Category: childrens books

October 2, 2014

Eye Wonder Sharks from DK Canada #review

Do you have a little one in your home who loves sharks? We have two huge shark fans – so big we aren’t allowed to plan vacations during Shark Week otherwise they may miss an episode which just can not happen. I have to admit that these beautiful creatures hold a special place in my heart as well for many reasons. We love to discover new facts, learn about new sharks and their habits.

The Eye Wonder series is a precursor to the Eyewitness series and is specially designed for the 5+ crowd. The book comes in hardcover format (perfect for young kids who are not always as gentle as they could be) with large, beautiful photographs. The photographs and accompanying easy to read vocabulary made it the perfect book for us to read together as a family. We could easily open the book, pick out a photo and learn all about that shark in easy to use terms. I fell in love with the big, bold and bright photographs that truly showcase the beauty of sharks.

We were able to learn about a great variety of sharks from big to small as well as some odd looking ones we never knew about before. We looked at their teeth, eating habits, gills and so much more. I even learned some new stuff (Mom even sat down with the book after the kids went to bed so that I could read more too – love books like that!). As if Eye Wonder Sharks couldn’t get any better -at the end of the book they include eight pages of activities for your child to really dive in and enhance the complete learning experience. A win-win for us!

This book was such a hit that our eldest took the book to school and has kept it there for his friends and him to read during their breaks! That is when you know a book has done it’s job – it has engaged and sparked their curiosity to learn!

Check out the DK Canada Back to School boutique for more exciting Eye Wonder series as well as great workbooks to get your child back in the swing of things. The boutique is also offering a 30% off discount for a limited time so make sure to get in on that discount before it is gone!

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

August 28, 2014

DK Math Boutique: Build Up Those Math Skills for BTS #review

Math can either be the easiest subject for your child to master or it can cause frustration and tears. We have seen both in our house. Some units are easier while other units can take a lot to master – I still have nightmares of calculus and I am dreading the day when I have to help my son with this!

We were sent the DK Canada Math Made Easy. Each Math Made Easy book is divided up by grade and you choose the correct grade for your child.

For our son we chose the grade he was entering into in September. It started off with the easier math problems and slowly advanced as he made his way through the book. We had to help a little bit but it was a great confidence booster. It also helped to give him a glimpse into what the math program will be like this year. He hasn’t made it through the book (it is quite big!) but we are working on two pages a day. It has helped to reinforce all the lessons that were taught (and beginning to fade!) since last year.

Math skills are so important to practice on a daily basis as each lesson is based on the previous and a child can quickly become lost. Supplementing short lessons at home is so important and these books made it easy for us as parents!

For a limited time, DK Canada is offering 30% at the Making Math Fun! Boutique.

How do you help your child at home with math skills? Do you have your own program? Or do you use resource books?

Disclosure: I received a free copy of the above mentioned books. All opinions expressed are my own.

August 25, 2014

Starting the School Year Right with DK Readers #review

Reading is one of my favourite past times. It is also an essential skill that I want my children to master and feel comfortable with while still loving it. Sometimes children can become frustrated with their reading, not knowing a word, the material may not be something that they like or the book itself is too complicated.

DK readers are designed to allow readers to find their current reading level and gain confidence as they develop their reading skills. Readers will progress through simple to read sentences, simple words to more challenging story lines and vocabulary. The image below is the how their levels are determined as well as the corresponding descriptions of how each book is set up (vocabulary and sentences).

The books in this boutique range from historical to science to nature all the way to super heroes and Star Wars! With such a great selection your child will have plenty to chose from without being bored.

Our youngest chose Little Dolphin and Stars Wars A New Hope. Both of these books were a Level One and had short, simple sentences (although the names in Star Wars were a bit tougher for him to grasp). The illustrations were large and kept him entertained while we read the story together. The books are light weight and easy for him to hold. Our eldest got in on the fun and read the stories to his brother (made my heart melt watching them!).

DK Canada wants to help your child get back into the reading routine the right way and is offering a special deal in their DK Readers boutique – buy two and get one free! Make sure you head over there and get a look at their full collection.

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned books free of charge. All opinions expressed are my own.

August 7, 2014

Eyewitness Dinosaur @DKCanada #review

The iconic Eyewitness book series has been the most trusted non-fiction series in classrooms and in homes for 25 years! DK Canada has updated this popular series to paperback (a first in North America!) as well as adding new covers, improved layouts and a better ratio of text to photo. You can check out the full twelve updated Eyewitness Series books here on the DK Canada website.

My kids are huge dinosaur fans (as if you couldn’t tell from my other post here!). To be able to combine that love with learning is my number one goal as a parent. Eyewitness books are perfect for this! With clear and bold heading they highlight for our son what the page will be about. In Eyewitness Dinosaurs the images on each page are striking and in full colour making you feel as if they are really bringing the dinosaurs to life. With over 150 images this book kept him (and me) engaged for hours!

I read the book before giving it my son (I have to be honest with you, I love learning new things and this book was incredible for this). I spent an hour going through each page reading all the tidbit information and looking at the beautiful photographs. I learned so much (who knew they can classify dinosaurs into two groups and many had feathers?!). If we stumbled on anything we were not sure of there was a fantastic glossary at the end of the book. Together we were able to follow their evolution straight to extinction.

Right now DK Canada is offering 30% off the Eyewitness series (making the books only $7.69 CDN!). Make sure to check them out here.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

August 4, 2014

The Big Book of Things To Make from @DKCanada #review

Are your kids hitting the mid summer slump yet? You know the point where the idea of school being out has worn off and now they just want to do be doing more (anything more – science, physical activity and learning to name a few!) – mine are.

The Big Book of Things To Make from DK Canada has over 200 activities ranging from simple to a little bit more complicated to keep your child learning and having fun at the same time. Activites include simple science experiemnts, learning to juggle, building castles as well as outdoor activities. There is the perfect combination of physical activities and more sedentary activities to keep your child engaged.

We did several of the experiemnts already including making solar systems and soap monsters. We cooked, we were outside playing our favourite games (those ones that they always say they hate but now somehow they are super cool because they are in the book – yup those ones!), they practiced juggling (ouch!) and so much more. We have so much more to get through in this last month of the summer and can’t wait!

Feeling like you need some more summer time fun to keep the kids active and learning? Don’t forget to check out the Summer Fun Boutique running now over at DK Canada with 30% discounts!

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned product free of charge. All opinions expressed are my own.