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Motorized Crayon Carver-HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

October 26, 2015 By denise 3 Comments

Disclosure: This not a compensated or sponsored post. I was provided with the product for review purposes only. All opinions expressed here are my own.

I was just introduced to this wonderful new product from Crayola at the HoliDAY of Play event.

Crayola LLC, based in Easton, Pa. and a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards Incorporated, is the worldwide leader in children’s creative expression products. Known for the iconic Crayola crayon first introduced in 1903, the Crayola brand has grown into a portfolio of innovative art tools, crafting activities and creativity toys that offer children innovative new ways to use color to create everything imaginable.

Crayola is always coming up with something new exciting and fun products to take you to the next level of crayons. Who has not used them, my own parents used them from time to time. Do you remember getting the big box of 64 crayons. No matter what age coloring is always fun and relaxing.

This is why this new product is so exciting. The Crayola Motorized Crayon Carver. This set comes with everything you need including crayons, brush and wrapper peeler. The only thing you need is the 4 AA batteries which are not included. Then you just pick a crayon, peel the wrapper off choose the letters or shape you want to carve into the crayon. You place the letter from left to right to spell out your name or whatever you want it to say. You take the crayon you peeled the wrapper off of and place a plastic piece on each side of the end of the crayon and then into the carving section. You then turn on the carver pull the arm towards the letters you placed in the board to spell out the word, and trace each letter. As you are tracing the letters the carver is carving into the crayon. You then use the brush to dust of the shavings. You can twist the crayon to carve the other side also.

This is so easy to set up and use. It comes with 40 customized tiles (A-Z alphabet and 14 symbols). The Suggested retail price is $29.99.

With the holidays coming up this is the perfect gift for those creative ones that you have in your home. It will keep them occupied for hours and allow them to continue to enjoy Crayola.

For more information visit Crayola.

HoliDAY of Play-Hottest Toys of the Season

October 26, 2015 By denise Leave a Comment

Disclosure: This is not a compensated or sponsored post. I was invited to attend the event. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Last week I attended the fourth annual HoliDAY of Play hosted in partnership with Woman’s Day Magazine and the Toy Insider. It gives us a chance to to see what the hottest toys for the holidays are.

Toy Insider Mom Laurie Schacht greeted all of us with the one and only Yoda, reinforcing the strength of the Star Wars force this year. Laurie also gave us a full presentation on the Toy Insider’s Hot 20, Top Tech 12, and STEM 10 picks, as well as the top toy trends of 2015.

After the presentation it was time for us to meet with representatives of some of the brands that you are going to be looking for this season. It also gives us a chance to play with and be a kid again.

TOMY brings to life the characters and personalities of Disney’s Pixar Inside Out to the real world with its line of toys. Each character showcases the different personalities and qualities of the characters in the animated film.

Thames and Komos has two versions of Remote Control Machines, first is the Remote Control animals. Each of the eight animal models moves as a real animal does. This is a STEM engineering toy and a great learning tool.

Lionel is introducing an all-new toy line for preschoolers called Imagineering™ by Lionel. The Imagineering™ playsets are the perfect introduction to Lionel trains, and make the ideal holiday gift for young children who are interested in trains. The collection includes four differently-themed sets, with each set including a detailed train that’s powered by kids (engine, gondola, caboose, etc.), 6 feet of quick connect track that’s easy for little hands and a functioning accessory that works along with the set.

V-Tech and Leap Frog continue to develop the top tech toys that will keep your kids interacting all day long while developing their learning skills.

HipFits is this year’s must have accessory. It is a new clip on accessory that gives girls the change to get accessorize their purses and bagpacks. I feel in love with them instantly. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us next year. Thanks to Laurie and the whole team at Toy Insider for making this a memorable event.

With more than 100 different toys on display, the Toy Insider’s HoliDAY of Play event had so much to offer attendees.

Celebrating Super Mario Brothers 30th Anniversary Fun & Education-Holiday Gift Guide 2015

October 26, 2015 By denise Leave a Comment

Disclosure: I have received free products from Nintendo. All thoughts and opinions are my own. My experience may differ from your own.

As the holidays approach we are looking for the best gifts for family and friends. If you are like most kids on your holiday list love electronics and video games, and I have that is probably going to relate to you and introduce your child into the world of fun and creativity, and will also benefit them educationally.

This past September Super Mario Brothers celebrated its 30th anniversary. This video game ushered an era of play-at home games. Nintendo is marking this milestone with the release of a new title, the nostalgia-infused Super Mario Maker. The essence of the game is allowing players to design, share, and play their own levels that look, if not feel like past Super Mario games.

With this game users learn how to navigate a game without being discouraged. When Mario head butts a block that releases a gliding mushroom, the deflecting pip and floating blocks are positioned in such a way that it is tricky for Mario to avoid the mushroom, showing the players its players its power, teaching them the elements of surprise. Now you can create these same types of surprises for your friends.

This time around we have Mario navigate a land under a periwinkle blue skies, more giving Mario levels that resemble real and distinct landscapes. He is able to venture through land, sea and air this has elevated Super Mario Brothers from a button-bashing tournament to a serial adventure with you in control of our hero.

The Super Mario Maker allows the users to take modern gaming to a new level by creating Mario’s own journey across the screen. Creating levels that are littered with secrets and surprises. The fact that 30 years later the initial simplicity has been the key to Mario’s staying power ensures that the next generation will get to send Mario to new heights.

Super Mario Brothers Maker has given users the ability to create games and options not thought about before. It has also transformed the idea that video games are not only for fun and entertainment but can be educational also.

Video games are playing an increasing role in school curricula, as teachers, administrators and parents seek new ways to deliver lessons such as math, reading and computer programming in a way that hold student’s interest.

The new concept of introducing games into education is the future tool that will allow students to take a more active role in learning as they develop the key technological skills they need to succeed throughout their academic and professional careers.

Games such as Super Mario Maker are powerful learning tools when combined with other hands-on-activities and ongoing instruction from a teacher.

You might wonder how this will work when schools have been preoccupied with Common Core Standards, which are dedicated to students passing standardized tests in English and Mathematics. These standards do not offer a creative teaching method such as video games, however, the overuse of standardized tests is starting to encourage creativity again.

Testing issues, combined with more computer use in and out of the classroom and continued experimentation with games as learning tools, strongly suggest that video games will play a significant role in the future of education.

Many teachers are already beginning to use the principles of video games design to write curriculum. They organize the curriculum into missions and quests that help focus on multi-faced challenges that may have more than one correct answer, letting students explore different solutions by making choices along the way. Now doesn’t that seem to be the same concept behind Super Mario Maker.

While video games alone are not the fix to to the educational systems, it is a way to reach an greater number of students.

This season when you are thinking about purchase video games for the kids in your life or adults take a look at Super Mario Maker. It is so easy to create your own levels using the Wii U GamePad controller that it feels your sketchy out your own ideas on paper and can now bring them to life.

Now you and your whole family can bring your creativity to life and not worry that your kids aren’t learning because they are. #NintendoPartner