Product Review: Strawz, the Connectible Drinking Straws

These Strawz are so fun! We found them at the Art Gallery of Alberta, but they are available all over online including Amazon and ThinkGeek (just google strawz)!






44 pieces, four different colours, dishwasher safe, coloured connectors are TPE (a food safe plastic), and the straws are polypropylene. Age 6 and up! In fact Vat19 has a more suggestions geared towards the legal age drinking crowd ;-)


Simply fun, they are also great for fine motor skills, creativity, and motivation. Tired of playing with Lego or building blocks? Try these straws and then relax and drink with your creation ;-)



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Professor Noggin Card Games!

Here are a few of our decks

The Professor Noggin card games are wonderful. With so many topics covered and more added all the time, they are a fun and stimulating way to learn about history, science, geography, nature, and even hockey. Age level? They say 7 and up, but my son started off with them around the age of 4 and 5-- as you'll see there are more than one way to use them ;-)

How do they work? Basically they are a Q&A card game. One side of the cards has a picture and the other side has 2 sets of questions, one easy set of three questions and one set of hard questions. The included dice is rolled to determine which question (1, 2, or 3) will be asked and the card is won by a correct answer; an incorrect answer sends the card to the bottom of the card pile. The goal is to collect as many cards as possible. Before the game commences, players decide who answers the easy questions (maybe the kids) and who answers the hard questions (maybe the adults). 

My son was never into playing them that way though. He preferred to read them on his own and create time lines or use them in story creation. Sometimes he would quiz me or ask me to quiz him, but we've never actually sat down and played them competitively or ever used the dice. So, these cards can be fun for all kinds of imaginative play!

The Professor Noggin series began with "Life in the Ocean" which was quickly followed by "Insects and Spiders" and "Wildlife of North America." Now there are 37 titles with "Hockey" and "Baseball" being the most recent. For a list of their titles click here. If there is a topic you'd love that they don't have, you can always suggest a title (on their website)!

This is a made in Canada product and definitely has a strong North American focus, but has several international titles. And while it does have a few Canadian focused titles ("Geography of Canada" and "History of Canada") it seems like there are even more American titles (from civil war to presidents, plus geography and history). And, if it matters to you, these card games have won several awards.

Click here to check out "Wonders of the World" card game: it's complete list of topics, their game instructions, and a sample card with questions and answers.

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Music CDs: Beethoven's Wig

Sometimes I can be quite the purist, however, I've come to find value in being more open minded. Lol, go figure!

For example, in the past I would completely ignore the modern day versions of classic stories as if they were tainted and toxic. Now? While I'm still not fond of them, I can see where certain archaic language can be reinvented for a young inquisitive mind who doesn't want to wait to read a difficult story. Because really, is it the story or the language or both that matters? To whom? Compromising can be good.

I'm bringing this up because the Anita Renfroe video reminded me of some favourite Cds we haven't listened to in ages.

The purist in me thinks classical music should be raw and real and unadorned; it should be presented as is and without gimmick. My son has always enjoyed classical music and, so, it was with much trepidation I found and presented Beethoven's Wig to him.

Beethoven's Wig: Sing Along Symphonies are a fun and award winning series of CDs in which silly and catchy lyrics have suddenly sprung up in famous classical music pieces. This is both good and bad! They are fun and silly, but very catchy and I've found it hard to listen to the unadorned pieces without hearing those lyrics in my mind (but this does fade eventually). [follow the link to sample the music]

{Is there a time limit when adding a YouTube Video to blog posts? There was supposed to be the video here, but it has vanished. I'm done. I added it as a separate post instead. I wish I understood the process of adding videos better}

There are four CDs now (and an illustrated book), but we've only heard the first two. Both of them had a series of well known classical pieces beset with lyrics. Once done, the second half of the CD had the same pieces, but this time without the lyrics, just the lovely instrumentals.

[An edit: I forgot to mention that the third CD is designed to introduce individual instruments!]

