Review: Lola's Math Train

By Rebecca For his 5^th birthday, my son received a new 3DS.  It’s a Nintendo hand held game system that reminds me of when I had a Game Boy. Clearly, the new system has better graphics, more games, more tools like a camera, but the fun is still the same.

It was a great fit to have a chance to review the new math game for the 3DS called ‘Lola’s Math Train’.  Any time there’s an opportunity for my kids to learn while having fun, it’s a bonus. He was happy to have a new game to check out.

The one area that my son needs a little extra push in is math. He can do it, but often he doesn’t want to.  Subtraction seems to be trickier for him at this stage and while he’s great with patterns, he’s far more interested in language than numbers.

The game is leveled into easy, medium and hard. Easy identifies numbers, medium has more counting and hard has patterns, addition and subtraction.

The game is recommended for ages 3-8.  My kids are 4 and 6 and it was great for them, but likely even more so for my 4 year old.  The math problems in the easy and medium levels aren’t super challenging for my son, but they are really good for him to practice simple equations and build confidence (something that is half the battle for him).  Since he’s still needing help in some subtraction and problem solving areas (such as ‘which two numbers add up to 6), the hard level was a really good push for him. The beginning levels (easy and medium) were perfect for my 4-year-old who is just learning math concepts and loves to count.

I asked my six-year-old what he thought of the game and with beaming eyes he answered ‘really good!’.

His favourite part of the game is getting to the end of the level and selecting an animal friend to hop on the train with him.

His least favourite part of the game is subtraction (no surprises here!)

The game is a really fun, cute way of learning numbers and doing simple math.  It will soon become less challenging for my 6-year-old who continues to learn math and improve at school, however, for my 4-year-old the timing is perfect and the game will grow with her for some time.

Rebecca writes about parenting, food and family fun on her blog A Little Bit of Momsense.  She was compensated for her review but the views are her own.

Play Time Cafe in Manotick

By Kamerine Play Time Cafe is a kid-friendly coffee shop that recently opened in Manotick. I was so excited because even though there are other similar establishments in town, this is by far the closest one for me. I took the kids there one snowy morning a couple of weeks ago.

The first thing I noticed were the super bright green walls and then my eyes wandered around to the toys and puzzles and comfy chairs and couches and the high chairs everywhere. This was obviously a clean, kid-friendly, cozy place. The play area is gated off but surrounded with half walls so you could see the kids from almost everywhere in the place. There were also toys and stations (for lack of a better word) set up here and there like a princess table the kids loved with a hidden cubby full of blocks.

I picked up a snack for the kids and tried a Panini for me and veggie sliders for them. It was all delicious. The food is a focus for the owners and they boast wholesome and locally sourced ingredients. This isn't a necessity for me but it's definitely a nice touch.

It can be weird talking about bathrooms but I'm going to. Play Time Cafe has two bathrooms and a fully stocked change table for the little ones. This is such a big deal when you're out and about and the inevitable happens and you need to change a diaper. No problem at all here.

I had a chance to talk to two of the owners and I can say without a doubt that they are friendly and passionate about what they do. I'm glad to have Play Time Cafe so close by and I hope I've convinced you to go check it out. It's bright and cheerful and clean, with a friendly staff, and focused on healthy eating and community: a winning combination. We will definitely be back to Play Time Cafe.

Spring Into Spring with The Ottawa Public Library

By Tracy Facchin, Children's Public Programming Public Service Assistant

Spring is here and with it come a whole slew of new and exciting books to read. So snuggle up with your little ones and take a look at these great reads suggested by our friends at the Ottawa Public Library!

The Inside Tree by Linda Smith

Kind-hearted Mr. Potter allows his dog inside to share his comfortable, cozy house and as the title suggests, he decides to bring a lonely looking tree inside, as well. Brimming with vocabulary, this humourous story will have little ones guessing what will happen next. The illustrations capture the craziness of the situation, with Mr. Potter singled out in a bright orange and red striped pattern on every page.

The Cat Who Wouldn’t Come Inside by Cynthia von Buhler

This story is based on the authors experience as she patiently earned the trust and affection of a stray cat.  The captivating illustrations are my favourite feature of this unique book.  The characters, their clothing, the tiny house, and all of its’ adorable miniatures have been created by hand.  The scenes were photographed using a variety of coloured filters, giving an indoor or outdoor feeling to each page.  The cumulative text will encourage youngsters to help with the storytelling.

The Berenstain Bears Inside Outside Upside Down by Stan & Jan Berenstain

This book is a favourite from my own childhood! It is a wonderful early reader, with lots of repetition and images that support the text.  The idea of being taken on a little trip somewhere by accident sparks the imagination, and could lead to an interesting conversation with a child about where the box could’ve ended up!

Scooter in the Outside by Anne Bowen

This is a fantastic read-aloud book, as the text is full of super-fun things to say!  Scooter the dogs’ wet kiss is a ‘SLOPPITY-SLURP’ and his wagging tail goes ‘THWAPPA-THWAPPA-THUMP!’ Poor Scooter gets more than he bargained for when he escapes out an open door headed outside on his own. Children will like Scooters curious nature and will learn about making careful decisions.  The illustrations are bright and cheerful and the story has a happy ending to an outdoor adventure!

