{Giveaway} "I Love You More" Board Book #theheartproject

Today is the kickoff for the heart project fundraiser a collaborative project with 70 bloggers. Each blogger contributed an idea for a heart-related kids' project. The ideas were compiled into a book which is available for download when you donate to the American Heart Association.

My contribution to the book was this "I Love You More" craft. This craft was based off the book, "I Love You More" by Laura Duksta. Today I am giving away a free copy of the "I Love You More" board book.


This giveaway is open to US and Canada. One winner will be randomly selected at 7 pm (CST) on Februrary 14, 2012. The winner will have 72 hours to email me with contact information. If the winner does not claim the prize, a new winner will be chosen.
There are lots of giveaways going for the next two weeks.  Today you can find giveaways at Dilly-Dali Art, The Preschool Toolbox, and Toddler Approved.
 (Ps. I do not have this set up for "partial feed" but in my reader, I there is a "read more" link to get to the entries for the giveaway. I am working on fixing this but for now, please click "read more" to enter today's giveaway. Thank you!)

the heart project fundraiser kickoff

I am so excited to be a part of the heart project, a collaborative project to raise money for the American Heart Association. There are more than 70 bloggers who have teamed up to provide a beautiful ebook of heart projects in order to raise money for the AHA.  The group is headed up by Jamie at Hands On: As We Grow.
The book includes 100 + ideas for kids. The projects are divided into four sections cook, create, play, and display. There are  photographs with links to the project instructions for each project! My contribution was the "I Love You More" Heart which was based on the book, "I Love You More". (Stick around to the end of the post, and I'll tell you how to win that book too!!)

The book is loaded with other heart themed activities. Here's a sample:

You can get a copy of the book by donating $5 to the American Heart Association. Our goal is to raise $1,000 for the AHA by Valentine's Day. The book is only available for download through donation for the month of February! Get it before it's gone!

There is also a printed version available for $20 plus shipping ($5 of each purchase of the printed soft cover book will go to the AHA)

US $20.00

Order the Printed Version

We really want to make this project a success so we've teamed up with some companies to sponsor the project. 

For every book sold, Craftprojectideas.com is donating $1! That means in addition to your $5 donation by purchasing the The Heart Book, Craftprojectideas.com will donate another $1 on your behalf (up to $500!)

We are also partnered with Melissa and Doug and Fudoo Boards. They are offering great prize packs which will be auctioned off. Check out the links to the auctions on ebay.

Fundraiser Auctions:

♥  All proceeds of each auction will go to the AHA  ♥

Melissa & Doug -  4 Trunki with Teddy Bear Auctions!

1. Trunki with Teddy Bear, ends Feb 10
2. Trunki with Teddy Bear, ends Feb 10
3. Trunki with Teddy Bear, ends Feb 10
4. Trunki with Teddy Bear, ends Feb 10

Fudoo Boards - 3 Fudoo Board Kits for Auction!

1. Fudoo Board Kit, ends Feb 10
2. Fudoo Board Kit, ends Feb 10
3. Fudoo Board Kit, ends Feb 10

And of course, we have to thank all of YOU, who read our blogs and support this cause! To thank you for your participation, many of the bloggers who contributed to the project are offering giveaways from now until Valentine's Day.

Guess who has the first giveaway??? Me. me. me!!! I'm posting it EARLY tomorrow (Wednesday) morning and it will run until Valentine's Day.

Melissa & Doug, Fudoo Boards, and Craftprojectideas.com will also be offering giveaways. 

Be sure to check back each day to enter that day's giveaways! 

