From figuring out how to homeschool with your kids, to creating some sort of structure within the day, to juggling your own work, all while keeping active without really going anywhere… we know everyone is maxed out with all the multi-tasking so we partnered with a dozen of our favorite brands to highlight educational, imaginative, cognitive and cozy ways to keep families learning and connected, while still adhering to social distancing, during this unprecedented world pandemic. Quarantine, or not, we’re sure you’ll love what we’ve curated!
EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS
For the past 50+ years Educational Insights has been helping kids learn through play. They work with experts in many distinct fields—from scientists to teachers to artists—to ensure their products are always the very best they can be. From the packaging to the product, this brand will capture your child’s attention and imagination.
ENGINEERING: If your kids are like ours, they love building… and taking apart! With the Design and Drill Bolt Buddies series your little one will learn the basics of simple construction and engineering while building fine motor skills. With tools that are designed for tiny hands your child can assemble a race car or dissemble a rocket. Not only do we love the STEM aspect to these toys but they also build confidence as your child problem solves how to construct. Imagination and creativity comes in when the rocket needs a mission or the dump truck has job to fill.
PHONICS: Once we mastered the ABCs, now comes the time to understand the sounds that those letters represent. It can be daunting for a little one to understand the relationship and so we fell in love with these adorable Phonics Beanbags. The twenty-six embroidered beanbags have a picture that represents a letter sound in order for active play that engages children’s developing phonemic awareness. Vowel bags have pictures on both sides to represent long and short vowel sounds, plus letters that represent hard and soft sounds like “c” and “g” have pictures on both sides too. Suggestions are offered for hands-on phonics games in an Activity Guide and we enjoyed making up our own too.
We even took it a step further combing engineering and phonics, in the BATH! So much fun is had building a sand castle atop the water with Bright Basics Bath Blocks and balancing the pieces just right so they don’t tumble into the bubbles. And Bright Basics ABC Tubbies allows us to continue honing our vocabulary, spelling and phonics.
OSMO
We were first started using Osmo when we were looking for a positive screen time alternative. We love Osmo, because it is a great teacher’s aide. We find it especially helpful when we have to be on a conference call. Osmo is unique hands-on learning experience where kids use tangible pieces to engage in math, spelling, coding and more. It has a reflector so it not only uses the screen of your iPad or Fire Tablet, but the kids interact with the lesson by using pieces and drawing. The kids love the different characters that engage with their responses. They have a range of games for kids as young as 3 to 12 years old. The reflector can also be used to interact with a teacher for online learning so that the teacher can see what the student is working on at home.
STEM: We joke in our household that our son may not be able to write yet, but he knows how to CODE. Coding Awbie and Coding Jam from Osmo teach kids to learn how to CODE through characters. Coding Jam combines coding and music so that kids can produce their own music.
MATH/READING: From addition to multiplication and division, kids can practice their math lessons with the Numbers game on Osmo. They solve problems by putting tiles with numbers in front of the screen. It is all game-based so the kids love it and are trying to get to the “next level.” Similarly, with Words-they must solve how to spell the word by filling in the missing letter(s). Levels get more and more challenging. If you have younger siblings, we have them do “teamwork,” where the older sibling says the letter or number and the younger sibling has to find it and they switch off who puts it in front of the reflector.
ASWEETS
Learning at home can be a challenge. There’s the tension of making sure the kids complete their lessons and them just wanting to play or take a break. It is important to not lose sight that creative/free play is just as integral to their development as the worksheets. Whether it is making a fort to read or playing house, this time can also be a good break for mom or dad too. From teepees and play houses to play food, Asweets makes the most adorable items for creative play. For those that are limited on space, Asweets doorway café is a great option. Kids can set up a store while you make dinner. Our kids love the donut and coffee set. While we may be foregoing our coffeeshop stops during this time, the kids still enjoy making mommy her matcha latte to go before she hops on her conference calls.
MATH & COOPERATION: Our kids have loved using the Doorway cafe, cashbox, and Donut play food set to play store. Older kids can practice addition, subtraction and even entrepreneurship with the cashbox and play food. Younger kids can practice communication and cooperation as they order and make food.
LITERACY: Everyone needs a little quiet place where they can escape during the quarantine. We created a reading space using the RV and campfire set. Kids can read on their own or it can be a special space to read together with mom or dad.
GEOGRAPHY: We have been practicing our geography with a map of the United States puzzle. The kids then “hop in the RV,” and we take a pretend trip to visit that friend or family member in that city or state.
CREATE ON
Chances are you can find Magna-Tiles® in your child’s classroom. These premium magnetic building sets have become an industry leader in combining imaginative play with math and science. We love Magna-Tiles® and our homes too are covered with the colorful tiles. So we were beyond excited to find out about CreateOn and their amazing Structure Sets and Story Sets using Magna-Tiles® with their SuperColor® Technology. Think rocket ships, school buses, and castles.
