PBS KIDS Toys now at Whole Foods {GIVEAWAY}

This is a sponsored post in collaboration with PBS KIDS. All thoughts and opinions espressed below are my own.

Did you know that you can now find PBS KIDS toys at your local Whole Foods Market? These earth-friendly toys have been designed to inspire curiosity and help you raise happy, healthy kids. The line is geared for young children ages 6 months to 3 years old and includes

• race cars made from recycled milk bottles 
• colorful, wooden vehicles assembled by hand from local wood in Vermont 
• shape sorters (recently named a National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) silver award winner) 
• stackers that inspire a love for fruits and veggies 
• super soft plush animals made with phthalate- and PVC-free materials 
• organic t-shirts and infant onesies with vintage designs

I love that all of the products are made with safe, non-toxic materials and inks, and all the packaging is made from recycled materials. Many of the toys are produced in the USA from sustainable materials, responsibly harvested from local communities. So the partnership with Whole Foods makes sense, no?

And the best part is knowing that if you purchase one of these toys this holiday season, 100% of PBS KIDS’ net proceeds will benefit the media brand’s mission of empowering children through knowledge, critical thinking and imagination. And Whole Foods Market will donate 1% of the total sales, up to $25,000, to Whole Kids Foundation, an organization dedicated to improving children’s nutrition and wellness.

THE GIVEAWAY

PBS KIDS and Whole Foods Market have donated a set of Scoot wooden toys (great stocking stuffers!) and a plush animal for one MommyMaestra reader!

To enter to win, simply use the Rafflecopter below.

¡Buena suerte!

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Disclosure: I am a PBS KID Ambassador and received sample products for the purpose of this review and giveaway. All thoughts and opinions espressed below are my own.

Dream A Little/Sueña un Poquito CD GIVEAWAY!

We truly have a blast here at Mommy Maestra. To review such amazing products for children and then share with you and our own kids is a gift that keeps on giving. I am excited to write about Nathalia's latest musical contribution, Dream A Little, Sueña un Poquito today because I was truly hooked in the first 30 seconds of the first song of her new album. I was actually dancing in my seat!

When I heard Los Planetas I thought I was listening to a rock en español hit from the radio! The lyrics are truly bilingual, too. Here's a little peek:

Flying in my rocket ship, I’m an astronaut going to outer space
Voy en un cohete veloz 

    Un astronauta soy, al espacio voy

The album was a quick hit with my three boys too! The songs jumped from a cumbia to a lullaby, to more rock, salsa and pop. My favorite song is about bubbles! Pop, Pop, Pop's catchy beats and fun lyrics in Spanish and English, are super contagious. I am certain that children of all ages and adults will love all the songs!

Originally from Barranquilla, Colombia, Nathalia moved to the U.S to attend the Berklee College of Music. She continued her studies in Antioch University and received a Masters in Clinical Psychology. After her experience as a musical therapist, she discovered that she could use the tool of music to teach her children Spanish. She has currently developed a second music album, which can  purchased HERE, but will also be released on major online stores on December 12. 

You can listen to a sample of her album on her site here. There are 10 songs on this album that teach children about everything from the planets to the Amazon. The titles are:

• Los Planetas
• El Amazonas
• Magical
• Shine
• Norah's World
• Pop Pop Pop
• Shake Them Bones
• Tu Día Puedes Cambiar
• There's No One Like You
• Sueño Feliz

The Giveaway

Mommy Maestra readers are in for a treat! Nathalia is giving away a free CD to one of you!  We are so happy to include this giveaway during the holiday season, as it will surely set a festive mood in your home. And it makes a great stocking stuffer!

Please fill out the Rafflecopter below. Suerte!





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Betty Galvan, is writing "for smart and stylish moms" over

at MyFriendBettySays.com.

Lil' Libros: First Books for Children {GIVEAWAY}

I'm especially excited to introduce you to a wonderful new book series created specifically for Latino children. Lil' Libros is a new independent publishing company focused on bilingual, first-concept books for children 4 and under.