Whether the intent is to introduce someone to classical music or to kick it up a notch and show how nothing is sacred, lol, Beethoven's Wig CDs are definitely fun. I love mixed media art, so why not with music, eh?!

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Avatar, The Last Air Bender

It took us a while, but we've completed this series from the DVD versions. Avatar The Last Air Bender is a TV series compiled into three "books:" Water, Earth, and Fire with each 'book' having a season's worth of episodes.

I must say I enjoyed this as much or more than my son, lol. I found the story compelling and some of the character development well done. I'm not saying this is a masterpiece by any means. I found the third 'book' to be the weakest of the series and throughout the series, much of it was predictable. Still, it was very fun to watch. I do love martial art movies and this one had a few different ones to show off. I also enjoyed the humour woven into the shows (beyond the punny or slap stick parts).

This is an *American* series and not Japanese animation and implements different Asian concepts.

An overly simplified summary from IMDB, "In a war-torn world of elemental magic, a young boy reawakens to undertake a dangerous mystic quest to fulfill his destiny as the Avatar." Follow the IMDB link for more info and some video clips.

Avatar wiki, a place to learn even more about the series and it's characters.

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Product Review: Oh, The Wondrous Places You'll Go--Travel Cards

Spontaneous buying. Ya, not often a brilliant idea. However, once in a while those whims turn out to be fantastic.

And so our household came to have these Dr. Seuss 51 and a half travel cards to "tickle your travel bug." Each card "features stunning photography, unbelievable facts, surprising history, and brain-twisting trivia about a different amazing destination. From famous landmarks to hidden gems, a world of adventure awaits!" The back of the cards show the place location on a globe and then from a more local perspective.

My son loves these cards and pulls them out often. He enjoys reading the cards, answering the questions, and imaging going to these places. I think this may be the beginning of his very own... 51 and 1/2 places to go before he's... not interested in travelling  ;-)

I think these cards are great and spark interest in learning about new places. Did you know that "before Mesa Verde was made a national park in 1906, campers burned all the cliff dwellings' roof timbers for firewood?"  Sad but true.

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Highlights, the Magazine

Do you remember Highlights? Do your kids like Highlights?

My son has been receiving these lately as a gift subscription from his Grandmother. Today a new issue arrive and, like usual, he sat down with it and devoured it immediately. It doesn't take him long to read but he says he likes them.

What does he like about them?

Well, apparently he enjoys the stories and even the Goofus and Gallant! The special articles and kids poetry also catch his attention.











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Product Review: Ology Germ Soap Kit

The Ology: Germ Soap Kit by American Museum of Natural History is a fun and quick science activity. My son is actually excited to wash his hands with germ-shaped soap ;-)

The kit comes with an instruction/information booklet, two soap molds, two blue bars of glycerin soap, 12 inches of red string, two knowledge cards, and two field badges.

The instruction booklet contains fun facts while defining good and bad bacteria with specifics about Ruminococcus and Lactobacillus, the two 'good' germs turned into soap by this Ology kit. As an extra, the booklet tries to communicate that antibacterial soap is no better at cleaning or preventing illness than regular soap, but fails to explain how. Instead it implies the negative impact of antibacterial traces contaminating the water supply and possibly encouraging more dangerous bacterial strains. 

Like I said, this is a very quick activity and easy for all different ages. Just cut up the glycerin into smaller pieces, melt in the microwave (or double-broiler on the stove), pour into the molds, and let set in the fridge or freezer for 5 minutes. The red string gets cut up to become the flagella of the Lactobacillus.

Overall, this is a nice kit, quick and easy, with some fun information. However, the pure glycerin soap has a distinct perfumey smell. Personally, because I am sensitive to smells, I can't wait till these bars are done and we can use the molds with a non-smelly soap. And I'm disappointed the kit didn't explain that it is the mechanical action of hand washing that really cleans our hands. On the other hand, pun intended, it does recommend hand washing at least 4 times a day for 20 seconds and has a hand washing chart.  

Need Newspaper to Protect Area

Lactobacillus

Ruminococcus and Lactobacillus

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