STEM SKILLS: We always gravitate towards products that can make science and math fun! So when we saw the Galaxy Rocket Ship building set our boys were literally jumping up and down! The idea of being able to construct different versions of spaceships was super enticing, but that the tiles flip over and include all the planets of our solar system, two versions of the sun, the moon, and an astronaut blew their little minds. We can practice learning all the planets, putting them in order and build sets that are out of this world (see what we did there!) We love that the schoolhouse has the alphabet, and the lemonade stand encourages entrepreneurship with the introduction of money too.
STORY TIME MIXED WITH TANGIBLE PLAY: Show of hands, who knows the picture book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar? Exactly. In fact you probably own it since 50 million copies have been sold! Whether you do or not, the World of Eric Carle is part of our childhood and we absolutely love CreateOn’s collaboration with the author featuring eight Story Sets ranging from favorites like Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? to The Very Busy Spider. It’s such a fun way to enjoy the story while also learning animals, colors, math and time. Plus, make sure and download the free corresponding Lesson Plans for families too!
COROLLE
It’s amazing that when you give a child a doll, she knows exactly what to do with it. We love to step back and watch this narrative evolve that many times includes only non-verbal communication. Children know to rock a baby, hug a baby, feed a baby — all without being told. Corolle was the first doll we introduced to our daughter and she was immediately smitten. They have pretty, realistic faces with sleeping eyes, and they’re the perfect size, plus they smell so good too!
PRETEND PLAY: Creativity and imagination are so important and a baby doll lends itself naturally to pretend play. If you engage in their story as well there is potential for speech and language growth as well. Vocabulary can be increased by asking leading questions that can easily have an action as a response like, Is the baby tired? And she can pick up the doll and rock her, or whisper shhhh as she lays a blanket on top. These precious moments are more crucial to development than you’d think. Corolle has an interactive doll Bebe Calin Loving and Melodies that says a few words and plays melodies, making the play even more lifelike!
COGNITIVE THINKING: Children acquire knowledge through experience, thought and sensory input. Play with dolls is a way for kids to shrink this huge world into a manageable size. It’s the way they begin to understand and make sense of their surroundings, even model the behavior they see from mom and dad, or siblings. So whether they are changing their dolls outfit, tucking them into bed, or taking them for a stroll in their carriage, Corolle offers a full line of toys to help kids create realistic scenarios.
BIRD & BEAN
One of the things I have found helpful as we start our day is to get everyone dressed for the day. Don’t get me wrong, we love our lounge wear but when we get dressed, the kids tend to ask, “Where are we going?” It gives you a great opportunity to frame whatever lesson you are having for the day as an adventure. “We’re going on a safari!” or “We’re going to the zoo.” From dresses and t-shirts to pajamas too, Bird & Bean has the cutest dresses, t-shirts and yes pajamas too! Their fabric is made of Modal and spandex, which makes it super soft, doesn’t shrink or pill, and is long-lasting. All of their products are lead-free and safe too. The kids especially love Bird & Bean’s whimsical prints that feature ocean animals, safari, rainbows and more.
ENVIRONMENT: Our kids love the zoo and the aquarium. Take a virtual tour of a zoo or aquarium. Many zoos have live action cameras on certain exhibits so you can get a candid view into the life of your favorite animals. From binoculars to a safari vest, it can be fun to have them dress for the adventure. The prints on Bird and Bean t-shirts and dresses are perfect for your zoo or aquarium tour.
ART: Have your kids make their own print with their favorite animals. They can use the ones on Bird and Bean as a model or make their own variation.
ZONDERKIDZ
We love books! Our kids love being read to, they love holding books, and flipping through the pages creating their own story if they can’t yet read the words. Zonderkidz has been a staple in our home. They have beautiful picture books, meaningful stories and great franchise favorites like The Berenstain Bears. Plus they have more than 30 Free Downloads on their site consisting of Activity Kits, Coloring Sheets, Curriculum, Crafts, Journals, Devotions and more!
READING COMPREHENSION: A new study out of Ohio State University showed that reading five books a day to your kids means they will enter kindergarten having heard about 1.4 million more words than kids who were never read to. This “million word gap” could be one key in explaining differences in vocabulary and reading development. Not only do we read to our kids, we want the words to mean something so we love titles like A Kite for Moon dedicated to astronaut Neil Armstrong and it helps celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first United States moon landing. Or, Piper and Mabel picture book about two very wild but very good dogs. If you children already can read, or are learning to read, the I Can Read books are the perfect way to develop your child’s reading skills.
VALUES & IDENTITY: Since we know it’s important to read to our children, it’s equally important the message behind the content they are consuming. We care about values. We care about our kids knowing they are loved, building confidence and knowing right from wrong. This can be done through books like Your Spark and One Big Heart. Both books build esteem focusing on how God gave us all special traits and characteristics that make us uniquely ourselves. We also love Bible Gems to Remember Illustrated Bible. Imagine what God could do in the heart of a child who memorizes and meditates on these short “gems” of wisdom from the Bible. We want to do everything we can to equip our kids to take on the world.
MINILAND
Miniland combines real play with digital play. You can use the sets on their own or combine it with the digital apps for even more combinations. We love it because it is play-based learning.