Their first round of board books for lil' fingers are vibrant, fun, and infused with culture.

Counting With Frida, Contando con Frida introduces children to the numbers 1 to 10 through the Mexican artist's world. For example, there is una casa azul/one blue house; dos pinceles/two paint brushes; tres flores/three flowers, and so on.

In Zapata, your children will learn about silver coins, blue uniforms, green pastures, etc.

Lotería First Words, Primeras palabras uses the traditional card game to build their vocabulary of first words such as el gallo, la luna, and la flor.

All of these books come with simple images to engage babies and toddlers, and each one also features text in both English and Spanish. The illustrations are warm and colorful, and make sitting down with your child to read a pleasure.

I love the concept of these first books and consider them a must-have for any Latino family library.

These 6x6 eco-friendly board books are currently scheduled to be shipped on December 16th, but you can pre-order your copies for $10 each via the Lil' Libros website.

You can follow Lil' Libros on Facebook and Instagram, too.

The Giveaway

Lil' Libros has generously offered one set of these three books to one MommyMaestra reader! Wouldn't they make a wonderful Christmas or Reyes gift?

To enter to win, simply use the Rafflecopter below.

¡Buena suerte!

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Preschool is Crucial for Every Child's Education

This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. While I was offered compensation for this post, I am donating the payment to Mi Escuelita Preschool. All thoughts and opinions espressed below are my own. #TheStoryOfEmma #CollectiveBias

Today is Giving Tuesday. A day after the biggest shopping weekend of the year in which people can stop and think about helping others. Parents, do you take the time to model generosity with your children? Compassion? Do you teach your children that they can make the lives of others better through their actions? It can be by donating money, volunteering your time, sharing information, or simply listening. It comes as no surprise, I'm sure, that my focus is on preschool and early education.

And so I want to share with you a program that has become dear to my heart. One that deserves support for the value and importance it plays in the lives of so many Latino children. I'm so happy to be part of #TheStoryOfEmma campaign by #CollectiveBias.

This year I've chosen to donate to Mi Escuelita Preschool in Dallas, TX. They serve "working poor" families living at or below the poverty line. A non-profit, Mi Escuelita provides these families with quality preschool programs, helping their children to learn English so that they can transition directly into English-speaking kindergarten classrooms without the struggle of a language barrier. They also prepare these children for kindergarten by teaching basic skills such as pre-literacy, pre-math, and social skills that help them excel in school.

Every 2 minutes, a Hispanic student drops out of school. I wonder, exactly how many of these children attended a good preschool? How many started kindergarten already behind or struggled to learn the language? Last year in DISD, 51% (that's over half!) of the children entering kindergarten were categorized as Limited English Proficient (LEP).

In the Dallas Independent School District, the graduation rate for Hispanic students is 67%. But LEP students only have a graduation rate of 44%; most are Hispanic.

This is why schools like Mi Escuelita are so important. I wish there was one in every town in the country. They actually save our country so much money because they alleviate the need for expensive bilingual education and reduce the need for remedial English instruction.

I am Emma

I was born in Dallas. My first language was Spanish. And because education has always been (and always will be!) something extremely important to my mother, she made sure that I attended a Montessori school for preschool and kindergarten. I went on to attend private schools on scholarships, because luckily, I learned English well enough to enter and excel in these English-language schools. I didn't start behind and then struggle to catch up as so many do. And those schools provided me with so many opportunities that I might not otherwise have had. From ballet to piano lessons to French, I was lucky to have access to these classes which broadened my view of the world.

My mother was a single-mom from the time I was 2 years old. She worked long hours and I spent most of my time with my 'Buelita and Nanita and (Grand)Daddy. My mom and I lived in our own home for a while, but eventually moved in with my great-grandmother (my 'Buelita) who owned her own home.

I spent a lot of time with my extended family in the area. Outside of school, I was immersed in the Latino community. I know what it means to work yourself to the bone for not much money. I've seen families who struggled to put food on the table. Families with children that were loved very much, but parents didn't always have the time, tools, or the money to help their children succeed.

