Pea of Sweetness

Kitty Cat Numeration and Ordering {Preschool Review}

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Affiliate

Disclosure: I received the Kitty Cat Numeration and Ordering PDF to facilitate my review. Regardless, all opinions are my own and those of my family.
Although our preschoolers has become more interested in participating more during our homeschooling day this year, I still have to be on the lookout for curriculum, worksheets, projects, etc. that I know will interest him. When I was offered the opportunity to review a portion of the Preschool Rocks! Bundle on Educents I was eager to see what all it offers!
Wow! It is quite a bundle! There are 982 pages of activities for preschoolers at 71% off! That’s over $100 worth of activities for preschoolers for only $29.99. Awesome, right? Plus they are instant downloads, so you’ll have them right away on your computer and can use them whenever you’d like. I always appreciate PDF resources, too, because I can always print more if needed as well!
For our review I choose the Kitty Cat Numeration and Ordering. I always look for things I know will engage our preschooler, and he is a big fan of cats! With the cute cat graphics and his increased interest in learning numbers and counting, I knew it would be a big hit!
Preschool Review
Another advantage of PDF downloads is I can use what I want or what is relevant to what he is learning now and save the rest for later. I did find the later pages of the Kitty Cat Numeration and Ordering were a little too advanced for what our little guy is learning right now, but would be perfect for when he starts learning more and I’m getting him ready for Kindergarten work. We still have a little time before he’ll be ready for Kindergarten since he’s three and just starting to do more preschool work!
The earlier pages of Kitty Cat Numeration and Ordering are perfect for what he is learning now, which is just getting familiar with his numbers, ordering, etc. It starts with matching buttons and shoes to their number. I love this activity because it helps him to really visualize the numbers as well as get a sense for what that number looks like as far as objects are concerned. It all starts with 1-5 which is great for him because although he can now count to ten I feel like doing activities to ten right away would be overwhelming and counterproductive.
His favorite activities from the Kitty Cat Numeration and Ordering are the Kitty Number Puzzles. They aren’t puzzles in that they are puzzle pieces to put together (though he actually does enjoy those type of puzzles as well), but rather they are puzzles that are activities for ordering. So they are all the same shape and size and are meant to be put together in the correct order from 1 to 5. Of course, by putting the numbers in the correct order, the picture will also look correct!
Preschool
In addition to matching and puzzle activities, Kitty Cat Numeration and Ordering also offers hands-on activities like cutting and pasting; writing (for older preschoolers); calendar creation which includes all the numbers, months, and days; Calendar activities to reinforce learning months and days of the week; and comparisons.
Imagine, this is just ONE of the resources in the full Preschool Bundle! This deal ends REALLY SOON, though, so head over to Educents now and check it out!

Reusable Coloring Books

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I received the products mentioned to facilitate my review. Regardless, I only recommend products I feel would be good for my readers. All opinions are my own and those of my family.
Reusable Coloring Books
Our preschooler hasn’t taken to coloring like our daughter has, though I’m not too surprised since our oldest son isn’t much of a “colorer” either. Yet I want to encourage him to color to develop and strengthen his fine motor skills. All three of our children have fine motor challenges, but I noticed our daughter is doing well with developing her fine motor skills, and I believe her love for drawing and coloring has a lot to do with it!
I needed something appealing for our preschooler – something different than what we already had. When I was introduced to BabyKids I was excited by the possibilities! BabyKids First Learning Years offers products for the transitional period from infant to toddler to preschooler. They offer a variety of products that target the developmental stages of early childhood.
For our review we received two of The Color, Wipe and Color Again reusable coloring books. Each book included a 4-pack of crayons.
reusable coloring book
The books we received were the First Learning Years book pictured above as well as the Christmas Time book! Little did I know the First Learning Years book in particular would serve multiple purposes. Both books have encouraged our preschooler to color. He likes them because they are different. Plus, it is fun for him to color then wipe it off and color again. Because he is also particular about making mistakes the wipe off feature is also nice for him so he can ask me to wipe off a mistake and then continue with the rest of the picture!
Both books are filled with wonderful pictures that are a lot of fun! Of course, our 6 year old daughter has already used both of them multiple times as well. Anything that can be colored will eventually end up in her hands somehow!
What I found interesting, though, is although Chaz liked the characters in the pictures, his favorite pages to color have the alphabet!
First Learning Years Review
Not only has he been coloring and better developing his fine motor skills, but he’s been working on his alphabet, too. This is something he hasn’t had much interest in until recently, so I was really excited about it! He will ask me what letter it is, and then he’ll color it, and we’ll repeat that pattern until he’s finished. Now he is able to name some of the letters before he colors them!
I think the BabyKids First Learning Years products are great for young learners. They have a selection of different products including a Teacher & Parent book with Curriculum Themes and Projects! I am definitely considering adding this to our preschool homeschool year!