SPELLING: As we get ready for kindergarten, we are practicing our spelling. The ABC monster game is a great tool to practice words and have fun. You throw chips into the monsters mouth to spell the words. There are also different language options so you’re Little learner Can learn how to spell in other languages too!
SOCIALIZATION: Sheltering in place brings up a range of emotions and it can be challenging to find a way to talk about it. Miniland’s Emoogy Game is a helpful tool for kids to express their feelings. There are a handful of ways to play. From frustrated to scared and happy, the kids liked looking at the cards and matching what mood Moogy was in. I then asked them if they had similar feelings.
BEAUFORT BONNET COMPANY
Lounging around in your pajamas is no longer just for the weekend. With America on lockdown, families are finding comfort in staying cozy and that means wearing pajamas for most of the day. So since jammies have become the new school uniform, power suit, and luncheon attire (wink wink) we knew we needed to up our game. And with the whole family home, of course we wanted to match and be coordinated! The Beaufort Bonnet Company was founded in 2012 with their hallmark bonnet based on a generations-old heirloom pattern from the coastal town of Beaufort, South Carolina. They were an instant hit and the company expanded into timeless clothing, swimwear and Night Nights.
COMFORT: When kids are comfortable they have the freedom to express themselves, jump, tumble, and create. The 100% pima cotton is the perfect balance of cozy and durability for both sleep and play.
STYLE: The Bamboo Proverbs are all about the journey of raising children, and we loved the design on the mommy and me Night Nights. It’s crisp, fresh and so much fun to match. And we didn’t forget the boys, complete the blue and white with St. Simon’s Sailboat for the adventure in little guy.
ALL THE WORLD
One of the amazing things about this crisis has been seeing all of this great digital content emerge to help our students learn about the world around them. We have found it helpful to incorporate a learning video or virtual tour as part of what we are learning. It gives the kids something to look forward to daily and brings the lesson to life! All the World is a great resource. They create weekly videos geared for 4-10 year olds. The videos explain how the world works and explore topics in science, nature, art and culture. They are also available in a variety of languages too.
SENSORY: Our kiddos enjoyed watching the Sense of Touch video. We have been reading about it in one of our books. All the World’s video helped the kids understand even more about their skin and touch.
STEM: We loved watching the process of skateboards being made in the Skateboard Making video. It explained how the wood grain affects the strength of the board and how they have to alternate layers. The kids loved seeing the behind the scenes of something that is a part of their everyday lives.
BLUE ORANGE GAMES
We love a good game night! But now with strict stay at home orders, we love a good game morning, a good game afternoon, well a good game anytime. Blue Orange Games has been publishing and promoting award-winning games for almost twenty years. It’s a company dedicated to growing with families so there are so many options from toddler through adult. Many of their games help children build important skills such as dexterity, memory, math, logic, and cooperation.
DEXTERITY: Fine motor skills are important for writing and for tasks like buttoning a shirt, and skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands, is an important developmental marker. Blue Orange Games even categorize their catalog by different skills including dexterity. Skills that can be honed by stacking elephants in Zimbbos! or creating your own constellations by connecting the stars together in the drawing party game Starlink.
STRATEGY: This may seem like a big concept to introduce to a young child but even the littles can grasp strategy when presented in a fun way. Take Goblet Gobblers for example, it’s a tic-tac-toe style game with a twist. It’s easy to learn and fun to play for any age. And, Bye Bye Mr. Fox is an adorable cooperative game that teaches young players about teamwork and strategy as you help the hens keep their eggs safe from the cunning Mr. Fox!
FABER-CASTELL
Art can be a great release for everyone. Creative expression is not only fun but can also be therapeutic. It is important during this time to take time to create. It can tie into the lesson they are doing for school or can just be something fun that the family saw online and wants to try. FaberCastell has some great inspiration for activities to do at home in addition to their art supplies and craft kits. From crayons and colored pencils to watercolors and calligraphy pens, there are supplies for every artist-level. We also love their Creativity for Kids line which are boxed sets with all of the supplies you need to do an art project.
ART & FINE MOTOR SKILLS: Have your kids draw a self-portrait of themselves. They can use crayons, markers, paint, or whatever medium they like best. Take time to ask them to share with you about their self-portrait. The World Colors How to Draw Faces Kit helps children learn how to draw faces and comes with blendable skin tone colored pencils.
GARDENING: Create a mini-garden for the kitchen or backyard. We love their Plant A Pizza Garden set which you plant basil, peppers, oregano and tomatoes. We are able to talk about the plant cycle from seed germination to harvest and then we can use the plants as ingredients to make homemade pizza!
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PLUS DON’T FORGET TO ENTER OUR EPIC EDUCATIONAL GIVEAWAY: CLICK HERE!
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We were gifted items from All the World, Asweets, Beaufort Bonnet Company, Bird & Bean, Blue Orange Games, Corolle, CreateOn Products, Educational Insights, Faber-Castell, Miniland, Osmo, and Zonderkidz. All of our thoughts and opinions are our own.