Preschool is sometimes a luxury that many Latino parents cannot afford. And for those who work one, two, maybe three jobs or more, there isn't always time to teach their children at home to prepare them for school. 

And that's why I want to share with you the Story of Emma. It is part of Mi Escuelita's annual fundraiser. You can watch the video below to know her story. The video is not a true story. But it might be. In fact, it could be the story for thousands of children across this country. If you have a moment, won't you watch? Because you might know an Emma. Or her parents. Or her brother. Or....

The Story of Emma from Mi Escuelita.

Join us!

Please join us for #TheStoryOfEmma #LATISM Twitter Party on Thursday, December 11, 2014 at 9:00pm. @LATISM and @ColectivaLatina will be joining forces to support of the Mi Escuelita campaign and create awareness about #TheStoryOfEmma. 5 prizes of $50 gift card + $50 donation to Mi Escuelita in winner's name will be awarded during the twitter party. RSVP link: http://cbi.as/qe2ds.

You can help...  

What is your story? Do you have an Emma in your family? Maybe you are an Emma?

Share your story and Emma's because every share, tweet, or retweet that utilizes the hashtag #TheStoryOfEmma will generate a donation of $1.00, up to $10,000 in donations!

Here's a sample tweet you can send out to help Mi Escuelita:

RT to donate $1! I'm investing in #Latino children: Let's make success stories like #TheStoryOfEmma a reality http://bit.ly/storyofemma

NEW! Do-It-Yourself Posada Kit

December 1st! Woohoo! You know what that means, right? It's the last month of this YEAR! And only 15 days left before Las Posadas begin.

I'm kicking off this month by reminding you of all the printables on Las Posadas that I have available in my TpT store, AND share with you my newest download: The Do-It-Yourself Posada Kit.

In my store you'll find the following printables that you can immediately download upon purchasing.

• Las Posadas Countdown Calendar (I highly recommend it!)
• Bilingual Minibook on Las Posadas (Most popular)
• Las Posadas Bilingual Minibook of Words
• DIY Posada Kit (NEW!)

While my Minibook on Las Posadas remains my bestselling printable, I honestly think the best way to teach children about Las Posadas is by having them participate in one. That is a treasured memory from my own childhood and I started thinking about how awesome it would be if parents and teachers could host their own posada at home or at school.

SO I'm excited to announce that my DIY Posada Kit is ready for download. It comes with all the resources you need to host your posada, including:

• An invitation template in English (just print, write in details, and cut in half for two invitations)
• Luminarias tutorial
• Papel picado tutorial
• Piñata ornament tutorial
• Recipe resources
• Lyrics in Spanish and English
• MP3 resources for downloading the song
• Printable templates of the candle and Mary, Joseph, the angel and donkey.

Don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter!

Free Download: A Thanksgiving Bilingual Book of Words

Are you following MommyMaestra on Facebook? If so, be sure to zip over there to download your free printable! I noticed that the page surpassed 3,000 followers a few weeks ago, so in celebration, I created this Thanksgiving bilingual book of words. You can print it up, fold the pages in half and let your child choose which word - English or Spanish - to write in the lines at the bottom. It's a great way to practice those writing skills!

To download your copy, click here. This offer is only free for MommyMaestra Facebook followers. 

Don't Miss the Premiere of Odd Squad!

DON'T FORGET that ODD SQUAD premieres tomorrow, Wednesday, November 26, right after CURIOUS GEORGE: A Very Monkey Christmas on PBS KIDS!

My son has been counting down the days and CANNOT wait for tomorrow's premiere of the new PBS KIDS series aimed at boosting math and science skills in early elementary skills. Tomorrow's Christmas special has special agents Otto and Olive helping Santa find his missing reindeer (he accidentally shrank them!) by following a pattern.

It's funny, clever, and sooo creative! If your kids love stories of adventure, intrigue, and ingenius solutions by kids just like them, don't miss tomorrow's episode.

We first learned about the Odd Squad while completing a survery for the PBS Viewers Like You advisory panel (if you'd like to share your thoughts and opinions on new and upcoming PBS programming, sign up here). We've watched countless clips and screeners and now my son is HOOKED!

