Big Hero 6 Movie Review by Crafty

We watch A LOT of kids' movies in our house. Grown-up movies not so much! Just ask Boxy how many movies I have seen. ;)  Anyway, the kids' movie that has been on an endless loop in our house lately is Big Hero 6.

All my children absolutely love this movie and my three-year-old has watched it so many times that he can quote the entire movie as it plays. We purchased it for my oldest son, who is eight, because he had seen it in the theaters and wanted to watch it at home. We all sat down one Saturday night to have a movie night with our friends. After we grabbed the popcorn and pillows, we settled in.

Little SqueezeMe Food Pouch Review

The creation of food pouches was a fairly brilliant idea if you ask me. As a mom of three, when the older two were babies, my choices were glass jars - which were great because they didn't leak, but were awful since they were glass and could break - or the plastic baby jar, which always leaked. By the time number three arrived, they had created pouches. You could even purchase a spoon to screw onto the pouch. The pouches were extremely convenient; they were flat, leak-proof, not made of glass, and fit into the diaper bag perfectly.

Since the kids are older now, we have no real use for baby food, but their applesauce comes in pouches. They usually take one for lunch every day of the week in varying flavors. They have plain applesauce, strawberry-applesauce, banana-applesauce, and so many more. These pouches come in a pack of four for approximately $2.99. That is about $9.00 a week - just in applesauce. This is where Little SqueezeMe Food Pouches come in. I was happy to review this product when offered because I knew exactly how I would use them.

Super Bright Glow Stick Review

Fridays are the highlight of the week for my three-year-old. Since I do not work on Friday, he gets to take a bath in the big tub in our house. It is a nice chance for us to spend time together while he plays. He loves it when the tub is full of bubbles; he grabs his tub toys and easily spends an hour in the tub digging through the bubbles, playing with his boats, and blowing the bubbles in my face as I sit outside the tub. This Friday was a little different. I was asked to review Super Bright Longest Lasting Glow Stick Bracelets and decided to have a little fun with tub time.

Little Passports World Coin Collection Review and Giveaway

We are so excited to be featuring this exclusive giveaway for the Little Passports World Coin Collection! At the beginning of February, Little Passports put out a challenge to bloggers, asking us to give readers three reasons we love them. Personally, I simply love the entire concept behind Little Passports and I have had my eye on them for months. We decided to take part in their friendly competition since I actually do love the service (we aren't fans of participating in promotional events for products we are not passionate about, as it feels unethical and dishonest to us). As I truly do enjoy Little Passports (and even more now that I've been able to sample the subscription box they offer as well), this felt easy.

We participated in the blogger challenge and took 1st place! That also means we are now able to provide you with this very special World Coin Collection giveaway.

Before we get into the giveaway, let me just tell you how much we loved this collection in our house. When you purchase the World Coin Collection, you get 20 coins from around the world, as well as a magnifying glass, a pouch to keep your coins in, and a little booklet with activities in it.

Crafty Reviews Little Passports World Edition

I have had my eye on Little Passports for a while now. When Boxy first introduced me to subscription boxes, this was one of the first I stumbled upon and I immediately told her how much my kids would love this. Unfortunately at that time, I'd just spent a TON of money on the three of them for Christmas and could not justify the expense. (Even though honestly it isn't all that expensive for this subscription.)

After a bit, Little Passports contacted us about a review opportunity, and I immediately jumped on it. I was so excited. One of the reasons was because I knew yet again my kids would be "tricked" into learning. Also I can't lie; I was really kind of excited about the suitcase that is sent with the first month's box.

When our box arrived, the kids all gathered around the table, which is common anytime a box shows up, and we opened it together. Inside we found a letter from Sam and Sofia, a passport, a postcard, stickers, the suitcase, an activity sheet, and a boarding pass to play more games online.

Dr. Cool's Insect Excavation Kit Review by Crafty and Kids

We were asked to review Dr. Cool's Insect Excavation Kit, and it was a perfect product since I have two boys who love to dig and who also love bugs!

