Holiday Gift Guide Review - Games... In a Jar!

Free Spirit Publishing carries many different educational, self help and useful books for both children and parents. They also have a series called "In A Jar" and I had the chance to review a few jars for myself.

WH? In a Jar was a good little game to keep the kids quiet while waiting for dinner or even while eating dinner! The questions are extremely simple; so simple that you could even say some are silly. The kids thought it was fun to purposely give the wrong answer, and of course raced to see who would shout out the wrong answer first. WH? In a Jar includes 101 cards with Who, What, Where, When and Why questions such as:

• Who speaks or writes about the news?
• What do bees make?
• Where do bats live?
• When do you pitch a tent?
• Why do birds make a nest? 

The majority of the questions are easy enough for most kids and are sure to bring on some laughs. These would also be good for long car rides, ice breakers, and of course gifts!

We didn't play with Brain Games quite as much; the kids thought it required too much thinking! Brain games includes 101 cards each with a brain teaser that will challenge kids to think and learn. Can you figure out these brain teasers? (Answers below)

1. What gets wetter as it dries?
2. What grows bigger the more you take away from it?
3. What ear cannot hear?

Some of the cards are called Brain Boosters and ask that you think, research, experiment or discuss to figure out the answer. Unlike the regular cards, the Brain Booster cards do not have an answer written on the card and include questions like:

• After the trash is picked up, where is it taken and what happens to it?
• How many words can you think of that rhyme with jolly?
• What do birds do with their legs when they fly?

Answers:

1. a towel
2. a hole
3. an ear of corn

If you are looking to put some books or activities under your tree this year, take a look around Free Spirit Publishing and see what you can find!

Book Review: Going Blue

Going Blue

A Teen Guide to Saving our Oceans, Lakes, Rivers, & Wetlands

by Cathryn Berger Kaye & Philippe Cousteau
ISBN 13 978-1-57542-348-7

Water is the most important substance on Earth; it is also the most threatened—by climate change, trash, and pollution (such as the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico). Young people across the globe are responding to the world water crisis by transforming their ideas and energy into action and participating in service learning. The call to service is being sounded by world leaders such as President Barack Obama, Jane Goodall, and Philippe Cousteau—grandson of Jacques Cousteau and a champion of the new generation of environmental activists. Teens are answering the call to help our environment by being green, and to rescue our oceans and waterways by going blue.

“Everything you do makes a difference. What can you do to make a positive difference?” —Philippe Cousteau, CEO, EarthEcho International

Be water smart. Go blue.

My Review: My son isn't quite into his teens yet so Going Blue was a little beyond his reading level, though he was still interested in finding out about the oceans and how to save them. Each chapter, or stage as listed below, includes bright photos, facts, charts, ideas and examples. I like how the majority of the book is broken down into lists or shorter blocks of information - I was a teen myself, and even when I was interested in something if it was presented in pages and pages of endless information I was more likely to skip over it than to read the entire thing.

The book is divided into the five stages of service learning:

Stage 1: Find Out → Investigate

Stage 2: Dive In → Prepare

STAGE 3: Get Going → Act
STAGE 4: Think Back → Reflect
STAGE 5: Tell It → Demonstrate

If your child is an earth lover like mine, Going Blue would be a good resource to consider adding to your library. You can purchase this, and many other self help and educational books from Free Spirit Publishing.

{Cool for School} Too Old for This, Too Young for That!

The third book that I received for review from Free Spirit Publishing is one specifically for those in the tween years of both genders and covers many of the issues that our children will face as they grow.

Too Old for This, Too Young for That!

Your Survival Guide for the Middle School Years

by Harriet S. Mosatche, Ph.D., Karen Unger, M.A.

The transition to middle school can be difficult. Most tweens are excited about getting older, but they’re often not prepared for some of the challenges that come with growing up. Physical and emotional changes, evolving relationships, and increased expectations at school can all make for some major adjustments.
Too Old for This, Too Young for That! is a friendly, reassuring guide to help tweens successfully navigate the often-turbulent middle school years. This update of a Free Spirit classic lets readers know they’re not alone and gives them practical tips, tools, and resources for all kinds of situations, including:

• settling in and getting the most out of school
• getting along with friends, teachers, and family adults
• dealing with physical and emotional changes
• making decisions
• handling peer pressure
• setting and reaching goals
• preparing for the years ahead

Life during the middle school and adolescent development years can seem like one long roller coaster ride—with ups and downs, twists and turns, and sudden starts and stops. Too Old for This, Too Young for That! is a friendly and fun manual for surviving middle school that can help tweens enjoy the ride.