So if you have kids at home, why not kick off the holiday season with all the holiday-themed shows from PBS KIDS?

Overstock: Quality Educational Gifts at Discount Prices

This is a sponsored post.

Last August, PBS KIDS announced a partnership with Overstock.com in which they create a carefully curated selection of toys and gifts for kids. The Overstock Kid Zone contains hundreds of educational products and a portion of the proceeds from each sale goes to help fund PBS KIDS programming.

If you are wondering what kinds of gifts you should get your child for the holidays, this is a special opportunity to get awesome products at great discount prices! I was looking around the site and found lots of gift ideas for my own kids - and all of them are under $30 (some even under $12!). Here's what I've got saved and some of the products I'll be considering...

The Kid Zone is made up of several shop categories, including “Educational Toys,” providing the perfect opportunity to purchase holiday gifts while supporting PBS KIDS. The site also provides links to PBS KIDS videos and fun family activities.

I prefer to shop local when I can, but with the Holiday Shopping Frenzy only days away and a smaller budget this year, I'm happy to avoid the crowds and order some of my gifts online. What about you? Online or local stores?

Disclaimer: This is part of a collaboration with PBS KIDS. All thoughts and opinions are mine. 

Now in Spanish! El Mundo Divertido de PEEP & Printable

This is part of a sponsored collaboration with PEEP and Latina Bloggers Connect. However, all opinions expressed are my own.

Today, I have a special treat for parents and educators of preschoolers. Earlier this month, the award-winning show PEEP in the Big, Wide World launched a new bilingual website. On it, your preschooler will find lots of fun activities. And parents, you'll also find resources and ideas to help you confidently explore math and science together with your children. The show is narrated by comedian Joan Cusack, so you know it is absolutely hilarious!

I'm especially excited that PEEP has added content created specifically for home-based child educators. How cool is that? You rarely find big companies designing materials (in English AND Spanish!) for people like us. And as more and more parents are choosing to teach their preschoolers at home, this becomes a valuable tool for parents (and preschool educators). You'll love the curriculum they've put together. It's easy to follow with engaging activities. The picture below comes directly from their website and shows you the layout for exploring shadows. For parents and educators who need a little help implementing the lessons, PEEP also has a unique professional development curriculum with six 3-week units for integrating science and math into your Pre-K curriculum. 

PEEP is unique as it helps children develop their science inquiry skills by exploring, observing, predicting, and problems solving in their day to day surroundings. The show is fun and creative and encourages children to find science fun and engaging, too. 

I was inspired by this section on shadows of PEEP's online curriculum and decided to create a Thanksgiving-themed printable that explores shadows for your preschooler. You can download it for free here. 

PEEP is now on Pinterest, too, and there you'll find really helpful pins/links to specific episodes (on their YouTube channel) arranged by subject matter. So for example if you are studying shadows with your preschooler, you'll love their Explorando las Sombras board. 

Be sure to follow PEEP Latino on Facebook and on Twitter where they share lots of fun resources, coloring pages and more.

Or if you'd prefer to follow PEEP in English, you can find them here on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube & Pinterest. 

Teaching Winter Preparation & Giveaway

photo courtesy State Farm

This is part of a sponsored collaboration with State Farm and Latina Mom Bloggers. However, all opinions expressed are my own.

Winter has made its icy way across the country this past week. While we didn't get any snow, the frigid weather made a record low here. I'm sure that this is just the beginning and am already thinking about how I'm going to be prepared for the snow and ice we're sure to get.

And I'm helping my children to think about how to prepare for bad weather, too. 

At home we stock up with canned soups, water, and hot chocolate. :) We've been stacking wood for our wood-burning stove as a backup just in case our electricity goes out in an ice storm. Flashlights are being dug out and batteries stocked. 

