Sunday 26 January 2014

Mason reviews the Award Winning i-Mat PLUS your chance to Win!

As soon as I opened the door Mason came running to see "What's this" as he yelled and pointed excitedly. For a little man who doesn't talk much he certainly made that clear! He was captivated before we even unpacked the box, and we are talking about a little fella who's attention is hard to grab!

So once he popped on some pants we unpacked the box from Snazzy Baby and set about putting the i-Mat together, pre-loaded with a recorded message on the pen from Aunty Lou. His little eyes lit up as if to say, WOW How Cool! 

Within about 2 minutes Mason completely had the hang of the iMat. Touch the pen on this and it says a word, touch this one to turn it on and off, and this one makes it louder. (He likes it loud). So luckily there's a headphone jack in the pen so Mummy doesn't have to listen to the sound of the Moo Cow all day long! The only tricky bit we found was trying not to press the Voice Record button constantly...his boisterous grip is a bit rough. But being such a big solid easy grip pen makes it great to control and touch the right spots on the mat.


But I was blown away by how stimulating it was, how quickly he picked it up, and how well it actually held his attention. So we all sat and played for a while. Even Nanny and Pa got in on the action for a bit of a giggle. "Ooooh how do they say Kangaroo in Spanish?" And asking lots of questions, like how much does it cost, can you get more mats to extend it and many ooohs and ahhhs. I think I could see Christmas Shopping ticking through their minds already! Turned out to also be a good spot to sit for a snack and then lay under for a quick nap. Boys huh!

Needless to say Mason was pretty rapt in the iMat, I was very impressed with it, and Nanny & Pa were certainly very entertained and commenting on all the educational benefits their grandies could get out of it. We might need to stock up on some more pens though!


It's little surprise that the iMAT has won numerous awards overseas and here in Australia. I know Mother & Baby Magazine wouldn't take their awards lightly. The i-Mat is educational, introducing kids to new words in verbal and written form and also working on those fine motor skills and learning universal controls such as on/off, volume and record. But our number 1 rule here is that it has to be fun, and I can't tell you the last time I had so much fun with a kids toy. I can't wait to see what mats they bring out next so we can add to the collection. 

i-Mat Features 

Includes:
  • 4 soft padded interactive play mats - puzzle style interlocking
  • 1 voice pen - large grip for toddler hands
  • USB Cable - for use as new mats are released
Features:
  • Bright colourful pictures with name bubbles (visual & written cues)
  • Point the voice pen to hear the names of the animals & landscape
  • 3 languages - English, Spanish & Chinese
  • World Wide animals - giraffe to kangaroo, penguin to beaver
  • Volume Control
  • 2 Games - where is the animal & which animal makes the sound
  • Voice recording function in pen
  • Head phone jack in pen
  • USB connection in pen - to download additional sounds & games as new mats are released



i-Mat & Voice Pen RRP $109.95
Voice Pen RRP $59.95

Purchase yours from http://www.snazzybaby.com.au

i-Mat Giveaway from Snazzy Baby

Thanks to our friends at Snazzy Baby, we are giving away an i-Mat to one of our lucky readers!
Valued at $109.95 this is the BIGGEST giveaway we've EVER had at Learning that's Fun! 

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Wednesday 22 January 2014

Celebrating Australia Day and Back to School

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY EVERYONE!!!

To celebrate our great nation, Learning that's Fun is offering all Australian Residents a MASSIVE 50% Off over the Australia Day Weekend! Plus FREE DELIVERY in my local region.

Easy to read, space to write your own notes or ideas and printable templates to help you get started, Learning that's Fun is just the quick read you need to get you pumped for the school year! 
Delivery Options
 



If your kids are struggling at school with the basics, if you have toddlers craving more stimulation or you are looking for ways to ensure your family gets a well rounded education this book is for you.

This simple guide offers easy tips and ideas for families on a tight budget to make learning fun. Living in a busy lifestyle, many of the ideas can be incorporated into everyday life, such as grocery shopping, driving in the car or around the home. So there's no need to add extra hours to your day or spend loads of money on tutors or expensive materials. 

Delivery Options






Wednesday 15 January 2014

Back to School Giveaway

For my friends here in Australia, the kiddies are heading back to school in the next couple of weeks. For some it will be the first day. For others, a move up into the next level, up into high school, their final year, or even a move to a new school.

So for back to school, rather than another giveaway for the kids, we thought we'd reward the hard working Mums and Dads this year. 

Have you got your copy of Learning that's Fun by our Senior Learning Funologist, Louise? 

If not, you're in for a treat. This simple guide offers easy tips and ideas for families on a tight budget to make learning fun. Living in a busy lifestyle, many of the ideas can be incorporated into everyday life, such as grocery shopping, driving in the car or around the home. So there's no need to add extra hours to your day or spend loads of money on tutors or expensive materials. 

If your kids are struggling at school with the basics, if you have toddlers craving more stimulation or you are looking for ways to ensure your family gets a well rounded education this book is for you. 

Easy to read, space to write your own notes or ideas and printable templates to help you get started, Learning that's Fun is just the quick read you need to get you pumped for the school year! 
To get you started we've got two Learning that's Fun packs to giveaway. 