My Review: I think this is a good book for going through with your tween, but my son had trouble getting into reading it on his own. There is still a lot of information here that he was ready to know, and he did keep interest with me reading and discussing it with him. My favorite chapter, or Survival Tip as the book calls them, was on connecting with family which includes 7 Ways to Get Along With Family Members, rules, chores, and even video games. There are seven Survival Tips in total each one either with Tips or Try It activity suggestions and many examples which let kids know they aren't the only one that feels the way they do. Overall a great book for anyone with a child coming into or going through the tween years.

{Cool for School} Dealing with Bullies

My boys have quite the opposite personalities, my 10 year old being rather sensitive and kind, and my 9 year old being something of a bully. There are even days where they seem to switch roles so when I was given the chance to review a few books from Free Spirit Publishing I decided to choose a couple of books that would relate to both of these behaviors. I have a couple more that I will review in a separate post, but since these were on the same subject I decided to group them together. I would highly recommend both of these books if your child is having trouble dealing with, or being a bully.

Don't Behave Like You Live in A Cave

by Pamela Espeland and Elizabeth Verdick

Help kids make smarter choices at home and at school with this kid-friendly book that takes a positive approach to behavior issues. Better behavior isn’t just about making adults happy. When kids make better behavior choices, they stay out of trouble, feel good about themselves, and get along better with family, friends, and teachers. That leads to self-control, awareness, and a positive outlook, so things go better for kids.
Lighthearted yet supportive and frank, with full-color cartoons and humorous text, this book helps readers learn to make thoughtful, deliberate, positive behavior decisions. That means fewer behavior problems and more freedom—and fun.

Behavior issues addressed include small ones, like talking or blurting out in class, as well as more challenging behaviors such as fighting or disobeying parents.

Part of the best-selling, award-winning Laugh & Learn™ series (over 585,000 combined books in print)
The focus on benefits of better behavior choices helps kids feel motivated rather than lectured
Full-color book makes reading engaging
Kid-centric, humorous pocket guide for young people

My review: This one was their favorite of the two with it's brightly colored cartoons and silly humor and carries advice that could even be useful to us parents for those times that we lose our temper. Kids are given 5 great goals for better behavior along with 5 simple steps toward meeting these goals. Easy for kids to read, and funny enough to keep their attention this book is excellent for anyone with a child feeling a little out of control. I see there are 10 other books in this series, which is called Laugh & Learn and I would love to get the rest of them!

Stick Up For Yourself

Every Kids Guide to Personal Power and Positive Self-Esteem

by Gershen Kaufman, Ph.D., Lev Raphael, Ph.D., and Pamela Espeland

First published in 1990, this perennial best-seller has helped countless children build self-esteem and assertiveness skills.
Newly revised and updated, it’s the ultimate resource for any kid who’s ever been picked on at school, bossed around, blamed for things he or she didn’t do, or treated unfairly—and for any kid who sometimes feels frustrated, angry, powerless, or scared. Simple words and real-life examples show how children can stick up for themselves with other kids (including bullies and teasers), big sisters and brothers, even grown-ups.

Kids learn how to build relationships, become responsible, manage their anger, grow a “feelings vocabulary,” make good choices, solve problems, set goals, and “store” happiness and pride. Questions from real kids are paired with answers about how to handle specific situations calmly, confidently, and effectively. A special note to parents and teachers explores the “self-esteem backlash” and explains what self-esteem really is—and why kids today need it more than ever.

A wealth of practical, encouraging, realistic advice, this empowering little book is also recommended for parents, teachers, and counselors.

My Review: Geared towards the child who is being bullied, this was another excellent book for all ages. Kids will learn what is means to stick up for themselves, why it's important and what they need to do it - personal power and positive self-esteem. With advice on how to deal with strong feelings and tips to overcome shyness along with quizzes and To-Do lists, this is a book that really covers a lot all while keeping it simple and easy to follow. I was able to relate to so many of the included examples and see areas where I have made mistakes myself. I hope that my boys and I can work together with this, and the above book, to solve our bullying issues for good!