Just because winter is coming doesn't mean that our homeschool schedules stop. We still have piano lessons, reading programs, field trips, and more scheduled. So I'm also cleaning out my van gathering supplies for the it based on this winter driving survival list from State Farm. In go the blankets, bottled water, first aid kit, flashlights, and jumper cables. Because you never know when you might get stranded. Heavy snows and ice storms can lead to bad driving conditions. 

Actually, I'm having the kids clean out the van because most of the weird little things rattling around in there the kids put there: jackets, pencils, Legos, perler beads, Hiccup action figure, books, drawing pads, marbles, crazy loom bracelets...sound familiar? If so, then you must be a parent. I know these items are pretty tame. I think the weirdest thing we've ever had in our trunk (or van) has been an incubator with baby flamingos...and owls..and crowned pigeons. (No joke.) But I guess those aren't as weird as some.

State Farm asked 3,000 random Americans: “What’s the weirdest thing you’ve driven around with in your vehicle’s trunk?” Here's what they said.

What do you keep in your trunk? Share it here or tweet about it using the #InviernoSeguro #WhatsInYourTrunk hashtags

Learn more by visiting the State Farm website. You can also follow them on Facebook.

The Giveaway

State Farm has generously offered a $50 Visa gift card to one MommyMaestra reader. Wouldn't that be nice to help pay off some holiday bills after the new year?

To enter, simply use the Rafflecopter below. 

Good luck!

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Blue Planet Interactive Story Book App for Bilingual Readers

I've got another goodie for those of you raising bilingual readers. Blue Planet Tales has a special interactive app full of eBooks about world history and real life. From the race to the South Pole to the history of pirates to the construction of the pyramids, your child will enjoy these educational and entertaining stories.

Name: Blue Planet Tales
Subject(s): Reading, History, Science
Brief Description: An interactive story book app in Spanish & English featuring stories of historical events and people.
Price: Free with in-app purchases; $0 - $2.99
Language: Spanish, English
Ages: 4 - 10
Device: iOS, Android 

What I like:

I love the focus of the stories are vibrantly illustrated and teach history, technological and social progress through adventurous stories. I also appreciate how they are inclusive of Hispanic figures. For example, The Liberator is the story of Simón Bolivar. How often do we see stories like that featured? And the stories are in English and Spanish.

Your child can choose to read the stories himself, or listen to the app instead. 

And each book comes with reading comprehension questions to help boost your child's literacy skills.

 

To learn more, visit their website (available in English or Spanish).

New! 2014 Thanksgiving Day Books

Every parent I know tries to teach gratitude and appreciation to their children all year long. Most of them model appreciation every time they can. Some blow me away with their volunteer efforts that surely show their kids how to give back. 

No matter what you do to help raise children who will grow up to be thankful for other's small gestures or great kindness, it is always nice to have reminders around the house. Our family always turns to books to teach us of course, but also to help me emphasize any given point I need to make. Books help us express our feelings a little better, see how characters deal with situations like ours, and to inspire us to dream big!

Right now, the theme of gratitude is everywhere! We are quickly approaching the holiday season and it shows. On a recent trip to the bookstore, we noticed rows and rows of Thanksgiving theme books. I thought, "Why not keep some of these books out and on full display all year long?" They could be little reminders to us and to children to count our lucky stars.

While there, I also started to compile a list of the latest books on gratitude for you and your little ones. All of the books listed below were published this year. Some are available on paperback and for Kindle.

Enjoy!

Pinkalicious: Thanksgiving Helper by Victoria Kann

Thanksgiving Stories by Uncle Amon

The Great Thanksgiving Escape by Mark Fearing

The First Thanksgiving for Kids: How Thanksgiving Came to Be  by Ian D. Fraser

Thanksgiving for Emily Ann by Teresa Johnston

El pavo de accion de gracias by Cassie Willows

Junie B, First Grader: Turkey's We Have Loved and Eaten by Barbara Park

What is Thanksgiving? by Michelle Medlock Adams

The Fantastic Gifts of Fall by Dandi Mackall

We Gather Together: Celebrating the Harvest Season by Wendy Pfeffer

Betty Galvan, is writing "for smart and stylish moms" over

at MyFriendBettySays.com.