Thank you so much for your visit!!! Your visit means a lot to me! Please do come and visit again here or amend Google Readers/ Bookmarks
http://www.redtedart.com/
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I hope you find the new site easier to navigate!
Maggy
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30 Aug
Thank you so much for your visit!!! Your visit means a lot to me! Please do come and visit again here or amend Google Readers/ Bookmarks
X4FU9GAAXM9G
I hope you find the new site easier to navigate!
Maggy
X4FU9GAAXM9G
30 Aug
Kid’s Book and Kid’s iPhone App reviews continue. For my “reasons” behind “Why Apps?!” look here. Type “Kids” or “children” or “educational” into the Apple iStore and you get bombarded with Apps. Which to get?! Look no further… As well as our usual Monday Morning Book Club review!
All previously reviewed books can be found on my Amazon store:
Red Ted Arts Book Recommendations on Amazon
Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak. Read together age: 2.5yrs – 5yrs, Read alone age, 6yrs – 9yrs
For me “Where the wild things are” is such a classic children’s book. Max is a naughty boy and gets sent to his room without supper, there he embarks on a magical story to where the wild things are.. My favourite line is “Let the wild rompus start!”. Eventually though he misses his family and heads home… I am a huge Maurice Sendak fan and have many of his other books, so it is only natural that this book should be on my list!
Peekaboo Farm. No Kid’s iphone App review is complete without the inclusion of Peekaboo farm. Everyone I know seems to have it! It is lovingly designed, so the images are hugely appealing to both children and, erm, me. What it does: you hear an animal sound and get a chance to guess what animal it is. When you tap on the barn door it opens to reveal an animal behind. A child’s voice (American) then tells you the name of the animal. We like how all the animals go to sleep at the end of the “cycle”. Red Ted loved it, though is getting slightly bored of it now (he is 2.5yrs), but Pip Squeak (9mths) is fascinated by it. So it really is a fabulous App for the tiniest amongst us – Red Ted does still play with it, just not as often. It also has a Spanish language option…
27 Aug
I am VERY excited to bring you Clara from amieggs and her most adorable Amigurumi or Crocheted Small Things. She makes wonderful creations, that are normally available for purchase. But she has decided to be VERY generous and share two of her patterns with you. Below you will find the most adorable teddy and then hop over to her blog for a bunny (get it – “hop over”? ahem). She has inspired me to learn to crochet. I have never been interested before.. but now, my crochet hooks are on order! Woohoo. Over to the lovely Clara and her fabulous creations:
Hello! My name is Clara and I run the amieggs blog over at http://ami-eggs.blogspot.com/ =)
As you can see, in my patterns I draw diagrams to explain the difficult parts of a project and include many pictures to make your work as easy as possible!!!
No Sew Tee Rescue, make a new Tee out of an old one (Guest Post)
Super Cute Flannel Cupcake (Guest Post) – stocking fillers, baby showers or new home gift!
Delicious No Sew Lavender Bags
From T to Halterneck (Guest Post)
Felt Strawberries & Gingerbread Men (Guest Post)
How to make a No Sew Tea Towel Kid’s Apron
Simple but effective paper frames (vlog)
How to make a Flower Pom Pom (guest post) – simply gorgeous – use as wedding decor!
How to make a No Sew Bib (out of an old shirt)
How to make a Fabric Mâché Bowl (from old scraps of fabric!)
How to make a Paper Flower (from newspapers) (guest post)
How to make a Paper Boat (vlog)
How to make a Paper Cup (vlog)
How to make Swedish Hearts (Paper Baskets) (Guest vlog)
How to make a Balloon Poodle (vlog)
How to make Seedling Pots (out of newspapers) (vlog)
Funky comic party bags (Guest vlog)
23 Aug
Kid’s Book and Kid’s iPhone App reviews continue. For my “reasons” behind “Why Apps?!” look here. Type “Kids” or “children” or “educational” into the Apple iStore and you get bombarded with Apps. Which to get?! Look no further… As well as our usual Monday Morning Book Club review!
All previously reviewed books can be found on my Amazon store:
Red Ted Arts Book Recommendations on Amazon
Hooray for Fish!By Lucy Cousins. Red Ted’s “first” favourite read – I picked up a hardback copy at Tate Modern Bookshop. He really enjoyed it the most 9 months – 12 months, though he does still enjoy it now, especially since I have brought it back out for Pip Squeak. We love all the different, bright and colour fish! Our favourite bit is probably the very rhythmic “Eye Fish, Shy Fish, Sky fish, Fly Fish” page, but that is just us. It is all lovely! I now know all the words practically off by heart!