For More Information:

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Citrus Lane Review

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Disclosure: I received a box from Citrus Lane in exchange for my honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products I feel would be good for my readers. All opinions are my own and those of my family. This post contains affiliate links.

Citrus Lane

Kids grow quickly, don’t they? I can’t believe how much they grow and change. In those first years, their needs change quickly as well. Citrus Lane understands that. They offer a range of services that help parents with those growing and changing needs. They help with those tricky choices like age appropriate products, toys, foods, books, and so much more.
Citrus Lane is a Subscription Box Service that does the work for you. They use a combination of expert recommendations, extensive product research, as well as feedback from their large member community because they know our input as parents is valuable!
Citrus Lane is definitely more than just a Subscription Box Service. They have a large and active community of parents. In that community parents can do more than just recommend products – it’s a place to connect with other parents. They also feature articles for parents to help with those challenging times as well as just general, everyday parenting! They also have fun games and contests community members can win!
Each box contains 4-5 products, and they are tailored for children from newborn up to age five. Boxes include products like books, toys, snacks, household items, and bath and body products, and even an occasional treats for parents, too! Every box is valued at a minimum of $25 with free shipping!
Citrus Lane
For my review we receive a box geared toward our youngest who is 3 1/2. I couldn’t wait to open it and see all the goodies! The products were definitely perfect for him! Even better, our oldest two children (ages 7 and almost 6) have been enjoying them as well! Not only did we receive great products in the box, we also received fun stuff as part of the box like mustaches we could punch out of the boxes. They were pink and could make ribbons so they could represent both Breast Cancer Awareness and Movember for Men’s Health Awareness! “Bowstaches” Fun, right?

In our Citrus Lane Box

Dreamz & Twinkles To Go from Cloud B. What an amazing little gift this is! Our oldest, actually, is extremely afraid of the dark. He cannot go to sleep without a light on. So this wonderful little nightlight is wonderful! It is cute, and it projects stars on the ceiling. Our boys now share a room, so they both get to enjoy it, and it actually made sharing a room for our oldest a little more bearable because now he gets to have the neat nightlight, too! It is a huge hit! Plus, it is small, so it’s easily portable to take anywhere if we’ll be traveling!
Rhythm Sticks from Hohner Kids. I LOVE rhythm sticks. They are so diverse! It lets the kids express themselves in a variety of ways! They tap them together, rub them together, etc., and all three kids have a blast with them! They actually like to have a parade with the rhythm sticks as the lead!
BOPS from Good Boy Organics. BOPS stands for “Baked Organic Potato Snacks.” As you know, we’re pretty cautious about ingredients, and we love to find healthy snacks the kids love! BOPS contain only 3.5 grams of fat per serving. They’re certified USDA organic and free from gluten, preservatives and trans fat. I love that they are baked as well. The kids loved them, too! I’m definitely excited we were introduced to this new snack!
Ladybug Magazine. We received both an issue of Ladybug magazine as well as a 3-month digital subscription from CRICKETMAG.com. They offer a magazine that grows with our children. Ladybug Magazine is a five-time winner of the Parent’s Choice Award. It has fun illustrations and stories the kids enjoy. The magazine we received also had fun dress-up characters to cut out at the back!
Overall, we are very pleased with our Citrus Lane box. I love that it is more than just a subscription box service, though. I love that they provide a community, too, and really make an effort to provide the best age-appropriate products for parents and their little ones!

