Pop for Sight Words Games from Learning Resources Review & Giveaway

Disclosure: This review was written for Learning Resources. Items were received for review purpose only and no other compensation was provided. All opinions written are my own.

We are back to school and, only two weeks in, we are in full homework mode. Josiah is in first grade and, in kindergarten, had some issues with phonics. We practiced sight words and reading over the summer, but it just wasn't going anywhere. As soon as he began school, the teacher started sending home more sight word flash cards, so I knew we had to mix things up, especially since he will soon have his very first spelling test! Learning Resources Pop for Sight Words Games are not only educational, but a fun way for kids to learn, so we were excited to try them out.

About Pop For Sight Words Bundle (includes Pop for Sight Words 1 and 2)
These games make sight word practice fun! They pick, recognize and read aloud almost 200 high-frequency words, but look out for the POP cards. Players pick a card, say the word and, if read correctly, they keep it. However, if a POP card is accidently picked, the player must put back ALL of their words. This game is recommended for ages 5-7 and 2-4 players can play at a time.

Our Thoughts
Josiah has been so nervous about all of the new words he has to learn, but was getting frustrated with the flash cards. We received both Pop for Sight Words and Pop for Sight Words 2. I couldn't wait to get POP for Sight Words out this weekend to see what Josiah thought. We are starting with the 1st set of flash cards and, upon open up the game, I found that these were perfect for his reading level and for first grade. Many of the words were the same high-frequency words on his current list and others were words he either has learned or will learn in the near future. I knew this would be a great way for him to get some extra practice in!

Josiah picking out his next word.

As soon as we started playing, Josiah was sounding out the letter sounds, putting them together and reading the words like a pro. The more he sounded out the letters, the better he got at even figuring out words he had not practiced yet. I noticed immediately that this game was giving him the encouragement and reassurance he has needed to succeed with learning words and reading. He is often unsure of himself and doesn't want to say words incorrectly, so Pop for Sight Words was great practice and he would get so excited every time he got one right.

Learning -sh words has been tough, but he got this one right and was so proud!

There were so words that he still got wrong, but that's okay because those go back in the box to be picked in the future, which gives him another change and more practice, too.

Pop Cards

Mama was the first to draw one of the POP! cards and had to put all cards back into the box! Josiah thought that was hilarious until he picked one, too. That definitely evens the field as time goes on, but then I picked another POP card. We played this game for close the 45 minutes before he started losing interest, which is really a record. He was so into this game that we have already played it several times since the first time. Sometimes I go through and pick our specific words I know we should focus on and other times we just play with all of them to help add to his vocabulary.

Josiah was not only surprised, but beyond happy to win the game. I think this is the beginning of a very successful first grade and the more we practice and play Pop for Sight Words, the more he will improve and gain confidence in himself. I think this is a great game for all kids who need practice with phonics. We homeschooled last year and this would have been perfect as an add-in with the curriculum. The words are great for kindergarten and first grade.

Josiah was all smiles when he won the game!

Ready For a Giveaway?

Thanks to Learning Resources,  One Lucky Reader Will Receive Their Own Pop For Sight Words Bundle! 

Learning Resources Gears! Gears! Gears! Beginner's Building Set Review & Giveaway

We our now homeschooling and, for a while, I had a tough time finding educational games, toys and supplements for the boys that are fun and stimulating, keeping them occupied and interested in learning. I'd heard some friends talk about Learning Resources and when I finally checked them out, I was in educational heaven! Learning Resources has a mission to support teachers and parents by providing unique, high-quality educational tools that enhance instruction and provide engaging learning experiences that meet children's individual needs and that is exactly what they do.

I was so excited to receive the Gears! Gears! Gears! Beginner's Set to review and thought this would be something both of my boys would enjoy immensely. The set includes 96 plastic pieces that easily snap together, including spinning gears, pillars, connectors and cranks. For children 3+ years of age, this was perfect for both Liam and Josiah. I have the hardest time keeping Liam occupied while trying to do schoolwork with Josiah and this is the perfect way to engage him and help him build on his fine motor skills.

What they loved the most about this set was setting their creations into motion. Once all the gears are in place, use a crank to set your masterpiece into motion! It's such a fun item for kids and has endless building possibilities.

I've kept this set up and bring it out for Liam to play with during school and Josiah also gets to play with it during quite play time indoors. They have so much fun that I can seriouslyfinally get my own chores and work done while they play with the Gears! Gears! Gears! set.

There are two things I love about the Gears! Gears! Gears! sets. First, they are all compatible, so you can build on to the ones you already have, making more room for your children's imagination to soar. Now that I know how much they enjoying playing with this set, I will definitely purchase other sets to add on. There is a farm set and another that lights up when in action. Both of these would be huge hits with the boys, too. Secondly, the box this set comes in is great! It's made of sturdy cardboard and has a handle on top, so the boys can not only easily put up and store their set, but they can take it around with them when we are visiting grandparents or going out of town.

The Gears!Gears!Gears! Beginner's Set retails on the Learning Resources website for only $27.99! It's a deal for all the hours of fun the kids will surely have.

Ready for your chance to win?

Thanks to Learning Resources, One Lucky Children Teaching Mama Reader Will Win Their Own Gears! Gears! Gears! Beginner's Set!

Holiday Gift Guide: Learning Resources Jumbo Safari Counters Review & Giveaway

I’ve said it many times but when it comes to toys for my girls I look for things that are educational and require them to use their imagination when they play. I’m not fond of anything that they push a button and then just watch it do something. So if you are like me then a great website to check out for Christmas gifts this year is Learning Resources - a leading global manufacturer of innovative, hands-on educational products trusted by teachers and parents and loved by children. Plus they have 1,100+ high quality products to choose from.

The girls received the Jumbo Safari Counters to try out.

The Jumbo Safari Counters come in a reusable tub which made this momma super happy. So many times toys come in flimsy cardboard boxes that end up in the garbage and I’m left to find a new storage solution which drives me crazy. Inside the tub you will find thirty figures – 5 different animals including rhino, elephant, giraffe, monkey, and lion in 6 vibrant colors including red, yellow, orange, blue, green and purple. They are recommended for ages two to five so both Alleigh and Kaelyn had a blast playing with them.

We spent quite a while sorting and counting them by either animal or color and turned it into a bit of a game. I would give the girls each a color or an animal and they had to find that amongst the pile of chunky figures. Alleigh would toss all of hers into a pile quickly while Kaelyn had to stand hers in a nice straight line and tell me each animal and color as she did it. Such a smart little cookie, hehe.

I would also ask the girls to find certain amounts for example: 3 lions or 2 green animals. Alleigh loved this and Kaelyn did amazingly well for only being two years old. Of course the whole time we were also making funny animal sounds and pretending to be those animals as well, hehe.

Kaelyn also quickly figured out that the animals were hollowed out so they could be used as finger puppets. That led to a funny impromptu puppet show courtesy of both girls. They definitely are my little comedians.

And the best part was the entire time they were learning, but since it was fun they simply thought we were playing. That’s the great thing about Learning Resources – Learning for the fun of it!

As I mentioned earlier there are over 1,100 awesome products on the Learning Resources website to check out, but before you head over to do that enter below to win your very own set of Jumbo Safari Counters.

I’m sure your kiddos will love them just as much as mine do. Good luck!