From a parental perspective, it is great, as it has lots counting going on, lots of colours to identify, stripes, spots etc etc so they are definitely learning too!
One of my (!) favourite Lucy Cousins books.
We were lucky enough to be given this iphone App for review. I ADORE Dr Seuss, I love his books and we already have a number of the other Dr Seuss iphone Apps. So I was chuffed to bits to receive this brand new App for Red Ted and me to enjoy! Hurray. Especially, since I haven’t read the book yet!
What do we think? Well, we ADORE it (almost a given). There are so many things we like:
1) I like the voice over – voice can be so irritating, but they have this one spot on
2) The intro music – very “Dr Seuss” – cheeky, quirky and fun
3) The way, as with all of Dr Seuss’s apps, you can tap on the images and you see the word appearing and being read out – great for additional vocab learning (e.g. “Hill” or “Ears”)
4) How you have Read To Me, Read My Self and Auto Play modes
Because of these different “Modes” (point 4), this App has appeal to a number of age groups. Red Ted (2.5yrs) use the Read My Self mode like a book when we are on the go and I didn’t get a chance to pack a book. I get to read and gets to tap and scroll. Older children learning to read (5-8yrs), can assist their reading skills with the Read to Me function or go it alone in Read My Self. OR, you can just relax, sit back and use Auto Mode.
The story itself is about a Bear and a Rabbit engaging in a “Big Brag” of who is the best animal in the world. The Rabbit has fabulous hearing abilities. The Bear has amazing smelling abilities.. and then a little worm comes along and shows how he can see right around the world – we get a wee less in geography and foolish animals… And a little lesson on bragging! All excuted in the well known Dr Seuss drawing style.
WE LOVE!
That way we get to read it at our pace (which you can anyway by just scrolling through), but also to tap at all the pictures.
Previous iphone Apps reviews:
I Hear Ewe (free) – All 5 Duck Duck Moose Giveaway + Giveaway + mini review – Face iMake (free at time of posting) –KidArt – Dr Seusss ABC –The Wheels on the Bus – Duck Duck Moose
21 Aug
More Photos:
Memory – Yellow (& a bit of water) – Playtime – Green & Black (Nature) – Broken Mirror – Zoom – Holidays – Pip Squeak learns about Emotions – Creatures – Motherhood (Yacht) – Who needs the beach when you have a ball? (Up up and Away) – Still life: Life’s Lovely Laundry – Symbol of Friendship (Xenophile) – Self Portrait by Red Ted – (My) Men – Enchanted Woods (Violet Woods) – Portrait – 7 Sins – Pride – Joy – Spring – Ugly – These should be in a Tim Burton film – Outside my front door (Watering Can) – Me – Colour (Red Ted’s Bunny)
18 Aug
Remember a couple of weeks ago we did some Loo Roll Watches (these were hugely popular, so if you didn’t see them, do check them out!) after reading Piep Piep Piep? Well, the other day we were looking at that book again and came across this page – “The Drum goes…” (scroll down for another book on Drums!)
Red Ted JUMPED up and ran over to our dining room table (were we paint) asking for a drum! I was stumped. On the one hand I love, how he now associates books with crafts. Hurray for stART projects. On the other hand… expectations are begin to build… How to make?!
I thought of a mini Loo Roll drum. But drums are for noise. So I parked that idea whilst I pondered…
Until… I remembered our formula tins (yes, sorry, we are formula household from around 4-5mths old). But you can do these with an old paint can or anything tin shaped with or with out lid, so long as it has no serrated edges!
The first one – I gave Red Ted completely free reign – result a little brown.
The second one (spot the hair cut!) – I did a base colour (white), then added masking tape triangles. Then gave Red Ted free reign with TWO colours. Blue & Green (& some white). We then pulled the masking tape off (some of the white paint underneath peeled a little, so we re-touched it).
I have learnt that with 2.5yrs olds, if you give them ALL the primary colours you usually end with brown. So, do give them freedom, but with max. 2 primary colours and then it usually works!
Even the neighbours 8yrs old had a go, which of course made it much more interesting again for Red Ted. Pip Squeak also had fun. The 8 yrs old was very good and “discovered” the different sounds you could make by hitting the edges, drumming on the lid versus the bottom etc… so we have a proper little instrument!
