Sesame Street Big Elmo Fun DVD (Giveaway)
May 11, 2012 by Kailani
Filed under children, educational, entertainment, giveaways
Since Kaila could say Elmo before she could say Mommy, I knew she would enjoy Sesame Street’s latest DVD release – Big Elmo Fun.
Get ready to join Elmo and Abby for some BIG fun as Warner Home Video (WHV) and Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, release Sesame Street: Big Elmo Fun on DVD April 3, 2012 at an SRP of $14.98. Sesame Street: Big Elmo Fun features three full-length stories, two engaging new songs, a special animated book extra and the full-length bonus content “Monster Hits.”
courtesy of Sesame Workshop
In the first episode, Elmozilla, the gang is using a growth chart to measure their heights. They’re learning that everyone grows at the own rate but Elmo was to be bigger . . . right now. Abby grants his wish and he finds himself taller than everyone and everything around him. When Elmo’s growing gets out of control, it’s up to his friends to figure out a way to get Elmo back to his adorable size.
Elmo and the Monarch Butterfly is a cute segment that my kids really enjoyed. Elmo and Telly are hunting for insects on Sesame Street. They find ants, ladybugs, and a butterfly. They notice that the butterfly is all by himself so Elmo decides he wants to become a butterfly himself to keep it company . . . but he doesn’t know how. So, Telly and Elmo research the stages that butterflies go through . . . egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and finally a beautiful butterfly. In the end the butterfly and Elmo Butterfly become friends.
However, my favorite story was Cast Iron Cooks. As a fan of The Food Network and Iron Chef, this hilarious spoof starring Jason Schwartzman had me laughing so hard! In the first round of this segment, Alan, Elmo, and Chris compete against the Iron Chefs to create a “P” Stew. In the second round, the teams must create a stew dish using only ingredients starting with the letter P. In the second round, each team must bake a pie using exactly 8 apples. The final round has the teams cooking Half-garian Goulash. They can use any ingredient they want but everything must be cut in half. Who will win the competition?
This DVD contains some great new songs with our favorite being All Kinds of Fun. It has a very upbeat reggae beat and even I found myself swaying back and forth. Some other bonus features include:
- Animated book: Flutter By, Butterfly
- Brand new song: Measure Yeah Measure
- Downloadable Activity Book
- Tips for Parents
- Full-length video “Monster Hits”
It’s big fun for everyone in your family! Purchase your copy of Big Elmo Fun
This post was written for Sesame Workshop who provided the complimentary copy for review and giveaway.
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MEGA Bloks Steer-Me Steve (Giveaway)
We’ve always loved MEGA Bloks. These colorful over-sized interlocking blocks are perfect for tiny hands and for big imaginations.We recently received the newest addition to our collection – Steer-Me Steve ($19.99).
Your truck loving child can drive around with the Steer-me Steve Dump Truck by MEGA Bloks and pretend he is a big rig driver himself. Steer-me Steve is perfectly designed for little hands to grip the steer along wheel as they drive through the house picking up the included blocks in the set as his cargo. Stack the blocks on the truck bed or carry them to a new location for construction – it’s all up to Steve and where your child takes him. Once Steer-me Steve and your child reach their destination, the dump truck bed empties the cargo with a simple lever pull. After Steve is empty, it is time to go find another load!
courtesy of MEGA Bloks
Steer-Me Steve is a big dump truck filled with possibilities. He comes with 9 pieces of MEGA Bloks which are great for hauling around or building towers. And since all the MEGA Blok collections are interchangeable, we can mix and match with our existing collection.
As soon as Kaila saw Steve she just had to play with him immediately. She really liked loading up all the bloks and then using the lever to dump them out again. Load, unload, load, unload . . . she could do that all day long.
She also liked filling the dump truck with other toys and steering them around the room. The big plastic wheels make for a smooth ride and since the truck is divided into two separate moving sections, she can actually use the steering wheel in the direction she wants to go.
However, the best part is the red lever that makes dumping things out so much fun! She really liked that the lever could be moved in both directions which meant the cargo area could be maneuvered without actually touching it. After all, playing with the lever is most of the fun anyway. Plus, it teaches her cause and effect.
Steer-Me Steve encourages imagination, focus, attention, fine motor skills, and social development. All that and fun, too! How could you not love Steer-Me Steve? We do!
Connect with MEGA Bloks:
This post was written for MEGA Bloks who provided the complimentary item for review and giveaway.