Contributing bloggers

hands on : as we grow	♥	A Little Learning for Two	♥	Among Many Blessings
Angelique Felix	♥	At Home with Ali	♥	Broken Treasures
Busy at Home	♥	Busy Kids Happy Mom	♥	Carrie Saindon's Photo Journey
Child Central Station	♥	Classified: Mom	♥	Classroom Magic
Creative with Kids	♥	Creativity My Passion	♥	Critters and Crayons
De Tout et de Rien	♥	Dilly-Dali Art	♥	Dinosaurs & Octopuses
Excited 2 Learn	♥	Hand Over the Cookies	♥	Handprint & Footprint Art
Happy Hooligans	♥	Heart Journey	♥	Imagination Soup
Jamie's Jumble	♥	Kitchen Counter Chronicles	♥	Kreative Resources
Let Kids Create	♥	Little Illuminationss	♥	Living Montessori Now
Loudness of the Lambs	♥	Love and Lollipops	♥	Mama, hocemo nesto da pravimo
Mama Pea Pod	♥	Mama Smiles	♥	MemeTales
Messy Kids	♥	Mindful Meanderings	♥	Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas
Mommy Labs	♥	Mommy Perks	♥	Mum Paints Lives
Mummy Mummy Mum	♥	My Creative Family	♥	NurtureStore
One Artsy Mama	♥	Peace Love & Rainbows	♥	Play Dr Mom
Putti Prapancha	♥	Rainbows within Reach	♥	Reading Confetti
Ready. Set. Read!	♥	Red Ted Art	♥	Sense of Wonder
Share & Remember	♥	Stacy Molter	♥	Sun Hats & Wellie Boots
Teach Preschool	♥	The Artful Child	♥	The Chocolate Muffin Tree
The Craft Barn	♥	The Educators' Spin on It	♥	The Golden Gleam
The Imagination Tree	♥	The Iowa Farmer's Wife	♥	The Joy of My Life
The Kids Fun Review	♥	The Outlaw Mom Blog	♥	The Preschool Toolbox
The Seeds Network	♥	Toddler Approved

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!

100th Day of School: Mathematically Speaking Mondays

Jake's 100th Day of School Lester Laminack is one of my favorite 100th day of school books! Jake's class is celebrating the 100th day of school. Everyone in the class is bringing a collection of 100 favorite things. Jake creates a book of 100 memories. On the 100th day, Jake forgets his book. His sensitive principal, Mrs. Wadsworth, helps Jake to solve the problem by donating 100 of her books. The day goes on with fun activities, snacks, and even a superific surprise visitor! In the end, Jake uses his problem solving skills to find a great use of his book of 100 memories that he left at home.

In the story, Jake's class creates a 100th day snack by combining 4 sets of 25 items. We created this 100 snack in the same manner. We made a trail mix snack of 25 marshmallows, 25 cheerios, 25 chocolate chips, and 25 Teddy Grahams. I created a free printable for our recipe!

You could modify this to meet the math skill you are covering. For instance, if you want to focus on counting by 10s, you could show 10 sets of 10 items.

Do you have any favorite 100th day of school books?

This post is part of my mathematically speaking Mondays series. Reading recipes is a great way to integrate math and literacy! Check out Snowman Name Graph which is another fun way to integrate math and literacy.

Here's where I am linking up:










Book Talk Tuesday

Bear Country on Twitter: Connecting with authors via social media

Last week I participated in a PBS twitter party about the PBS Stem Challenge. It was a great learning experience for me. There were amazing conversations about games and kids and education. About halfway through, I noticed someone tweeting as @theberenstains. At first, I thought it was just a fan of the Berenstain bears, but then I noticed someone commented about the weather in bear country.
Well, it turns out... it was THE  Berenstains . Not only is my 3 year old a new fan of the bears, I am a long time fan of the  Berenstain  bears as well. So I quickly tweeted...

And I got a response.

So I followed. And they thanked me for following. Cool.
I love twitter! I love that I don't have to find the right bookstore on the right day to connect with a favorite author. I love that in the midst of a twitter party, I can engage with someone I respect.
I think authors who are connecting via social media are providing a great outlet for young readers. Think about how often your students or children fall in love with a series of books. If the reader has an opportunity to engage the author on social media, they may stay a fan for a long, long time!
There is another PBS twitter party tonight! No promises that The Berenstains will appear, but you never know who you may meet. You can RSVP here or scan the QR code with your smart phone to rsvp! (I probably won't be attending this one because I am enrolling my kiddo in preK tonight! But I may try to catch the after party at weteach!)

In the style of twitter, today I'm sharing my favorite Berenstain bears books reviews in 140 characters or less.

The bears enjoy the traditional camp activities of canoeing, hiking, and crafts. They even survive the overnight campout! #campmemories

Brother checks out a scary mystery from the library causing Sister to be a scaredy bear at bedtime. #iamascaredybear!

Brother and Sister get caught up in comparing what they have to others. A scary thunderstorm reminds them to count their blessings. #guilty

The bears have forgotten their manners. Mama has a plan but the hardest one to change is papa. Probably shouldn't insert comment about hubbie.

Have you used social media to connect with a favorite author? Have you used it in your classrooms? I'd love to hear your experiences.


Here's where I am sharing:



Book Talk Tuesday