Each pack contains:
  • Learning that's Fun by Louise Jones
  • Hand Made Library Bag
  • Blossom Learning that's Fun pen
  • Blossom Learning that's Fun fridge magnet
  • Blossom Learning that's Fun bookmark 
Hand made library bags

To enter all you need to do is leave a comment below and tell us what Back to School 2014 means for your family. 


FINE PRINT:
  • Entries Open Wednesday 15/1/2014 9:00am AEDST
  • Entries Close Sunday 19/1/2014 11:59pm AEDST
  • Entrants must Like the Facebook page or be Subscribed to the Newsletter
  • One entry per person
  • Winners selected by random ballot & notified by email / facebook message

Friday 10 January 2014

Does Education Kill Creativity?

I have always loved to make things, design things, creative beautiful things. I love using my own hands to create something to admire and I love to admire beautiful things other people have created. 

So how on Earth did I end up with a job in IT? 


It started a little something like this:

1987, Prep, Mrs N's Classroom, Drawing Time

Little Louise drew a horse. Four legs, a tail, a head, a body and ears. Pretty good right? 

Little Mary looks at the horse, turns to Little Louise and says "That's not a horse!"

Little Louise says "Yes it is". Scrumps up her paper and throws it out. 

Later at play time, Little Louise spies Little Mary sitting in the classroom door way. She walks up behind Little Mary, musters up all her strength and mite and kicks Little Mary as hard in the back as she possibly can. Little Mary screams, Little Louise cries and Mrs N comes running to see what the fuss is. She makes the girls hug, make up and be friends. And they go on to be good friends for a long time in school. 

Violence is certainly not the answer here! But that moment has stuck with me my entire life. From that moment on I never showed my work to anyone unless I was 100% certain that I would not be criticised or chastised for it. My creativity was cut right there and then. And even into my teens and adulthood I struggled to do anything unless it was perfect, and I doubted myself countless times and never followed my heart just because I might not be good enough at it. 

Do you know how hard it is to practice playing the drums when you're too scared that someone might hear you and you might make a mistake? That's no way to make music and feel rhythm run through you. 

Your Homework



I want you to watch this video. It's only 20 minutes and might make the difference you've been looking for with your kids, or even with yourself! 

I want you to think about the way education systems focus so much on the literacy and numeracy and give second fiddle to anything creative. As a student I loved all of my classes, I loved maths and english and I loved art, metal work, drama, music, woodwork, textiles. Actually I didn't really like Science and Sports. But it shows that at my core, in my heart, I wanted to create beautiful things and solve problems. I wrote poems. I made crafts. I designed posters. I planned my dream home. Drew my princess wedding dress. My heart wanted me to be creative. But something in my education process and the expectations I put on myself from those experiences drove me into Information Science of all the things in the whole world! The one of two things I really didn't like at school. 

Fast Forward a few years and I'm here doing what I love, creating, writing, helping others and letting that core expand again. But for such a long time it was restricted, and my heart was crying for something else. 

It may be Singing. Dancing. Painting. Building. Sculpting. Seeing. Designing. Inventing. Writing. Sketching. 

Whatever it is, encourage creativity. Foster it. Give space for it. Go looking for it. Fight for it! 

And remember, it may not be a horse in your eyes, but theirs it is. Go with it. 



Happy Learning! 



Get your copy of my book Learning that's Fun here
A simple guide for families to make learning fun. 

Sunday 5 January 2014

New Year's Resolutions to add a little learning to your life

Happy New Year 

PHEW! I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted after a few weeks of crazy times with family and friends. I need a holiday from my holidays. But boy, wasn't it fun. Hopefully you all had a wonderful Christmas with your families, and enjoyed some celebrations to ring in the new year. Pretty much my entire December was filled with family events. We got to catch up with all of our 22 nieces and nephews, exchanged gifts, ate loads of food and played games and enjoyed each other's company!

Our Family Traditional Boxing Day Piniata
So now that we've changed the calendar on the fridge and made it to 2014, many people take the opportunity to reflect on the previous year's achievements and look forward to the prospects of the new year. At Blossom we like to do the same.

2013 was a huge year for us. The website had a makeover, I launched my book "Learning that's Fun", I attended the Pro-Blogger Event in Queensland, the Facebook Page and Website audience grew exponentially to the point where we needed to expand our team of contributors online, and we ran the most amazing 12 Days of Christmas Event! So needless to say, I'm pretty excited about the prospects of 2014.

Resolutions for Learning

But what about you? How about your family? What will you do this year? Big or small? What changes can you make in 2014 to add a little learning to your everyday life? How can you help your kids basque in the wonder of exploring the world?


We've put together a list of 15 resolutions you can do. Do one or do them all.

1. Read everyday (you, the kids, out loud, just do it)
2. Start a weekly games night (not electronic games)
3. Join the local library
4. Create a kids homework area
5. Cook / Bake together
6. Plant a veggie garden
7. Purchase only educational gifts this year
8. Read Learning that's Fun
9. Make a swear jar - kids copy, don't blame them for your language
10. Eat dinner at the table together
11. Join a club - scouts, dance, knitting, whatever takes your fancy
12. Keep a 2014 Family Journal
13. Make healthy eating a family affair
14. Be kind to the environment and upcycle whatever you can! Get creative.
15. Watch more family comedies - laughter is the best medicine

Which will you do? Leave a comment on the blog.

For more ideas like these and more get your copy of Learning that's Fun in eBook or Paperback.

Happy Learning for 2014