Needless to say, you don’t need to get crafty to have drums at home – pots, pans, tupperware are all marvellous percussion instruments!
As this is a story + art project, I did want to explore other books on “Drums” with Red Ted. So on searching a little we found this:
The Drum – A Folktale from India, produced by Welcome to the Story Cove.
Reading age – 5yrs – 8yrs. Read together age: 2yrs – 5yrs
I thought that this was a great little book. I love folktales and if you think about it the Brother’s Grimm stories all started off as folktales. I also love books and stories from around the world. There is a reason why something becomes a folktale and it is usually that there is a wonderful lesson to be learnt and that the story itself is great. This the story of a little boy who is poor but wishes for a drum! All he is given is a “magic stick”, with the help of the “magic stick” and his own personal kindness and selflessness he indeed get’s his drum in the end. The story could have been written a little better and the drawings could be a little nicer too… but that is only, because we are spoilt by all those wonderful books available today. Red Ted likes the book and so do I. So look past the “non perfectness” and engross yourself in a folktale from India! The Story Cove has other stories from around the world, which we will be checking out as well as website with lesson plans and activities, as well as previews: http://www.storycove.com/. Becoming a “member” is free.
Older Kid’s Craft & stART projects:
stART – Story Telling, Bunnies & Stars
stART: Giraffe’s can’t dance – a Giraffe Loo Roll Marionette
stART: Chick – a Pop Up Card
Book & Cook: Alphabet Cookies – Learning through play
stART: Busy Airport – Cotton Wool Clouds and, erm, PIGS!
stART: Hit &Myth – a mix & match book for older children (>5yrs)
stART: Story & Thank you time – inspirational thank you cards
stART: Hurray for Fish – one for babies or messy toddlers!
stART: Bedtime Star – Red Ted, makes a starry night for Pip Squeak’s nursery
stART: The Way Back Home, Oliver Jeffers – Red Ted makes a plane and a UFO
16 Aug
Kid’s Book and Kid’s iPhone App reviews continue. For my “reasons” behind “Why Apps?!” look here. Type “Kids” or “children” or “educational” into the Apple iStore and you get bombarded with Apps. Which to get?! Look no further… As well as our usual Monday Morning Book Club review!
All previously reviewed books can be found on my Amazon store:
Red Ted Arts Book Recommendations on Amazon
The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew it Was None of His Business, Werner Holzwarth.
Ok, this one is for the Dad’s. Toilet humour through and through! But I mention it, as it is not often that a GERMAN author is translated into English AND does REALLY well. Did you know this is originally in German? There you go! I love buying books from different countries it really makes “our library” more interesting. Here we have a story of a little mole that wakes up one day, only to find that, erm, someone has done their business on his head. Off he goes to find out who it was… and seeks out revenge (maybe not such a good lesson). Surprisingly cute (?!). Maybe a good one to get when you start potty training – though nothing to do with potties, toddlers often get obsessed with Nr 2s at that stage at may really enjoy it. Go on… you know you want to! Available in German & English (and possibly other languages?).
(PS I bet you are gald I didn’t use this in a “Story + Art” project, eh?!)
and I bringing you both of these, as they are pretty much the same. So, as these are Lite versions and therefore free, you may aswell download both and then decide which you like better!
In essence, this is a spelling game. But there is a lot “of help” so that even youngsters that don’t know their alphabet (i.e. Red Ted who is 2.5yrs) can have a go. Red Ted loves it and although I don’t want to force the alphabet on him, surely it is ok if he learns a litte bit about the alphabet whilst having fun? He learns about words and letters.
You have a picture and the letters to make up a word. Like with puzzles you have to put the letters in the right place to spell the words. The voice tells you the letters and when you have completed the letter puzzle, the letters (in one App) are spelt out again and the whole word (in both Apps) is read out! Then there is lots of clapping & cheering (in one App) or noises made by the word (e.g. Miaow in the other App). Both sweet. Both lovely. Both liked by Red Ted. My First Words also has “levels” – where there is less “help” with the letters. My First Words is also available in French!
There are the free Lite versions available – which contain about 4-6 words. This is more than plenty for a 2.5rs old!
Previous Apps: I Hear Ewe – animal sounds (Free) – All 5 Duck Duck Moose Giveaway + mini review – Face iMake (free at time of posting) –KidArt – Dr Seusss ABC –The Wheels on the Bus – Duck Duck Moose