  This gives you a chance to see what you are purchasing and what is  more awesome than that?!  

Great Back to School Gifts

ABC What Can I Be! 

Award-winning author Jennifer Dewing and illustrator Colin Jack have created the perfect book for teaching children that they can be whatever they want to be. From an Astronaut to a Zookeeper children can explore different careers while learning the alphabet. The story has rhyming verse and fun illustrations that feature your child’s name.

The Very Important Preschooler (V.I.P) Storybook

Celebrate your favorite little preschooler with this adorable new personalized storybook, The Very Important Preschooler (V.I.P.)! Your child will learn that being a “V.I.P.” means making new friends at preschool, sharing, helping out, cleaning up, learning new things and more. The Very Important Preschooler is filled with lots of great messages for your little preschooler and is personalized throughout the story and on the cover with his or her name!

1-2-3 Blast Off With Me

The 1-2-3 Blast Off with Me! personalized board book teaches your child basic concepts of letters, numbers, shapes and colors in an exciting new way! This adorably illustrated book comes personalized with your child's name and photo on the cover and throughout the book. 1-2-3 Blast Off with Me! is a board book made with thick, durable pages perfectly suited for young, curious children.

My Very Own Name

My Very Own Name is a beautifully illustrated personalized children's book that helps children to learn to recognize letters and spell their names. In this hardcover, professionally bound book, animals bring letters one by one to create the child's first and last names in rhyme. A jackal brings a J, an ostrich brings an O, and so on. At the end, the animals celebrate because they've created the perfect name. 

Personalized Lunch Box

Our personalized lunch boxes make your child feel special every day! Each one of our lunch boxes features your child’s name on multiple sides. On the inside lid, there’s a chalkboard where you can write a personalized note to your child each morning!Safe for storing food, our lunch boxes are made of tin and contain no lead. They’re also great for storing toys and other treasures!

I recently received a copy of  My Very Own Name to include in my Back-To-School series.  With M just learning to read, she insisted on reading this book as soon as it arrived.  Since she already has a "name" book of her own she was excited to learn her baby sister's name.  The rhyming text and beautiful illustrations are printed on thick glossy paper, making the books both fun to read and durable.  

On the title page you have the option to include a dedication and a photo!  Its 30 beautifully illustrated pages encourage us to recite letters of the alphabet, rhyme, laugh, and bond throughout the whole book!   It is certainly going to become a family favorite.  I cannot wait to give this book to Princess A for her first birthday this October.  I See Me! never disappoints.  Definitely high quality.  

As an added bonus, I was also sent one of  I See Me!'s uniquely designed personalized lunch boxes.  Again, very high quality.  Not only is this lunch box super adorable on the outside but it has a neat chalkboard on the inside so you can write your child little notes.  A nice lunchtime surprise for your child and an added chance to say I Love You.  Even us homeschoolers like to make "brown bag" lunches and eat them in the park.  We sure do! And now those times can be extra special with Miss M's new lunch box!

We have several I See Me! products and everything single one has surpassed our expectations and will be cherished by my girls forever. I highly recommend these to anyone looking for a special personalized gift for their little loved ones!

I See Me! not only has a huge variety of personalized books, but they also have coloring books, placemats, and gift sets you can create especially for your child.  You can shop for Christmas a little early and order one of their  placemats or coloring books; they make great socking stuffers! 

To learn more about their wonderful products you can connect with I See Me! on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Buy It

Your child can own their very own I See Me! personalized book for as low as $24.95. 

Giving a gift and not sure which book to choose?  Don’t worry I See Me! also has gift certificates available!

Giveaway Time!!

Over $3,300 in Prizes.  10 winners will receive an ultimate Back to School Bundle.

Each bundle is valued at $333.76 and contains:

·         A gift certificate for two I See Me! personalized books ($69.98)

·         A Portrait Package from Picture People ($54)

·         A 3-month subscription from Little Passports ($41.85)

·         Gift Pack from Chronicle Books ($51.97)

·         Little Kid Combo from Mabel's Labels ($42)

·         Demolition Wrecking Ball from SmartLab Toys ($29.99)

·         Craft Kit, Sticker Roll and Puzzle from Mudpuppy ($43.97)

Disclosure of  Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

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Education can be fun! Pet Playland Giveaway!

Learning Resources has hit another home run with their Gears! Gears! Gears! line of building toys.   Their newest of the collection is the Pet Playland Set and has been a huge hit in our home.  If you have been following me for awhile, you probably know by now, that LearningResources® is a leading manufacturer of innovative, hands-on educational products trusted by teachers and parents and loved by children. The Company has over 1000 high-quality products.  They offer educational toys, classroom materials, educational games, learning toys, development toys, and much more. 

Back to the awesome Pet Playland set...

With the Pet Playland you create a whirling wonderland of four friendly and adorable pets.  Intended for ages 4 and up, this colorful 83 piece set is not only fun to build but a joy to play with.   

 This set could not have arrived at a better time.  Lately Princess M has been talking a lot about Legos and building and this set takes that to another level.   It took M (5 years) about 20 minutes to build according to the instructions and a couple of hours of play before wanting to build something else. She has also been creating different mechanisms all day.  She has become the "Masterbuilder" (Just like in the Lego Movie).

 The pieces are easy to connect and pull, yet they stay together when you lift them, making them easy to transfer from place to place. 

 The finished product.  Who ever said that learning can't be fun?

And now we play. For easy clean up just pull a few a the bigger pieces apart and place them back in the box.  The only suggestion I have for this product is a non slip bottom for the base /lower square pieces to keep them from slipping on tables or hardwood floor while turning the gears.  Not a deal breaker, it would just ease some possible frustrations for the child.

Not enough pieces to build what you want?  All Gears!Gears!Gears! are interchangeable! More sets=More imagination and fun.

Here is one of her creations!

Add some My Little Ponies to another and you're set!

Learning Resources offers so much more than just this playset.  They have games, puzzles, play food, and electronic toys.  As homeschooler, I was happy to find that Learning Resources has a Resource Center and articles for learning at home.  I also discovered that they offer a full line of products made especially for children with special needs. 

LearningResources website is fast and responsive.  While browsing you can search by age, category, subject, brand or sale items, making it super easy to find just what you are looking for quickly.  

You can find the Pet Playland on both the Learning Resources site and Amazon!

To learn more about Learning Resources you can Follow them via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, or subscribe to their newsletter.

Our totally awesome sponsors over at Learning Resources have generously offered to giveaway a The Gears! Gears! Gears! Pet Playland Building Set to one lucky Party of Four reader.   

Simply enter using the Google form below.  Ends 8-11-15
 Good luck. 

Disclosure of  Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

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