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Childproofing Your Home with Safety 1st (Giveaway)
When it comes to childproofing a home we all know to safeproof the more common things like oven doors, toilet seat covers, drawers, cabinets, and outlet covers. However, there may be a few places that you’ve never thought may become safety hazards for your young ones. Julie Vallese, Consumer Safety Expert for Safety 1st shares some important and valuable information on how you can make sure your entire home is childproofed.
- A recent study shows that over 5,000 children annually are treated in emergency rooms for falls from windows (CPSC). Make sure you have a Window Lock to help prevent falls.
- Beware of toy stacking. Children will pile up anything to get a view outside the window.
- Additionally, most screens cannot hold up to the weight of a small child, nor are they meant to. The study showed that in 83% of the reported falls, window screens were on the window that was fallen through.
- Anchor all heavy furniture or appliances that could topple onto child as a result of climbing or pulling. According to the CPSC the most common tip-over scenarios involve toddlers who have climbed onto, fallen against or pulled themselves up on furniture. About 70 percent of children’s fatalities involved falling televisions, and 27 percent involved only furniture falling.
- Use a Flat Screen TV lock to help prevent falling TVs and Furniture Wall Straps to attached large furniture to the wall.
- Anything that will fit inside an empty cardboard toilet paper roll is a choking hazard
- Remove dish towels from an oven door; a child could pull on the towel and hit his or her head on an oven door.
- Utilize an Oven Lock to prevent the door from opening, and Clear View Stove Knob Covers to keep kids from accidentally turning on the stove
- Babies can fall into a toilet, or front load washer head first and not be able to get out. The toilet also water source and a place where kids love to throw toy.
- Try to keep those rooms off limits, or install a Front Load Washer-Dryer Lock, or the ProGrade™ Push-Button Toilet Lock to keep children safe.
- Ensure all cabinets and drawers are locked and off limits. Young kids love opening and closing cabinet doors and drawers, where they can access sharp utensils, small appliances and cleaning supplies.
However, you should have a safe zone for kids to explore, such as leave the Tupperware drawer unlocked. I think it’s such a great idea to give kids a place where they can play safely!
For more information on child safety, stop by the Safety 1st website or Facebook page.
This post was written for Safety 1st who provided the information and complimentary items for giveaway.
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Because Your Mommy Loves You (Giveaway)
I’ve read a lot of “Mommy Loves You” type books in the past 10 years since first having kids. Most of them have been very loving, filled with beautiful sentiments. So when I heard about “Because Your Mommy Loves You” ($11.55) by Andrew Clements I figured it would be very similar. Boy, was I wrong!
In this sweet companion book to Because Your Daddy Loves You, a little boy and his mom go on a hiking trip and camp out under the stars. Mommy is as calm and reassuring, but also goes far to foster her son’s independence in an encouraging and loving way. As heartwarming as its predecessor, this read-aloud book is sure to become a family favorite.
This book is so different from any that I’ve read before. When something goes wrong, instead of coddling to her son this Mom takes the opportunity to teach him some independence and common sense.
For example, when they were setting up their tent the son was having trouble getting his side up. The mom could have stepped in and do it for him but instead she showed him the directions again and encouraged him to go step-by-step until he got it right. In the end, he learned how to put up the tent properly and gained confidence as well.
What I really liked about this book is that it’s very realistic. I’m the kind of mom who has always encouraged her girls to do things for themselves from a very young age. Some of my friends have made negative comments about it but I don’t care. My daughters are more independent than some other much older kids that I know. Of course, I’m always there if they need help or advice but in the end it’s pretty much up to them to get things done.
“Because Your Mommy Loves You” is a beautifully written book and the illustrations by R.W. Alley really help to tell the story. We like the watercolor drawings and the very expressive faces of the characters. I also like how some of the illustrations are divided into sections to help convey the story better.
So if you’d like a different look at a Mother-child relationship, check out “Because Your Mommy Loves You”. It’s a breath of fresh air.
About the author:
Andrew Clements is the author of many best-selling books, among them the middle grade novel Frindle. He lives in Westborough, Massachusetts, and can be found at www.andrewclements.com.
About the illustrator:
R. W. Alley is the illustrator of many beloved picture books, including the Paddington Bear series. He lives in Barrington, Rhode Island. Visit him at www.rwalley.com.
Purchase your copy of Because Your Mommy Loves You
This post was written for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Trade who provided the complimentary copy for review and giveaway.
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