In the past, the kids have done many different types of "digs" made by various companies. These include fossil and gem digs, but we had yet to try a bug dig. One thing all of these different products have in common, I've noticed, is that the plaster you dig for items in generally falls apart and crumbles simply by touching it. While this makes it so that the kids don't have to work too hard to get to the items, it really is also frustrating because it goes by too quickly and there is no real challenge. Dr. Cool's Insect Excavation Kit is very different, though.

Upon opening the package, the first thing we noticed was that the dig brick was not only in the shape of a bug but also that it was going to take some work. I was okay with this since it was my eight-year-old who was most excited about this dig. He is also the one who would have been the most disappointed if the dig brick had crumbled when he touched it. This might not seem like a big deal to many people but I have big-time texture issues. I honestly can't stand the way sidewalk chalk feels when I touch it and that is similar to the texture of most dig kit plasters, but not this one. The brick was also painted a smooth green color.

Imaginative U Review (from Crafty and Son): February 2015

What is Imaginative University? It is a monthly subscription box that sends you all the supplies needed to complete projects for 4-10-year-olds. The projects are arts, crafts, science, engineering, and so much more!

This giant box of fun arrived on my doorstep and my three-year-old wanted to open it right away and make something! We held off for a day or two and then, on Monday when the other kids were at school, we decided to dive in. The kit I received included activities for all ages since my children range from 3 to 9.

Upon opening the box I noticed how well organized everything was. The bags have color-coded stickers on them, along with the age range and project for which they are designated. All of the activity packets are also age- and color-coded. This makes it easy to match the packet of supplies with the activity, as well as choose the right activity for each kid!

The kits come with just about everything you need to complete each project, and the items that aren't included are underlined so that you know what you need.

My son was really excited to try the activity for kids aged 4-6. I won't lie; I was little nervous that he wouldn't get the point of the activity or understand it since he isn't quite four yet.

The activity was linked to the book, Snowy Day, which was included in the box. After reading the book, we got to make our own snow, in the house, which was very exciting for my son!

The activity itself was to discuss the tracks that Peter made in the book and have the child do the same to help relate the story to real life in a way. Not only was the snow a HUGE hit with my son, but for days now, he has also been telling everyone how he made tracks in the snow like Peter. Since making the snow and the adorable snowman (snowman kit included!), we have purchased the ingredients on our own because "making snow" is becoming a daily activity in our house! The good news is that it only takes two ingredients and they can be found at the dollar store, so I will happily supply that for him.

I can't wait to try out the rest of the projects in this box with the older kids, as well as more with the little guy. This is an awesome program for parents wanting to have fun with their kids while they learn, or even for homeschooling parents to enhance lessons in their curriculum.

Crafty's Educents Review

Valentine's Day for the big kids 50% off 

We were contacted to review Educents.com, which is designed to bring educators, homeschoolers, and parents educational supplies at affordable prices.

Educents has a ton of choices from educational toys to curriculum and coloring sheets that help with math. As a mother of a preschooler, second grader, and fourth grader, I was pleased to see that all of their educational ranges were covered.

I downloaded the home-school curriculum Gratitude for free on the first day I checked out the website. I haven't had a chance to work with my second grader on it yet since I do not homeschool him, but I do love to find things to make learning fun.

Little Miss Crafty talks about Little Passports

When Little Miss Boxy first started telling me about subscription boxes, I did a little research myself. The first company actually that I stumbled upon was Little Passports. Little Passports is a subscription company that helps your children learn about the US, as well as other countries, in a monthly, six-month, or twelve-month format.

One of the things that stood out to me were the options that Little Passports offers. As a mom of three children, whose ages vary from three to nine, I sometimes struggle to decide which option to pick for other subscription boxes. Little Passports offers three different boxes you can choose from!

Little Miss Crafty and Kids review Kiwibop Postcard Pals

Kiwibop is a monthly subscription where your child will receive four postcards from a four different pals that are rotated each month. The really wonderful thing about this company, besides your kids getting something exciting and reasonably priced, is that a portion of your order goes to provide children with life threatening illness or injury complimentary memberships.