Not a Box by Antoinette Portis

The dedication in this book is ‘To children everywhere sitting in cardboard boxes’, and it is a sweet story about an imaginative little bunny that pretends a plain cardboard box is anything but!  The minimalism of the line drawn illustrations will appeal to even very young children, while the text will inspire readers to stretch their own imagination.  I love that the cover is brown and rough like a piece of cardboard!

Animals Home Alone by Loes Riphagen

Wordless books enhance creativity, vocabulary, and language development. In this book, the animals in the house go WILD when their owners leave! Their silly antics include a pig who hogs the T.V remote control, a cat who chats on the telephone and a goldfish that swims around in the dog’s water dish. There are so many things to look at and to talk about on each page and it is easy to use your imagination to create your own story.  At the end of the book, the author prompts the reader to recall what they have seen, with questions like ‘What is on Petey’s beak?’ and ‘Why is Katherine’s cage empty?’

A Dragon Moves In by Lisa Falkenstern

http://ottawa.bibliocommons.com/item/show/643864026_a_dragon_moves_in

Bringing home a newly-hatched stray dragon turns into a problem for Hedgehog and Rabbit, when their friend gets too big for their house!  Quirky characters and charming illustrations carry this story through to its happy ending.  Rabbit and Hedgehog problem solve and work together to build a castle big enough for all of them!  Their pet fire-breathing dragon thanks them with a fireworks display!

 

Building Our House by Jonathan Bean

This is a great book for inquisitive children who are interested in construction and about how a house is made from the ground up.  Based on the author’s own childhood experience with his parents and two sisters, the family gives up their city life to build a homestead in the country.  What I love most about the book is that everyone is involved in the building process; both the Dad and Mom (even with a round expectant belly!), all of the children, and even extended family and friends.  Teamwork, hard work and the importance of family are values that are ‘built-in’ to this story.

Review: My Pretty Playhouse

by Lara A few months ago I was given the opportunity to review a My Pretty Playhouse with the kids.

Having something for the kids to use as a little fort in the basement was great.  I found up to 5 kids in there at a time, reading stories, playing with toys, or pretending to nap :) They also loved that they were allowed to colour on it!

I loved the details on the house and how easy it was to put together.

If you had kids who are less rambunctious than mine (mine are VERY rambunctious) it would probably last longer than ours did.  That being said, we got a good two months out of it before it had been a little too destroyed to keep playing in.

For $34.99 it's a good value.  I remember seeing houses like these in the past that ran for double that so the price point on this one definitely appeals.

*disclaimer. I received the playhouse for free but didn't receive any compensation and all thoughts are my own.

Cruising with kids

by Lara

Kids on Carnival cruises

This February my husband and I decided to go on our first family vacation. We'd gone on a cruise just the two of us the year before and loved it so much we decided it would be fun for all five of us.

(A quick note here - we drove to Florida and back. That definitely added a whole other component to this trip which is very likely another post in and of itself :)

5-days in the Bahamas on Carnival

We took a 5 day cruise with three stops in the Bahamas. We all shared one cabin. We had a good time but I have a lot of thoughts and tips to share :)

- Food. The ship was a lot smaller than the one my husband were on last year. We really felt this in terms of the amounts of activities and especially food options. I expected food to be available all the time. Unfortunately all that was available 24 hours a day was lemonade, ice tea, pizza, deli sandwiches and ice cream. Not great for kids who need a mid morning or afternoon snack - especially when one can't have dairy. Solution: I started hoarding huge plates of plates of food in our room.

- Rooms. I was nervous about having all 5 of us in one room. Cruises aren't cheaper for kids, but each person's price goes down the more people you put in a room so all of us together it was! :)

All of us in one room went surprisingly well and the housekeeping attendants made it fun to come back to our room every night :)

not only did we get towel animals, our own friends got staged :)

- Camp carnival was an amazing option. My husband and I were able to get a break from the kids, which was much needed a few times :) Unfortunately the camp for kids 5 and under was 100% indoors - not exactly what I was hoping for from our trip to the Bahamas. We primarily took advantage of their evening program so that we could go and have a nice dinner. They came back tired and ready to go right to sleep.

swimming on board the carnival ecstacy

- Kid friendly? This ship definitely wasn't "un" kid friendly but the options for things to do with the kids were very limited. There was one pool and 3 hot tubs (our previous ship boasts 10 pools and hot tubs!) and it wasn't very big. The only other activity was mini golf which was beyond our three year olds. There was no place on the ship where I could let my very active kids get their energy out other than in a not very big pool that required us in the water with them 100% of the time. For this reason, I'm fairly sure an all inclusive resort with options for running around outside in big spaces, where you don't have to worry about disturbing others would be a better bet.

- Port stops. My kids LOVED the beach/ocean (all the more reason to try an all inclusive next time I think) and I loved that they had the space to run and play but other than that, we didn't do much (we did walk around Nassau for a bit). We especially loved Half Moon Cay and the public beach in Freeport.

playing on the beach in Freeport

Overall, we had a great time. But if you're asking me if I'd recommend it, I'd say unless you're going on a Disney cruise or your kids are at MINIMUM 6 years old, I'd skip a cruise and try something land based. Now... I just need an affordable all inclusive to try out next year! :)