*Special!*

Are you ready to join Citrus Lane? Receive $10 off any Citrus Lane Subscription with code CLBLOGGER.
*Offer Terms: can only be applied to subscription purchases by new Citrus Lane customers. It cannot be applied to gift subscriptions. Subscriptions automatically renew to full retail price. You may cancel anytime.

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Time4Learning Review

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Time4Learning

We received a 6 month subscription to review Time4Learning with our preschooler. Time4Learning is an online learning program for PreK – 12th Grade. It can be used as a supplement to their learning or a curriculum for core subjects. Time4Learning provides an easy log-in screen for the children (though obviously since our preschooler is only 3 I had to log him in), and a report system for parents to track their progress.

Time4Learning

We reviewed PreK 1 with our 3 year old, but we also had access to PreK 2. I was glad for this fact because he breezed through a lot of the PreK 1 work and needed more challenge on some days. On days where he was a little more sensitive to mistakes we would stick to the PreK 1 work. So I was very grateful we had access to both because it gave us options! We mostly stayed in the PreK 1, though. PreK 1 starts with the basics, and PreK 2 expands on them.
In PreK 1 he was learning a variety of subjects: colors, rhymes, vehicles, numbers, the alphabet, playground equipment, the zoo, school supplies, and more! Learning was implemented through fun activities like matching games, stories, recalling story information, videos, picking “which one,” patterns, and more! There wasn’t an activity that he didn’t like! Every time he completed a section he also had the chance to leave feedback on whether or not he liked the activities. He always chose “a lot of fun.”
Time4Learning offers a unique learning experience because the activities really feel like they are games, but I was impressed with how much information is learned! I also like that at the PreK level if he did get a question wrong it would say something like “oops! Try again!” and still reward them for picking the correct answer. It’s so important to encourage them at such a young age rather than make them feel like they can’t do it. I could tell Chaz felt really encouraged and confident when he was doing his lessons.
Time4Learning
In the PreK level there is no set lesson plan, though it is recommended to use the lessons in the sequence it is laid out. Chaz had a different idea, though, and since he was doing so well with the lessons I would allow him to choose which lesson to do. He would do 3-4 lessons per week. The reports section would show me how many times he did each activity, but I would usually be sitting with him for the lessons in case he needed help clicking because he is still learning how to use the mouse proficiently. It is still nice to have a record of the activities he has completed in a form I can print out if needed for reference!
Another feature Time4Learning offers is the “Playground.” It’s another way to reward children for a job well done. They can go in the playground and play games. They have games from PBS, which just happens to have Chaz’s favorite game! You can set the time for how long they are allowed to play in the playground before they either get back to work or are done for the day. I think this is a really great reward feature! He is still a little too young I think to understand the purpose of it because it is ALL fun to him, but I can see how it would be beneficial for older children that can distinctly tell the difference between the learning part and just the games!
We really enjoy Time4Learning, and it has been a great way to get our little guy motivated to learn! I didn’t realize he knows so much because he’s usually too stubborn to answer questions or do work! I’m so happy Time4Learning has gotten him to open up! Time4Learning can be purchased for $19.95/month per student for PreK-8th Grade with additional students at $14.95/month.
Because we reviewed the PreK program there aren’t as many features as the other levels. I hear the other levels are much more in depth, and you will be able to read other reviews from the other Schoolhouse Review Crew Members up through 8th Grade! Check them out by clicking on the button below!
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